Posted on 03/08/2005 2:19:05 PM PST by Mom of 2 Marines
Marine's accuser: No grudge
BY BRIAN KATES DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The sergeant who accused a New York Marine lieutenant of summarily executing two unarmed Iraqi detainees says the young officer was a "motivated" platoon leader and he does "not have any animosity against him." Sgt. Daniel Coburn revealed that he is the Marine who reported 2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano to military authorities for killing the two suspected insurgents. The detainees were shot in the back after their handcuffs were removed, according to the charges.
Pantano faces charges of premeditated murder and could receive the death penalty if convicted in a court-martial.
Coburn - a 10-year veteran with service in Panama, Haiti, Bosnia and Kosovo - called the shootings "kind of a shock."
Pantano does not deny killing the Iraqis, but says through his attorneys that he thought he was being attacked and fired in self-defense.
Pantano's defense team has painted his accuser, whose name had not been made public until now, as disgruntled because the lieutenant relieved him as a squad leader.
"I never had a grudge against him," Coburn said of Pantano.
Coburn said he switched from squad leader to radio operator because "I had given classes in the radio and they needed a competent radio operator."
He declined to discuss specifics of the allegations. But when the charge specifications were read to him, he told the Daily News, "That's what happened."
It happened last April 15 in Mahmudiyah, near Baghdad. That month, one of the bloodiest of the war, 126 Americans were killed in action, up from 31 in March.
Pantano, Coburn and a Navy hospitalman had stopped a car fleeing a suspected insurgent hideout. The suspects were ordered to search the disabled car, but no weapons or explosives were found.
The military charge sheet says Pantano had ordered the detainees handcuffed but later had the hospitalman remove the cuffs. Pantano then ordered Coburn and the hospitalman "to take up posts facing away." He then shot the suspects "inthe back with an M-16A service rifle," according to the charges.
Pantano left the bodies "on display to send a message to the local people," then placed "a sign stating 'No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy' above their corpses," the charge sheet says.
He also slashed the car's tires and smashed the headlights and window, according to the charge sheet, presumably to keep the auto from being used again.
Coburn did not report the incident to superiors for two months. "We were in Iraq only a month and I kept it quiet for the sake of the unit," he said. "It would have been devastating to morale. This gave me time to think about what happened and what I should do."
Originally published on March 7, 2005
Wasn't there bomb materials discovered in the trunk of the car?
This one sentence, for me, places the rest of the Sgt's story in serious question.
So Lt. Pantano is being charged based solely on the reports of this one other Marine, who had weeks to mis-remember (or conjure up stories about) the events in question? Is this individual's account even verifiable?
Best regards,
With friends like Sgt.Coburn,Lt.Pantano doesnt need any enemies.
I never saw a squad leader who switched from leading men to being a radio operator.
Yes, this is the story. However, based on SGT Coburn's statement of the facts, it sounds like two completely different and unrelated incidents. Waiting for new developments, but this sounds highly questionable to me.
Regards,
bomb materials: the car had the rear seat unbolted (a common ploy to provide a concealable space) and had coffee cans with bolts and nails, used for EIDs.
What does the Navy hospitalman say?
“Coburn a 10-year veteran with service in Panama, Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo -”
Did I miss something?
Service in Panama - Operation JUST CAUSE the last COMBAT operation in Panama happened in December 1989 with 26 Americans KIA. That was 14 plus years ago.
Service in Haiti - Operation RESTORE DEMOCRACY the last COMBAT operation in Haiti happened in mid-September 1994 without any opposition. That was about 10 years ago.
Yes there was a Marine element in Panama; but, by 1994 they weren’t conducting any kind of combat operations.
Did Coburn have break in service like Lt Pantano? Or was his resume padded to make the charges sound better? Where is the Corpsman who was also there? Loads of questions and not too many answers.
As for the car being treated. My only question there is - “Did the LT’s actions reduce the number of attacks on his men?”
For me, its this one:
Coburn said he switched from squad leader to radio operator because "I had given classes in the radio and they needed a competent radio operator."
You don't make a Sergeant who is a squad leader a radio operator because he "had given classes in the radio". You have the Sergeant train a PFC or LCpl as a radio operator. Unless of course you're having problems with the Sergeant in his Squad Leader position.
If you click on the keyword you will find a pretty good archive.
It is better for this incident to be resolved in this fashion than to have the type of "friendly fire" incidents common to other combat environments. Everyone learns from it.
Best regards,
I hope and believe the LT is innocent, but whether or not he is found 'not guilty' is a moot point. His military career is over and his name is smeared forever. Just reality. A verdict of 'not guilty' means just that and no more - not enough evidence to convict.
I have posted another article from the Wilmington StarNewsOnline that is rather disturbing...
bttt
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