Marines. MURDER?

[Leatherneck]

I just sent this to my family, who include both Army soldiers and Marines. I believe the Corps will do the right thing.


"Family,
My heart is heavy tonight. Apparently, a rifle squad of Marines screwed up, BIGtime.
 
I think their blood was up; they had just lost a buddy to an IED, and they were determined to find the bastard that hurt them. Civilians were killed.
 
General Hagee is on his way to Iraq to remind his Marines that they are accountable for their actions, even in the suck hole conditions they're in.
 
I think the oldest Marine involved is a Sergeant who is 25.
 
Pray for wisdom and non-politicization of this one.
 
XO TC"

[280plus]

Sorry about your Marines Leatherneck. People don't realize they're still just kids inside. The way things are going over there I believe it's a credit to them that more of this hasn't happened already. It's sad we have to put our children in such positions. I hope they don't find themselves waking up in Leavenworth over it.

[stevelyn]

Throw people into an unjustified war with no clear goals and things like this are more likely than not to happen.

[cordex]

Throw people into an unjustified war with no clear goals and things like this are more likely than not to happen.

Sadly, these kinds of things happen in every war.

[chaim]

I hope they don't find themselves waking up in Leavenworth over it.

I don't know.  If the reports are true (big IF especially since the military is still investigating) the Marines intentionally killed these civilians knowing they were civilians.  They were mad because they just lost a buddy and they took it out on the closest Iraqis.  If true it is cold blooded murder and these Marines deserve dishonorable discharge and a fully paid "vacation" in the darkest and nastiest prison for the rest of their lives.


http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12838343/

Here's an excerpt from that article (the emphasis in bold is mine of course):

WASHINGTON - A Pentagon probe into the death of Iraqi civilians last November in the Iraqi city of Haditha will show that U.S. Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood," a U.S. lawmaker said Wednesday.

From the beginning, Iraqis in the town of Haditha said U.S. Marines deliberately killed 15 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including seven women and three children.

One young Iraqi girl said the Marines killed six members of her family, including her parents.  The Americans came into the room where my father was praying, she said, and shot him.

On Wednesday, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said the accounts are true.

Military officials told NBC News that the Marine Corps' own evidence appears to show Murtha is right.

For those of us who have been in and respect and possibly even love the military these kind of reports are heartbreaking.

[280plus]

For those of us who have been in and respect and possibly even love the military these kind of reports are heartbreaking.

Agreed, I sincerely hope this "war" doesn't degrade into these events becoming regular as it would certainly overshadow all the good being done by others there. Then, of course, this is exactly what our enemies are hoping for.

[chaim]

I sincerely hope this "war" doesn't degrade into these events becoming regular as it would certainly overshadow all the good being done by others there. Then, of course, this is exactly what our enemies are hoping for.

I couldn't agree with you more.  A few isolated incidents like this and it is a propaganda victory for the other side (even one is actually, but a few can be painted as a "pattern").  It doesn't help convince the Iraqis that we are really on their side, and it is fodder for the anti-war crowd here.

What people forget is:
1) It is a war zone.  Those guys are under a lot of stress.  Sometimes people react poorly when under stress.  It in no way excuses what they did (hence, my wanting these guys locked up for good if it is true as reported), but the reality is that the real story is our guys are so well disciplined that we don't see more of it.
2) There are murders, thugs, and people who just "flip out" here.  How many murders were there in Baltimore City alone last year?  This is 15 people murdered in this incident.  People sometimes forget that the US military is a cross section of US society.  If there are murderers and psychos in the US, then there will be some in the military.  But when US servicemen and women commit violent crimes against a foreign population it becomes world news.  It does need to be put into perspective.

So it really is too bad that many people will let this overshadow everything else and even use it to paint all servicemen and women as violent, unstable thugs.