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April 08, 2008
The Real Criminals In The Haditha Nightmare
Haditha: Still a Lie
By Michael Reagan
You’d hardly know it if you relied on the mainstream media, but the government’s case against the Haditha Marines took another body blow last month that may be the beginning of the end for this whole sorry attempt to severely punish eight heroic United States Marines for doing what they are trained to do.
In a surprise development on the day Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum’s court martial was scheduled to begin, all charges against him were dropped without explanation.
Tatum, facing charges of reckless endangerment and aggravated assault that could have sent him to prison for 18 years, was the fifth Marine -- and the second of three enlisted men -- to be exonerated, leaving only one enlisted Marine still facing court martial.
Tatum’s exoneration should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the real facts in the case. During an ambush by insurgent forces in Haditha, 15 civilians and nine insurgents were killed by Marines of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines. The incident began when an IED explosion killed a Marine and wounded two others. In the wake of that explosion, a squad of Marines came under insurgent gunfire.
The 15 civilian deaths, which came during house-clearing operations, were the result of a time-honored insurgent tactic of hiding themselves among civilians when ambushing U.S. forces, hoping to score a propaganda coup when the civilian shields are killed in the ensuing crossfire.
Full details of the incident on November 19, 2005, were supplied in great detail to the entire command structure the very night of the engagement, and the incident was regarded for what it was -- a tragic result of an enemy ambush. No further action was required or taken.
Months later, however, Time magazine published a story reporting that the Marines had gone on a rampage, wantonly killing innocent civilians to avenge the death of their fellow Marine killed in the IED explosion.
Using Time magazine’s fallacious account of the civilian deaths, Pennsylvania’s Democratic Rep. John Murtha went on a rampage of his own, telling every media outlet that would listen that the Marines had committed “cold-blooded murder.” He first claimed that his information came from a briefing from the Marine Corps Commandant, but when that claim was disproved he admitted that his source was Time magazine.
Murtha’s charges were broadcast far and wide, and before any investigation of the incident could get underway, the media joined Murtha in finding the Marines guilty of a massacre.
In the ensuing media firestorm that broke out, many news reports here and abroad compared the Haditha deaths to the infamous My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War.
Neither Murtha nor the mainstream media bothered to check Time’s sources -- two known insurgent propagandists and insurgent-friendly Haditha residents living under the guns of insurgent killers who were the only authority in town.
It wasn’t because the real facts were not available to any reporter willing to investigate the Haditha case, yet only one news source bothered to look into the case.
As early as May 31, 2006, NewsMax.com had begun to poke holes in the case, and from that time down to the present, NewsMax (and FrontPageMag.com - Eds.) continued to report the truth about Haditha and defend the Marines who were innocent of the charges eventually leveled against them.
Yet all this time, the media and Rep. Murtha continued to peddle the insurgent lie that a massacre had taken place in Haditha, even though all murder charges had long ago been dropped in favor of lesser charges.
There was a crime, but it was the media and Rep. Murtha who committed it against heroic Marines whose careers have been destroyed and some of whose families were bought to the edge of bankruptcy defending their sons.
Thanks to NewsMax readers, who contributed over $500,000 for their defense, some of that burden was lifted.
And thanks to John Murtha and the leftist media, these Marines can now join my Dad’s wrongly accused Secretary of Labor Ray Donovan in asking where they go to get their reputations back.
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Wild Thing's comment........
I LOVE it and Michael is right too, the crime was committed by media and Rep. Murtha !!!! Time mag. & old bag of gas Murtha should be sued for every penny these families can get out of them. That demented old traitor and the traitorous Times rag should go down in disgrace for the dispicable accusations leveled against our men in uniform.
I really really want to see both Murtha and McGirk get their just desserts. I cannot stand looking at either one of them.
....Thank you Mark for sending this article to me.
Posted by Wild Thing at April 8, 2008 03:48 AM
Comments
I wonder just how many people Murtha the Hut killed when he was in Vietnam as a Marine?
Is he feeling "that" guilty?
He made a witch hunt out of this.
All involved should have the charges dropped against them.
War is NEVER a pretty picture and things will happen that we wish had not happened. You just have to go on and let it slide off your back.
Posted by: Lynn at April 8, 2008 05:18 AM
Murtha and McGirk's just reward would be 10 years at Leavenworth, making little rocks out of big ones.
Posted by: Mark at April 8, 2008 10:35 AM
If you were in the Patriot Firing Squd, who would be the first to go?
Murtha, Jane Fonda or the feminazis on The View?
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at April 8, 2008 11:47 AM
The Abscam hero Murtha is being sued for libel by Marine SSgt. Frank Wuterich. The court-martial for Wuterich has been postponed until later this year pending the appeal of a discovery ruling.
Marine Col. Jeffrey Chessani is threatening to sue Murtha for libel if he has is found innocent, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani and 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson are set for court-martial in April and May.
Charges dropped:
On April 17 2007, the Marine Corps dropped all charges against Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz in exchange for his testimony. Seven other Marines involved in the incident have also been granted immunity.
On August 9 2007, all charges against Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt and Capt. Randy Stone were dropped. On October 19th, Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt's commanding officer decided the charges should be lowered to involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.
On September 18 2007, all charges against Captain Lucas McConnell were dropped in exchange for immunity and his cooperation with the investigation.
On March 28 2008, all charges against LCpl. Stephen Tatum were dropped.
If this witchhunt keeps up on our fighting forces the United States Marines and United States Army will have to recruit from the French forces and serve only under the United Nations and Hague JAG officers.
Once charges have been made they have to be followed upon, it is also incumbent upon the leaders to defend their subordinates, the sickening thing is that all the leaders are tossing that subordinate under the bus for political expediency. Any or all of the personnel charged who are exonerated will have the stigma of the event affecting their lives and careers forever.
Yes Lynn, what about Murtha's own spotless record? He's as secretive about his record as John Kerry is about his.
Boot Murtha, vote for Lt. Col. William Russel
Posted by: Jack at April 8, 2008 12:55 PM
May John Murtha die an agonizing and painful death as a true American traitor.
Die you asshole
Posted by: cuchieddie at April 8, 2008 07:11 PM
Lynn, he probably was not much of a team player or good in the Foxhole either. I sure can't see him feeling a real brotherhood at all.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 8, 2008 11:59 PM
Mark that would be great. And no gloves just bloody bare hands from picking ar rocks.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 9, 2008 12:00 AM
Darth, it would be a nice thought that's for sure. I would torture them for sure.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 9, 2008 12:03 AM
Jack it would be neat if a lot of the troops got together/ banned together and sued Murtha. Like as a group.More power that way too.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 9, 2008 12:09 AM
Cuchieddie, too bad we can't drop him from a plane over Iran or someplace or Siberia. No clothes, no food nothing.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 9, 2008 12:13 AM
