Haditha Marine regrets dead, but says force needed

[Barrett808]

Source: Reuters

Haditha Marine regrets dead, but says force needed
By Adam Tanner

CAMP PENDLETON, California (Reuters) - Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, the U.S. Marine squad leader accused of leading a November 2005 massacre of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, said on Thursday that he regretted the deaths but had acted properly to keep his men alive.

"I will bear the memory of the events of that day forever and will always mourn the unfortunate deaths of the innocent Iraqis who were killed during our response to the attack," Wuterich, 27, told an evidentiary hearing in his first testimony in military court.

"Because families got killed that day and I can look at my family and I know I would not want that to happen to them," said Wuterich, who has three young daughters. His wife and parents watched from the back of the courtroom as he spoke.

...

But Wuterich, wearing desert camouflage fatigues with sleeves rolled above his tattooed forearms, described a complicated combat situation in Haditha that he said made it necessary to use lethal force.

"Based on the information I had at the time, based on the situation, I made the best decision I could have at the time," he said calmly and with confidence.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070906/ts_nm/usa_marine_haditha_wuterich_dc

[Mountainman]

1. He should have never been put in that position. The blood is also on the hands of all who support

this illegal war.

[Kagemusha]

2. His claims defy sense. Didn't make any shots inside houses???

Women and children just magically died, then? And he didn't give "let God sort 'em out" orders?

[LuckyLib]

3. "wearing desert camouflage fatigues" ??? in a courtroom? How's that for theater!

[atreides1]

4. I guess the Marines train to kill women, children, and unarmed prisoners

"In questioning, Wuterich attorney Neil Puckett carefully elicited responses that suggested his client followed his training that day -- an essential part of defense strategy."

[saigon68]

5. Didn't these thugs RAPE a few women that day?

Or was that another War Crime somewhere else?

[Javaman]

6. How does one make sense out of a senseless war?

whatever gets him through the night, I guess.

[FredScuttle]

7. This guy, Charles Manson

one in the same....no fucking difference at all.

We don't rationalize or attempt to understand Manson....so why do it with this murderer?