Contributed by: filbert Monday, May 29 2006 @ 07:22 AM CST
A year ago I was charged with two counts of premeditated murder and with other war crimes related to my service in Iraq. My wife and mother sat in a Camp Lejeune courtroom for five days while prosecutors painted me as a monster; then autopsy evidence blew their case out of the water, and the Marine Corps dropped all charges against me [“Marine Officer Cleared in Killing of Two Iraqis,” news story, May 27, 2005].
So I know something about rushing to judgment, which is why I am so disturbed by the remarks of Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) regarding the Haditha incident [“Death Toll Rises in Haditha Attack, GOP Leader Says,” news story, May 20]. Mr. Murtha said, “Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.”
No reasonable American wants our armed forces to participate in a massacre, and I think we all expect that anyone found guilty of this will suffer the harshest of punishments.
But how damaging is it for a U.S. Representative to be pronouncing the incident a “massacre” before the initial investigation is even completed, before charges can even be filed?
If Rep. Murtha were truly interested in the truth and the honor of the U.S. Armed Forces, he would be more circumspect in his rhetoric, until the facts were known. But facts appear to be irrelevant to Murtha and his ilk. It is transparently obvious that he is interested in short-term political gain at the expense of the U.S. reputation in the world, like so many “anti-war” zealots.
As we honor our fallen on this Memorial Day, we are faced with the uncomfortable question of who in the long run is doing the most damage to this country? The Marines at Haditha, who are answerable to the UCMJ, or Murtha, who is seemingly answerable to no one at all?