Posted on 06/15/2007 4:58:04 AM PDT by RedRover
NORTH CASTLE
At just age 26, Andrew McLaren has already had many roles in his life - soldier, bodyguard, playboy and, most recently, family man and political candidate.
The North Castle man is now trying his hand at another venture - acting.
He's starring in "Battle for Haditha," a film scheduled for release in January. It is based on allegations that Marines killed 24 Iraqis - including women and children - during a 2005 rampage in that Iraqi city.
"I kind of wanted to live a full life and do whatever I wanted to do," McLaren said recently about his rather unique résumé.
For McLaren, a former model, this is his first major role in a film, and his experience in the military helped him land the part.
"He had some combat experience in Iraq, and he and the other guys that were in the military give it a little credence as far as reality is concerned," said Gordon McLaren, Andrew's father and a Vietnam War veteran. "They've all been there. They've all seen it."
Andrew McLaren was a Marine for several years, which included a 2003 mission to Liberia to guard the U.S. Embassy during that country's civil war. He also served in Iraq, hunting for improvised explosive devices on the streets of Baghdad and helping to train members of the Iraqi army.
For his service, he received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal, according to his honorable discharge papers.
McLaren returned from Iraq in 2005, but he soon went back to the war zone as an employee of the Blackwater USA private security firm. He said he earned top dollar guarding senators and Bush administration officials and even the president on one occasion.
The work of contractors like Blackwater has sparked controversy over the role of the private sector in war zones, with some critics charging they're mercenaries whose work exists outside normal legal oversight.
McLaren bristles at any suggestion that Blackwater employees are soldiers for hire. They're highly trained government contractors, he said.
"I was a certified special agent over there. We're not mercenaries," McLaren said. "We have authority from the U.S. government and we go through a strict vetting process."
The job is very dangerous. Part of the work included providing armed escort duty for U.S. officials going outside of Baghdad's relatively secure "Green Zone."
The work is also very lucrative. McLaren said he earned about $200,000 in eight months last year, money that allowed him to return to the U.S. periodically and enjoy a playboy lifestyle in Manhattan, driving around in a Ferrari and Lamborghini he rented. He also outfitted his own Lexus convertible with television sets, a DVD player and new rims.
But there came a time when the money and the job lost their allure, and McLaren wanted to settle back in this country with Melissa Garcia, a model he met at a fashion show in 2004.
"I had this great thing at home waiting for me, so that's why I left that job," McLaren said.
They married in October, about a month after he returned from Iraq. Melissa McLaren recalled recently that when she spoke to Andrew while he was in Iraq, she could sometimes hear mortar shells exploding in the background.
"It was a big ordeal every time I had to hang up the phone with him and not know when I was going to be able to speak to him next," she said "The money wasn't worth it. His life was more important."
McLaren returned to the U.S. in August and the couple moved out to California in September so she could pursue her modeling career and he could try out acting.
One day, McLaren noticed an ad in LA Weekly that said military men were wanted for a movie, but the ad didn't specify what it was about.
McLaren said he and hundreds of other hopefuls auditioned for 12 parts in the film. After several call-backs, he landed the role of Capt. Sampson - who heads a unit of Marines that's struck by a roadside bomb, killing one of them.
McLaren said his character is based loosely on a real-life Marine company commander, Capt. Lucas McConnell, who is facing charges in the incident.
The investigation into what happened at Haditha continues. After the bombing, enraged Marines killed the Iraqis, according to press reports. Several Marines have been brought up on murder charges, and four other officers have been accused of failing to investigate war crime allegations or covering them up, according to press reports.
"Battle for Haditha," filmed in Jordan, is the latest movie from British director Nick Broomfield, whose other films include "Kurt & Courtney," a 1998 documentary about Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain, who took his own life in 1994 at age 27, and his wife, singer Courtney Love. He also made "Biggie and Tupac," a 2002 documentary about the unsolved homicide cases of rap artists Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls.
Broomfield was busy recently with post-production work on "Battle for Haditha" and could not be reached for comment. A trailer from the film was recently shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
The trailer is chilling to watch. After a bomb set up by insurgents blows up a Humvee, a Marine is shown shooting Iraqis who have their hands up.
McLaren said he was initially concerned about how the movie would portray the military. In the end, however, he said it shows what it's like to be in combat and the realities soldiers face during war.
"The movie is told from an equal playing field - from the Iraqis' point of view, the insurgents' point of view and the Marines' point of view," McLaren said. "There's no black or white in this movie, it's all just a (messed) up situation for everybody."
He's also posted comments on an online forum for military service members asking them to keep an open mind about the film.
"We represented the Corps in a positive light. ... We would never sell out our fellow Marines for 15 minutes of fame," McLaren wrote. "This movie is far from liberal propaganda, and is the most accurate portrayal of the War on Terror yet."
During a recent interview, McLaren wore a "Battle for Haditha" T-shirt, which covered a tattoo on his shoulder of the World Trade Center. He also has images of cherry blossoms with skulls in the middle on his right arm. On his left arm is a tattoo of the Marine Corps eagle, globe and anchor symbol.
He and Melissa are expecting a baby in about four months. The couple and their 5-year-old daughter live with McLaren's parents in North Castle. McLaren attended Byram Hills High School for two years and graduated in 1999 from Avon Old Farms School, a private school in Avon, Conn.
McLaren said he hopes the "Battle for Haditha" leads to more roles. If he can't pursue an acting career, he has a backup plan. He's attending the New York City Police Academy next month.
He's also planning to run for a seat on the North Castle Town Board under the banner of the Veterans for Improvement Party. McLaren, who describes himself as a moderate Republican, acknowledges the odds of him winning a seat are daunting, but said he views the post as another chance to serve his country.
"I really, really want to get my voice out there," McLaren said.
I will invite Mr. McLaren to join this thread, and hope that he may.
Here's my take. From Day One, the Haditha Marines have been used as symbols. Time magazine called them "symbols of a war gone bad". Murtha picked up that theme and help turn Americans further from the war.
On the other side, the expedient response was to throw the Haditha Marines under the bus. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff made statements such as: "Fortunately, this type of thing doesn't happen very often..." As if it were already a proven fact.
Mr. McLaren says his role is based "loosely" on Capt. Lucas McConnell. There's no "loosely" about a movie depicting Marines murdering civilians. Anyone who sees the movie will believe it's factual.
The families of the Haditha Marines are taking out second mortages on their homes, wiping out 401k accounts, to pay for lawyers.
The first enlisted man charged for Haditha, LCpl. Justin Sharratt, is on his way to being exonerated after a year in hell for himself and his family. "Exonerated" may be the wrong word. As Capt. Jeffrey Dinsmore (3/1 Marines) has said, "While I continue to firmly believe that all will be acquitted, none of them will ever be truly exonerated." The media and movies such as this one have seen to that.
I have no reason to think Mr. McLaren is anything but an honorable man. I thank him for his service to our country.
But I respectfully ask him: please consider how you're helping destroy the lives of fellow Marines.
I will never have an open mind about that.
Well said... I join you in the request.
Of course, as far as the Marines are concerned, the damage has already been done. The film will be released before the Article 32s are completed—putting that much more pressure on the Corps to go to court martials on each of the accused (and incidentally increasing astronomically the lawyer fees).
I would hope that, in future, Mr. McLaren would at least point out to interviewers that the film is fiction.
The director has claimed he got the story from Marines “who were there”. I think he’s lying and would challenge him to name his sources.
"A trailer from the film was recently shown at the Cannes Film Festival" is another way of saying that this is a hatchet job.
[Mr] T
Murtha is getting desperate.
They must work furiously at preempting a fair Article 32 and trial.
Do you have any idea if the Newsmax report on the classified background of the Haditha event is accurate? Was a classified report released that stated a “white car” was to participate in an attack on Americans?
I have every reason to be confident in Phil Brennan’s report.
But would the intel about the white car stand up to scrutiny in a courtroom? Can’t say.
Sgt Wuterich’s Article 32 will be held on the third week in August. Capt. Dinsmore will certainly testify for the defense. We’ll see if the intel stands up to cross-examination.
Remember how Clinton and his hideous cronies fought the 9-11 film?
As noted above, no one gives a damn when it comes to lowly servicemen.
The reports about Cpt Dinsmore’s most recent testimony states that the prosecutor kept asking him if he had evidence that any of the dead were insurgents. The paper reports that Dinsmore finally agreed that they could have all been civilians.
It seemed an odd exchange that it would have to be asked so many times by the prosecutor before Dinsmore supposedly conceded. I wondered if he had classified info but was unable to share it at the time because it was still classified until this past week.
Do you have any thoughts on that?
The media reporting has been so poor that it’s difficult to get a real sense of the testimony and the impact it’s having.
The media is reporting the story from a presumption of guilt. The reporting does not reflect what’s really happening in the hearings—which is a search for truth to a reasonable degree of certainty.
There is grey area in any investigation. Even the NCIS agent who presented forensic evidence in the Sharratt hearing (evidence that I believe will exonerate the lance corporal) said his findings were highly probable but not absolutely certain.
Similarly, Capt Dinsmore’s testimony was to the data and conclusions an experienced S2 drew from them.
Insurgents ARE civilians. Is it possible that a military age male at the scene of an ambush with an AK-47 is just on his way to a wedding party?
Yes, it’s possible, but judgements in the heat of combat are based on instinct. We should never second guess that in a courtroom.
Insurgents are dressed as civilians. They are actually fighters in violation of standards of decent treatment of civilians. Few things are as reprehensible as intentionaly making true civilians into targets.
We represented the Corps in a positive light. ... We would never sell out our fellow Marines for 15 minutes of fame
That is good to hear.
Remember how Clinton and his hideous cronies fought the 9-11 film?
Wow! I completely forgot about that. I never was able to see the movie. Is it out on DVD? I remember very little press on it and in fact just from FREEPERS.
This is true in all cases in our vaunted "Criminal Justice System". The media over-exposes the more salacious charges in a high-visibility case, while giving no credence to the circumstances leading to the action. Just search for any MSM story on a defensive firearm use for examples.
Another problem is the costs involved. The real Criminal gets his paid for -- the innocent or not guilty/proven get no reimbursement in a criminal action. If lucky they can try the lottery of a civil action, but that also entails additional costs.
I do believe that the Brits (and most of their Commonwealth partners) have it right -- No report or publicity allowed by any Media except after Arraignment in a court; and no report or publicity until the conclusion of the trial and a Verdict is pronounced. You do have the right to know what's going on -- go sit in the court in your locality. You don't have a right to promulgate unfounded accusations far and wide to the detriment of either the prosecution or the defense or the possible tainting of the jury pool. I really believe that the OJ case would have had a far different outcome had Gil Garcetti not been able to game the system; likewise the Duke Hockey Team saga would also have been better for all if Nifong was muzzled from the start.
I have no reason to think Mr. McLaren is anything but an honorable man. I thank him for his service to our country.
But I respectfully ask him: please consider how you're helping destroy the lives of fellow Marines.
I will never have an open mind about that.
On this we agree. Also this 'movie' should not be released until after the conclusion of these cases. I don't think they will go much differently either way, as I still have more respect for the UCMJ system than the civilian counterpart -- but the future attitudes regardless of outcome will definitely be colored by the perceptions created thereby.
I second that Red. I have my doubts about this movie being “fair” to the Marines. After all, nothing has been fair about this whole mess. Besides, the info is slowly being declassified so who did the producer use as sources - the media, the “innocent civilians”?
Marine Ping!
I’m with you on all points.
I’d favor an immediate adoption of the British system. Unfortunately, men like John Adams was hooted down as a “monarchist” when he suggested America could adopt British practices. Unfortunately, too, the First Ammendment has been perverted by activist judges over the past fifty years so that it no longer only limits federal power.
I also agree about the UCMJ. I had the pleasure of speaking with Darryl Sharratt (father of LCpl. Justin Sharratt) who is EXTREMELY impressed with the IO and the whole way his son’s case is being handled in the hearing.
Yikes! Should have been “men like John Adams were hooted down” or “a man such as John Adams was...” Indecision leads to bad grammar.
The really important thing about Capt. Dinsmore’s testimony, of course, is that it was intel available to the Marines and helped guide their decisions.
Surprisingly Broomfield was able to interview some of the Marines involved in the incident. "We spent five days in a motel in San Diego interviewing them for probably 10 hours a day, just to get a sense of their lives and who they really were. They were very wary to begin with, but once people start talking, they really talk. The main Marine character we focus on was this guy called Ramirez. The night he got back from Iraq he broke into a truck and basically had post-traumatic stress and ended up driving into a house. He was best friends with the guy who was killed by the bomb, and then had the job of writing numbers on the dead people's heads and photographing them. They were extremely tough and had seen a lot of action. They talked about chasing each other around with people's legs and kicking people's brains around."
I assume by "Ramirez", the director means LCpl. Briones whose story is pretty much what Broomfield describes. Except that Briones (and another photographer, LCpl. Andrew Wright, who made similar accusations about a massacre) wasn't really "involved" in the incident. Neither Briones or Wright were there when it happened.
So, in brief, the movie is based on Marines who weren't there. Just like the main "witnesses" against the Haditha Marines weren't there either.
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