Marine irked at inclusion in Haditha case

[ECH1969]

A Marine captain who was relieved of command after members of his battalion were accused of killing civilians in Haditha, Iraq, denied any role in the slayings and complained that he had become a "political casualty."

"It makes my blood boil to see my name lumped in with this massacre, when I was in a different city not playing any role in this incident," Capt. James Kimber told The Associated Press. Kimber said he first learned about the shootings in February when he heard that a Time magazine reporter was asking questions about civilian deaths.

Kimber said he heard nothing about a civilian massacre during city council meetings and talks with local leaders. "It would have been huge, there would have been no question it would have filtered down to us," he said. "We reported no significant atmospheric change as a result of that day."

Kimber said he was removed because senior commanders at California's Camp Pendleton were scrambling to defuse an explosive situation. "I believe I was a political casualty as a result of the Haditha incident," Kimber said in a telephone interview.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/14717853.htm

[babylonsister]

1. This is the guy Paul Hackett is suppposedly defending. nt

[IndianaGreen]

8. That's right, Hackett is his attorney

even though no criminal charges have been filed.

[jayfish]

2. Wait A Minute.

First he acknowledges a massacre then implies it never happened because there wasn't "a significant atmospheric change as a result of that day".

Jay

[benburch]

3. It was reported in the media RIGHT after it happened.

And the Iraqi police were the ones to report it.

This is bullshit.

Soldiers in his command committed war crimes, and he claims no responsibility?

At the minimum he needs to be busted to Private and given a DD.

[Schema Thing]

4. He believes he is a political casualty, and I believe

that he is full of shit.

[benburch]

5. We Liberals have SO MUCH POWER.

We're scary.

Scarier than the Insurgents...

[rocktivity]

6. You're accused of being part of the COVERUP, not the CRIME

Kimber said he heard nothing about a civilian massacre during city council meetings and talks with local leaders. "It would have been huge, there would have been no question it would have filtered down to us," he said.

You also apparently didn't hear about it from YOUR OWN SUBORDINATES, either--the real question is, why didn't it filter UP to you? And a TOTALLY FALSE report saying that 24 civilians were killed by a roadside bomb got past you to the Pentagon--how did THAT happen? If you don't know, you were righfully relieved of your supervisory duties. And if you do, you're an accessory to murder after the fact.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Rex]

7. So it happened in November, yet this POS CO didn't hear about it

til February? What a load if shit. This is why we are doomed to fail in Iraq, no one will take any kind of responsibility. So fucking sad.