None of that gives any combatant the right to kill a prisoner.
Regardless of the above, and regardless of some radio communication from some unknown person, Americans do not kill prisoners. To vilify some NCIS agent because he may found an instance where Marines kill prisoners is more than foolish. To criticize him because he asks direct questions about a possible murder astounds logic. What did you expect him to ask; how was the soup at supper?
If you do not understand that we should not kill prisoners, you do not understand why are in Iraq.
Other Marines who were say Weemer (who was shot three times at close range by an insurgent who was on fire and burning alive) is mistaken. That he is merging two or more incidents and that no one shot a legitimate detainee.
Fallujah was one hell of a confusing fight. It wasn't Wehrmacht soldiers with their hands in the air. It was guys with rigged explosives under their t-shirts and grenades in their pockets, juiced on cocaine and shots of adrenalin. If you don't understand the nature of our enemy, you don't understand why we are in Iraq.
NCIS agents don't care that other Marines say this incident never happened. As has been solidly documented in the Haditha case for anyone paying attention, NCIS routinely ignores exculpatory evidence in their pursuit of another notch on their belts.
In trying to build some kind of case, NCIS has been on a fishing expedition for two years. Getting nowhere, they are arresting people in such a way that he will lose his livelihood. Maybe a few lost paychecks, and the prospect of losing your home will bring you around to sign statements that NCIS will be happy to prepare. (Pop Quiz: How many Marines signed affidavits that they didn't write their own statements in the Lt Phan case?)
War is Hell. Our defenders who went through that Hell do not deserve a perp walk just because an NCIS agent wants to shake him in hope of building a case.
And for working to destroy a Marine veteran's life, you bet your life I will vilify the villain who did it.
Like you, my initial take was that there has to be fire under all that smoke. After following up on the reports from the North County Times in Cal., even they were questioning the methods used by NCIS. No one has the exact same recollections of any event experienced under extreme duress, and I think you will agree Fallujah was the pinnacle of duress.
Weemer was psychologically hit at the start of the engagement by the death of his friend; he was not the radio operator; he did not see anything himself; his story is more the hear-say of the chatter he recalls from two or three years ago. None of the other team members support his version, and there is ample evidence that NCIS has and continues to play fast and loose with the procedures of taking/extorting witness statements. I now place NCIS on the same plateau as 'Prosecutor' Nifong in the Duke Lacrosse case -- beneath contempt.
I have no doubt that the Military will bring to justice those members who violate the rules of civilised conduct, whether in peace or at war, but not with the railroad jobs NCIS is promulgating to appease the insurgent supporters -- both civilian and political.
See post #4
There are no bodies, no evidence, no crime scene, and some saying that the entire thing never even happened; that it’s a figment of someone’s embellished war stories.
A few Marines knew of the allegations soon after Weemer made them. A few more heard something about them eventually, and still more thought they were a lot of crap. Not a single Marine who fought at Fallujah besides Weemer ever said they were true.
I understand your logic in saying that we should NOT kill prisoners.
However, we are not talking about lining them up just to shoot them.
These Marines were on the offensive and had no means to stop and take names and no people to take them to the rear.
That means, if the prisoners live, they have to be guarded or given medical attention at a time when Americans need to fight and give medical attention to Americans.
In this case, and in all cases like this, the life of a prisoner is not important. If the squad leader choosess to let them live and be unguarded, they can easily return to combat against the Marines.
And that would be a fatal mistake.
Killing prisoners just to kill them is murder. Killing prisoners because the combat situation demands movement without restriction is not murder.
It is literally an US vs THEM decision. And I choose US.
So did this Marine, and he was right.