Posted on 11/16/2004 7:01:14 AM PST by areafiftyone
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. Marines rallied round a comrade under investigation for killing a wounded Iraqi during the offensive in Falluja, saying he was probably under combat stress in unpredictable, hair-trigger circumstances.
Marines interviewed on Tuesday said they didn't see the shooting as a scandal, rather the act of a comrade who faced intense pressure during the effort to quell the insurgency in the city.
"I can see why he would do it. He was probably running around being shot at for days on end in Falluja. There should be an investigation but they should look into the circumstances," said Lance Corporal Christopher Hanson.
"I would have shot the insurgent too. Two shots to the head," said Sergeant Nicholas Graham, 24, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "You can't trust these people. He should not be investigated. He did nothing wrong."
The military command launched an investigation after video footage showed a U.S. Marine shooting a wounded and unarmed man in a mosque in the city on Saturday. The man was one of five wounded and left in the mosque after Marines fought their way through the area.
A pool report by NBC correspondent Kevin Sites said the mosque had been used by insurgents to attack U.S. forces, who stormed it, killing 10 militants and wounding the five. Sites said the wounded had been left for others to pick up.
A second group of Marines entered the mosque on Saturday after reports it had been reoccupied. Footage from the embedded television crew showed the five still in the mosque, although several appeared to be close to death, Sites said.
He said a Marine noticed one prisoner was still breathing.
A Marine can be heard saying on the pool footage provided to Reuters Television: "He's fucking faking he's dead."
"The Marine then raises his rifle and fires into the man's head," Sites said.
NBC said the Marine, who had reportedly been shot in the face himself the previous day, said immediately after the shooting: "Well, he's dead now."
THOROUGH PROBE PROMISED
The Marine commander in Falluja, Lieutenant General John Sattler, said his men followed the law of conflict and held themselves to a high standard of accountability.
"The facts of this case will be thoroughly pursued to make an informed decision and to protect the rights of all persons involved," he said.
Marines have repeatedly described the rebels they fought against in Falluja as ruthless fighters who didn't play by the rules. They say the investigation is politically motivated.
"It's all political. This Marine has been under attack for days. It has nothing to do with what he did," said Corporal Keith Hoy, 23.
Rights group Amnesty International said on Monday both sides in the Falluja fighting had broken the rules of war governing the protection of civilians and wounded combatants.
Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Garza, 30, favored an investigation but like other Marines said the Pentagon should weigh its decision carefully.
"He should have captured him. Maybe the insurgent had some valuable information. There may have been mitigating circumstances. Maybe his two buddies died in Falluja," he said.
Sites said: "I have witnessed the Marines behaving as a disciplined and professional force throughout this offensive. In this particular case, it certainly was a confusing situation to say the least."
The U.S. military has been embarrassed by scandals in Iraq, most prominently the Abu Ghraib affair in which at least eight U.S. soldiers have been tried or face courts-martial over the abuse of prisoners at the jail outside Baghdad.
There have also been several cases in which soldiers have been charged with wrongfully killing Iraqis during operations.
RIGHT ON!Give him a John Skerry Silver Star!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It doesn't have to be a member of the military who delivers the beating to Mr. Sites. There are plenty of bikers who would enjoy the opportunity. I'm not one of them, but I imagine there are some out there.
EXACTLY CORRECT!The Japs would leave an officer's sword or a weapon under one of their dead to sucker our guys into rolling the body off and BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did you ever doubt that???
I am defending the reporter - I've yet to see where he did anything wrong. I have also made it clear, I've yet to see where the Marine did anything wrong, so in that regard I'm also defending the Marine, though I think he is probably more capable of defending himself than I am of defending him.
If you don't know .. tou're on the wrong website
I'd like to SHOOT whoever it was that came up with the bright idea of "embedding"the Media A**HOLES with our fighters!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My question remains why? What did the reporter do that has so many people willing to beat and/or kill him?
Like I said when this story first came out, until these morons in the MSM have walked in the boots of a United States Marine, I don't want to hear one GD word of criticism from anybody.
I walked point in Nam for the Fifth Marines and I can tell you it was no friggin' picnic. And I didn't go around in 1969 and 1970 checkin' ID's and taking polls as to whether to shoot the S.O.B. who was shooting at me...
I killed the BASTARDS and I haven't lost not one night's sleep over it in over 30 friggin' years.
Semper Fi,
Kelly
Another thing from the PRESS.
I am Tired of OUR TROOPS, being called,"...those YOUNG KIDS....Tired....overwhelmed.....first time soldiers in shock of war.."
while TERRORISTS are called,"...."insurgents"...highly TRAINED....Organized.....they have the upper hand by knowing the terrain,houses, and are "too smart" together to "give away" each other's cells..."
And WHERE is the LIST of ALL THE MOSQUES used as Weapon bases??
AirBorne
Excellent answer. Thanks for clearing that up.
In my post I clearly stated that I thought Mr. Sikes handled this wrong. I posted that if he saw what he perceived to be a problem, he should have turned a copy of the tape over to the Marine command, as opposed to putting it out into the world media.
Maybe the military should google the names of the reporters they are embedding before the fact.
There are a lot of good reporters, and many outside the MSM are being tarnished as a whole.
He is being investigated and accused world-wide of murder.
Your focus on the trash-talk on FR is curious.
Mr. Sites' primary responsibility should be to his country first, his career second. As for his job being a service, his service is one that this nation at war could well do without.
I can do that! Thanks!
This"reporter"ought to be handed over to these A**HOLES!!They'd figure out some"entertainment"for him!!!!
Sometimes the reporters from the small-town papers are the worst (at accuracy, mostly, but occasionally the bias problem also creeps in), and yes, I am speaking from experience. Even small matters are often reported in ways that are totally unrelated to reality. I doubt if I'm ruffling many feathers--the reporters and ex-reporters here know exactly what I'm talking about, and have seen it among their coworkers often enough, I'm sure.
If you don't get it after all that has been posted on this thread then you never will.
Another comment: Faking surrender not only makes you not protected when you try to surrender, but makes your unit not protected. It is one of those lines that is not to be crossed.
THANKYOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!!!
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