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Greetings and many thanks, All of Red's Raiders for keeping faith with SSgt. Wuterich and his team. My PC crashed, and by the time I got it back I was too far out of the loops to jump back in. I did follow DOM and the killer work you all did in keeping track of the details, warts and all.

Seems to me we've been here before:

... Lieutenant General Waldhauser, discovered the truth after the first few government witnesses had testified. He then took immediate action to dismiss the baseless manslaughter charges. He offered to allow SSgt Wuterich to plead ...

I think this then explains the tenor of Major Jeffrey Dinsmore, USMC detailed on your website:
Unlawful Command Influence.

As we all know, up until that fateful day in Haditha, SSgt. Wuterich's training and experience was based on Fallouja and the actions the Marines had to take in similar conditions, especially in clearing houses. The Nazario Trial (in civilian court) brought out the fact that "Marine brass changed the 'Rules of Engagement' in mid-battle" to counteract the insurgents tactics in November 2004. Five months later those rules were embedded in the Marines DNA, it doesn't just get switched off without a command decision. Every one of these Marines - from LCol. Chessani on down had their war-fighting skills honed by Falluoja, and thus under like conditions in Haditha used those skills to devastating effect. This was a kill or be killed scenario, which is why the utterance of SSgt. Wuterich was to save lives, not take them.

UCI has been endemic in this whole saga, due to the raw acceptance of the propaganda spewed from McGirk and his ilk, and fomented by Murtha and the perfumed princes of the Pentagon.

Due to the actions behind the scenes of LGen. Waldhauser, Haytham Faraj and Neal A. Puckett never got to put on any defense of SSgt Wuterich, thus denying the official record of his full story. I believe had they done so, the jury could only have come back as not guilty on all specifications.

My best wishes to SSgt. Wuterich and his family.

Great to see you again, brit! Hope life's been treating you well!

...thus denying the official record of his full story.

Agreed, and while I am glad this ordeal is over for SSgt Wuterich and his family, part of me is deflated. Without an official record, there are still media stories like this today: Iraqi government planning legal action over Haditha massacre.

Haditha will remain a massacre to most people because that opinion is just too well entrenched by now and there's nothing to counter it beyond what is already out for the world to see--if anyone cares to look which they really don't.

That sounds more depressed than I feel but it's hard to celebrate this outcome--especially when the Marines should never have been charged in the first place. But that goes without saying. We can only hope these Marines can get their lives back on track and that the damage this has done to our nation and our military is not permanent.