Marine recalls day his buddy and Iraqi civilians met death

chicagotribune.com >> Nation/World --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Rone Tempest, Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times. Times staff writer Tony Perry in San Diego contributed to this report Published May 29, 2006

HANFORD, Calif. -- Marine Lance Cpl. Roel Ryan Briones says he is tormented by two memories of Nov. 19, 2005, in Haditha, Iraq.

The first is of the body of his best friend and fellow Marine blown apart just after dawn by a roadside bomb. The second is the lifeless form of a small Iraqi girl, one of two dozen unarmed civilians allegedly killed by members of his Camp Pendleton-based unit, Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.

Briones, 21, a former high school football player interviewed Sunday at his family home in this Central Valley city, said he wasn't among the small group of Marines that military investigators have concluded killed the unarmed civilians, including children and elderly men and women.

However, Briones, who goes by Ryan, said he took photographs of the victims and helped carry their bodies out of their homes as part of the cleanup crew sent in the late afternoon on the day of the killings.

Did you see THIS:

Briones indicated that since returning home to Hanford, Calif., he has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the corpses he saw and carried that day. "They ranged from little babies to adult males and females," the Times quoted him as saying.

Less than two days after coming home he was charged with stealing a pickup truck, leaving the scene of the accident, driving under the influence of alcohol and resisting arrest, the newspaper said.

__________________________________________

Sort of goes to Briones' credibility, don't you think? Curious how this reporter didn't make any mention of this little tidbit.

...They have arrived at conclusions while investigations are still being conducted....
(you)That's common, especially in criminal investigations when the evidence is overwhelming.

BS..only a fool like Nifong (or someone else with an agenda)would make conclusions for personal reasons, a real investigator would collect as many facts as practical prior to reaching a conclusion-What's your excuse?

"There's a ton of information that isn't out there yet," said one lawyer, who, like the others, would speak only on the condition of anonymity because a potential client has not been charged. The radio message traffic, he said, will provide a different view of the incident than has been presented by Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) and other members of Congress. For example, he said, contrary to Murtha's account, it will show that the Marines came under small-arms fire after the roadside explosion.

Two of the lawyers said the message traffic will show officers in higher headquarters knew early on that a large number of civilians had been killed and that they did not raise alarms.

"The chain of command knew about it," said one, and "the number of deaths was reported" by the commander of the company involved, Capt. Lucas M. McConnell of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the 1st Marine Division.

Lt. Col. Scott Fazekas, a Marine spokesman, said yesterday he could not comment on the reports of drone-aircraft video or other aspects of the case because "the investigation isn't complete." Last month, the Marines relieved of command the battalion commander, Lt. Jeffrey R. Chessani, as well as McConnell and another company commander, citing a lack of confidence in their leadership....

.....Briones indicated that since returning home to Hanford, Calif., he has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the corpses he saw and carried that day. "They ranged from little babies to adult males and females," the Times quoted him as saying.

Less than two days after coming home he was charged with stealing a pickup truck, leaving the scene of the accident, driving under the influence of alcohol and resisting arrest, the newspaper said......

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/29/AR2006052900928.html

From # 43:

"There's a ton of information that isn't out there yet," said one lawyer, who, like the others, would speak only on the condition of anonymity because a potential client has not been charged. The radio message traffic, he said, will provide a different view of the incident than has been presented by Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) and other members of Congress. For example, he said, contrary to Murtha's account, it will show that the Marines came under small-arms fire after the roadside explosion

I'd say this is at LEAST as important a piece of specualtion as what Murtha is doing...

I found this interesting:

Briones indicated that since returning home to Hanford, Calif., he has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the corpses he saw and carried that day. "They ranged from little babies to adult males and females," the Times quoted him as saying.

Less than two days after coming home he was charged with stealing a pickup truck, leaving the scene of the accident, driving under the influence of alcohol and resisting arrest, the newspaper said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/29/AR2006052900928.html

True.

The worst part of this is that the press has nothing to say about the war crimes of the enemy: exploding a non-discriminating bomb in an area full of civilians; hiding behind civilians and using civilian residences; not wearing any mark or uniform to distinguish combatants from non-combatants.

This is part of the ideological blindness of the press that works to delegitimize and demonize the US military.

They have arrived at conclusions while investigations are still being conducted.

Broines has issues. Two days after getting home he stole a truck, and left the scene of an accident while drunk driving and resisted arrest. There may be a credibility issue with this traumatized young man.

They have arrived at conclusions while investigations are still being conducted.

That's common, especially in criminal investigations when the evidence is overwhelming.

sinkspur, you must be embedded deep into this investigation. I would like to see your overwhelming evidence. I imagine so would Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who said yesterday:

...charges will be issued against troops if the evidence merits it. For now, however, "it would be premature for me to judge" the outcome of the two U.S. military investigations, Pace said on CBS's "The Early Show." "We'll get to the bottom of the investigation and take the appropriate action."

You and Murtha seem to be on the same page. Quote:

"Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood," Mr. Murtha told reporters.
You and he should get together and present your overwhelming evidence to Pace and others. And please post it here too.

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.