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Iraq-Jordan
Marine in Fallujah shooting won't be charged
2005-02-24
A US marine, captured on film killing a wounded Iraqi at point blank range during November's assault on Fallujah, will not be formally charged due to lack of evidence, according to a report Wednesday on CBS News. A Marine spokesman, Captain Dan McSweeney, told AFP, however, he had been informed by the Navy Criminal Investigative Services, which is investigating the killing, that "the case is still very much open." The November 13 shooting occurred during a search of a mosque in a widely broadcast incident that sparked worldwide outrage and was described by the International Committee of the Red Thingy Cross as a demonstration of "utter contempt for humanity."
They weren't there, of course, they didn't see the mook playing dead, and they hadn't lost a friend the day before in a similar situation.
In the incident, a trooper raised his rifle and shot point blank at an apparently unarmed, wounded Iraqi who was slumped against one of the mosque walls, in footage captured by an embedded camaraman working for the NBC network. Although the insurgents were found to be unarmed, investigators said the one the Marine believed he had seen moving could have been reaching for a weapon. The rifleman was withdrawn from combat pending the results of the investigation. CBS News said Wednesday it had learned that military investigators had concluded insufficient evidence existed to formally charge the marine.
Posted by:Steve White

#33  Jimbo19:
"Told You So" is my line. I am the enlightened one here.
Posted by: ITolYouSoLucy   2005-02-24 4:33:19 PM  

#32  "Told You So" is my line. I am the enlightened enema byproduct one here."

Posted by: Poison Reverse   2005-02-24 4:46:47 PM  

#31  Jimbo19:
"Told You So" is my line. I am the enlightened one here.
Posted by: ITolYouSoLucy   2005-02-24 4:33:19 PM  

#30  JM's MSM Attention Span Law

Thank you .com, - I like it and wouldn't change a word.
Posted by: JerseyMike   2005-02-24 3:43:37 PM  

#29  that's become a bad phrase lately Jimbo...
Posted by: Frank G   2005-02-24 2:46:32 PM  

#28  Told you so. Now we just have to wait a couple weeks to hear that the charges if any against that Marine officer have been dropped as well.
Posted by: Jimbo19   2005-02-24 1:28:22 PM  

#27  At first, I was very angry that this Marine was put on trial. But, someone here at RB made my anger subside. This particular RB'r stated on one of his/her comments that the trial was necessary so that he will NEVER be charged for this incident, in the future. Supposedly, this brave Marine was going to be declared innocent anyway. Lucky for him that Rummy is in charge.
Posted by: Poison Reverse   2005-02-24 1:19:14 PM  

#26  I would like to walk into the offices of the International Red Cross and take a dump on the president's desk. They are complete a**holes.
/immature comments for today
Posted by: Remoteman   2005-02-24 12:12:28 PM  

#25  "He deserves a MEDAL."

The best support for the "he deserves a medal" argument is the observation that "the MSM and IRC would have spasms for days."

Maybe we should just let the attention to this episode just fade into the sunset. The fact that the Marine isn't going to be charged with murder for shooting the nearly dead Iraqi, doesn't just naturally lead to the conclusion that he deserves a medal. The Marine, believing the man was a threat and knowing that other nearly dead or playing nearly dead terrorists killed Americans before their end, made a split second decision in combat to make sure that didn't happen again. If those are the facts, then all second guessers should conclude the correct decision was made, regardless of whether the nearly dead Iraqi was in fact a threat. The Marine was doing his job, but he is not alone, alot of Marines are doing their jobs. They can't all get medals, for if they do, then what are medals worth?
Posted by: Sam   2005-02-24 12:08:47 PM  

#24  good news and good comments
Posted by: Frank G   2005-02-24 11:58:29 AM  

#23  Since he won't be charged, he therefore acted correctly in a hostile situation, and saved lives. He deserves a MEDAL!!

(a) he really does deserve one and
(b) the MSM and IRC would have spasms for days (reason enough, I say)
Posted by: Justrand   2005-02-24 11:48:11 AM  

#22  My day is made. Thanks for posting a good piece of news.
Posted by: Mark Z.   2005-02-24 11:43:00 AM  

#21  JM - You know, we should add that to the list. It accurately describes MSM behavior.

JM's MSM Attention Span Law:
When the MSM precipitously drops a story, it means that the anti-American propaganda value has dissipated.

Add it right after...

RC's Good News Law:
When the predominant news is good (pro-American), the moonbat trolls come out of the woodwork to post incoherent screeches.

JM / RC - edit and clarify as needed - they're yours, after all, heh.
Posted by: .com   2005-02-24 10:51:14 AM  

#20  The day the Red Cross walks point for all our foot patrols, is the day I start caring what they think about shooting. I don't/they don't so neither of us can judge the actions of that Marine. I do have to question why arms were in the mosque after U.S. troops had swept the area. The fcirst thing you do when you come upon wounded is DISARM THEM. Nobody wants to be part of the enimies last 'stab' before death. FYI: 'International Law' is whatever the super powers of the world determine, not what the IRC interprets.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2005-02-24 10:50:23 AM  

#19  â€œutter contempt for humanity.”

Now, pards, I gather that depends upon your point of view. Seems to me that some folks are calling the kettle black.
Posted by: Highlander   2005-02-24 10:42:03 AM  

#18  Damn that's good news. I figured he was going to be ok when it fell off the MSM radar pretty quick.
Posted by: JerseyMike   2005-02-24 10:39:01 AM  

#17  That jerk playing dead wasn't wearing a uniform, so he got exactly what he deserved under the Geneva Convention.

That's what the military's response should have been to this episode. Throw some bogus "international law" back in these leftist's faces.


LotR, didn't you mean to say:

Throw some REAL "international law" back in these leftist's faces.

The Third Geneva convention outlines the rules that a non-signatory insurgency has to adhere to in order to enjoy the protection of the Geneva Conventions if the occupier is a signatory. Neither the terrorists in Iraq, NOR the Palestinians prior to Oslo, qualify.
Posted by: Ptah   2005-02-24 10:31:50 AM  

#16  I highly recommend looking at Charity Navigator when comptemplating making a charitable donation, if you want to make sure the largest portion of your dollars will actually do some good. The American Red Cross is one of the best orgs with a 4-star rating, meaning the largest part of your dollar will make it to the people who need it and not get lost in paying for administrative overhead and fund-raising efforts.

The Salvation Army is not on their site because they do not file a Form 990 with the IRS, but they are also one of the best causes you can give to.
Posted by: Dar   2005-02-24 10:23:13 AM  

#15  SteveS - You're right on both counts, bro.
Posted by: .com   2005-02-24 9:53:21 AM  

#14  I am hyper-reluctant to second guess *any* decision made in the heat of combat. Especially when the penalty for a wrong choice is death.

As for the Red Cross, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the International Red Cross - a corrupt group of political wankers - is completely separate from the American Red Cross who actually provide useful disaster relief.
Posted by: SteveS   2005-02-24 9:47:05 AM  

#13  Makes sense Dar, God has plans to invade hell at some point.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-02-24 9:33:44 AM  

#12  Thank God--It's good to be reminded now and then that He still loves the Marines.
Posted by: Dar   2005-02-24 9:25:39 AM  

#11  That jerk playing dead wasn't wearing a uniform, so he got exactly what he deserved under the Geneva Convention.

That's what the military's response should have been to this episode. Throw some bogus "international law" back in these leftist's faces.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2005-02-24 9:04:00 AM  

#10  Good news, common sense prevailed. From what I recall from the original report, what's left out of the "captured on film killing a wounded Iraqi" was the technique of feigning injury or having wounded jihadist committed suicide with a grenade to kill and wound our forces in Fallujah was an apparent tactic the bad guys were using.

When it came to that split second to make a decision to shoot or not, the young Marine reacted to the situation confronting him then and with the training he had gotten to that point. He did not have the opportunity to have the event placed on "instant replay" so he could then make a call; and, guess what, the ICRC wasn't there to help him make the call. Warfare is dirty business and unfortunately their are far too many second guessers out there who've never had to confront those life or death situations, but are more than willing to cirticize those of us who've been there and those who are currently in that postion on a daily basis.
Posted by: H8_UBL   2005-02-24 9:00:34 AM  

#9  The November 13 shooting occurred during a search of a mosque in a widely broadcast incident that sparked worldwide outrage and was described by the International Committee of the Red Thingy Cross as a demonstration of “utter contempt for humanity.”

And yet it was completely in accordance with the Geneva Conventions...
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2005-02-24 8:09:59 AM  

#8  There was a financial audit in the early 90s about the French Red Cross: basicaly from each Franc they collected only 30 cents went to cure people. The remaining 70 cents went to ad campaigns for donations and for supporting its bureaucracy. No wonder that the Red Cross has been infiltrated by leftists who want to live in the dole and use it to further their political aims.
Posted by: JFM   2005-02-24 7:54:26 AM  

#7  My utter contempt for the Red Cross is reflected by my directing all that sort of donation to the Salvation Army.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2005-02-24 7:46:02 AM  

#6  No spin in this article ,nope,none at all.(Sheesh,frigging wankers)
Posted by: raptor   2005-02-24 7:17:58 AM  

#5  BAR- How could the Terrorosi be responsible for their own actions? They were only driven over the edge into violence by the actions of the Marines in Fallujah, whacking the almost dead, the children in their beds, the young men who did not wish to fight against the Americans . . . wait . . . who were we talking about?
Posted by: Jame Retief   2005-02-24 6:59:18 AM  

#4  The November 13 shooting occurred during a search of a mosque in a widely broadcast incident that sparked worldwide outrage and was described by the International Committee of the Red Cross as a demonstration of “utter contempt for humanity.”

What then, would the TERRORISTS in Iraq that are DELIBERATELY targeting CIVILIANS be responsible for, in the Red Cross' eyes?

Hmmmmm???
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2005-02-24 12:50:09 AM  

#3  What do you guys and gals think about imbedded reporters that are part of the military, instead of imbedding others with an agenda? I am all for freedom of the press, but in a wartime situation, what is reported, or more to the point, how it is reported is literally as much a a weapon against us as a terrorist's rifle, IED, or RPG. I see how things were done in WW2 as a model, though it will be hard to find the likes o' someone like Ernie Pyle.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2005-02-24 12:43:11 AM  

#2  That's a win for the good guys.
Posted by: badanov   2005-02-24 12:19:08 AM  

#1  Hopefully sense prevailed. It's awful how thte media made a big deal of this. I can only imagine how tough it must be to carry the memories of close quarters combat in Fallujah. The media compounded it by making him a pariah from their comfy chairs in New York.
Posted by: JAB   2005-02-24 12:16:39 AM  

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