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The following is an email sent to 60 Minutes:

I have serious misgivings about whether or not anyone will take the time to even read this email, much less take any sort of action.

I am writing in response to Scott Pelley's recent report on the actions of US Marines in Haditha. I have watched 60 minutes almost religiously for decades now. I have often times defended 60 minutes against accusations of sensationalizing news for the benefit of ratings. Apparently you have changed your honest, non-sensationalized, rational and balanced approach to reporting news.

Scott Pelley's report on the young Marine, SSGT Wuterich, and the actions of his squad in Haditha were completely and utterly biased. There is an old saying, a Persian proverb, that states that everyone knows how to save the ship once it has sunk. Pelley has obviously never heard of, nor gleaned the logic behind that proverb.

"Frag and clear" is a house clearing method that has been used since World War II. It has been in use these many decades because it works. You pop the pin on a grenade, let the spoon fly, give a four count and toss it through the door. After the grenade explodes Marines then fan out into the affected space and "clear" the area. In this sense "clear" is a word which is a result of political correctness. In reality "clear" means kill anything that moves. The after effect (dirt and debris in the air) of the grenade explosion makes it near impossible to distinguish a combatant and a non-combatant.

There is, as of this moment, no definitive means of determining whether or not there are people inside a house, much less what their intentions might be. As such, frag and clear remains the best option for clearing a house. Therefore you cannot fault the Marines for their actions in clearing the houses. From what I have heard, they followed standard protocol.

A Marine's job is to follow orders. No Marine wants to kill civilians. The Marine is a warrior, but he is also a human. He has a conscience. He has a heart. He has the intelligence to realize that for every non-combatant he kills, he creates a combatant in the personage of the non-combatant's brother, father, friend or cousin. Regardless of whether you agree one thing remains constant: if you are wrong in your assessment of a person's combatant status, you may die. Let that sink in for a moment, Mr. Pelley.

In this instance it is regrettable that civilians died. In fact, it is an atrocity. However, the blame cannot be placed on the shoulders of a Staff Sergeant. Wuterich was trained to clear a house by the United States Marine Corps in a fashion which tends to kill more bad guys than Marines. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is the objective of any military. I also hate to be the bearer of bad news when I remind you that Marines are trained to be warriors, not police officers. Iraq is a war zone, not the United States. Let us please face the fact that Iraqi civilians are being killed every day. This is not SSGT. Wuterich's fault.

It is easy to sit at your desk back here in the States and pass judgment on the men and women on the ground in Iraq. Mr. Pelley spoke down to a man (who by the way is considered innocent until proven guilty) who had faced the IEDs and bullets and uncertainty in Iraq while Mr. Pelley sat here in the States safe, warm and happy. What was Pelley's biggest decision that day? Which tie should I wear? What should I have for lunch? Am I furthering my career today?

I have a few questions for Mr. Pelley: Are you an urban combat expert? Have you ever been involved as a combatant in battle? Have you ever been trained by the Marine Corps? Have you ever spontaneously acquired the ability to see through walls? If so, was your x-ray vision accompanied by a means with which to determine the person's intentions? Have you ever had to make life and death decisions on the fly while people were trying to kill you? If any of these questions are answered "no", then I suggest that you make a formal apology to SSGT Wuterich.

Pelley has no right to shade his questions and treat SSGT Wuterich as a common criminal. Even if Wuterich is convicted, which is probable due to the inflammation of this story by the media, he was only doing what he has been trained to do: kill more bad guys than Marines. His decisions, right or wrong, were based on the Marine Corps ethos: Unit, Corps, Country, God. Marines are indoctrinated into a warrior society which lives and dies by this creed. I agree that it is regrettable, but without such training they would simply not go where there is danger. They would run away from conflict rather than face the danger and take the actions necessary to eliminate the threat. This training usurps every self-survival instinct. Once again, it is sad, but entirely necessary. After all, how much sense does it make to you (whoever is reading this) to advance into an area where people are shooting at you? Answer: none. This is why these young men are trained to ignore the danger, to discard the normal instincts of civilized people and advance in the face of danger.

Mr. Pelley's facial expressions and tonality made him appear as if he were passing judgment on SSGT Wuterich. 60 Minutes has a track record of unbiased and fair reporting over a span of many years. It is sad that you would allow your emotions to cloud your judgment and blemish that record. Ironically this is the same crime you accuse SSGT Wuterich of committing.

On a separate note, it was deplorable that Mr. Pelley solicited a graphic description of the Marine who was dismembered in the IED attack. It was even more deplorable that the editors and producers did not edit that portion to spare the Marine's family. It was obvious that you did so only to further your biased position that the actions taken by the Marines that day were in reaction to the well liked Marine's death. You owe a public apology to his family.

I will no longer watch 60 Minutes so long as you continue to employ Scott Pelley. No one in my house will watch 60 Minutes so long as you employ Scott Pelley. His actions and lack of sensitivity to the family of the fallen Marine are/is reprehensible. I admit that this may be an irrational decision based on emotion, but hey, emotional and irrational are the catch words of the day.

Jeremy W
Jumpnghosophat@yahoo.com
York, PA