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Marine officer a "political casualty" of Haditha investigation
AP on Bakersfield Californian ^ | 6/1/06 | Thomas Watkins - ap

Posted on 06/01/2006 1:51:16 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

A Marine captain who was relieved of command after members of his battalion allegedly shot and killed civilians in Haditha, Iraq, said he became a "political casualty" as senior commanders at Camp Pendleton scrambled to defuse an explosive situation.

"It makes my blood boil to see my name lumped in with this massacre, when I was in a different city not playing any role in this incident," Capt. James Kimber told The Associated Press.

Kimber, 33, of Fountain Hills, Ariz., was one of three officers relieved of command last month and reassigned to new duties for what the Marines said was "a lack of confidence in their leadership abilities." The Marines did not specifically link the action to the Haditha shootings and none of the three has been charged with wrongdoing.

"I believe I was a political casualty as a result of the Haditha incident," Kimber said in a telephone interview Wednesday from his home in the northern San Diego suburb of San Marcos.

A Camp Pendleton spokesman did not immediately return a message left seeking comment.

Separate investigations seek to determine whether the Nov. 19 killings in the western Iraqi city of Haditha were criminal and whether the Marines involved and their commanding officers tried to hide the truth.

On Nov. 19, Kimber, the commander of 160 Marines in the battalion's India Company, was in the neighboring city of Haqlaniyah when he heard over military radio that a Marine convoy had hit a roadside bomb, killing one Marine. The Marine Corps had initially attributed 15 civilian deaths to the bombing and a firefight with insurgents, eight of whom the Marines reported had been killed.

"After it was all over, it seemed to be just another day," Kimber said.

During city council meetings and talks with local leaders in the following weeks, Kimber heard nothing about a civilian massacre.

"It would have been huge, there would have been no question it would have filtered down to us," he said. "We reported no significant atmospheric change as a result of that day."

He said he first learned in February about the shootings in Haditha when he heard that a Time Magazine reporter had visited the western Iraqi city and was asking questions about civilian deaths.

Two months later, Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, Pendleton's commanding officer, summoned Kimber to his office and relieved him of command. The reason Kimber was given was that his subordinates had used profanity and criticized the Iraqi security forces they were training during interviews with Britain's Sky News TV. The troops also violated Marine policy by appearing on screen without their protective eyewear.

"I was in shock when I walked out of the office," said Kimber. "When you get relieved of command, that's it, your upward mobility is finished."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: biggreenweenie; casualty; haditha; investigation; kimber; marine; murthawatch; officer; political
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To: geezerwheezer
A videotape taken by an Iraqi shows the aftermath of the alleged attack by U.S. troops on civilians in Haditha: a blood-smeared bedroom floor and bits of what appear to be human flesh and bullet holes on the walls. This was reported by Fox News, and I wonder if the Iraqi was questioned as to whether he staged the scene afterwards? Why do they always accept the word of reporters when they have been wrong so often? It's not fair to punish people before they have been proven guilty!
41 posted on 06/01/2006 3:22:48 PM PDT by PeskyOne
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To: armydawg1

Here are two resources for getting Haditha straight from today forward:

A timeline of how things have come to today:
http://www.gopvideo.com/2006june/haditha_iraq_investigation_timeline.html

And a brief start of showing the recent Murtha My Lai Media bandwagon effect
http://www.gopvideo.com/2006june/murtha_my_lai_bandwagon.html

Expect lots of updates


42 posted on 06/01/2006 3:22:54 PM PDT by gopvideo
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To: Coop

Damn it...I get madder every day....


43 posted on 06/01/2006 3:24:26 PM PDT by mystery-ak (Army Wife and Army Mother.....toughest job in the military)
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To: NormsRevenge

These same Marines fought in Fallujah I believe. I'm standing with them and I called my senators today and told them if they want a Court Martial, then I want them to put my U. S. Air Force Blues back on me and court martial me with them. The fact that I could even call my senators is because of them and I will stand with the even if they violated the UCMJ.


44 posted on 06/01/2006 3:27:41 PM PDT by JOE43270 (JOE43270, God Bless America and All Who Have and Will Defend Her.)
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To: Taxman
Captain Kimber needs a junkyard-dog-mean lawyer, ASAP!

What about Jack Zimmerman He's a Texan, former Marine Colonel, who has represented some pretty high profile folks, some of which y'all would approve of defending, other's whom you might not.

from the site above

Mr. Zimmermann served for 14 years on active duty, including duty as the commanding officer of two artillery batteries in combat, where he earned two Bronze Star medals for heroism and the Purple Heart for wounds in action. He served for 16 years as an officer in the Marine Corps Reserve, including duty as the commanding officer of the infantry battalion headquartered in Houston. He retired in 1994 as a colonel, and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his final assignment as a felony court-martial judge. Mr. Zimmermann served as lead counsel in the "Border Shooting Case" where two state grand juries and one federal grand jury refused to indict the active-duty Marine who returned fire, killing the man who fired on his patrol. Mr. Zimmermann was lead counsel in defense of a Marine aviator charged with twenty-seven specifications of orders violations. All charges were dismissed after the Article 32 hearing. He served as lead counsel for the Marine who was charged with negligent homicide for the death of an Iraqi prisoner, and was successful in getting all charges dismissed after a six day Article 32 hearing. Mr. Zimmermann was lead counsel in the court-martial of an Army surgeon, who was cleared of 19 specifications of distribution of controlled substances, obstruction of justice, false official statement, and orders violations. The military jury deliberated for 45 minutes.

45 posted on 06/01/2006 3:29:47 PM PDT by El Gato
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To: NormsRevenge
Impossible Standards!=MARINES!!

The pentagon whimps and their "ETHICAL" training classes can go to hell.

SEMPER FI MARINES, GOD BLESS YOU ALL and "THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR defending this nation's sorry pathetic leftist assho.es!!"

46 posted on 06/01/2006 3:32:43 PM PDT by PISANO (We will not tire......We will not falter.......We will NOT FAIL!!! .........GW Bush [Oct 2001])
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To: El Gato; Taxman

Kimber's lawyer, ironically, is Paul Hackett of recent Ohio political fame.


47 posted on 06/01/2006 3:34:59 PM PDT by Coop (FR = a lotta talk, but little action)
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To: NormsRevenge; Coop; delacoert; Velveeta; Txsleuth; txflake

Good find!

Delacoert, see post 24


48 posted on 06/01/2006 3:35:08 PM PDT by pissant
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To: pissant; Coop; Velveeta; Txsleuth; txflake
Thanks for the ping.

I read in another thread/article that the reason Capt. James Kimber was relieved of command was unrelated to the Haditha investigations, but this article seems to say the same thing about the other two officers, i.e.,

VERY interesting.

49 posted on 06/01/2006 3:57:05 PM PDT by delacoert
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To: SE Mom

Well, thank goodness I'm not obsessed with being "P.C." I am really upset we have allowed some stupid commanding general to relieve junior officers on suspect grounds before we even have a hearing on these charges, as this tells all the other men their general ain't gonna be there when the going gets tough! This S.O.B. should be reduced in rank to Private, as he doesn't deserve to lead anything, much less a Marine battalion. To hell with him and his P.C. crap! Talk about a morale buster....this dude is one in spades!


50 posted on 06/01/2006 3:57:26 PM PDT by geezerwheezer (get up boys, we're burnin' daylight!!!)
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To: Coop

Well I'll be DARNED! Imagine that. No 5, 6, 9, and 10 pm news coverage huh?? Even the media knows that means it didn't happen.


51 posted on 06/01/2006 4:03:06 PM PDT by StarCMC ("The word of muslims will never, ever override what our U.S. Marines say." - TheCrusader)
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To: NormsRevenge

I hate to feel vindicated on this one, but one of the reasons I adamantly opposed this war in Iraq from the beginning was that I was certain it would eventually end up with this kind of silly, PC, nation-building sh!t.


52 posted on 06/01/2006 4:04:09 PM PDT by Alberta's Child (Can money pay for all the days I lived awake but half asleep?)
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To: Centurion2000
His remarks characterized him and I simply codified it.

I am not a Bushbot.The President has made many mistakes. The one that still galls me is the appointment of that ineffective democrat as Secretary of Transportation.

Now, what do you wish to debate?

53 posted on 06/01/2006 4:04:39 PM PDT by verity (The MSM is comprised of useless eaters)
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To: robowombat

Looks lijke the good Gen has not been assigned to very many combat leadership positions in his career

http://www.i-mef.usmc.mil/DIV/cobio.asp

Lots of 'meals on wheels" missions, lots of training and admin stuff, and 'lil Bill was on watch when he was promoted.....

SO far, no surprises.


54 posted on 06/01/2006 4:16:11 PM PDT by ASOC (Choose between the lesser of two evils and in the end, you still have, well, evil.)
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To: Parmy

Patton supressed the fact that GIs lined up and executed over 200 German soldiers and medical personnel at a camp just outside one of the infamous concentration camps - most of whom had nothing to do with what had been going on there (the guards at the camp, some 30 or so were shot separately) ... eventually there were a couple of courts-martial but the thing was basically swept-under the rug; so this kind of stuff has happened before, and our enforcement has been spotty - certainly few people were willing to give the Germans any mercy given what had happened....


55 posted on 06/01/2006 4:20:34 PM PDT by Al Simmons (Hillary Clinton is Stalin in a Dress)
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To: El Gato

Unfortunately, unless he has the stomach and the bucks for a multi-year long, ultimately probably futile fight, Capt Kimber's career is done for. Wrong or right that's just the way it is. Its gonna come down to that 2-star general's commander's judgment, and absent evidence of malfeasance, that's where the buck stops.

Capt Kimber might have been able to get promoted eventually if he had quietly transferred into the Reserves, but going public with this kind of complaint is usually the kiss of death for a career.


56 posted on 06/01/2006 4:25:42 PM PDT by Al Simmons (Hillary Clinton is Stalin in a Dress)
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To: Coop

Then I'm sure Mr. Hackett will ensure he doesn't spend too much time in the brig for this massacre.(sarcoff)


57 posted on 06/01/2006 4:28:42 PM PDT by usmcobra (A single rogue Marine, yeah that can happen, but a whole Unit, only a liberal would believe that BS)
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To: El Gato

Yes, or somebody with his background.


58 posted on 06/01/2006 6:22:07 PM PDT by Taxman (So that the beautiful pressure does not diminish!)
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To: Coop

Is Hackett the Democrat Congressional candidate that was "rolled" by the Deaniacs?


59 posted on 06/01/2006 6:23:25 PM PDT by Taxman (So that the beautiful pressure does not diminish!)
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To: Coop

Is Hackett a junkyard-dog-mean attorney?


60 posted on 06/01/2006 6:24:19 PM PDT by Taxman (So that the beautiful pressure does not diminish!)
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