Haditha Charges Against Marine Dropped

Lance Corporal Was Accused Of Involuntary Manslaughter In 2005 Iraq Killings

(AP)  The Marine Corps on Friday dropped charges and gave full immunity to a serviceman who was accused of involuntary manslaughter in a squad's killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005.

The case against Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, 26, of Edmond, Okla., was dropped as jury selection was about to begin for his court-martial.

The government has been seeking Tatum's testimony against the squad leader, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich of Meriden, Conn.

In February, Tatum received an order to testify against Wuterich and an unrequested immunity order that said anything to which he testified would not be used against him in his court-martial. On Friday, a new immunity order was issued along with the dismissal of charges.

In addition to two counts of involuntary manslaughter, Tatum had been charged with reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.

Tatum's attorney, Jack Zimmerman, said there was no agreement with the government before the dismissal.

"Absolutely, there is no deal," he said.

Zimmerman said Tatum would testify if called as a witness in future trials but that he would testify as a neutral witness, not a government witness.

Camp Pendleton spokesman Lt. Col. Sean Gibson said the dismissal was signed by Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland.

The case stemmed from a squad's assault in response to a roadside bombing of a convoy that killed one Marine and wounded two others.

The government says Wuterich and another Marine shot five men at the scene and the squad leader then ordered his men to clear homes with grenades and gunfire, killing unarmed civilians.

Wuterich faces nine counts of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and obstruction of justice. There is no date set for Wuterich's court-martial.

Wuterich's civilian defense attorney, Neal Puckett, contended that the Tatum dismissal showed the government has a poor case against his client.

"I think it's a further demonstration of how weak the government's case has become. Of the four Marines who fired weapons that day only one still faces charges," Puckett said.

Four enlisted Marines were initially charged with murder and four officers were charged with failing to investigate the deaths. Over time the case has shrunk, including removal of all murder charges.

Tatum was the third enlisted Marine to have all charged dismissed. Only two officers remain charged.

The highest-ranking defendant is Lt. Col. Jeffrey R. Chessani of Rangley, Colo., commander of the Camp Pendleton-based 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment at the time of the Nov. 19, 2005, Haditha killings.

Chessani, accused of dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order, has said he didn't order a formal investigation because he believed the deaths resulted from lawful combat.

[lilvinnyb]

Hey Murtha.... I think you owe this man an apology!

[mjvw2]

You''re right however; Murtha doesn''t have the character to say it.

[quetzal0666]

this Should be tried in International Courts,
not in the rigged Pro U.S. System....

[fibonacci_]

Is that a joke how this guy wears his hat?

[republic1776]

It''s War and we train them to kill.
This kid still has zits.

[randynason]

The truth be known, this soldier broke international law. For this corrupt government to exonerate him only shows how broken the system really is and has been for far too long.

[kyanna1]

hey people,this is a war! these towel heads have no m ercy on our brave men and women who are protecting us and fighting for our freedom here @ home.these people hate me,you,our children and our country!look,i do not agree w/ this war,but these young brave soldiers were told to do something and they are doing it! these guys are like family to each other they are all they have right now,and i know i would do anything to protect my family right or wrong!i would do what it takes!we are not these poor soldiers wonderig if,DADS GONNA KILL ME!)

[kyanna1]

hey singinrich! i agree w/ you, if somebody came here to our country i would be wild too! but wait a minute, there are a lot of people (foreigners)coming here and trying to change America,no more merrychristmas,no more one nation under God,in god we trust! they are even trying to take the American flag out of our schools!remember,in the end times the saying is what was right is going to be wrong,and what was wrong is going to be right! i got off track there,i apologize singinrich,but these towel heads have always hated us and i dont think that we could ever change that, no matter what! i know it sounds negative,i feel that is the truth!

[wothah]

randynason singinrich quetzalo666 fiboncci, you ain''t spit!!! go back to your cammel f##king iran or is that sheep loving syria that you was sh!!t from.

[fibonacci_]

wothah, congrats, your IQ is 86.

[trishab4]

i apologize singinrich,but these towel heads have always hated us and i dont think that we could ever change that, no matter what! i know it sounds negative,i feel that is the truth!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by kyanna1 at 05:46 PM : Mar 28, 2008

-I''d rather say the opposite. We always hated them, and always demonized them, as thieves, Alibabas and SINbads...

[wothah]

fiboncci, thats 87 morn more than your no MARINE abble wearing hat; ''ain''t spit'' a## has got! ! !
plus GOD BLESS AMERICA and the MARINES

[kyanna1]

trishab,remember they(towel heads)attacked us first. it is sad to say,if you went there to coexist with them and try to befriend them they would decapitate you!if one of them(towel head)came here i feel that they would have more of a chance! they have never liked us because of our freedom!what do you think?

[creeper00]

Wanna get away with murder? Join the US military.

[kyanna1]

singinrich,isnt america great? you can speak your mind,tell us all how you feel,(thanks to our soldiers protecting our freedom)and if you dont like America,your always free to leave!GOD BLESS AMERICA! I LOVE THEE!

[libsrweak]

Wanna get away with murder? Join the US military.

Posted by creeper00 at 07:50 PM : Mar 28, 2008
+ report abuse

*********

wanna support terrorists??? become a liberal

(((and these are suppose to be the people who ''are just looking after the best interest of the our american soldiers)))
I would bet a million dollars 99% of all anti-war liberals dont give a sh*t about our soldiers when they demand withdrawal from middle east.

[cmp271]

Anyone who would have liked to be where these guys were when this happened, I am sure you would be welcome.

This is a war zone. Remember??? Some of these kids are too young to be over there. How many of us would have done the same thing? Our marines are human beings, and some of them are very scared.

This did happen in our country-9/11!!!

Never forget!!

[jumkey]

"This is a war zone. Remember??? Some of these kids are too young to be over there. How many of us would have done the same thing? Our marines are human beings, and some of them are very scared."

That''s not an excuse for murder, even in a war zone.

Marines are expected to conduct themselves according the the rules of war (the Hague and Geneva Conventions) and the UCMJ.

To act otherwise makes us the terrorists.

[jumkey]

"I would bet a million dollars 99% of all anti-war liberals dont give a sh*t about our soldiers when they demand withdrawal from middle east."

Posted by Libsrweak

You''d lose. But to make sure I''ll ask my son the next time he calls from Iraq (he''s a Navy Corpsman).

Conservative Republicans who send other people''s children to fight their illegal wars with substandard equipment and who endlessly wave the flag but make no sacrifice themselves (like you pal) are the real military haters.

Given that Bush is a coward and draft dodger himself (like most of the Republican leadership) this isn''t surprising.

[ranger1948]

creeperoo
You are a disgrace to the human race and know nothing about the military or law. It is fact that the rules of evidence in a court martial are much more lenient to be prosecuted with. You do not have to prove as well as you would in a civilian trial. The Marine Corps dropped the charges so i believe this makes the man innocent. Unless you were there you have no idea what those marines went thru that day seeing their buddies killed and wounded.i fought so everyone has a right to their opinion and the right to voice it, in your case i think i made a mistake to fight for that right. You insult every soldier and every vet who has served.

[ranger1948]

I think using the term towel heads is racist. There are many Arabs who do like us and are pro American. The aLquaida is like a bad apple, everyone noices it but doesn''t see the good apples around it. I have met many Muslims and they are fine people.

[ioweign]

I would bet a million dollars 99% of all anti-war liberals dont give a sh*t about our soldiers when they demand withdrawal from middle east.

Posted by Libsrweak at 10:09 PM : Mar 28, 2008

Well putting the military in Iraq really shows how much the present Administration thinks of the military.

White House: 3.5 percent pay hike unnecessary

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 16, 2007 17:34:13 EDT

Troops don''t need bigger pay raises, White House budget officials said Wednesday in a statement of administration policy laying out objections to the House version of the 2008 defense authorization bill.

The Bush administration had asked for a 3 percent military raise for Jan. 1, 2008, enough to match last year''s average pay increase in the private sector. The House Armed Services Committee recommends a 3.5 percent pay increase for 2008, and increases in 2009 through 2012 that also are 0.5 percentage point greater than private-sector pay raises.

The slightly bigger military raises are intended to reduce the gap between military and civilian pay that stands at about 3.9 percent today. Under the bill, HR 1585, the pay gap would be reduced to 1.4 percent after the Jan. 1, 2012, pay increase.

Bush budget officials said the administration "strongly opposes" both the 3.5 percent raise for 2008 and the follow-on increases, calling extra pay increases "unnecessary."

[wothah]

jumkey, if I had a choice of 10 of you, or 1 ''MARINE'' to pick to be on my side "guest what loser"

[ranger1948]

jumkey
And where does it say that theyare allowed to chop off heads of political prisoners on television in the geneva convention ?

[ranger1948]

randynason
Bush broke international law and the laws of our constitution when he invaded Iraq. Our constitution says we will not interfere with the internal workings of a foreign govt. This was an Iraqi matter and should have ben handled by the Iraqui''s, not us.

[ranger1948]

He was offered immunity to testify against his squad leader who is accused of th murders. He would be guilty of comoplicity for not taking action to stop his squad leader, that is why he wasn''t chaeged with murder and offered a plea deal. What isn''t understood here is the loyalty developed between squad members who bond together in war.

[wothah]

ranger 1948; I think that it''s the paper work that "jumkey uses" is the paper work that Rev wright talks about at church about AMERICA; ******* them both in not thanking all that has served and to the ones that gave their all! ! ! //// GOD BLESS AMERICA

[ranger1948]

i see jumkey didn''t wan to answer my question about the beheadings.

[wothah]

jumkey must be a comment dogger, I bet he is in Canadia

[ranger1948]

I have more rspect for CANADA THAN TO WISH JUMKEY ON THEM,

[ranger1948]

i DON''T CARE IF SOMEONE DISAGREES WITH ME, IF YOU DO THEN STANDUP FORMYOUR POINT OF VIEW. i FOUGHT SO WE COULD ALL HAVE THAT RIGHT, I DON''T WANT THAT TO BE IN VAIN.

[ranger1948]

maybe jumkey si actually mcvet adter i caught him lying about being qa veteran. I have caught him under other screennames as well.

[ubrew12]

ranger1948 said: "What isnt understood here is the loyalty developed between squad members who bond together in war. "
In this case, its a loyalty that seems to have been reinforced by the act of blowing the heads of Iraqi women together.

[ranger1948]

ubrew12
The issue here is the charges were dropped because the Marine Corps did not feel they could get a conviction. Therefore under our laws this man is presumed innocent. And who says those women were innocent. The terrorists use women to blow themselves up and fight against our American troops all the time.

[ranger1948]

I just received an email from my daughter in Iraq. I was totally undecided who to vote for so asked her to talk with the soldiers in her unit and see who they want to win. She said they all wanted Hillary as they feel she is the one who will pull them out of Iraq. Now my vote is for Hillary, right or wrong. I feel we owe it to the troops to support what they want.

[cdfoxtrot]

"Haditha Charges Against Marine Dropped". Of course they have. The tactic is as follows: (1) when bad news gets out about criminal behavior by US soldiers, initiate a B.S. study that takes months/years, long enough so that people loose interest; (2) after it''s properly determined that the media have lost interest, drop all charges. Voila. End of problem.

[gce65]

CBS: Why aren''t you calling the events in Haditha what they really are, a MASSACRE?

Will Bush/Cheney frown upon you and complain to your corporate board members? Maybe restrict your access to "unnamed administration sources?" You COWARDS!

What did you report 40 years ago in Viet Nam, that a few unlawful killings took place in Mi Lai?

[kesac4650]

Good for the Corps. Y''all keep listening to "ranger" and his silly stories about why you should vote for Hillary. Hillary is rapidly sliding toward the dustbin of history, and all of his playing pretend will not change that.

[ubrew12]

ranger1948 said: "who says those women were innocent."
No one. That''s why murder works.

[ranger1948]

ubrew12
I don''t understand your last comment about that is why murder works.

[ranger1948]

kesac4650
I always wonder why when someone makes a comment they have to be sarcastic or beligerant. I fought for the right of everyone to have an opinion and to voice it, even you. I do not care for any of the three choices we have to choose from, just like in the last election. That is why i had my daughter to talk to the soldiers in her unit to see who they wanted to be their new Commander in Chief. I have always been supportive of our troops even though i an against th war in Iraq. I have also always been loyal to my country. So remember you can voice your opinion because of the soldiers we have today and the ones including me from the past.

[ranger1948]

gce65
Calley was a scapegoat at Mi Lai. Were the killings unjust ? I do not know i wasn''t there. I know it was a typical story where our troopswould go in and help a village then have them turn on our troops because they were actually communists. What would you have done in Calleys place ? He had seen his men continuously killed by people they had helped. They searched the village and found caches of hidden weapons for the VC. Maybe he lost it and had them killed. Maybe he was following orders like he testified he was. Maybe he figured that if he made an example out of these traitors that it would do some good in the war effort. I wouldn''t try to second guess any man in a combat situation. Noone knows for sure except him and anyone else that was there that day.

[ubrew12]

ranger1948 said: "ubrew12, I dont understand your last comment about that is why murder works."
You kill the witnesses, then you get to define them however you want. One way of looking at it is: the only mistake those soldiers made that day was letting witnesses live. Cuz those witnesses have been pretty universal in condemning what they saw.

Of course, they were Iraqi...

[ranger1948]

ubrew12
Thanks for the clarification. However with the results of the case now it looks like those witnesses must have lacked credibility.