Marine Gen. Michael Hagee is expected to tell Marines to "use lethal force only when justified."
Posted on 05/25/2006 11:45:07 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As the military investigates two reports of Marines in Iraq allegedly killing innocent civilians, Gen. Michael Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, left for Iraq on Thursday to talk about use of force.
According to a statement released by the Marine Corps, Hagee is expected to address the core values of honor, courage and commitment, and "the risk of becoming indifferent to the loss of a human life."
"We do not employ force just for the sake of employing force. We use lethal force only when justified, proportional and, most importantly, lawful," Hagee will tell the Marines, according to a copy of his speech released by the Marine Corps. "This is the American way of war. We must regulate force and violence, we only damage property that must be damaged and we protect the non-combatants we find on the battlefield."
The speech, titled "On Marine Virtue," will also touch on the numbing effects of combat and of watching fellow Marines wounded or killed in fighting.
"There is the risk of becoming indifferent to the loss of a human life, as well as bringing dishonor upon ourselves," Hagee is expected to say. "Leaders of all grades need to reinforce continually that Marines care for one another and do what is right."
Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Hagee is making the trip because he takes the allegations "extremely seriously."
"He felt that it was his duty to go over and personally look into this situation," Warner said, "and personally talk to those Marines in-country to assure them that the highest standards of the Corps are to be kept by every Marine, from private to general.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Marine Gen. Michael Hagee is expected to tell Marines to "use lethal force only when justified."
Marine Gen. Michael Hagee is expected to tell Marines to "use lethal force only when an IED has wiped out half your platoon and you have been shot seveeral times."
Why do they keep using the word "civilian" ?
It makes it seem like there are two uniformed armies doing battle and someone has shot at innocent bystanders.
The fact of the matter is that the terrorists dress in civilian clothes. We have seen repeated instances where terrorists pose as civilians or even policemen and then attack our men when the opportunity arises.
How can anyone know for a fact that these people were not terrorist or possibly terrorist sympathizers ?
I'm afraid that he will so tighted the ROEs and confuse these Marines that it will just lead to more casulaties. What PC!
How many Generals did we send to Japan to investigate civilian deaths after Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
On the morning of August 6, 1945 the United States Army Air Forces dropped the nuclear weapon "Little Boy" on the city of Hiroshima, followed three days later by the detonation of the "Fat Man" bomb over Nagasaki, Japan. In his 1999 book Downfall, historian Richard Frank analyzed the many widely varying estimates of casualties caused by the bombings. He concluded "The best approximation is that the number is huge and falls between 100,000 and 200,000." Most of the casualties were civilians.
I am not a military genius, but we are involved in a WAR. Maybe, if we let our guys go and get the bad guys instead of worrying so much about public relations we could get this whole thing under control. Just my opinion.
'Cause the drive-by media tell us so. Marines = bad. All Muslims = good.
Marine ping
No doubt a direct result of the despicable actions of the Dishonorable Jack Murtha.
If General Pace feels he has to say something, I think there's more to it than just "we were fighting terrorists."
The enemy is trying to force us into positions where Marines will end up killing civilians. (The reports indicate some civilians died in the crossfire.) These civilian deaths will be used for propaganda purposes. General Pace is, correctly, emphasizing that the Marines as a whole are the best-disciplined body of fighters in the world, and they need to make sure they shoot well and smart.
As soon as Insurgents/terrorists start wearing Uniforms then they will stop being civilians.
Hagee is junior to both Jones and Pace.
If Murtha hadn't come out on national TV and already pronounced the accused Marines guilty of the incident, perhaps there wouldn't be all this hyperbole about it. I believe he even tried to compare it to My Lai, he definitely is not supporting our military by his despicable actions.
Irey for Congress.
http://www.irey.com/
We can't, but what is known as that some of them were women and children, which accounts for the relief of the battalion and company commanders, the rotation of the battalion back to the States, and the on-going investigation.
How many women and children did forces under General MacArthur shoot once they were in country?
Pace is CJCS, Hagee is Commandant of the USMC.
Thanks. My brain didn't kick in this morning with names, as I said to my lovely wife, Shauna... or is it Susan... or is it Sharron?
They are one step away from treating our soldiers and Marines like Dep. Barney Fife. "Take your rounds out of your weapon & put them in your pocket."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.