Former Marine Alleges Atrocities In Iraq

AP ^ | October 7 2005

[jmc1969]

PARIS A former U.S. Marine in Iraq alleges that his battalion committed atrocities against Iraqi civilians during the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, including shooting unarmed protesters.

Jimmy Massey, a staff sergeant who was in the Marines for 12 years and served three months in Iraq before being honorably discharged with post-traumatic stress syndrome, details the allegations in his book, “Kill! Kill! Kill!”, written with the French journalist Natasha Saulnier and published in France.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said Massey's complaints had already been investigated and found to be unsubstantiated.

Massey said he was in charge of a platoon in the 3rd Batallion of Regimental Combat Team 7, responsible for setting up checkpoints and providing armed cover against terrorists and insurgents.

He alleges that over a period of a month and a half in 2003, his platoon killed more than 30 civilians in Iraq.

“Mr. Massey made allegations of genocide by members of his command, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, resulting in an investigation,” she said.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Little Jimmy is in Paris shacked up with a French broad that "writes" books and is going to have his "book" published in France...ah...sorry pal, you've no credibility. Especially if you're suffering from "post traumatic stress syndrome." Creep! Everybody gets that stuff nowadays.

[kcvl]

Iraq veteran Jimmy Massey speaks to the WSWS (World Socialist Web Site)

“We’re committing genocide in Iraq”

By Jeff Riedel
11 November 2004


Former Staff Sergeant Jimmy Massey, a 12-year Marine veteran, lives in Waynesville, North Carolina, a small town in the Smoky Mountains just outside of Ashville, where he spoke to the World Socialist Web Site. He is one of a growing number of American soldiers returning from Iraq who have become outspoken opponents of the war.

Massey entered Iraq as part of the initial US invasion in March 2003. He witnessed—and in some cases participated in—the killing of innocent civilians. During a single 48-hour period, he says, he saw as many as 30 civilians killed by US gunfire at highway checkpoints.


Photo here...

http://tinyurl.com/86wbl

[crazyhorse691]

Looking at his recent accomplishments, I tend to agree with you. He is definitely scripting from the Kerry playbook.

[satchmodog9]

Again, some lib uses a word like genocide and it weakens the actual meaning.

[xcamel]

looks like a victim of a shotgun cleaning accident up in "them thar hills"

[airborne]

If he was active duty, and failed to report it immediately, he is in violation of the UCMJ, and should be court-martialed.

[tet68]

Massey entered Iraq as part of the initial US invasion in March 2003. He witnessed—and in some cases participated in—the killing of innocent civilians.(In a manner reminiscent
of Jengis Khan, no doubt.)

[cynicom]

Ok, where are all the resident Marines on FR.

[Gay State Conservative]

John Kerry, Jr.

Hey,c'mon now...I think this is much more likely to be a case of genuine psychological trauma,assuming that this guy saw *real* combat during a *full* tour.

I was never ordered to a combat zone during my hitch,but I've heard it said often that combat can change a guy...a lot...and not for the better.

Although his comments are very,*very* unfortunate,we shouldn't be comparing this guy to a phony like Kerry until we find out what he was like *before* he was in combat.

[cripplecreek]

I prefer to see our soldiers in a different light.

One of the most memorable video clips I saw out of Iraq was in the early days. It was of a wounded soldier sitting upright on a stretcher firing a shotgun to cover the soldiers carrying him.

[cardinal4]

Sounds like some hairy french chick put out for Massey so he aGREED to the book.

Yup. Ill bet his platoon buddies are pleased. Hell, its not even an American socialist he shacked up with, but a French one!

[Argus]

Is that a grow-your-own-burka?

[neb52]

Going by the article, as a Platoon Sergeant is not his job to make sure things go right and all rules are followed? If atrocities occurred, then I would think he was the one that allowed them to go on. Why is it most of former soldiers that claim the occurrence of atrocities are usually Officers and NCOs? Its like a company getting caught for fraud and the manager of that area pointing the finger at everybody below them. Lack of Leadership I'd say.

[Marine_Uncle]

lui avaient non honneur

[kcvl]

"Soldiers were encouraged to make the incorrect links," said Jimmy Massey, a former Marine sergeant from Waynesboro, N.C., who served in Iraq, then quit the force and has affiliated with an anti-war group called Veterans for Peace.

Massey said "a bunch of innocent civilians" were killed by his platoon and he attributed these deaths in part to military intelligence reports warning of potential terrorist attacks by non-uniformed Iraqis.

"You put a bunch of Army or Marines out in the desert and tell them to guard these supposed terrorists, and they're going to start inventing ways to keep themselves busy," Massey said.

Massey lost his swagger in Iraq, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, received a discharge, and began decrying war crimes — first to French media, but increasingly in the United States. Sgt. Massey thanks, to left-wing blogs, the months to come look to be even more exciting.

The domestic buzz began with an interview that Massey gave to anti-war activist Paul Rockwell for the Sacramento Bee.

Massey relates: "Trigger happy" American military personnel throwing the corpses of Iraqi civilians in a ditch. Orders from "senior government officials" to wipe out peaceful demonstrators. Marines firing on Iraqi motorists with their hands up at checkpoints. "Fallujah is just littered with civilian bodies." The 31-year-old sergeant told his commanding officer, "We're committing genocide."

One year to the day after he was pulled from his duty as a recruiter in North Carolina, Massey approached his commanding officer in Iraq confessing depression. The next stop was a visit to a Navy psychiatrist.

"I was the ultimate war machine, all blood and guts. I was embarrassed. I was supposed to be able to handle it."

"He told me, 'You're a poor leader,' 'You're faking it,' 'You're a conscientious objector,' 'You're a wimp,'" said Massey. "You don't respond to that. You just stand there and take it. But my sanity was not worth the U.S. Marine Corps."

Massey spent the next six months or so in California, apparently sorting out his discharge, with a lawyer "who defended American soldiers after the Mai Lai attack in Vietnam." On November 14, he received the verdict that his would be "a medical retirement."

[kcvl]

Now he’s telling his story to reporters around the world. He estimates he’s given 35 interviews over the last few months, both in the local newspapers, papers like the Sacramento Bee in California, and to international media outlets such as the BBC. He’s currently working on a book with a French journalist from New York.

[Slings and Arrows]

In a manner reminiscent of Jengis Khan, no doubt.

I thought it was Jenjis. Gohn Kerry said so.

[agincourt1415]

His first story is:

"An Iraqi Vehicle drives at 45MPH toward a check point and doesn't respond or slow down to warning fire, then they fire into the vehicle."

Sounds like strict rules of engagement stuff.

So would it be better to give the idiot Iraqi the benefit of the doubt and not think they have 500 pounds of c-4 in the trunk?

[Marine_Uncle]

Such is life. Wonder how much he will make on the deal. Sounds like he is giving aid to the enemy (inciting radical muslims that will read it).

[toddlintown]

"Sounds like some hairy french chick put out for Massey..."

Yeah, what's with the hairy arm pits, legs, and neather regions with the Euros? In Germany, used to love the pacakges for plastic beach balls with the cute scene of 2 Fraueleins throwing the ball...with big patches of tuft coming out of their pits.