The Shame of Kilo Company

An hour into Memorial Day 2006, I read an article from this week's TIME magazine, "The Shame of Kilo Company."

Michael Duffy writes:

The outfit known as Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, wasn't new to Iraq last year when it moved into Haditha, a Euphrates River farming town about 150 miles northwest of Baghdad. Several members of the unit were on their second tour of Iraq; one was on his third. The men in Kilo Company were veterans of ferocious house-to-house fighting in Fallujah. Their combat experience seemed to prepare them for the ordeal of serving in an insurgent stronghold like Haditha, the kind of place where the enemy attacks U.S. troops from the cover of mosques, schools and homes and uses civilians as shields, complicating Marine engagement rules to shoot only when threatened. In Haditha, says a Marine who has been there twice, "you can't tell a bad guy until he shoots you."

But one morning last November, some members of Kilo Company apparently didn't attempt to distinguish between enemies and innocents. Instead, they seem to have gone on the worst rampage by U.S. service members in the Iraq war, killing as many as 24 civilians in cold blood. The details of what happened in Haditha were first disclosed in March by TIME's Tim McGirk and Aparisim Ghosh, and their reporting prompted the military to launch an inquiry into the civilian deaths. The darkest suspicions about the killings were confirmed last week, when members of Congress who were briefed on the two ongoing military investigations disclosed that at least some members of a Marine unit may soon be charged in connection with the deaths of the Iraqis--and that the charges may include murder, which carries the death penalty. "This was a small number of Marines who fired directly on civilians and killed them," said Representative John Kline, a Minnesota Republican and former Marine who was briefed two weeks ago by Marine Corps officials. "This is going to be an ugly story."

With the U.S. struggling to hold on to public support for the war and no end to the insurgency in sight, the prospect of possible indictments has induced an aching dread among military and government officials. As the military launched another probe--into the April 26 killing of an Iraqi civilian by Marines--General Michael Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, headed to Iraq to address Marines on the growing crisis. Marine Corps public-affairs director Brigadier General Mary Ann Krusa-Dossin says the allegations "have caused serious concern at the highest levels" of the corps.

A military source in Iraq told TIME that investigators have obtained two sets of photos from Haditha. The first is after-action photos taken by the military as part of the routine procedure that follows any such event. Submitted in the official report on the fighting, the photos do not show any bodies. Investigators have also discovered a second, more damning set of photos, taken by Marines of the Kilo Company immediately after the shootings. The source says it isn't clear if these photos were held back from the after-action report or were personal snapshots taken by the Marines. The source says a Marine e-mailed at least one photo to a friend in the U.S.

Almost as damaging as the alleged massacre may be evidence that the unit's members and their superiors conspired to cover it up. "There's no doubt that the Marines allegedly involved in doing this--they lied about it," says Kline. "They certainly tried to cover it up." Three Marine officers, including the company commander and battalion commander, have been relieved of duty in part for actions related to the deaths in Haditha. A lawmaker who has been briefed on the matter says the investigations may implicate other senior officers.

In hindsight, it seems remarkable that the Marines were able to conceal such a horrific event for so long.

...So why did some men in Kilo Company apparently snap? Perhaps because of the stress of fighting a violent and unpopular war--or because their commanders failed them. Military psychiatrists who have studied what makes a soldier's moral compass go haywire in battle look first for a weak chain of command. That was a factor in the March 1968 My Lai massacre in Vietnam, when U.S. soldiers, including members of an Army platoon led by Lieut. William Calley, killed some 500 Vietnamese. Says a retired Army Green Beret colonel who fought in Vietnam: "Somebody has failed to say, 'No, that's not right.'" No one, apparently, was delivering that message last November in Haditha.

The article, as usual, is based on information from shadowy sources.

"A military source in Iraq told TIME..."

"A lawmaker who has been briefed on the matter..."

"Military sources told TIME..."

"Pentagon officials say..."

Also, it appears that Duffy is convinced that the Marines slaughtered innocent civilians in cold blood.

Why bother conducting a criminal investigation? Duffy and the "military sources," "lawmaker," and "Pentagon officials" he spoke to have labeled the Marines of Kilo Company guilty.

"Lawmaker."

Hmmm. I wonder. Which lawmaker has been running around blabbing about the murdering Marines?

I don't know Duffy's sources, but I do know that John Murtha won't shut up about Haditha.

From The Washington Post:

"There has to have been a coverup of this thing," Rep. John P. Murtha (Pa.), ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, charged in an interview on ABC's "This Week." "No question about it."

...[John Murtha] said, "I will not excuse murder, and this is what has happened," adding that there is "no question in my mind about it." He reiterated a previous statement that shootings of women and children occurred "in cold blood" and that there was no firefight in which civilians were killed in a crossfire, as some Marines asserted after the event.

"This is worse than Abu Ghraib," he said, referring to the abuse of Iraqi detainees by U.S. soldiers at a prison west of Baghdad that, when revealed in spring 2004, became a major setback for the U.S. effort in Iraq.

Murtha was most emphatic in discussing his belief that senior Marine officers acted to prevent the facts of the case from emerging. "The problem is, who covered up? And why did they cover it up?" he asked. He said an investigation should have been conducted immediately after the incident, with the facts disclosed to the public at that time.

..."We don't know how far it goes," Murtha said of the alleged coverup. "The Marines knew about it all this time. Somebody in the chain of command decided not to allow this to happen. How far up it went, I don't know."

Murtha really needs to get a grip. AND, the leakers, those unnamed sources, need to get a conscience.

No question, the investigation into what happened at Haditha needs to be completed.

As with Abu Ghraib, those responsible for abuses at Haditha, if they did occur, will be held accountable.

UNTIL THEN, it is utterly irresponsible for Murtha and the leakers to be determining guilt.

What is so aggravating to me is that the military IS investigating. The appropriate measures ARE being taken.

All the inflammatory stuff, and Murtha's "guilty until proven innocent" approach unfairly disparages the integrity of U.S. forces in general. Such negative propaganda inflames the enemy and can lead to deadly consequences for our troops.

Let the investigation proceed.

In the meantime, former Marine Murtha should conduct himself in a manner befitting the Marines. I think Murtha has forgotten the motto, "Semper Fi." Rather than remaining "always faithful," Murtha is putting the Marines currently in harm's way at greater risk.

There are appropriate channels for Murtha and the leakers to express their concerns and hold individual Marines accountable for alleged wrongdoing without excessively fanning the flames of hatred for U.S. troops en masse.

Murtha's ego-stroking practice of taking his gripes to Sunday morning TV is a disgusting, self-serving exercise. That's not the proper place to air his criticism.

Media whore Murtha is incredibly selfish.

I really don't think our troops get their due, certainly not by the Old Media. The overwhelming majority of our military personnel are serving with bravery, honor, and distinction; AND they are not under investigation for killing innocents.

I understand the need for an investigation into what happened at Haditha, just as I fully supported getting to the truth of what happened at Abu Ghraib.

I am asking for some balance. I want to hear the positive news from Iraq, not only the negative. I want to see the images of progress there, not only the setbacks.

On Memorial Day, it would be nice for all Americans, including TIME reporter Michael Duffy and John Murtha, to pay tribute to the fallen and acknowledge their tremendous sacrifices.

Just for this one day, can't we put politics and mud-slinging aside?

Can't we come together as Americans, united in our gratitude and support of the past and present military men and women who've served our country so honorably on our behalf?

I don't think that's too much to ask.