Pilotless plane took video of town where Iraqis died (Important)

Mercury News/WaPost ^ | 5/29/06 | Tom Ricks

[pissant]

WASHINGTON - Military investigators piecing together what happened in the Iraqi town of Al-Hadithah on Nov. 19, 2005 -- when Marines allegedly killed two dozen civilians -- have access to video shot by a pilotless aircraft that was circling overhead for at least part of that day, military defense attorneys familiar with the case said in interviews.

It is unclear whether the video obtained from that day's flight captured the violence, said the attorneys, who have consulted with Marines who were there. One attorney 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.

Monday, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said charges will be issued if the evidence merits it. For now, ``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.''

(snip...Please Read Carefully below)

[Gothmog]

Thanks for posting these articles, I had a feeling the media was trying to remake this as the My Lai massacre in order to pressure the Admin to withdraw from Iraq.

[delacoert]

I just pray that the Military does not give in to the MSM and "world opinion" and charge these guys just to get the heat off.

Me too.

[TeleStraightShooter]

Excellent research!

The MercNews is covering up the facts for Murtha......

[pissant]

Hugh Hewitt does great work. This is either a collateral damage situation where innocents were in the crossfire or a islamoscum con job, IMO.

[Niteranger68]

One attorney 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.

No way! The Iraqis would have already done this on their own.

Iraqis who say they witnessed the violence in Al-Hadithah have said U.S. troops shot men, women and children at close range in retaliation for the death of a Marine in a roadside bombing.

One soldier? Maybe. More than one American soldier? I don't think so.

[pissant]

They likely did some things wrong, as probably a large percentage of firefights would show.

But doing something wrong, Mr. Murtha, does not equate to cold blooded wimmin & chillen murderers.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[MizSterious]

Oh, I don't know. Since when are wheel-chair bound office workers (or any office workers for that matter) fair game for kamikazi terrorists? In all wars, civilians die. That's what wars do.

That said, we don't know if there's a speck of truth in the whole MSM/Murtha claim.

[pissant]

That is the agenda. they want us to be defeated.

[MizSterious]

Same here. I sometimes think public support for the troops helps in such matters, so it's good it's getting a good airing-out here on FR.

[pissant]

Definitely covering up criticism from someone in the "know".

[Uddercha0s]

We try to pretty it up and have "smart" bombs, reduce collateeral damage and everything else.. but.. it's war.. ugly, mean and nasty, but sometimes necessary. I thank God for the soldiers that have fought for me to type these things as I do and for theose fighting for the things I will be allowed to do in the future.

[Steve_Seattle]

"People just don't really think about what actually happens in war. It's really bad stuff - and sometimes quite necessary."

That's why I thought "Saving Private Ryan" was so much better than older movies like "The Longest Day." In TLD, you had a wisecracking Robert Mitchum with his cigar, and cocky John Wayne - invulnerable - and Red Buttons for comic relief. It all seemed pretty safe. But in SPR, you saw people with their guts falling out, throwing up, men on fire, and guys with bullets going through their helmets as soon as the landing craft ramp opened. You saw how utterly horrible it was.

[geezerwheezer]

While you are doing your "snooping", please see if you can find a marine fatigue jacket with a yellow line down the back of it so I can give it to Cong. Murtha next time I see him as I think he has turned into a coward.

[MikeA]

Let's face it, the Democrats and their flying monkeys in the MSM are determined to pre-judge this and pronounce guilt before any investigation even begins. They are dying for another Abu Ghirab and another tiresome opportunity to demand Rumsfeld resign.

The media will never report any of the mitigating or exculpatory information out there in their pathetic rush to judgment. It will only quote what Traitor Murtha has to say while ignoring information the defense might provide. And if these Marines are cleared, and I think that's likely, the media will report it in two sentence broadcast reports and 2 paragraph at the rear of the A section print reports.

[pissant]

Lotsa maybes. And condemning the whole war or our Marine Corps over this, whatever they did, is despicable and traitorous.

[dfwgator]

True, I appreciate both movies for what they try to do. The Longest Day gives a good historical recap of D-Day from different perspectives, but lacks the realism in the combat scenes.

[Just A Nobody]

too many Japanese booby-traped themselves with explosives or handgrenades or had knives, pistols, and other weapons hidden on their persons.

Do you not think this is happening in Iraq. It also happened in Vietnam.

[pissant]

I agree with that. And getting the pajamhadeen to tell the side of the story that the MSM ignores.

[Uddercha0s]

and another I rank right there with it is Band of Brothers. I watched it fr the third time this weekend and I am still in awe of what our soldiers do. Bless them.