Marines in Haditha: Locals not focused on alleged ’05 massacre

Stars and Stripes ^ | March 4, 2007 | Steve Mraz

[RedRover]

LOL! With his lawyer right behind him.

[pinkpanther111]

LOL; Yep have to have the lawyer too.

[Marine_Uncle]

This news would deeply sadden Blurtha.

[Girlene]

Wow, that's a lot to haul around for a Marine. Video cam, lawyer attached on his back.

Queue music, "He ain't heavy, he's my lawyer."

[pinkpanther111]

HEHEHE...

Thats funny and yet.....

[Defend Our Marine]

I just saw this article. Very well done except they are K 3/1 Marines, not 3/5.

I think we will put this on Justin's web site.

Thanks for posting it here Red.

[RedRover]

You mean this web site? Where people can read about a heroic Marine?

My pleasure, Mrs. S.!

[mrmargaritaville]

I think Murtha needs to go on a "fact finding mission" to Haditha-just him and four or five of the marines he has accused of massacre-no media. I mean he probably really just wants to get to the truth.

[Defend Our Marine]

Yep, that's the one, lol!

[RedRover]

I hope you get more visitors than Disneyland. Jaclyn and her young man did a smashing job.

[Defend Our Marine]

Thanks Red, I will make sure I tell Jaclyn and Matt.

[RedRover]

Matt! Right! I had forgotten his name so had to settle for "her young man" in a pinch.

[jude24]

The incident is almost a nonissue for the average Hadithan, but they do respect that the Marines are taking the matter to trial, said Lt. Col. Jim Donnellan, commander of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.

That's why we're better than the terrorists. We keep the moral high ground. It's expensive real estate, but worth it. The Iraqis in Haditha apparently recognize this.

[RedRover]

Getting it right in Iraq is the challenge of anyone's lifetime.

There’s an interesting article by Bing West, Streetwise, in the January/February issue of The Atlantic. It’s about the Iraqi police and Lieutenant Colonel James Donnellan shows up in that article as well. Here’s a bit of the piece:

“Right now I have to deal with an angry police chief,” [said Captain Matt Tracy] “We’ve been asking him how his prisoner died, and he doesn’t like it.”

Tracy walked outside and escorted the compact and unsmiling police chief, Colonel Farouq, into his office.

“Every American is asking how one terrorist died,” he said angrily. “We questioned him, and he died. That’s all I say. He betrayed my police. [My police officers’] heads were tossed in the dirt in Baiji. And all you ask is how a terrorist died.”

“We go by the law,” Tracy said. “We have rules we follow.”

“Rules? What about nine bodies without heads? What about my brother’s body?” Farouq raged. “My mother complains I have lost the family because I help Americans.” Farouq’s younger brother had been killed in the ambush, his body mutilated.

“Baiji’s a hundred kilometers from here,” the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel James Donnellan, said. “I’ll take a force there. You can come with me.”

“When?” Farouq demanded to know.

“Higher has to coordinate,” Donnellan said. “Two or three days.”

“The bodies will be gone by then. You investigate a dead terrorist right away. But my brother has to wait,” Farouq said. “Your rules? You won’t see strong Iraqi police the American way for a hundred years.”

[RedRover]

Meant to ping you to the above article in The Atlantic.

[freema]

“The bodies will be gone by then. You investigate a dead terrorist right away. But my brother has to wait,” Farouq said. “Your rules? You won’t see strong Iraqi police the American way for a hundred years.”

[Marine_Uncle]

Good. They fear the Americans will leave. Now get this news out to all the misinformed Americans that think every Iraqi hates us. Of course I realize this cannot happen. Must never allow perhaps 75% plus of America from starting to get a slight clue.