The Marines and families of the Haditha Marines- Our Marines- need this travesty to end. The higher echelon of the Corps, namely Lt Gen James Mattis, needs to put a swift end to this miscarriage of military justice. These seven brave Marines have endured enough. They were part of one of the finest infantry battalions in the Marine Corps, "The Thundering Third." Two of its members have earned the Navy Cross. Dozens have been awarded Silver Stars and Bronze Stars for heroism. They are all heroes. Their return from Iraq in the spring of 2006 was subdued by the cloud of these baseless charges. It is time to free them of this burden.
The evidence has finally seen the light of day.
The May 17th ramblings of a US Congressman have proven false. John Murtha lied about his briefing by the Commandant of the Marine Corps before his May 17th "in cold blood" statement. Gen Michael Hagee provided a progress update on the Haditha investigations to Congressional leaders, to include John Murtha, on May 26, 2006. A week AFTER Murtha's May 17th murder accusations against Our Haditha Marines. How long will we allow John Murtha to continue to hide in the shadows of HIS lies?
Capt Jeffrey Dinesmore testified "it's fairly well established" there were insurgents in the houses 3rd squad 3/1 Kilo Co assaulted on 19 Nov 2005. An unmanned aerial reconnaissance drone provides undeniable video footage as to the presence of the insurgents. Our Marines did not massacre innocent civilians as Time magazine reported. They reacted to definite threats and followed Rules of Engagement and their training in eliminating these threats. An Iraqi soldier, Sgt Amer Mashoot, who was with the Marines said he thought the attack on the houses was warranted because the entire convoy was taking fire. Investigators noted he believed the Marines "had justification" because they were "defending themselves." When will we hear his testimony?
Maj Dana Hyatt, in his court testimony, further identifies the presence of the insurgents. He testified that four of the men killed inside one of the houses were insurgents. In a previous statement to Andrew Walden on 5 June 2006, Maj Hyatt stated the list of 15 victims deemed noncombatants was put together by intelligence personnel attached to the battalion. 24 minus 15 equals NINE. The Marine Corps knew that NINE insurgents were killed by 3rd squad 3/1 Kilo Co on 19 Nov 2005. One-third of the dead in Haditha were insurgents. Why did the Marine Corps allow this civilian massacre story to perpetuate?
Those of you on Free Republic who have followed this investigation can now better understand the agony and heartbreak we have endured. My family and the six other families of Our Haditha Marines. We knew Our Marines were innocent of these charges. The officers of 3/1 Kilo Co had nothing to investigate. The enlisted men followed their Rules of Engagement in eliminating the threat on the ground. Sharratt, Wuterich, Tatum, Stone, Chessani, Grayson and McConnell, all honorable Marines serving their country. The careers of these seven honorable Marines have been ruined by the false accusations of politicians and the media. How long will we permit this travesty of justice to continue? Lt. Gen James Mattis, it should never have been allowed to begin. EXONERATE OUR HADITHA MARINES
Darryl Sharratt
Talk Show America 5/14/2007
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