OCEANSIDE is about 80% Marines. They would not tolerate crappy reporting. Secondly, you can catch the North County Times online. If you see an article by Mark Walker or Teri Figueroa, it is good.
Posted on 12/07/2006 4:30:36 AM PST by radar101
People who know Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis say that despite worldwide condemnation of the Haditha incident that resulted in the shooting deaths of 24 Iraqis, political pressure won't influence his decision on what charges may be lodged against Marines facing allegations in the case.
The 2005 killings drew criticism of the U.S. military's rules of engagement and led the commandant of the Marine Corps to launch a reinforcement of "core values" in visits to Marines in Iraq and throughout the U.S. earlier this year.
Mark Zaid, a lawyer for one of those said to be facing charges, contends that Mattis faces pressure from the highest levels of the Pentagon to file charges to show that the military takes allegations of atrocities seriously.
"I think Haditha very much comes down to the fact that because it was so publicized domestically and internationally, the Pentagon feels it has to do something," Zaid said. "I suspect the feeling is that if there are charges and everyone is acquitted, the military can then say it did its job by conducting a full investigation and sending the case to court-martial."
But Mattis will decide what to do based solely on the facts, said two former Marine officers who know the battle-hardened general.
"He's a fair guy who's dedicated his entire life to the Marine Corps and he will do the right thing for his Marines," said Claude Reinke, a retired Marine Corps major general and publisher of The Californian, an edition of the North County Times in Temecula. "He's not the kind of guy who is going to be influenced by outside pressure -- he won't be swayed by that."
Mattis, who also is overseeing the unrelated prosecution of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman in the killing of an Iraqi civilian in the village of Hamdania earlier this year, faces duties far beyond the legal cases.
He also serves as commander of the more than 25,000-strong I Marine Expeditionary Force and heads the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command.
Gary Solis, a retired Marine legal officer who spent more than two decades in the service and now teaches law at Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown University, said that Mattis' breadth of experience serves him well, considering all the tasks he on his plate.
"Gen. Mattis is one of the most competent and able leaders there is," Solis said. "No one could be more properly placed to deal with the multitude of issues he faces."
Mattis has led combat missions in Afghanistan and headed the 1st Marine Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2004, he commanded Marine Corps forces in a major battle in the restive Iraqi city of Fallujah.
"He is particularly attuned to leadership issues, and he never forgets his Marines or where he has come to from his days as a junior officer," Solis said.
Attorney Zaid said his client, Staff. Sgt. Frank Wuterich, and the other Marines did nothing wrong and that the civilians were killed in the course of a legitimate response to the bombing and subsequent small-arms fire.
On Tuesday, the Marine Corps said that Mattis had made an "initial decision" on what actions he will take as the convening authority over the Haditha investigation and that prosecutors are finalizing charges.
On Nov. 19, 2005, up to 13 Marines from the 3rd platoon of Kilo Company from Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment took part in actions that are alleged to have led to the civilian deaths.
The killings, which included several women and children, happened after a lance corporal died in a massive explosion triggered as the Humvee he was riding in passed through the city.
The Marines then are alleged to have assaulted a series of nearby homes and killed four men who emerged from a car that happened upon the scene shortly after the explosion. No known or suspected insurgents died in the attack.
An announcement of what charges will be filed is expected sometime in the next two weeks and rests solely with Mattis and his legal advisers, a source familiar with the investigation told the North County Times.
Members of House Armed Services Committee received a closed-door briefing Wednesday on the 9-month-old Haditha investigation.
Rep. Mark Udall, one of 20 House members who heard the briefing, said afterward that up to six Marines will face charges. The briefing was presented by former Camp Pendleton 1st Marine Division commander Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski.
Martin Terrazas, whose son, Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas of El Paso, Texas, died in the bombing that preceded the killings, said he was surprised that some of his son's fellow Marines may face criminal charges.
"It's upsetting, it's terrible," Terrazas said. "They're making some kind of mistake."
One of the lawmakers who attended Wednesday's briefing on Capitol Hill, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., the incoming chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said that the Haditha incident was a tragedy, and that the legal process now must decide if it was criminal.
"What happened at Haditha was horrific, but it does not reflect the actions of the vast majority of our brave military men and women who serve with honor," he said.
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
Let me or jazusamo know if you want to be on the Haditha Marine Ping List.
Notice that none of the stories mention that some of the "civilians" killed were in fact terrorists.
They're won't be charged with the deaths of any terrorists. Just to pick numbers out of the air, five dead terrorists and ten dead civilians will bring ten charges for prosecution, not fifteen, regardless of the overall body count.
The msm says that this action was initiated by an ied, with no hint that terrorists actually set it off, let alone planted it. They make no mention that any of the "civilins" were in fact terrorists using the civilians as willing or unwilling shields.
Murtha destroyed any chance for an unpolitical investigation back in May. For those who missed it, six months ago, Murtha said that the Marines' investigation would show that there was no firefight and that the Marines' killed "innocent civilians in cold blood".
The investigation was a farce. Murtha had already dictated the outcome.
Is Mattis strong enough to release a report that contradicts Murtha? How long would Mattis keep his job? Murtha controls the appropriations and has many old and powerful friends in the Corps. That's the real story.
You're dead right. "Civilians" planted the ied. A "civilian" set it off--probably at the signal of another "civilian". "Civilians" watched it go off and fired on the Marines. Did the "civilians" include women and children? That seems to be the mussie way.
These terrorists don't wear uniforms. Yet to some in this country, anyone killed who isn't wearing a uniform is a "civilian." Idiotic.
I don't think the article added any new information on the subject for me, but I'm impressed that it appears like a genuine journalistic effort. That's rare these days.
OCEANSIDE is about 80% Marines. They would not tolerate crappy reporting. Secondly, you can catch the North County Times online. If you see an article by Mark Walker or Teri Figueroa, it is good.
On May 17 with Chris Matthews, among other things, he said there was no IED involved in this incident. He was either lying or relating untrue information.
Thanks for the ping. When Mattis commanded the 1MEF he made it clear grunts should kill goons. They did their best. Now let him back his Marine's sixes.
This makes it sound like his mind is made up to me. When you declare the incident horrific then try to separate the rest of the military for the event. I know hes a democrat but it still makes me feel a bit uneasy about the whole matter.
Wonder if Mattis might be subpeoned to the court martial? Wish I knew more about the way court martials work. I'll have to bone up.
Somehow I doubt someone at his level would be asked to take the stand. But one never knows. He had those grunts fired up. After all. He claimed it was really great to be killing Islmofacist terrorist. Sort of gave one a warm fuzzy feeling. But if one where to subpena him, he can bark back that he also coined the phrase, no better friend and no worse enemy.
I'm trying to put my hands on the details about a court martial during WWII. A couple of grunts in Sicily were accused of killing prisoners. Their defense was that Gen. Patton had given a speech to the regiment and said, take no prisoners. I believe the guys got off.
He wrote back at some length, explaining why he didn't think Murtha was a factor. Not sure I agree, but I was impressed that he'd take the time to respond. Seems like a good and thoughtful guy. Glad there's some in the media.
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