Posted on 06/01/2006 4:43:08 AM PDT by Vectorian
Ethics training' for US troops
At first the US military said Iraqi civilians died in crossfire The US military is to put all troops in Iraq through ethical training, in the wake of the alleged murder of civilians in Haditha, US press reports say. General George W Casey is expected to order that "core values" training begin immediately, the reports say.
Correspondents say Haditha, where US marines are suspected of massacring up to 24 Iraqi civilians, could have a huge effect on US public opinion.
US President George W Bush has said he is "troubled" by the reports.
"If, in fact, these allegations are true, the Marine Corps will work hard to make sure that... those who violated the law - if indeed they did - will be punished," Mr Bush said on Wednesday.
DEATH IN HADITHA
November 2005: Initial US military report One US marine killed in roadside bomb, two injured Explosion also kills 15 Iraqi civilians Eight insurgents killed in fire-fight following blast January 2006: US military preliminary investigation One US marine killed in roadside bomb, two injured Fifteen civilians accidentally killed by US fire amid battle with insurgents March 2006: US military begins criminal investigation
Massacre and cover-up?
Two US investigations are under way - one into the incident itself, and another into whether there was a cover up by the marines.
Over the past few days the American media have been dominated by pictures and interviews of Iraqis in Haditha, says the BBC's Andy Gallacher.
Politicians fear that the repercussions could be far worse than the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, he adds.
In response, the US military in Iraq has ordered its commanders to train troops in moral and ethical conduct on the battlefield, US media say.
Lieutenant-General Peter Chiarelli, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, said the training would emphasise "professional military values and the importance of disciplined, professional conduct in combat" as well as Iraqi cultural expectations, according to a statement carried by the Associated Press.
"As military professionals, it is important that we take time to reflect on the values that separate us from our enemies. The challenge for us is to make sure the actions of a few do not tarnish the good work of the many," the statement continued.
When my father opened [the door] they shot him and then again. Then they threw a hand grenade into the bathroom... The Americans carried on shooting.
Safa Younis Haditha survivor
US concern grows Send us your comments
The Washington Post reported that the promotion of a top marine general has also has been put on hold pending the results of investigations.
The Pentagon is close to ending its two separate inquiries, a spokesman has said.
At the time of the killings in Haditha, last November, the military said the civilians were killed as a result of either a roadside bomb or a gun battle that erupted afterwards.
But reports from Iraqi witnesses and in the US media allege that marines went on a rampage, killing civilians, including women and children, without provocation, after one of their colleagues was killed by the bomb.
US media quoting military sources have said several marines are likely to be charged with murder.
yes best send laywers to front lines
I'd say the majority of our elected officials need this before our troops do.
Good one.
But don't give them guns, they might hurt someone.
"Hold em by the nose and kick em in the a**."
George S. Patton must be turning over in his grave.
Can we give 'Ethics Training' to the scumbags in the hotbed of terrorist activity in Haditha?
Oh wait, that's what the Marines were doing there.
by all means policy makers should be leading from the front
is that not why they are called leaders
Yes, that is what we need ethics training. And we should add diversity training, anger management, profiling training, sexual harrassment training, and finishing school training. Then all will be well.
In reality the government wastes a substantial amount of money and time on such non productive, valueless trash. In the military it results in unneeded deaths of our soldiers. What the government needs is more common sense (the opposite of political correctness). What is wrong with our leaders telling the world that in the USA, the accused are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty? What is wrong with supporting our young people who have volunteered to serve our country in the military? Why would our President seem to side with a leftist reporter instead of the our patriots who risk their lives for us every day? Where is the common sense? Replace all of that worthless training with reading, writing, arithmetic, and principles of democracy. The Ten Commandments will suffice for the rest; that most already know. When are our leaders going to stop trying the cater to the lunatic fringe?
Two US investigations are under way - one into the incident itself, and another into whether there was a cover up by the marines.
Not necessarily. The cover-up itself would be a crime. The word I'm getting from folks at Camp Pendleton is that the after-action report had some significant conflicts with other reports submitted by that unit, someone at a higher echelon of command noticed the mismatch, and suddenly everyone shut up & lawyered up.
"And we should add diversity training, anger management, profiling training, sexual harrassment training, and finishing school training."
Where ya' been? The military has had the above in one form or another for the past 10-20 years....
Oh yeah thats the answrer . Give them ethics training.
Who comes up with this BS?
I remember when they lowered the standards to get blacks in jobs, they lowered the standards to promote them. they passed over qualifid people to get to people who werent qualified and then they gave us sensitivity classes to try to tell us this was right.
They take thse young men fresh out of High School they train them to kill. They tell them they are fighting for their Buddies, Their buddies get blown to hell because some murderous POS Islamic scumbag cowardly asshole plants a bomb then they tell them they shouldnt get mad and kill anyone.
I dont advocate shooting everyone in sight, but I can sure understand how it can happen.

"Everyone needs to practice Consideration of Others best practices. If they aren't, our soldiers are not "COOing."
And it is shown in the leaders every Marine emulates as they serve.
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