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May 27, 2007
Turning a Battle Into a War Crime
Turning a Battle Into a War Crime
by Harold C. Hutchison
May 24, 2007
One of the dirty little secrets about recent claims of massacres is that all too often, they really are not massacres. The latest case of this now appears to be Haditha, with testimony now emerging that shows that at least eight of the 24 "victims" were armed terrorists. If so, Haditha would have more in common with the 2002 battle of Jenin (also claimed to be a massacre) than it does with My Lai.
The efforts to falsely claim a massacre occurred in Jenin are instructive. After the 2002 battle, the Palestinian Authority claimed a massacre had occurred. The mainstream media and human rights groups quickly echoed their claims. However, further investigations showed that not only had the body count been exaggerated, but that most of those confirmed killed were, in fact, terrorists and not civilians.
In the case of Haditha, the testimony from an intelligence officer and a liaison officer that at least eight of the dead were terrorists calls into question the claims of a massacre and cover-up. In this case, it seems that the civilians' deaths may have been part of a firefight that resulted after an ambush. The initial Haditha investigations uncovered some apparent discrepancies in the Marines' stories, and a criminal investigation by NCIS was launched. This, and claims from human rights groups in the media, led to some criminal charges being filed earlier this year.
In this day and age, it doesn't take long for a misleading story to spread out. In 2005, Newsweek reported that guards at Guantanamo Bay flushed a Koran down a toilet, triggering riots that led to a number of injuries and deaths. Earlier that year, the false claims were about torture at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, most notably in a speech by Senator Richard Durbin on the Senate floor. In both cases, the charges were investigated. In both cases, the claims proved to have little, if any, bearing to what really happened.
As was the case with Jenin, many of the claims of torture were found to be generally unfounded, and in the few cases where lines were crossed, corrective action had been taken, in some cases immediately (one such case involved an interrogator who smeared a detainee with red ink after that detainee spat on her). Worse, the lies were already spread around by the time the truth was determined and not reported.
If the testimony about Haditha bears out, then it will just be the latest example of media misreporting. At that point, though, the real cover-up will begin. Very little, if any, effort will be made to correct the record. Politicians like John Murtha, who repeated the most inflammatory charges, will get a pass. The troops are able to fight the terrorists, and usually win. Fighting false accusations from terrorists that get repeated by the media, human rights groups, and politicians is much harder. The worst thing about this is that the myth of the "Haditha massacre" will be used to by various terrorist groups for recruiting, and the new recruits mean that there is a greater chance that troops will get killed.
Wild Thing's comment.......
This is an excellent article and I agree so much with what he said. Too many jumped the gun, with an anxious heart to lay into our awesome troops. I have to wonder more about THEIR support for our military then I wonder about if our troops did something wrong or not. This is freaking WAR! And I am totally sick and tired of people judging every breath our soldiers take, every move they make and every shot that is fired.
Posted by Wild Thing at May 27, 2007 12:47 AM
Comments
So Islamomaniac butchers fight in civilian clothes, with no insignias, nor flags nor rules? The Greatest Generation would fight these bastards with grenades and flame throwers...no GITMO would be needed. God bless Harry Truman!
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at May 27, 2007 12:35 AM
Those Haditha Marines have been locked up for some time now. Presumed guilty before trial. Their treatment is a shame on the Marine Corps and our sad, spineless leadership.
Those Congress people who jumped on the massacre bandwagon are the most amoral bastards this side of Al Queda headquarters. They claim to "support our troops" but in reality they will sacrifice our warriors in a heartbeat for some dishonest media attention and coverage
Posted by: TomR at May 27, 2007 12:18 PM
This is precisely why the media should be restricted from the battlefield. There are prescious few, I can't call them journalists, who objectively report without injecting their's or their employer's political views into the story, most are just useful idiots working for the enemy within. Let's not forget the harm done to an entire generation of America's finest fighters by one rat bastard traitor who labeled us as baby killers and butchers reminiscent of Ghengis Khan and a willing media that promulgated that viscious lie. Darth, we see this the same way, unrestricted war to win - the same tactic the enemies are using.
Posted by: Jack at May 27, 2007 12:21 PM
Darth I love the no GITMO needed, I love taking no prisoners as our answer to the enemy. Saves on a lot of extra work for our guys too. heh heh
Posted by: Wild Thing at May 28, 2007 01:24 AM
Tom, everything you said, you are so right!
Posted by: Wild Thing at May 28, 2007 01:28 AM
Jack, AMEN, oh how different it would be if these traitors were just plain not around to mess with the hearts and minds and morale of our troops of today and past wars like Vietnam.
Posted by: Wild Thing at May 28, 2007 01:31 AM
