Marines were traumatized after Haditha incident

[madmusic]

This ain't pretty...

Marines were traumatized after Haditha incident: families

By JUSTIN M. NORTON
The Associated Press

HANFORD, Calif. - Two U.S. Marines were severely traumatized after following orders to photograph corpses of unarmed Iraqi civilians whom members of their unit are suspected of killing, their families said Monday.

The parents of Lance Cpl. Andrew Wright, 20, and Lance Cpl. Roel Ryan Briones, 21, both members of a Marine unit based at Camp Pendleton, said their sons were sent into the western Iraqi city of Haditha to help remove the bodies of as many as two dozen men, women and children who were shot.

While there, the two were ordered to photograph the scene with personal cameras they happened to be carrying the day of the attack, the families told The Associated Press in separate interviews. Briones' mother, Susie, said her son told her mother he saw the bodies of 23 dead Iraqis that day.

....

Briones' best friend, Lance Cpl. Miguel "T.J." Terrazas, had been killed the day of the attack by the roadside bomb, his mother said. He was still grieving when he was sent in to clean up the bodies of the Iraqi civilians.

One was a little girl who had been shot in the head, Susie Briones said.

"He had to carry that little girl's body," she said, "and her head was blown off and her brain splattered on his boots."

Found this at TalkLeft.com. Maybe we should all post it at once at freeperville in 72 hours.

[Selatius]

1. Those images will be burned into their souls until the day they die

These are things you don't forget easily if ever.

[madmusic]

2. Reading about it is bad enough n/t

If this is what it looks like, BushCo and the Republicans are done for in a serious way. Hate for something like this to happen for that to happen.

EDIT: sp, of course

[Erika]

5. The little Iraq girl's brains spilled on his boots

I wonder how Americans tolerate the deaths of these innocent Iraqis and why they never yell. My Japanese friend says they don't yell because Iraqis are brown skinned and so many think of them as towel heads.

I wonder what St. Peter, if he exists, will think of that. Or W for this insane war without a rationale.

[MnFats]

3. and who will be held accountable? George Bush, perhaps?

not bloody likely....so to speak.

[madmusic]

4. Yes he will, they all will.

The war was already VERY unpopular because he lied and people died.

Damn, just reading about it... that would even have to hit the freepers in the gut.

[beam me up scottie]

6. No, it wouldn't.

I work with plenty of freeper types.

This doesn't even register on their radar.

They're a whole other breed.

[madmusic]

9. Seriously?

What about all their talk about "protecting the children" and tough on crime and all that? It's not for the victims? Then what is it?

[beam me up scottie]

13. They don't look at Iraqi children like they do their own.

Look at how they talk about illegal immigrants for example.

When nationalism and christian fundamentalism are your religion, you can justify anything to protect yourself and your family from THEM.

[Erika]

15. Unfortunately, many right wingers have no respect for Iraqis

and declare the more dead the better. It sickens me.

[beam me up scottie]

18. They're raised on hate.

They thrive on it.

I can't even begin to tell you how hard it is to work with these people, live around them, do business with them.

They're proud of what they are.

[madmusic]

23. So it's not children, but their possessions.

The poor Marine didn't look at it that way, but those chickenhawk freepers hiding behind their screens can.

[beam me up scottie]

25. No, it's more of a paranoia.

Little Iraqis, just like big Iraqis, are expendable.

They are convinced that Arabs will kill us if they get the chance.

Any and all Arabs.

So they see innocent victims as collateral damage and any dead male Iraqis are insurgents.

And some go a bit further, they figure that little Iraqis grow up to be big Iraqis, so there's a few less we'll have to contend with later.

The whole war on terror bullshit is tailored for people like them.

Good Guys against the Bad Guys.

They hate us for our freedom.



I gotta go, I can't stand thinking about this.
It's bad enough I'll have to deal with it in a few hours when I go to work.

[Erika]

10. This should be shoved in their faces

Their votes enabled Bush to create this mess.

[beam me up scottie]

14. They don't care.

I'm serious.

I don't even dare to bring the subject up.

It's all I can do to not go postal on them when I hear them talking about shit like this.

[Erika]

17. I know, it's the towel head shit

Their God is better than the Iraqis God. It's all a bunch of crock.

[beam me up scottie]

19. Not just Arabs.

All brown people and foreigners in general.

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."
Sinclair Lewis.

[jbnow]

26. It's not that racist

They hate plenty of white liberals too, even Christian ones. I've seen them wish the death of Jimmy Carter , applaud the death of the young blond lady who helped Iraqis and so on.

It's just dark skinned people are easier to pick out for demeaning, you don't need to know them first.

That said I'm sure the murder of a child will strike sadness in some on the far right.

And definitely the average person will find this very sad.

[Erika]

7. W should be held as a war criminal

There is no reason we should be in Iraq.

[regnaD kciN]

27. We all will...

:-(

For, when the time comes to take revenge, don't count on those striking back in anger to distinguish between a "good American" and a "bad American."

:scared:

[DELUSIONAL]

8. I'll bet that the little Iraqi girl who survived the massacre was also

traumatized.

We do know who the ultimate bad guy is -- bush.

I do hope that he pays for his sins against the Iraqi people and against the American people -- well hell -- for what he has done and is doing to the whole world.

What I mean is that GW bush and his partners in crime should be tried before an International court of law -- the Supremes are useless pieces of crap.

Interesting that the Iraqi people were allowed to clean up this mess -- or handle their dead as dictated by their culture and religion. Seems like this was a planned cover up.

Day by day Iraq sounds more like Vietnam -- at least way back in the stone ages of Vietnam we had better news reporting -- real reporters doing real work.

[madmusic]

21. Yes, she will be, as will many other children.

What a mess.

The U.S. only does war well when we HAVE to do it. It's built into our tradition of "only in self defense."

[keopeli]

11. Broken link. n/t

[madmusic]

12. Fixed, thanks, always forget to cut the http n/t

[Nicole]

16. Try this one

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/14695656.htm

[wtmusic]

20. Here's what chafes my hide:

"A lot of these things are being played out in the court of public opinion, and it's unfair on the Marines," Moore said.

If the Marines set the record straight 6 months ago, there would BE no court of public opinion. All the public is asking for is fairness, especially in SENTENCING. :grr:

[madmusic]

22. And the court of public opinion...

Is just fine when it serves them well, true or not.

Swiftboat Liars, anyone? How 'bout that? That list is endless.

[gumby]

24. Fuck WAR

This nit-picking about whose brains are blown out is simply navel-gazing.

EVERYONE'S guts or brains that are blown out is intolerable; no matter which side or what age.

Get it?

[TriSec]

28. Firsthand story

From the LA Times, via Common Dreams: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0529-04.htm