Haditha Marine's Order: "Kill Everybody"

Marine Testifies Against Former Leader Who Ordered Retaliation For Roadside Bombs

(AP)  The leader of a squad of Marines that killed 24 Iraqis in Haditha told two soldiers a week before the assault if they were ever hit by a roadside bomb they should kill everyone in the area, a former squad member testified Friday.

Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz said he had the conversation with Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich and another Marine while the men were smoking cigarettes during some down time. A roadside bomb had gone off that day and injured several Marines, Dela Cruz said.

Dela Cruz was testifying at a hearing to determine if Wuterich, 27, of Meriden, Conn., should stand trial on charges of murdering 17 Iraqis.

"Everybody was pretty much upset," Dela Cruz told the prosecutor, Lt. Col. Sean Sullivan. "We were smoking outside ... for whatever reason Staff Sergeant Wuterich made this comment that if we ever got hit again we should kill everybody in that vicinity, sir, to teach them a lesson."

About a week later, on Nov. 19, 2005, another bomb did go off, killing Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas of El Paso, Texas. In the aftermath of the blast, five men were shot dead by a car and other men, women and children were killed as Marines went on a house-to-house sweep, ostensibly looking for the bomb's triggerman.

Dela Cruz was initially charged with murder for participating in the killing of the men by the car. Prosecutors dropped those charges in exchange for his testimony.

In all, four enlisted Marines were charged with murder and four officers were charged with dereliction of duty for failing to investigate the deaths. Charges have been dropped against three of the men.

Dela Cruz testified that he saw Wuterich shoot the five men by the car, then follow up with close-range chest shots to make sure they were dead. Dela Cruz said he too fired at the men.

Wuterich has previously said he shot the men because they were running away from the scene of the bomb blast. Military rules at the time allowed Marines to kill those seen fleeing in this way. But Dela Cruz claimed the men were "just standing around," some with their hands interlocked on their heads.

"Those men are not running, sir," Dela Cruz testified. "Some of them had their hands up."

Dela Cruz also testified that Wuterich had told him that "if anybody asked about the five guys by the white car, that they were running away and the Iraqi army shot them."

The Marines were on patrol with a handful of Iraqi soldiers when the incident occurred.

Wuterich's lead military defense counsel, Lt. Col. Colby Vokey, was expected to cross-examine Dela Cruz later Friday.

Vokey said Thursday that Dela Cruz's account was incorrect, and the Marine had changed his story several times over the course of the investigation.

"He has given many statements and given many different versions. Dela Cruz is all over the map," Vokey said.

[Krazcarl]

War is *ell we put young men in harms way poor decesions will be made. To me they lack leadership much like the country.

[xzavierbrown]

IN WARFARE..HIS ONLY CRIME WAS ..HE DIDNT

[xzavierbrown]

Let your imagination run with this one.....imagine the bush(wacker) thinking he is a Spartan, imagine ole dubya in the movie The 300? As what is what I am wondering. I wonder how often him and cheney do each other just to have touch of human contact once in a while.
Posted by knyghtwolf at 04:25 PM : Sep 01, 2007
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and the DNC is the corrupt oracle..and you are the one who conspired with the persing king the weak the resolve of the spartan people..I LIKE YOUR IDEA

[knyghtwolf]

Let your imagination run with this one.....imagine the bush(wacker) thinking he is a Spartan, imagine ole dubya in the movie The 300? As what is what I am wondering. I wonder how often him and cheney do each other just to have touch of human contact once in a while.

[kaiyo4u]

Posted by nggr at 07:41 PM : Aug 31, 2007

Let''s get Old Testament on them! Yeah, just what we should be doing in a war. We want to change one of the oldest civilizations in the world, we''re going to have to implement Old Testament rules... You can''t have anyone left that will remember the "old" life...

[xzavierbrown]

I would not risk sending my men in if I know there are pockets of insurgents out in the field.
The biggest fear would be hearing liberals are watching my every move making sure that I properly kill my enemy.


Maybe liberal hollywood should make a reality show..send in those big shot celebrities and send them in a warzone..dont have to be iraq..which one do they love..oh Durfur..give them regular issue and tell them to patrol..let me see how far they get before they buckle

[xzavierbrown]

Posted by gretagreen at 07:32 PM : Aug 31, 2007
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I trully understand how you feel..why dont you guys have a peace rally somewhere in Baghdad outside of the greenzone..LETS ASK THEM TO HOLD HANDS AND STOP ALL THIS VIOLENCE...AFTER THAT..we can a peace convoy..just like the 60''s and go to terhan...lets take all our cloths off and hand out flowers to iranians..and give them a hug..

peace is a 2 way road....

[aznyron-2009]

trying to cover a crime when people see you do it is fruitless Unless you are a Republican President or a VP they should have gotten advice from V.President Cheyney he good at covering up crimes like 9-11-01 and the Iraq war the reason I do not mention the President is because he can''t chew gum with out drooling all over himself
he has to get permission from the V.P to act LOL
because the rules were set by his Daddy before he ran in 2000

[p-syrus]

the spartans would never have done this to one of their soldiers.

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Of course not. Spartans took pride in the level of violence of which their "men" were capable as well as their ability to channel that violence on the command of their leaders.

They use to send their young men out in the country armed only with a knife. The young men were then expected to hunt & kill spartan slaves for "sport" and without being caught.

Spartans were not an acceptable role model for u.s. military personnel.

[radiob-2009]

How long was Sgt. Frank Wuterich deployed in Iraq before this occurence took place? Was he a regular Marine or was he a member of the guard prior to Iraq? I am not excusing his comments or least of all his actions, I am questioning his "state of mind" for his actions.