Why we won't win in Iraq (C&P)
Probe finds Marine Corps ignored 'serious misconduct'
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US Army general in charge of an investigation into the killings in the Iraqi town of Haditha has concluded that the Marine Corps had ignored "obvious" signs of "serious misconduct" by its troops.
The Washington Post said Major General Eldon Bargewell's report on Haditha is scathing in its criticism of the Marines' actions, from the enlisted men who were involved in the shootings on November 19, 2005, to the two-star general who commanded the 2nd Marine Division in Iraq at the time.
Twenty-four Iraqi civilians were killed in the town after the marines went on a shooting spree, targeting unarmed men, women and children after a comrade, Miguel Terrazaz, was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol.
Bargewell's previously undisclosed report obtained by The Post found that officers may have willfully ignored reports of the civilian deaths to protect themselves and their units from blame, the paper said.
Though Bargewell found no specific coverup, he concluded that there also was no interest at any level in investigating allegations of a massacre, the report said.
"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," the paper quotes Bargewell as writing.
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 US 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," the general pointed out.
Though Bargewell completed his secret report in June 2006, it has not been publicly released because of ongoing criminal investigations of three marines on murder allegations and four marine officers who allegedly failed to look into the case, The Post said.
Bargewell's report focuses on the reporting of the incident and the training and command climate within the Marine Corps leadership and does not address the actual incident in detail, according to the paper.
Call me racist, insensitive, a monster, whatever......As far as I'm concerned there isn't a man, woman, or child in Iraq worth the life of a Marine.
"Getting the job done" isn't even the top priority according to this Army General........[V]
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US Army general in charge of an investigation into the killings in the Iraqi town of Haditha has concluded that the Marine Corps had ignored "obvious" signs of "serious misconduct" by its troops.
The Washington Post said Major General Eldon Bargewell's report on Haditha is scathing in its criticism of the Marines' actions, from the enlisted men who were involved in the shootings on November 19, 2005, to the two-star general who commanded the 2nd Marine Division in Iraq at the time.
Twenty-four Iraqi civilians were killed in the town after the marines went on a shooting spree, targeting unarmed men, women and children after a comrade, Miguel Terrazaz, was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol.
Bargewell's previously undisclosed report obtained by The Post found that officers may have willfully ignored reports of the civilian deaths to protect themselves and their units from blame, the paper said.
Though Bargewell found no specific coverup, he concluded that there also was no interest at any level in investigating allegations of a massacre, the report said.
"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," the paper quotes Bargewell as writing.
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 US 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," the general pointed out.
Though Bargewell completed his secret report in June 2006, it has not been publicly released because of ongoing criminal investigations of three marines on murder allegations and four marine officers who allegedly failed to look into the case, The Post said.
Bargewell's report focuses on the reporting of the incident and the training and command climate within the Marine Corps leadership and does not address the actual incident in detail, according to the paper.
Call me racist, insensitive, a monster, whatever......As far as I'm concerned there isn't a man, woman, or child in Iraq worth the life of a Marine.
"Getting the job done" isn't even the top priority according to this Army General........[V]
0
-
Those Generals are absolutely right. Iraqi civilians and "non-combatants" are not as valuable as a US serviceman or woman. Our people's safety should take major presidence over any and all Iraqis, armed or not. 0 -
We didn't go in there to preserve the lives of our soldiers and Marines - that could have been accomplished by keeping them at home.
We went in to find WMDs destroy Al Qaeda get candy and flowers establish a stable and democratic Iraq. Pray tell, how are we going to do that by p!$$ing the entire country off?
To be fair, though, I agree that Iraqis aren't worth the life of one Marine or soldier - they're worth roughly 3600 and counting. And so long as we continue to "stay the course" and "support the mission," the Iraqis will continue to bill us in both treasury and lives.0 -
I,m afraid it is becomming a turely bad joke. We chased the Iraq Army
out of Kawait and conquered them in a few days. Now we are supposed to go in as "friends this time? This dont work as one can see. A conquering army must either go in to "conquer" or stay the hell out and forget it.
Either control the country and set up a Allied Military Govt as we did
in Germany in WW 2 until they got "their act together" or get to hell out completely. Straddling a fence only gives one a sore crotch. Is it any wonder our other "Allies" are pulling out.0 -
We knew for a fact that they had WMDs because they were sold to Saddam by the United States government, and transferred from the US Army arsenal to the Republican Guard arsenal in the mid-1980s. They're just completely useless as weapons now because of how the Iraqis stored them. Don't believe me? One of the full-time people at the armory in Rice Lake, who was stationed at Camp Anaconda during his deployment, saw the transfer paperwork and the weapons in an old Republican Guard base not far from Anaconda. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by joeaf1911a1
I,m afraid it is becomming a turely bad joke. We chased the Iraq Army
out of Kawait and conquered them in a few days. Now we are supposed to go in as "friends this time? This dont work as one can see. A conquering army must either go in to "conquer" or stay the hell out and forget it.
Either control the country and set up a Allied Military Govt as we did
in Germany in WW 2 until they got "their act together" or get to hell out completely. Straddling a fence only gives one a sore crotch. Is it any wonder our other "Allies" are pulling out.
Joe, You are wise beyond your years![:D]
Kidding (sort of). What you said is spot on.0 -
It's part of the calculus of war. At the most non-emotional and rational level, fighting men are resources to be conserved when possible and applied when necessary, and for every one lost, it at least temporarily depletes our ability to continue the fight by a fraction, however small. Iraqi civilians aren't resources. They don't contribute nearly as much quality and power to our fight as do the Marine and Army grunts.
With that said, I am very sympathetic towards the Iraqi public and their plight and while a trade off of one soldier per Iraqi saved would be too high of a cost for us to pay, I don't think it out of order to potentially sacrfice 1 for 50 or a hundred Iraqi innocents if it came to that.
Like I said, its part of the cold hard realities of combat. Anyone not willing to able to make these computations and trade-offs shouldn't be in the job of fighting wars.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
6 comments