Lawyer: Marine Denies Haditha Massacre

TBO.com | June 11, 2006

[Kaslin]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The lawyer for a sergeant who led a squad of Marines during an incident that left civilians dead in Haditha, Iraq, says his client insists his unit was following military rules of engagement, did not intentionally target any civilians and did not try to cover up what it had done.

No one has yet been charged in the Haditha case, which centers on allegations that a small number of Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment killed 24 Iraqi civilians - included unarmed women and children - on Nov. 19 after a roadside bomb in the town killed one of their fellow Marines.

Neal A. Puckett told The Washington Post in a story for Sunday's editions that Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, 26, told him several civilians were killed when his squad pursued insurgents firing at them from inside a house after the bombing.

He quoted the sergeant as describing to him a house-to-house hunt that went wrong in the midst of a confusing battlefield, but denying any vengeful massacre.

"It will forever be his position that everything they did that day was following their rules of engagement and to protect the lives of Marines," Puckett told the newspaper. "He's really upset that people believe that he and his Marines are even capable of intentionally killing innocent civilians."

The Post characterized Wuterich's version of what happened at Haditha as the first public account from a Marine who was on the ground when the shootings occurred, which it said has led to an investigation looking into possible murder charges against a half dozen Marines.

A separate investigation is examining whether Marines tried to cover up the shootings and whether commanders were negligent in failing to investigate the deaths when they were reported to them.

Haditha residents have said innocent civilians were executed, including some who begged for their lives before being shot.

But Puckett said Wuterich told him in initial interviews over nearly 12 hours last week that the shootings were the unfortunate result of a sweep for enemies in a firefight.

The Post said lawyers for two other Marines involved in the incident say Wuterich's account is consistent with what their clients have told them.

Gary Myers, an attorney for a Marine who was with Wuterich that day but not further identified, told the Post the Marines followed standard procedures when clearing houses, using fragmentation grenades and gunshots to respond to a perceived threat.

"I can confirm that that version of events is consistent with our position on this case," Myers told the Post. "What this case comes down to is: What were the rules of engagement, and were they followed?"

Kevin B. McDermott, who is representing Capt. Lucas M. McConnell, the company commander who was relieved of duty after the incident, told the Post that Wuterich and other Marines informed McConnell on the day of the incident that at least 15 civilians were killed by "a mixture of small-arms fire and shrapnel as result of grenades" after the Marines responded to an attack from a house.

The lawyer told the paper McConnell told him that he had reported the high number of civilian deaths to his superiors that afternoon and that within a few days the battalion's intelligence chief gave a PowerPoint presentation to higher-up Marine commanders.

"Everywhere up the chain, they had ample access to this thing," McDermott said.

Puckett gave this account to the Post, based on his interview with Wuterich:

Immediately after the roadside bomb, Marines noticed a car full of "military-aged men" near the bomb site who ran when ordered to stop. Marines opened fire, killing four or five men.

The unit subsequently came under fire and a corporal identified the shots as coming from a specific house. A four-man team, including Wuterich, kicked in the door and found a series of empty rooms before hearing people behind one door. They kicked that one in, tossed a fragmentation grenade into the room and one Marine fired a series of rounds through dust and smoke, killing several people.

Even though they realized they had killed men, women and children, they saw a back door ajar and believed insurgents had moved to a second house. The Marines moved to the second house, kicking in the door, killing one man inside and then using another grenade and more gunfire to clear another room full of people.

Still having not found the insurgents, Wuterich told his team to stop and headed back to reassess the situation with his platoon leader, realizing that a number of civilians had just been killed.

[jpsb]

"Neither"

I believe the Marine.

[Non-Sequitur]

I believe the Marine.

Fine. But what if the formal Marine investigation shows that the accusations are true? What then? Will you believe the Marine over the report?

I'm trusting the Marine Corps to conduct a fair investigation. If their report shows the troops behaved correctly then that should be the end of it. But if the reports shows that they did murder those people then their actions are a slander on every Marine and at the very least they should spend the rest of their days at Leavenworth.

[mulligan]

War is hell. Bad things happen. People get killed. This is not a video game. Better them than us.

We better hope and pray political correctness stops soon or a lot more of ours will be killed. It appears as though it is better to die than to go against "PC"

What a sorry state of affairs.

[CGVet58]

the accounts above - like any attempt at description using human language - is a poor simile for the almost instantaneous decision making that must be had, even in the midst of the greatest chaos. So many factors; observation, quick self-check - hopefully with input from other squad/platoon members who observed the same acts and can confirm - to ensure that you saw what you think you saw --- in this case a bunch of insurgent-capables entering a house. Are they hostile? Are they scared? We've just been attacked, is there another IED just around the corner? Is the IED intended to stop our progress, force us to deploy, thus opening the possibility of ambush/outflank from nearby houses? Wait! were those shots fired at us from that house over there?? That house has to be cleared NOW, else more shots can be fired at MY MEN. I've got to protect MY MEN...

So many decisions, so much chaos, an enemy with no scruples (hides in his women's clothing, in his house of worship, behind women and children... all so that we don't fire back and so that he may fire at us with impunity)... and so many critical decisions to be made in all this madness. And after, the post-op analysis... did the op go as planned? Did the enemy show any new wrinkles? Was intel confirmed?

How did MY MEN handle themselves? With Honor, as is expected from the American Fighting Man?

This last question may be the most important, for it implies the moral high ground we strive to maintain itself is under a degree of threat each time a squad goes out on patrol. Like a long-time marriage where it seems the partners can know each others thoughts and commonly can finish each others sentences, our military are proficient enough to know the difference between casualties of war that are unavoidable; ie, "collateral damage", and - God Forbid - between an act of brutality such as our Marines in Haditha have been impugned with.

Now repeat the above, ma'am, every day, sometimes multiple times per day, and repeat it for the last year or so that our Best & Brightest (... and Toughest!) have been deployed in Sunni Triangle towns such as haditha.

God Bless & Save our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen & Airmen...


CGVet58

[johnny7]

...or that ex-Marine and current traitor john murtha?

Murtha may be the most vocal... but it's the trained DNC monkey's in the MSM that breathlessly await any seditious comment from his withered lips. If there wasn't a Murtha... the the commies in the MSM would invent one.

[jpsb]

"I'm trusting the Marine Corps to conduct a fair investigation

Agreed, but for now I believe the Marine.

[eyespysomething]

Ping, in case left-wing co-workers bring it up. (and so you know)

[JOE43270]

I believe the Marine that was there and I too want Murtha to turn in the EAGLE, GLOBE, and ANCHOR that he uses though he is truly a TRAITOR.

[Non-Sequitur]

Agreed, but for now I believe the Marine.

For now I'm witholding judgement. The Marine in question is one of those under investigation.

[libstripper]

Take a look at the movies of the Falluja clearing--that's exactly what they do and what they have to do to stay alive. Once Marines or soldiers catch fire from a particular hose and enter it they haven't any idea of what and who are in there. If they hear sounds of human movement in a particular room they have to assume it's terrorists behind that door; otherwise once they go past that room the terrorists could come out and shoot them in the back. "Noncombatants" who are used this way necessarily become combatants. The Marines did what they had to do and more power to them.

You need to place the moral onus where it belongs--on the terrorists for using noncombatants this way and causing them to fall into harm's way.

[libstripper]

White American males were present, case closed.

Given the makeup of the Corps, it was probably heroic white, black, and hispanic Marines. They're being framed becasue they're heroic, patriotic Marines who're risking their lives to defend all the rest of us.

[Grut]

If Waco can happen, Haditha can happen. That's not to say it did, but a government paycheck is no guarantor of virtue and lawyers' versions of The Truth are always suspect. This one is definitely 'wait and see'.

[papertyger]

Unless I miss my guess, and please do not think I am in any sense critical when I say this, nearly everything you know about war comes from one form or another of fiction.

Trust me when I say this; that loving, sweet, caring vet in your life is not going to pass on their burden to you by telling you what they had to do.

[Old Student]

"This account still doesn't make me feel comfortable with what happened. Is this how war is?"

The only war I "fought" was as a technician in a SATCOM terminal, but from everything I've read and heard from people who have been there and done that, yes, this is how war is. No, it's not comfortable. As one general, who very well knew what he was about said: "War is Hell."

These guys were under stress, as Murtha said, and they responded to that stress lethally, but unlike he claimed, not murderously. They cleared two small houses (quite probably by killing everyone in them) then stopped when it became apparent that they weren't finding the people they expected to find. Grenades do not care how old you are, or if you have a weapon or not. I'll bet it took, at most, three or four minutes to clear both houses. From my very limited experience in training scenarios, three minutes is nearly forever...

All: anyone with combat experience of this type care to comment?

[TexKat]

Reported US Military Deaths in Haditha, Iraq 

Apr 3, 2003 Haditha
US Captain Russell Brian Rippetoe SW of Haditha Dam - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber 
US Specialist Ryan Patrick Long SW of Haditha Dam - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber 
US Staff Sergeant Nino Dugue Livaudais SW of Haditha Dam - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber 

May 26, 2003 Haditha
US Major Matthew E. Schram Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire 

Nov. 29, 2003 Haditha
US Staff Sergeant Stephen A. Bertolino Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - ambush 
US Specialist Aaron J. Sissel Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - ambush 
US Sergeant Jesse W. Strong Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack 
US Lance Corporal Karl R. Linn Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack 
US Corporal Jonathan W. Bowling Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack 

May 7, 2005 Haditha
US Sergeant Michael A. Marzano Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide car bomb 
US Sergeant Aaron N. Cepeda Sr. Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide car bomb 
US Lance Corporal Lance Tanner Graham Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide car bomb 
US Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeffery L. Wiener Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide car bomb 

May 25,2005 Haditha
US Sergeant David Neil Wimberg Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 

May 26,2005 Haditha
US Major Ricardo A. Crocker Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack 

Aug 1, 2005 Haditha
US Lance Corporal Roger D. Castleberry Jr. Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 
US Sergeant David J. Coullard Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 
US Lance Corporal Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Jr. Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 
US Corporal Jeffrey A. Boskovitch Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 
US Lance Corporal Brian P. Montgomery Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 
US Sergeant Nathaniel S. Rock Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 

Aug 3, 2005 Haditha     
US Lance Corporal Adam J. Strain Ramadi - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 
US Specialist Mathew V. Gibbs Baghdad (southwest part) Hostile - hostile fire - car bomb 
US Sergeant 1st Class Charles Houghton Warren Baghdad (southwest part) Hostile - hostile fire - car bomb 
US Specialist Jerry Lewis Ganey Jr. Baghdad (southwest part) Hostile - hostile fire - car bomb 
US Lance Corporal Nicholas William B. Bloem Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Corporal David S. Stewart Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Sergeant Bradley J. Harper Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Kevin G. Waruinge Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Grant B. Fraser Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Sergeant Justin F. Hoffman Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Eric J. Bernholtz Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Aaron H. Reed Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Corporal David Kenneth J. Kreuter Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal William Brett Wightman Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Christopher Jenkins Dyer Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Michael J. Cifuentes Haditha (2 km S of) -Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Timothy Michael Bell Jr. Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Edward August Schroeder II Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 

Nov. 16, 2005 Haditha
US Sergeant Jeremy E. Murray Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 

Nov 19, 2006 Haditha
US Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 

[TexKat]

Ansar al-Sunnah Provides Video of Haditha Battle with U.S. Marines

Reported US Military Deaths in Haditha, Iraq

Apr 3, 2003 Haditha
US Captain Russell Brian Rippetoe SW of Haditha Dam - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber 
US Specialist Ryan Patrick Long SW of Haditha Dam - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber 
US Staff Sergeant Nino Dugue Livaudais SW of Haditha Dam - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide bomber 

May 26, 2003 Haditha
US Major Matthew E. Schram Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire 

Nov. 29, 2003 Haditha
US Staff Sergeant Stephen A. Bertolino Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - ambush 
US Specialist Aaron J. Sissel Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - ambush 
US Sergeant Jesse W. Strong Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack 
US Lance Corporal Karl R. Linn Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack 
US Corporal Jonathan W. Bowling Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack 

May 7, 2005 Haditha
US Sergeant Michael A. Marzano Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide car bomb 
US Sergeant Aaron N. Cepeda Sr. Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide car bomb 
US Lance Corporal Lance Tanner Graham Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide car bomb 
US Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeffery L. Wiener Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - suicide car bomb 

May 25,2005 Haditha
US Sergeant David Neil Wimberg Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 

May 26,2005 Haditha
US Major Ricardo A. Crocker Hadithah - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack 

Aug 1, 2005 Haditha
US Lance Corporal Roger D. Castleberry Jr. Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 
US Sergeant David J. Coullard Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 
US Lance Corporal Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Jr. Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 
US Corporal Jeffrey A. Boskovitch Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 
US Lance Corporal Brian P. Montgomery Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 
US Sergeant Nathaniel S. Rock Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 

Aug 3, 2005 Haditha     
US Lance Corporal Adam J. Strain Ramadi - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 
US Specialist Mathew V. Gibbs Baghdad (southwest part) Hostile - hostile fire - car bomb 
US Sergeant 1st Class Charles Houghton Warren Baghdad (southwest part) Hostile - hostile fire - car bomb 
US Specialist Jerry Lewis Ganey Jr. Baghdad (southwest part) Hostile - hostile fire - car bomb 
US Lance Corporal Nicholas William B. Bloem Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Corporal David S. Stewart Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Sergeant Bradley J. Harper Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Kevin G. Waruinge Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Grant B. Fraser Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Sergeant Justin F. Hoffman Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Eric J. Bernholtz Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Aaron H. Reed Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Corporal David Kenneth J. Kreuter Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal William Brett Wightman Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Christopher Jenkins Dyer Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Michael J. Cifuentes Haditha (2 km S of) -Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Timothy Michael Bell Jr. Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 
US Lance Corporal Edward August Schroeder II Haditha (2 km S of) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 

Nov. 16, 2005 Haditha
US Sergeant Jeremy E. Murray Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 

Nov 19, 2006 Haditha
US Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas Haditha (near) - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 

[doublecansiter]

Dang right, I have never been lied to by a Marine, and
would not lie to a fellow Marine ever for ANY reason.

The leftists and the MSM don't understand the concept of
Honor, but then, how could they understand something that
they never had?

"To fight for right and freedom
and to keep our Honor clean
We are proud to claim the title of
UNITED STATES MARINE!"

Mike

[TexKat]

Six of the seven Marines killed Monday died near Haditha, and the seventh was killed in a suicide bombing in Hit to the southeast. The extremist Ansar al-Sunnah Army claimed responsibility for killing the six Marines.

Masked gunmen showed up in the Haditha public market Monday afternoon displaying helmets, flak jackets and other equipment they said were taken from the bodies of the dead Marines.

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,FL_marines_080305,00.html

[armydawg1]

You may be right, but I am jaded by the realities of being a white male in the USA at this point in history.

[ASA Vet]

White American males were present, case closed.

I've seen nothing about the race of members of SSG Wuterich's squad. Have you?

As far as I can tell they were all the same, ie: Marines.