Opponents of the Iraq War pounced on the killing by U.S. Marines of 24 Iraqis in the city of Haditha as evidence of widespread brutality by American troops.
But of the eight Marines ultimately charged in connection with the Haditha killings in 2005, charges were dismissed against six, and a seventh was acquitted.
And now, allegations that Haditha represented a "massacre" by American troops have been virtually completely debunked. The eighth Marine charged, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, has pleaded guilty -- but not to manslaughter. Rather, he pleaded guilty only to a single count of negligent dereliction of duty. He faces a rank reduction but no jail time.
The incident at Haditha took place just after a fellow Marine had been killed by a roadside bomb. Wuterich said at trial the deadly response was necessary "to keep the rest of my Marines alive."
It is regrettable that the resolution of the tragic case has taken nearly seven years. While it was unresolved, it was used frequently by opponents of the war to denigrate our military.
While troops may sometimes commit crimes in the course of war -- and should be punished if they do -- the near-total collapse of the case against Marines involved in the Haditha incident removes an unjustified stain from our military's overwhelmingly courageous, decent conduct in the war.
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And sadly, this little bit of information concerning the Haditha incident will be under reported at best and likely not at all. I will not be surprised if the "yellers" do not continue to use it negatively despite the outcome. Maybe saddest of all is the conclusions drawn and drawn out in the press by people who have absolutely no idea what it is like to a)be in the military, b)be in a war zone.
What's sad is the people who think that this outcome will do anything but vindicate the ones who are quite sure the military is hiding something and refusing, once again, to punish criminals.
Even if the Marines in question are absolutely innocent in this affair, there are plenty of other members of the US forces who have not been prosecuted for their real offenses. Even if there is rock-solid and unquestionable evidence of malfeasance, somebody will rush to their defense, and say that it's wrong to prosecute the soldiers.
So...what does that tell you?
Probably that use of violence won't be without a price, and that price can be long-lived, even to the point of permanence.
But heck, the Nuremberg trials, some of the most exhaustively detailed prosecutions in history are still suspect in some eyes.
So you condone murder of babies and the elderly. You are truly a wolf in sheeps clothing and audaciously proclaim Christ. You are so disgusting, you make me sick, to think these monsters were cleared by the military courts does not surprise me at all, it does not change one thing-- if they are not murders, than they are none!
I hope they are such a thing as HELL, because you are going to bust it wide open! God hates this kind of SIN, so i read and i pray you are faced with this editorial, explain this one to Jesus. The ones that did it , i got a feeling they are already in hell!
Lol, give it up pothead. We all know progressives approve and encourage the killing of babies and the elderly. Abortion is here and fully supported by your kind and death panels are the result of healthcare reform.
If you truly believed these marines were killing babies and old people, you would be supporting them. We both know people of your political persuasion don't believe the marines did it at all.
"Supposed 'scandal'... flops?" Gimme a break. The entire gd war itself is/was a scandal! We invaded a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, who posed no threat to us (even if WMDs had been found), we have killed hundreds of thousands of perfectly innocent people, maimed even more, destroyed their homes and their homeland, made the entire Mideast even more unstable than it already was, and what's more, we have created infinitely more terrorists simply because of our presence there in the first place... and this editor has the audacity to say that the acquittal of these Marines (in its own biased military court of so-called justice) "removes an unjustified stain from our military's overwhelmingly courageous, decent conduct in the war?" Bullsh#t. Our entire nation is "stained" from this infernal fiasco. Even if the vast majority of innocent people killed were the hapless victims of collateral damage, there is no moral justification for their deaths. There is no such thing as "decent conduct" in a war that is itself indecent and morally wrong at its core.
The writer makes it appear that just because an "American" military acquitted or dismissed all charges that makes the massacre never actually ever happen? I'm not surprise this misrepresentation of events is coming from the right side of tfp news. When American military commits atrocious acts they should be held accountable even more so, since America claims to hold itself to a higher standard. If these acts had been committed by the enemy side America would be the first to yell savages! barbarians! to the roof. When the savages and barbarians are Americans the events are downplayed or debunked altogether. The reason true Americans are concerned is at some point and time there will be future wars and the other side will remind US when of this time America didn't hold their own to a higher standard, when that other side is caught doing the same or worse to American captives.
It's one of those what goes around comes around things.
Lol, you idiot. You have no idea what your talking about. You don't even know what happened in Haditha. You think this is funny? What a complete FOOL and ignorant moron, just like the pitiful christian so-called editor.
Well, if those 8 marines didn't kill those people,WHO did?
Aint no denying that they're dead is there?
I just love it when Lieberals put in print what they believe for they will always hang themselves with their own words. I only wish more would convict themselves.
The campaign manager of Arkansas Demomcratic congressional candidate Ken Aden arrived home last night to find his child’s pet cat murdered on the front porch with the word “LIEBERAL” scrawled across its lifeless body.
Where you been lately con?
The ones that are hanging themselves are consrevative, ,purpletsh..eater,liveforwhat and the editor. You people need to read what actually happened. If you come away thinking this was some kind of fog of War and justified, God help you.
The truth of the matter is, although America and Americans are in denial or are trying to hide reality, the world knows America lost its moral compass** in Iraq. The more America denies that reality, the more it will hurt America and Americans abroad and when our men and women are sent away to fight in futures wars and conflicts around the world. The other sides will remember and say who are you to call us savages and barbarians? Look at what you did to innocent men, women and children.***
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