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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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September 23rd,
2007 - Senior Marines May Face Blame for Haditha Deaths |
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Senior Marines May Face Blame
for Haditha Deaths By Jeff Schogol Stars and Stripes September 23, 2007 Arlington, Va. - Since
April, charges have been dropped against half of the Marines facing legal
proceedings in connection with the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha. One military law expert said
that seems to show Corps leaders are putting the burden of responsibility on
senior Marines and those most directly involved in the incident. Gary Solis, who teaches the
law of war at Georgetown University and the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, said he expects most of the remaining Marines facing charges to go to
trial. “There may be at work in the
Haditha case an expression of the Marine Corps’ institutional understanding
that NCOs and officers sometimes bear special responsibilities and burdens,”
said Solis, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel and former military prosecutor. At the same time, he said,
Lt. Gen. James Mattis may be extending the benefit of the doubt to Marines
who were not “driving forces in Haditha.” Mattis serves as the convening
authority in the case. The incident took place on
Nov. 19, 2005, after a Marine was killed and another injured by a roadside
bomb. Prosecutors later claimed that Marines killed Iraqi civilians for
revenge. In December 2005, eight
Marines - four officers and four enlisted Marines - were charged in
connection with the incident On Tuesday, the Corps
announced that charges had been dismissed against Capt. Lucas M. McConnell,
who was in charge of the eight Marines’ company during the incident. He was
granted immunity to talk to prosecutors. Last month, charges stemming
from the incident were dropped against two Marines: Capt. Randy Stone and
Lance Cpl. Justin I. Sharratt. And in April unpremeditated murder charges in
connection with the deaths of five Iraqi civilians were dropped against Sgt.
Sanick P. Dela Cruz. The Marines who still face
charges in connection with the case are Lt. Col. Jeffrey R. Chessani, 1st Lt.
Andrew A. Grayson, Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich and Lance Cpl. Stephen B.
Tatum. Solis emphasized he is not
implying that junior officers and NCOs are above the law, but that in this
case their involvement may not be as serious. In a statement Tuesday,
Corps spokesman Lt. Col. Sean Gibson said the dismissals were based solely on
the facts at hand. “Investigations and the
courts-martial process are conducted solely for the purposes of military
justice - determine the facts and hold the appropriate persons accountable,”
he said. Earlier this month, one
Marine major general and two colonels received letters of censure from Navy
Secretary Donald Winter for demonstrating a “lack of due diligence” in
reporting and investigating the incident, a Corps news release read. The Corps is not releasing
the letters. External link: http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=56514&archive=true |