Report On Haditha Condemns Marines

[maddezmom]

Source: Washignton Post

Report On Haditha Condemns Marines
Signs of Misconduct Were Ignored, U.S. General Says

Saturday, April 21, 2007; Page A01

The Marine Corps chain of command in Iraq ignored "obvious" signs of "serious misconduct" in the 2005 slayings of two dozen civilians in Haditha, and commanders fostered a climate that devalued the life of innocent Iraqis to the point that their deaths were considered an insignificant part of the war, according to an Army general's investigation.

Maj. Gen. Eldon A. Bargewell's 104-page report on Haditha is scathing in its criticism of the Marines' actions, from the enlisted men who were involved in the shootings on Nov. 19, 2005, to the two-star general who commanded the 2nd Marine Division in Iraq at the time. Bargewell's previously undisclosed report, obtained by The Washington Post, found that officers may have willfully ignored reports of the civilian deaths to protect themselves and their units from blame. Though Bargewell found no specific coverup, he concluded that there also was no interest at any level in investigating allegations of a massacre.

"All levels of command tended to view civilian casualties, even in significant numbers, as routine and as the natural and intended result of insurgent tactics," Bargewell wrote. He condemned that approach because it could desensitize Marines to the welfare of noncombatants. "Statements made by the chain of command during interviews for this investigation, taken as a whole, suggest that Iraqi civilian lives are not as important as U.S. lives, their deaths are just the cost of doing business, and that the Marines need to get 'the job done' no matter what it takes."

Bargewell's sharp criticism of the Marine command appears to have been a contributing factor in subsequent efforts by top leaders to ensure that U.S. troops exercise appropriate restraint around civilians. Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, who was the top field commander in Iraq last year, and Gen. David H. Petraeus, now the top U.S. commander there, have emphasized the importance of protecting the civilian population in counterinsurgency operations and have ordered aggressive investigations of alleged wrongdoing


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002308.html?hpid=topnews

[lakeguy]

1. i'm sorry, i am anti-death penalty...

but anyone who views civilian casualties as part of their "job" should not be walking on this planet or any other.

[Kagemusha]

2. Yes, such attitudes are why we fight terrorists in the first place

because such are the attitudes they hold.

Sad that the callousness carries over to the point that deliberate, not accidental, slaying of innocent civilians is also regarded as part of the cost of doing business.

[Roy]

3. "and that the Marines need to get 'the job done' no matter what it takes."

"their deaths are just the cost of doing business, and that the Marines need to get 'the job done' no matter what it takes."

There's that 'the job done' again!
By the way, has anyone figured out what "the job" is?:shrug:

don't ask anyone in this administration though, I'm sure they won't recall.

[xchrom]

4. you could see this coming -- the nation lost it's mind after 9-11 --

including the armed forces.

and with iraq such a confusing place -- an enemy you didn't know where or who he was -- and then the enemy had the audacity to resist our righteous anger -- this was bound to happen.

it goes to show the -- for me anyway the failure at the top.

and another example of how our military leaders seem exceptionally inept, unimaginative, and ineffective.

these marines are in their care how they fight -- their attitude etc is very much a result of command.