[RedRover]

Nat Helms served three tours in Vietnam and, most recently, is the author of My Men Are My Heroes: The Brad Kasal Story (Meredith Books, 2007)

________________________

Nat Helms is now confirming what he first reported here. There was a Predator in the sky above Haditha that morning, and the scale of the battle was known up and down the chain of command.

We'll also stay on this story about LCpl Mendoza. I'd hate to think that NCIS did something at odds with US law, wouldn't you? This should get very interesting so stay tuned!

[bmwcyle]

AMEN

[RedRover]

The Article 32 hearing for LCpl Stephen Tatum concluded today with closing statements. The case is now in the hands of the Investigating Officer. LtCol Paul Ware.

For more about the LCpl Humberto Mendoza testimony at the LCpl Tatum hearing, see this thread.

Marine Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum, right, arrives with his civilian defense attorneys Jack Zimmerman, left, and Kyle Sampson, center, for his Article 32 Investigation Hearing at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base in San Diego County Monday, July 16, 2007. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

[Lancey Howard]

Great post!

[freeangel]

Can murtha be prosecuted for making false alllegations?

[jazusamo]

If you would like to help with the civilian lawyer’s legal fees for the
Haditha Marines you can do so by going to these sites.

Defend Our Marines

Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt

SSgt. Frank Wuterich

Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani

Military Combat Defense Fund

[Fred Nerks]

Someday the truth will be available for everybody to see for themselves. The continuous video should be 8-10 hours, and includes the entire fight, one Marine said. “[It]… finishes with the insurgent holding a child in order to avoid getting bombed again,” he added, “before we swarmed in to capture him.”

Lock Murtha in a cell and make him watch it over and over again...

[caisson71]

All of this makes me sick. It is hard enough, in the fog of battle and house to house fighting to distinguish civilian from combatant especially when the combatants shied themselves behind women and children.
If NCIS, or any other government agency, is somehow cooking the facts for the sake of politics, I say we are in deep shit.
I think I would be in jail today if we have video cameras and picture cell phones in Nam.
The PC war appears is impossible.

[Girlene]

Excellent investigation to find the truth and another outstanding article by Nat Helms. So who are all these division level folks who knew this was a major engagement? Why did everybody try to act like the Haditha "incident" was an isolated event in these 4 houses? Why the silence from division level?

An officer who was there said so many people were watching the fight go down that a faraway Public Affairs Officer wrote 3/1 to suggest it was time to “maximize the coalition coverage of this, pointing out to the locals that insurgents don't care about their children."

Ummmmmmm.....has he been called to the witness stand in any of these hearings?

[AliVeritas]

About time. We knew about the predator how soon after it happened? Sheesh. Excellent post Red.

Has anyone touched on the morgue angle yet?

[Chickenhawk Warmonger]

Damn good news Red! Any reports from the closing statements today?

[shield]

Oh my...

[Shelayne]

Saaay Whaaat?? **bug-eyed bewilderment**

An officer who was there said so many people were watching the fight go down that a faraway Public Affairs Officer wrote 3/1 to suggest it was time to “maximize the coalition coverage of this, pointing out to the locals that insurgents don't care about their children."

They have VIDEO of this!! Remind me again why these men were charged??

And this:

On December 18, 2005, three days before three Marines from his squad were charged with murder Mendoza was granted immunityfrom prosecution in return for his cooperation. Despite previous testimony to the contrary Mendoza went from being part of a combat stack of Marines attacking a hostile objective to a lone Marine apparently wandering around in a smoke-filled house grenades had just been thrown into, he testified.

This story has so many holes, swiss cheese would blush.

Oh, and finally this nugget:

“[It]… finishes with the insurgent holding a child in order to avoid getting bombed again,” he added, “before we swarmed in to capture him.”

Uhhh, wouldn't this be a smoking gun?? If I were the judge, it would be "Dismissed, WITH prejudice!" thwap, thwap, thwap (my gavel). Oh and then,"Now bring me Tim McGirk and John Murtha!" thwap, thwap, thwap. (Obviously more a civilian court fantasy.)

This has gone from being just "hinky" to a total farce of a prosecution. What on EARTH is going on here??

[StarCMC]

The Case Against the Haditha Defendants is Coming Unglued

The LIES about the Haditha Defendants ARE COMING OUT

would be a more accurate headline I think.

[stylin19a]

Zimmermann subsequently suggested during his examination of Mendoza that the NCIS told Mendoza his citizenship was at stake if he didn’t cooperate.

why couldn't he come right out and ask him this question ?

[stylin19a]

Zimmermann subsequently suggested during his examination of Mendoza that the NCIS told Mendoza his citizenship was at stake if he didn’t cooperate.

why couldn't he come right out and ask him this question ?

[eyespysomething]

Haditha Marines ping

[smoothsailing]

Outstanding news, Red. It's great that Nat Helms is getting this out. Great post.

Everyday this Haditha hoax is getting better and better for our guys and worse and worse for Murtha and the NCIS. Thank goodness. I'm definitely gonna owe you a case of beer for your good work when this is over with.

[Quix]

Praise God.

Dear Lord, please totally shred the attack on these faithful patriots.

[FreedomPoster]

Haditha case continuing to fall apart ping. Don’t hold your breath waiting for mea culpas from the media and the anti-military Left, who have used this case to bolster their “we shouldn’t be in Iraq” arguments.