Marine: Sgt. called for bloodshed in Haditha

CAMP PENDLETON, California - A Camp Pendleton Marine testified Wednesday that his commanding officer called for violent retaliation before his squad killed 24 Iraqis, including women and children, in 2005.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz said that Sgt. Frank Wuterich told his squad how they should react if they were attacked again.

"If we ever get hit again, we should kill everyone in that vicinity," Wuterich allegedly told his men, according to Dela Cruz' testimony.

Wuterich, who faces nine counts of voluntary manslaughter, is the last defendant in the biggest and lengthiest criminal case against U.S. troops to arise from the Iraq War. The attack is considered among the war's defining moments, further tainting America's reputation when it was already at a low point over the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

Military: Marine lost control in Iraq massacre
Haditha massacre defendant: We did what we had to
Last defendant in Iraq war case to stand trial

Wuterich's comment allegedly came in the wake of the death of a Marine in Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment.

The killings in Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005, came after the squad was attacked by a roadside bomb while running a supply convoy.

Dela Cruz and Wuterich, 31, were among the first to jump out of their trucks that day.

He said he saw Wuterich had taken a knee and was pointing his gun at a group of Iraqi men standing in front of a white car nearby.

Dela Cruz testified that he assumed his squad leader had seen something threatening and was shooting, so he also opened fire.

Dela Cruz also performed a "dead check" by spraying bullets at the bodies from a close range.

No weapons were found on the Iraqi men, and none was linked to the insurgency.

Dela Cruz also testified that he regrets urinating on the skull of one of the dead Iraqis, saying he was overtaken by grief for his dead comrade.

"The emotion took over, sir. We had just had one Marine (who) died," said Dela Cruz.

Wuterich told "60 Minutes" that he believed none of the Marines with him went against his orders and they did their job.

Watch the "60 Minutes" interview below:

"They did it well," Wuterich told the news program.

Six squad members have had charges dropped or dismissed, and one was acquitted.

Wuterich's charges were reduced to voluntary manslaughter in nine of the 24 deaths and other crimes. Wuterich also has been charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice.

His lawyer, Neal Puckett, has said Wuterich is confident the all-military jury will acquit him.

[smittyc]

I hope he gets off. Nobody will ever convince me the crowd he shot was not involved. I still remember the Iraqi Revolutionary guard running down the street in their underwear to avoid being identified as soldiers. None of the terrorist wore uniforms.

[B_Erhart]

...further tainting America's reputation when it was already at a low point over the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

Amazing how justice for the bottom tier and NONE for the people who started this war over false pretenses. Think tank liars, media,
W's national security council and Haliburton NEED to be in the dock
while convicting these marines.

Riding around Iraq waiting for someone to blow you up should earn the joint chiefs a court martial too. Why starting wars a serious business. Destroying thousands of lives to line the pocket of a few - TREASON.

[PourpaixPourpaix]

What's the big deal? The Nazis showed us how to fight a war in the 1940s. Our military studied it, adopted all those fine ideas for all future military policy, and trained our youth to implement the policy shift ever since. Everyone knows Muslims aren't as good as real people, so who cares if we shoot a bunch of them when we're having a bad day? Come on, everyone's doing it! Why stop now?

"Hey Hoss, is that a good thing?" "I don't think so, pa!"

[buckyjo]

I agree.

I feel that if you don't speak good American you really aren't a human bean. Besides THOSE people don't love their children as much as we love ours.

[buckyjo]

Not a good day for marine guys.

- The 21st century version of the My Lai massacre.

- The peeing marines.

Harry Truman was right.

[jose_z1]

I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it! I would rather you just said "Thank you," and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think.
.
-a few good men
.
.
.

[USSAmerikan]

It is easy to understand why someone under the duress of combat, after just getting hit and having a brother in arms killed could assume that these folks are scouts or spotters at best or even the very people who prepared the bomb... If, on top of it all, one of them made a threatening gesture...

[PourpaixPourpaix]

Make that "few good men".

[karek40]

You train an individual to become part of a team, you train that team to kill and are surprised and try them, when they do exactly what they were taught to do. Duh

[Lawyers-Guns-n-Money06]

I'm trained to kill morons.

Nervous?

[tiredofliberals]

Lawyers-guns-n-money-- Start with yourself