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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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November 3rd,
2007 - Marine General Bids Farewell |
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By Tony Perry Los Angeles Times November 3, 2007 Camp Pendleton - The top
general who led Marines into combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, drawing both
fire and praise for his handling of cases involving the deaths of civilians,
bade a reluctant and emotional farewell to his troops Friday. Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis,
newly assigned to a joint command at Norfolk, Va., wrote to his Marines and
sailors that "you've been my daily inspiration - even on the toughest
days, you've stood there boldly undismayed. ... I'm forever in your
debt." For the past year, Mattis
has led the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Forces Central Command,
which gave him considerable influence over U.S. operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan. His successor, Maj. Gen.
Samuel T. Helland, whose appointment was confirmed Thursday by the Senate,
will inherit not just the duties of training and deploying Marines for war
zone duty but also the cases of alleged abuse by Marines against civilians. Mattis was initially
criticized by conservatives for bringing charges against Marines; after
several cases ended with reduced sentences or charges dropped, some critics
charged that he had been too lenient. Several key cases remain,
including the upcoming courts-martial involving Marines linked to the death
of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha in late 2005. As Mattis'
successor, Helland will become the convening authority, with the power to
accept or reject plea bargains, grant clemency and overturn or reduce any
sentences meted out by military juries. Helland is one of the few
officers in the military who served in Vietnam, as an enlisted soldier with
the Army's Special Forces. He later graduated from the University of
Minnesota at Duluth and became a Marine officer and helicopter pilot. At the dedication last month
for a new addition at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego to treat the most
severely wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan, Helland said that the facility
had opened just in time. "We are fighting a ruthless enemy and the fight
will not end shortly," he said. Next week, Mattis will
become the U.S. Joint Forces Command commander and NATO supreme allied
commander for transformation, based in Norfolk. He will be promoted to
general, Helland to lieutenant general. Mattis is known as a
tough-talking infantry officer who once got scolded for saying it was
"fun" to kill some enemies. Nonetheless, his letter to his troops
was unusually personal, including references to seeing military families
"choke back tears" and how U.S. troops show compassion for Iraqis
despite "a merciless enemy [that] slaughters the innocent." The letter includes lines
adapted from the Irish poet William Butler Yeats: "Think where man's
glory most begins and ends and I say my glory was I had such friends." External link: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-mattis3nov03,1,1899788.story |