It wasn't until the information was being glossed over, or suppressed entirely, at the hearings that they starting speaking out.
The revelation of the super-secret eyes on the engagement throughout almost the entire Haditha battle with actual viewing capability up to the national command authority level is a stunning revelation. The presence of other aerial eyes for the theater commanders, requested by those higher levels, gives the entire military chain of command absolutely no place to hide from the truth of Haditha.
They were watching it. They knew exactly what was going on. They were watching real time.
Prosecuting LTC Chessani for failing to report the incident up the chain of command is a farce. As a Battalion Commander his security clearance would be such that he KNEW the aerial eyes were on the battle. One measure of the man’s fidelity is that knowing the truth he maintained classified information even when he was falsely charged.
The other truth is that charge that he monitored his entire battalion battle rather than go to SSgt Wutterich’s location and control that battle from on scene. Even Stonewall Jackson wouldn’t have done that unless it was the key location for a breakthrough. The only benefit of having a battalion commander lead a SSgt’s squad is getting the battalion commander killed. /sarc.
What an idiotic charge against Chessani that he monitored his battalion’s entire engagement. OF COURSE HE DID! That’s his flippin job!
The only way such anti-Standard Procedure charges stick is if a runaway media gets to be the sole source of informing and inflaming. The whole concept of the digital battlefield is that the commanders get real-time information about their entire battle and are able then to provide command and control based on actual knowledge of the entire battlefield. These concepts were intially tested at Ft Knox in the very early 90’s and then went to the first digital brigades in the mid to late 90’s.
You don’t WANT your battalion commander leading charges of the light brigade with one tiny squad out of one small platoon. That is the entire point of digital command and control!
This insane prosecution of this honorable man just took a serious hit. I sure hope the defense is permitted to file additional information with the deciding general as it comes out in these other hearings.