Posted on 05/29/2006 9:45:20 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
Military investigators piecing together what happened in the Iraqi town of Haditha on Nov. 19 -- when Marines allegedly killed two dozen civilians -- have access to video shot by an unmanned drone aircraft that was circling overhead for at least part of that day, military defense lawyers familiar with the case said in interviews.
It is unclear whether the video obtained from that day's flight captured the violence, said the lawyers, who have consulted with Marines who were there. One lawyer said investigators have reviewed surveillance footage taken hours after the shootings, which showed the Marines returning to the town to remove the bodies of the Iraqis.
Yesterday, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said 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."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The emphasis in the last paragraph above was added by me.
Apparently, too many freepers are falling for this stinkbomb from the MSM/Jihadis
Interesting, this is the first I have seen this mentioned. Maybe I missed it. But it does explain his mother's poor, poor baby attitude...it's not his fault, it's Iraq...
Shades of Jesse Macbeth?
Whoa.... yeah I missed that very interesting information, too.
I don't trust Briones as far as I can throw him.
Oh boy. That explains his mother "discussing" the "massacre" with the MSM while frequently mentioning that her little boy was suffering from "post traumatic stress syndrome." Here we go again.
Here's a letter from Marine Lt. Pantano who was courts marshalled last year. He blasts Murtha for convicting these Marines in the media.
Mr. Murtha's Rush to Judgment
Sunday, May 28, 2006; B06
A year ago I was charged with two counts of premeditated murder and with other war crimes related to my service in Iraq. My wife and mother sat in a Camp Lejeune courtroom for five days while prosecutors painted me as a monster; then autopsy evidence blew their case out of the water, and the Marine Corps dropped all charges against me ["Marine Officer Cleared in Killing of Two Iraqis," news story, May 27, 2005].
So I know something about rushing to judgment, which is why I am so disturbed by the remarks of Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) regarding the Haditha incident ["Death Toll Rises in Haditha Attack, GOP Leader Says," news story, May 20]. Mr. Murtha said, "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."
In the United States, we have a civil and military court system that relies on an investigatory and judicial process to make determinations based on evidence. The system is not served by such grand pronouncements of horror and guilt without the accuser even having read the investigative report.
Mr. Murtha's position is particularly suspect when he is quoted by news services as saying that the strain of deployment "has caused them [the Marines] to crack in situations like this." Not only is he certain of the Marines' guilt but he claims to know the cause, which he conveniently attributes to a policy he opposes.
Members of the U.S. military serving in Iraq need more than Mr. Murtha's pseudo-sympathy. They need leaders to stand with them even in the hardest of times. Let the courts decide if these Marines are guilty. They haven't even been charged with a crime yet, so it is premature to presume their guilt -- unless that presumption is tied to a political motive.
ILARIO PANTANO
Jacksonville, N.C.
The writer served as a Marine enlisted man in the Persian Gulf War and most recently as a platoon commander in Iraq.
© 2006 The Washington Post Company
Cripes, and I POSTED this! I guess I got to the last paragraph and took for granted that it was just a nothing-new closing paragraph. Sheesh! Think I'll link that paragraph to the other Briones threads.
Semper fidelis,
LH
Okay. I know. I'm "attacking the messenger instead of killing the message" or however that goofy Liberal saying goes. I'll give myself up to the post police now.
The MSM is having orgasms at the thought of this being true. Trust me, they will do all they can to make it true also. I'll wait for the evidence.
Sometimes I read the articles too fast and miss these details, surprised I caught that one.
I think it is very important to the story. I want to believe a Marine who has just returned home from war. I can see an argument being made for Post Traumatic Stress if this had happened 6 months after his return.
But 2 days? Goes to character.
Al Queda accidentally killed two of their allies from CBS today. Where is the outcry? Oh yeah, there was a soldier killed also and several wounded. Where is the outcry?
Oh and wasn't there another 50 or so Iraqis killed today by roadside bombs? Where is the outcry?
And wasn't a Marine killed in that village by a IED? And how is placement of an explosive of that magnitude not witnessed and covered for by the locals? Was there not an ambush set up by the barbarians? Was there a battle that lasted for 5 hours? yes! So what should the focus be on, the people who set up the ambush, or the Marines who finished their job and killed the ambushers?
I side with the Marines here. This whole story behind Murtha smells like a rat.
everyone needs to remember this is "a few people" and not ALL of the military.
That is pretty stinking important information to be thrown in at the end of the story. This clown Briones is obviously "the first Marine to speak out" because he is preparing his lame criminal defense.
lookitdis bito nfo
BINGO!!!!
I'm witchoo. Not a Marine, but let's wait until the facts emerge. God Bless You for your service to our country, and God Bless every member of our military doing their duty in Iraq.
My main concern is that like IED's, they get better with practice, I don't want to allow this to be the frame that worked.
The MSM are writing in a manner that implies the Marines are already proved guilty, a tactic they seem unwilling to use on, for instance, William Jefferson D-La. I wonder why. Probably Goebbels could explain it to me.
When these Marines are exonerated, Murtha should have to pay under the Patriot act in Gitmo, I would do the honors.
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