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| Iraq | |
| Haditha Squad SGT interviewed by WaPo | |
| 2006-06-11 | |
Bang! End of story. Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, 26, told his attorney that several civilians were killed Nov. 19 when his squad went after insurgents who were firing at them from inside a house. The Marine said there was no vengeful massacre, but he described a house-to-house hunt that went tragically awry in the middle of a chaotic battlefield. "It will forever be his position that everything they did that day was following their rules of engagement and to protect the lives of Marines," said Neal A. Puckett, who represents Wuterich for the ongoing investigations into the incident. "He's really upset that people believe that he and his Marines are even capable of intentionally killing innocent civilians." Wuterich's detailed version of what happened in the Haditha neighborhood is the first public account from a Marine who was on the ground when the shootings occurred. As the leader of 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Wuterich was in the convoy of Humvees that was hit by a roadside bomb. He entered the Wuterich's version contradicts that of the Two attorneys for other Marines involved in the incident said Wuterich's account is consistent with those they had heard from their clients. Kevin B. McDermott, who is representing Capt. Lucas M. McConnell, the Kilo Company commander, said Wuterich and other Marines informed McConnell on the day of the incident that at least 15 civilians were killed by "a mixture of small-arms fire and shrapnel as result of grenades" after the Marines responded to an attack from a house. McConnell was relieved of his command in April for "failure to investigate," according to McDermott. But the lawyer said McConnell told him that he reported the high number of civilian deaths to the 3rd Battalion executive officer that afternoon and that within a few days the battalion's intelligence chief gave a PowerPoint presentation to Marine commanders. Gary Myers, a civilian attorney for a Marine who was with Wuterich that day, said the Marines followed standard operating procedures when they "cleared" the houses, using fragmentation grenades and gunshots to respond to an immediate threat. "I can confirm that that version of events is consistent with our position on this case," Myers said. "What this case comes down to is: What were the rules of engagement, and were they followed?" On Nov. 19, Wuterich's squad left its headquarters at Firm Base Sparta in Haditha at 7 a.m. on a daily mission to drop off Iraqi army troops at a nearby checkpoint. "It was like any other day, we just had to watch out for IEDs and any other activity that looked suspicious," said Marine Cpl. James Crossan, 21, in an interview from his home in North Bend, Wash. He was riding in the four-Humvee convoy as it turned left onto Chestnut Road, heading west at 7:15 a.m. Shortly after the turn, a bomb buried in the road ripped through the last Humvee. The blast instantly killed the driver, Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas, 20. Crossan, who was in the front passenger seat, remembered hearing someone yell, "Get some morphine." Then he passed out. Wuterich, driving the third Humvee in the line, immediately stopped the convoy and got out, Puckett said. A corporal with the unit leaned over to Wuterich and said he saw the shots coming from a specific house, and after a discussion with the platoon leader, they decided to clear the house, according to Wuterich's account. "There's a threat, and they went to eliminate the threat," Puckett said. A four-man team of Marines, including Wuterich, kicked in the door and found a series of empty rooms, noticing quickly that there was one room with a closed door and people rustling behind it, Puckett said. They then kicked in that door, tossed a fragmentation grenade into the room, and one Marine fired a series of "clearing rounds" through the dust and smoke, killing several people, Puckett said. The Marine who fired the rounds -- Puckett said it was not Wuterich -- had experience clearing numerous Although it was almost immediately apparent to the Marines that the people dead in the room were men, women and children -- most likely civilians -- they also noticed a back door ajar and believed that insurgents had slipped through to a house nearby, Puckett said. The Marines stealthily moved to the second house, kicking in the door, killing one man inside and then using a frag grenade and more gunfire to clear another room full of people, he said. "When I was in Iraq, the Anbar-wide ROEs [rules of engagement] did not say we had the authority to knock down any door, throw in a hand grenade and kill everyone." Still, he said, if someone in the houses in Haditha was shooting at them, the Marines' response may have been within procedure. "If they felt they took fire from that house, then that may be authorized." DUH! A Marine who served near Haditha in November said it was not unusual for Marines to respond to attacks "running and gunning" and that it was standard to spray rooms with gunfire when threatened. "It may be a bad tactic, but it works," he said. "It keeps you alive." After going through the houses, Wuterich moved a small group of Marines to the roof of a nearby building to watch the area, Puckett said. At one point, they saw a man in all-black clothing running from one of the houses they had searched. The Marines killed him, Puckett said. Note to self: If in Iraq, do NOT wear black. They then noticed another man in all black scurrying between two houses across the street. When they went to investigate, the Marines found a courtyard filled with women and children and asked where the man was, Puckett said. When the civilians pointed to a third house, the Marines attempted to enter and found a man with an AK-47 inside, flanked by three other men; the first Marine to enter tried to fire his weapon, but it jammed, Puckett said. The Marines then killed those four men. Enjoy the raisins! The unit stayed at the scene for hours, helping to collect bodies as photos were taken. Wuterich, who remains on duty in California, where he lives with his wife and two young daughters, told Puckett that for months no one questioned his actions. End of story. They were in combat in the worst shithole in Iraq and were unwilling to risk un-necessary casualties and followed the RoE. The problem is with the MSM who has been hoping, even praying for a new My Lai. Sorry guys. Ain't. Gonna. Happen. See ya! | |
| Posted by:Brett |
| #14 From Glains Threrese9277's link (good catch!): Never mind that now "one of the most damning pieces of evidence" has already taken on the mantle of historical fact. Time regrets the error. So much so that they once again buried the correction at the bottom of its online archive of the story which few will revisit. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-06-11 23:31 |
| #13 Sweetness & Light blog has the story of how Time has quietly retracted various parts of their original story: Time's 'Corrections' about Haditha |
| Posted by: Glains Threrese9277 2006-06-11 23:22 |
| #12 I don't think that's likely to happen, badanov. After all, it's only journalistic ethics to chase down a lead and turn it into a story. At best, they'll see themselves as having gone to press slightly prematurely. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-06-11 22:46 |
| #11 Sounds like Time has some s'plainin' to do and a retraction to publish. Best be a front page story, too. |
| Posted by: badanov 2006-06-11 21:59 |
| #10 I'd trust nearly anyone over the MSM. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-06-11 17:25 |
| #9 I trust the Marines over the MSM. No contest. |
| Posted by: TwistedSister 2006-06-11 17:23 |
| #8 Great info. We have to make damn certain that neither Wuterich or McConnell takes the fall on this. Any troop under fire has the right to do any damn thing to protect himelf and his buddies lives. Period. If anyone thinks that's not the case, then get your dumb ass out there, right up front , and we'll see how you handle it. As long as these asswipes hide among women and children, these civilians will suffer mightily and needlesly die. |
| Posted by: SOP35/Rat 2006-06-11 13:09 |
| #7 Not quite, NS - they have Harry Reid as majority leader in a major story today. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-06-11 12:21 |
| #6 What's going on? The WaPo has bought a clue. The New York Times has lost all credibility. The idea that it is the nation's Newspaper of Record is risible. The WaPo may sense an opportunity to eclipse the NYT as the national newspaper. I've noticed for a while that their editorial page is still lefty, but not Kos-like. Now is their reporting catching up? Go for it. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-06-11 11:04 |
| #5 Isn't this 2 stories out of the WaPo now that actually are positive on Iraq? What's going on? |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2006-06-11 10:51 |
| #4 Well, I'm satisfied. Not guilty. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2006-06-11 10:24 |
| #3 I was reading our version of the cat-litter box liner today. The media wire service stories do a great dis-service to our marines and soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan--it is more than annoying. The mainstream media aid and abet the enemy--but then I'm preaching to the choir here--just had to rant some. |
| Posted by: Euell Gibbons 2006-06-11 09:33 |
| #2 Unfortunately, despite the airing of the facts, the loonies won't let this go. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-06-11 08:08 |
| #1 Thanks Brett for the posting.. it just backs up and defends what we already recognize about our heroic men and women serving. |
| Posted by: RD 2006-06-11 03:52 |