Marine Corps Moms: A military officer on Haditha

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June 07, 2006

A military officer on Haditha

In yesterday's Opinion Journal, a military officer deployed in Iraq sent the following e-mail. He's active duty and so his request that his name not be published is understandable. But his opinion is valid and relevant:

I am currently stationed here in Iraq and have been here for the past 11 months; I am an adviser to the Iraqis and meet them on a daily basis. I have been in many locations in the country and am involved on a daily basis together with the Iraqis fighting the insurgency.
The media manipulation by the insurgents is brilliant and extremely effective. The press has become a puppet for the insurgents; the insurgents know exactly what they are doing with these "massacres" (quoted here because the investigation has not been completed, nor have any charges been filed) and the political nightmare they will cause the current administration. Bodies are produced for film, and there is zero fact-checking by the media--the media eat up this "news" like there is no tomorrow. A couple of hundred bucks paid by the insurgents to a few guys/ladies in the town where this "massacre" occurred to make up some bad news and pine for the BBC's or CBS's or whoever's cameras is a nice month's salary for many and money well spent by the insurgency.

All the Arabs (Sunni and Shia), Kurds and Chaldeans I have come to know well here will tell you that Arabs are emotional people who tend to exaggerate. A lot. Experience has shown that "50 insurgents hiding out in XX location" is five, at most 10. "Three hundred dead" at the morgue is at most 40. "A huge cache with WMD" is 45-50 weapons. It is a cultural norm and is accepted over here as a norm. It is reported in the West as fact. With no fact-checking.

When we convoy, all in the town/village know when and where there is a bomb/IED/VBIED that is targeting coalition forces. This is not so true in Baghdad, but in the outlying towns all know. What is the culpability for those people in the village/town? Would the Marines be guilty in the U.S. under the same circumstances?

I do not know whether or not the Marines are guilty. A Marine's job is to "close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver," and I can guarantee its effectiveness. But the insurgents have the ear of the press. Hopefully the politics will be put aside for the investigation and the facts will be told, whatever they may be.

His comment about townspeople knowing when and where bombs and IEDs are planted is key. Marines have told me that when they roll down a street and there are no children playing outside, it's a sign that something bad is about to happen. And while many Iraqis actively cooperate with our troops and alert them to the presence of arms caches and hidden bombs, some do not. In a CNN interview broadcast Wednesday, Safa Younis - who says eight members of her family were killed by U.S. troops - recalled that she was getting ready for school as the Marine Humvee approached.

IMAN (ph) (through translator): I was planning to go to school. I was about to get out of bed. I knew the bomb would explode, so I covered my ears. The bomb exploded. The bomb struck an armored vehicle. I don't know if it was a humvee or an armored vehicle. When the bomb exploded, they came straight to our house.
CHILCOTE: The question is, was her expectation of the explosion a premonition? A fear based on the sound of the passing convoy? Or was it based on some knowledge? The interviewer does not follow up and says the 9-year-old got confused and got her story mixed up.

Odds are, it was based on "some knowledge". If she heard the convoy approaching and covered her ears, there's probably a very good reason for doing so. I have great sympathy for the children in those situations. But my heart breaks for Marines who are defending themselves from career-ending criminal charges from "emotional people who tend to exaggerate". The final report has not yet been issued , court martials have not been scheduled, and the news reports are written as if the verdict has been given and we are waiting for sentencing.

Posted by Deb at June 7, 2006 09:31 PM

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Comments

When there is no accountability there is unjust death.

The Media is a ridiculous entity at times but being nieve is even more ridiculous.

I am sure exaggeration is part of the grieving process so I wouldn't think it right to judge...

Thank you, Bill Shea

Posted by: Bill Shea at June 8, 2006 06:07 AM

Mr. Shea, who are you 'judging' to be naive? I feel the liberal media is far beyond ridiculous, and totally 'judging' the Marines. And don't forget they were also 'grieving' the loss they had just suffered from the IED. Over and over outlandish claims of innocent civilian losses have been proven to be lies, but the media doesn't go back and publicly correct that. They have already moved on, looking for something that better fits their agenda.

Kids on a bus killed, beheadings, a Mosque destroyed along with many people, just mentioned in passing. OH, a prisoner scared by a dog or embarrassed, WOW, LET'S HEADLINE THIS FOR THE NEXT 6 MONTHS!!

Posted by: Anita at June 9, 2006 08:53 AM