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Marine at Haditha: 'I Can Still Smell the Blood'
ABC News ^ | May 29, 2006 | JONATHAN KARL

Posted on 05/29/2006 6:12:03 PM PDT by Marli

Only hours after Iraqi civilians were killed, a second team of Marines was sent in to take the victims' bodies to a local morgue.

Lance Corp. Ryan Briones was among the Marines sent in to recover the bodies, and he told the Los Angeles Times he is still haunted by what he saw, including a young girl who was shot in the head.

"[The victims] ranged from little babies to adult males and females," Briones told the newspaper. "I can still smell the blood."

Briones says he and another Marine were told to photograph the bodies. Military officials say those photos — which they say show people shot at close range in the head and chest — clearly contradict initial reports that the civilians were killed by a roadside bomb.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: abchelpingenemywin; haditha; iraq; marines
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To: Dave S
What are you taking about and calm down please. I agree IF this really happened we punish the Marines who committed this act and move on fighting the war. However this is not the intent of liberals and their media, they want to take full advantage of this to sabotage the war effort but they are going to fail miserably as they have failed in all their previous attempts. In fact they are going to over play their hands so much on this one that majority of voters will see it as an attack on our troops rather than condemnation of the incident, and as usual they will be punished by the voters at the polls, the real polls on elections day.
241 posted on 05/29/2006 8:35:23 PM PDT by jveritas (Support The Commander in Chief in Times of War)
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To: sinkspur
"This was calculated."

Hi, sinkspur. Thanks for raising your hand.


242 posted on 05/29/2006 8:35:30 PM PDT by I see my hands (_8(|)
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To: MJY1288
Good catch. LOL

The brain was thinking "90 degrees off course" but then my brain must have short circuited, and caused me to type "out of phase." Sorry.

243 posted on 05/29/2006 8:35:32 PM PDT by Cobra64 (All we get are lame ideas from Republicans and lame criticism from dems about those lame ideas.)
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To: spunkets

You've been privvy to the investigation, then, eh?


244 posted on 05/29/2006 8:35:35 PM PDT by freema (Proud Marine FRiend, Mom, Aunt, Sister, Friend, Wife, Daughter, Niece)
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To: Marli
Military officials say those photos — which they say show people shot at close range in the head and chest — clearly contradict initial reports that the civilians were killed by a roadside bomb.

Obviously, the insurgent terrorists emplaced a roadside IED and then shot and killed the nearby villagers so they couldn't tip off any approaching convoy or military vehicle.

OR.... the nearby villagers watched the convoy approach the IED and never bothered to give warning, choosing instead to just watch the carnage. Maybe they even waved as the Marines passed by. In which case, the dazed and shell-shocked Marines who survived the explosion would be correct to figure that those nearby villagers were complicent in the attack. Especially since IED attacks are often coordinated with a small arms ambush.

I guess we shall eventually see what is what. I sure hope these Marines have really, really good defense lawyers, because I think they are being set up as sacrificial lambs.

245 posted on 05/29/2006 8:36:01 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: Tuxedo
We need the "other side of the story". Were these civilians or terrorists? Who killed them? What events brought on the killings?

The initial after action report from the marines was that five men running from a cab were shot and killed (no mention of any weapons) and the rest of the Iraqis were killed by the IED blast. Among the dead was a 70 year old diabetic amputee in a wheel chair and most of the others were women and children. Possible terrorist? Well possible. Likely? Questionnable.

The marines did not report having any fire fight other than the two or three seconds it took to cut down the fleeing cab riders. If the civilians have bullet wounds to the head and chest and were not killed by the bomb blast, why did the marines report that? Dont you think a combat marine can distinquish between a bullet wound and blast injury?

246 posted on 05/29/2006 8:36:35 PM PDT by Dave S
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To: McGavin999
You've shown a LOT of joy in this,

Please point out where I've been ecstatic that this happened. And, let's have a specific quote, if you please.

247 posted on 05/29/2006 8:37:12 PM PDT by sinkspur ( Don Cheech. Vito Corleone would like to meet you......Vito Corleone.....)
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To: sinkspur

i'll wait and see.


248 posted on 05/29/2006 8:38:13 PM PDT by Suzy Quzy ("When Cabals Go Kaboom"....upcoming book on Mary McCarthy's Coup-Plotters.)
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To: spunkets

I guarantee you, the media reports I have read about this incident - have described some of these victims as "kneeling, as if in paryer". the articles are on FR, I don't have time to find them right now.

as far as the guys in the taxi go - tough sh*t. if an IED or a car bomb goes off in the area, and you approach in another car and take even the slightest action that might be deemed aggressive - I'd blow that car to hell too before losing my legs or my life.


249 posted on 05/29/2006 8:39:01 PM PDT by oceanview
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To: Cobra64

;-)


250 posted on 05/29/2006 8:39:01 PM PDT by MJY1288 (THE DEMOCRATS OFFER NOTHING FOR THE FUTURE AND THEY LIE ABOUT THE PAST)
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To: jveritas

Don't you wish people would just wait for the investigation to be completed before they follow Jack Murtha around on their knees screaming, "They're guilty! Sting 'em up!" I'm shocked at how many people on this board have said, "That's it. They're guilty. Murtha and the MSM said so. It must be true." I've seen these railroad jobs before. They are all too common. What bothers me is that when you are accused in the military, people scatter like jack rabbits. I don't care what Murtha and his "media" comrades say. I'm sticking by these Marines until it is determined what actually happened. I'll tell you right now, what we are getting from Murtha and the "media" is no where near the truth.


251 posted on 05/29/2006 8:40:34 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Dat you Jesse?)
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To: jebeier
At most, this is an eyewitness to what he saw. He was sent to recover bodies. He did not witness the killing.

Could be an important witness since the after action report said that the Iraqis other than those shot running from a cab died of an IED exploson. If the people in the homes that he bagged up had been shot at close range and had not been a victim of the IED, then the marine writing the after action report has some explaining to do.

252 posted on 05/29/2006 8:41:22 PM PDT by Dave S
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To: Dave S

"IF the insurgents did this to make it look like the Marines had done it, why did the marines say the villagers died of a bomb blast? Are you saying that combat marines cant distinquish injuries from a bullet vs. a blast?"

Gee, Dave, if the terrorists have done this, because, let's just say for the sake of argument that these folks tipped our troops to who laid the IED-

do you really think it helps the folks that actually DO cooperate with our troops to know they're in such danger?


253 posted on 05/29/2006 8:41:31 PM PDT by freema (Proud Marine FRiend, Mom, Aunt, Sister, Friend, Wife, Daughter, Niece)
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To: sinkspur
Somebody(s) lost control and may have killed 24 innocent civilians for no reason.

How do you know someone lost control? Sounds like you have already convicted the Marines.

Perhaps they did the deed, but Muslims are masters at staging "massacres". So let's wait until the investigation is done!

254 posted on 05/29/2006 8:42:17 PM PDT by F-117A
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To: r9etb



Mass killing in war is the fact. That is what war consists of when it is performed on a military level. Killing.

We fully engaged in this war the instant the first plane hit the first building, it just took some to come that reality. Some still have not come to that reality.

SIr, this war was thrust upon us in our own homeland committed against our civilians as there designated target.

Where I come from, they way I have been taught, when a person or entitry tries to kill you it is prudent to avoid ther attacks and try to kill them back. What is a person to do? Just sit and wait until they fly more planes into buildings? Is that it? Wat is an optional response to their attack upon us if not to fight back?

That being understood, the need to fight back, we have war. This nation spent the 90's trying to avoid war. War came to us. Those that brought that war to my homeland have not stood down since their attack began. We remain at war. Killing happens in war. Isn't that the case that needs to be made to the religious oppressors to make them stand down? After all they are the enemy that brings this war to us.

If you hold that we must be held to a higher standard then you admit freel that you do not belive in the idea of Equality. Every one should be held to the highest standards. That is equality under just law. Are you really aiming to hold that line?


255 posted on 05/29/2006 8:43:27 PM PDT by BlueStateDepression
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To: oceanview
They were all terrified and huddled in both houses. some of the kids were killed with grenades. If these folks were the type to pray when they thought they were going to die, then that's what they did.

"as far as the guys in the taxi go - tough sh*t. if an IED or a car bomb goes off in the area, and you approach in another car and take even the slightest action that might be deemed aggressive"

They immediately fled. They presented no danger. I don't know if they're allowed to fire on vehicles fleeing in a situation like this.

256 posted on 05/29/2006 8:44:02 PM PDT by spunkets
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To: FlingWingFlyer

AMEN!


257 posted on 05/29/2006 8:44:23 PM PDT by MJY1288 (THE DEMOCRATS OFFER NOTHING FOR THE FUTURE AND THEY LIE ABOUT THE PAST)
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To: spunkets

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1640418/posts

"One photograph shows an Iraqi mother and young child, kneeling on the floor as if in prayer."

this is the way the media is spinning it over and over again. a body, on the floor after being shot at close range, is perfectly setup and photographed as "kneeling in prayer".


258 posted on 05/29/2006 8:45:28 PM PDT by oceanview
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To: oceanview

That's a reasonable assumption. But if they were taking fire from an apartmetn or house, they have every damn right to not only shoot first and ask later, but to level the damn house. The incident in Pakistan was a prime example. Yes, we killed "civilians" when we bombed out an Al Quaeda meeting. Too bad. Don't associate with terrorists if you want to stay alive.

These are US Marines, and I will afford them every benefit of the doubt until they are convicted. Hopefully, that will not happen.


259 posted on 05/29/2006 8:45:31 PM PDT by pissant
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To: FlingWingFlyer

You have it right!


260 posted on 05/29/2006 8:45:56 PM PDT by lawdude (Murtha: SPEAK LIES TO THE WEAK!)
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