Iraq Mai Lai

[Pangloss62]

Perhaps I should have left out "Vietnam," but my main point was to compare this Haditha episode to that of Mai Lai; that is, not so much the numbers of those killed but the psychology behind the killing. Things are either large or small only by comparison, so Iraq is not the same as Vietnam in terms of numbers, but in terms of soldier psychology, it's a good comparison.

Besides, do wars have to be HUGE before their victims deserve mention?

[tw]

Originally Posted by Pangloss62

Perhaps I should have left out "Vietnam," but my main point was to compare this Haditha episode to that of Mai Lai;

No reason to leave out Vietnam because this is how 1966 Vietnam was ongoing. Meanwhile others have no problem noting a relationship between these massacres and My Lai. From the NY Times of 2 Jun 2006:

Mr. McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for more than five years, said the incident harked back to the My Lai massacre during the war in Vietnam. He added, "It certainly is harmful, but I can't assess the extent of the damage."

We had to burn the village to save it.

[tw]

From CBS News on 2 Jun suggests other killings separate from Haditha and Ishaqi. Don't for one minute even think it stops here. Liars at the highest levels only beget lying and coverups within the ranks.

8 U.S. Troops Face Murder Charges
Seven Marines and a Navy corpsman could face murder, kidnapping and conspiracy charges as early as Friday in the shooting death of an Iraqi man, a defense attorney said. ...

The Iraqi man reportedly was dragged from his home west of Baghdad and shot in April.

The Los Angeles Times and NBC News said troops may have planted an AK-47 and shovel near the body to make it appear the man was an insurgent burying a roadside bomb. Neither suggested a possible motive for the April 26 killing in Hamandiya. ...

CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer ... has learned that the U.S. is also investigating reports of deaths of Iraqi civilians in March of this year, near Balad. Residents in the village of Ishaqi said 11 people, including at least five people, were killed in a March 15 U.S. raid on the Sunni-dominated area some 50 miles north of Baghdad. The American military confirmed the attack but said only four people died, a man, two women and a child. It later said the incident was under investigation.

[tw]

How routine are such coverups? Multiple and completely separate units lied in an attempt to hide Haditha. From the NY Times of 2 Jun 2006: From the NY Times of 2 Jun 2006:

Iraqi Accuses U.S. of 'Daily' Attacks Against Civilians
The Washington Post reported Thursday that a parallel investigation into whether the killings were covered up has concluded that some officers reported false information and that superiors failed to adequately scrutinize the reports about the two dozen deaths.

The newspaper said that the inquiry had determined that Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, a squad leader present at Haditha, made a false statement when he reported that a roadside bombing had killed 15 civilians. The inquiry also said that an intelligence unit that later visited the site failed to highlight that civilians had gunshot wounds.

Somehow a completely separate intelligence investigation unit never noticed gunshot wounds? How routine is that oversight?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Maybe here's why, from Michael Yon's website. [quote]I don’t condone any use of force outside our directed rules of engagement and escalation of force procedures. However, I can understand why violations of the ROE happen, however unjustified they may be.[/QUOTE

Read the whole (short) thing.