[jazusamo]

Excellent article by Nat Helms
.

HADITHA MARINE PING!

[Marine_Uncle]

Just reading the charges against him makes me sick.

[BlueStateMadness]

Also known as? Anyone else sketched out by people who have multiple aliases?

[Lancey Howard]

Wow..!
That is one of the best-written articles I ever read.
THANKS for the ping.

I cannot imagine trying to personally witness these trials where cowardly little weasels like Sean Sullivan do their best to try to take down real men, genuine heroes, like the Haditha Marines. The thought makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

[smoothsailing]

Top notch, one of Nat's very best, and they've all been good.

This line still haunts me...

Disregarding the convoluted, latently obtained, divinely reconstructed physical evidence that “proves” Wuterich may or may not have shot anyone...

I can't get that out of my head, it boils the government prosecution down to it's very essence; they're making it all up as they go along, it's loathesome.

[Gene Eric]

Haditha never fails to invoke contemplation and sorrow.

[Girlene]

Great analysis by Nat....and such a timely comparison.

Intent is exactly what it comes down to. Initially, it was claimed that murder charges were necessary because these Marines were in a blind rage over losing one of their brothers. The Article 32's made it obvious that no presiding judge was buying that theory. In SSgt Wuterich's case, the convening authoriy, Helland, ignored the judge's recommendations. Helland did reduce the charges from murder to a maximum of voluntary manslaughter knowing that murder would not be provable.

The charges leveled at Wuterich are ridiculous. In the area of the white car, Wuterich is charged with Reckless Endangerment, Voluntary Manslaughter, no PID for "1 or more unknown people around that car." Think about that. The prosecution is saying.....We don't know who he killed, we're not sure he killed one or more dudes, we're admitting that someone else was shooting (and possibly killed all of them), but Wuterich is our last chance to convict someone for these deaths. On top of that, we need another guy who was shooting at that car to turn on Wuterich, so we've given him (Dela Cruz) immunity and are tacking on another charge that Wuterich told him to lie about the whole thing. WEAK!

So the Marines eliminated an immediate threat at the white car, were ordered to clear houses, went in hot and heavy......and unfortunately civilians were killed. Reviewing the current ROE's at the time should have been enough for investigators to determine no prosecutions were warranted. Instead, the politics drove these prosecutions. What is the intent of the prosecutors and the Marine Corps for continuing to beat this dead horse?