Haditha investigation - More charges dropped

The Patriot Post: Seven down, one to go. The case of the “Iraq My Lai Massacre,” in which U.S. Marines were accused of illegally gunning down Iraqi civilians in Haditha, continued unraveling this week. For the seventh time, charges against one of the eight Marines accused in the incident were dismissed, leaving just one case left. Military judge Colonel Steven Folsom dismissed charges without prejudice against Lt. Colonel Jeffrey Chessani after finding that a general who was overseeing the Haditha investigation was improperly influenced by one of his investigators. “Unlawful command influence is the mortal enemy of military justice. In order to restore the public confidence, we need to take it back. We need to turn the clock back,” Colonel Folsom said in a not-too-subtle rebuke of the Haditha investigation. Colonel Folsom also barred the Marine Forces Central Command from future involvement in the case, another indication of his obvious displeasure with how the case was handled. This leaves only Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich to face charges of voluntary manslaughter. Given the prosecution’s 0-for-seven record thus far, chances are probably good that these charges will be dismissed as well.

Here we would point out once again that Rep. John Murtha (D-Haditha), who said at the time that our Marines “killed innocent civilians in cold blood,” has had no comment on the dismissals. And the Leftmedia, which wanted another My Lai so badly that they rushed to condemn our Marines before the facts were known, have been shamelessly silent about how the case has turned out. Apparently, being treasonous means never having to say you’re sorry.

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Tags: Haditha Massacre, John Murtha, Marines, military justice To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!