 "Photo: GREGORY BULL / The Associated Press")
Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich led a group of marines through the town of Haditha, Iraq, on Nov. 19, 2005. Not far from the village, their convoy was rocked by an improvised explosive device, a roadside bomb, which took the life of one of Wuterich's men.
In utter disregard for U.S. military convention, Wuterich gave an order which will surely find its way into the annals of history: "Shoot first, ask questions later."
That is not an embellishment — those were his exact words.
With no culprits handy, Wuterich's men began going house to house shooting.
As their rifles cooled, 24 Iraqi men, women and children lay dead. Among the casualties were an elderly couple, a man in a wheelchair and 10 women and young children.
It's this sort of indiscriminate disrespect for life that has given our enemies their most potent recruitment tool — there can be no doubt that the Haditha massacre will, if it hasn't already, become a rallying cry for the Iraqi insurgency.
One of Wuterich's men testified that he and Wuterich blind-fired into a dark bedroom. Investigators later found the bodies of a woman and a young child, bullet-ridden, lying on the bedroom floor.
Wuterich initially reported that he and his men had come under small arms fire from the direction of the homes they assaulted. Wuterich would later contradict and redact that statement at trial.
Wuterich wasn't just gunning people down in cold blood, he was murdering all of the good will we've attempted to build in that war-shattered nation.
Military investigators were dispatched to the scene shortly after the incident. They found no weapons on the bodies or in the homes of the Iraqi civilians. The investigation further revealed that all of the civilians had been shot multiple times, at close range.
These findings were corroborated by members of Wuterich's team.
No insurgents, no guns, no bombs.
Wuterich was found guilty of negligent dereliction of duty Jan. 24 and sentenced to a reduction in rank. He and the eight other members of his team all walked free.
He wasn't even dishonorably discharged — he still wears the uniform of a United States Marine.
Awis Fahmi Hussein, a survivor of the Haditha massacre, told an AP reporter that he had expected Wuterich to be sentenced to life in prison. He expected justice for the people of Haditha because he trusted the United States to treat his people fairly.
What Hussein got was a statement of apology from Wuterich. A statement saying that Wuterich was sorry, and that the people of Haditha were the true victims of that unfortunate mistake.
Wuterich's almost-acquittal is a textbook definition of a miscarriage of justice. This is why our enemies find no shortage of willing recruits. Wuterich not only gunned down a house full of innocent Iraqis, but he also covered up the deaths of U.S. servicemen at the hands of an outraged Iraqi public.
When I underwent Basic Combat Training for the U.S. Army in Fort Jackson, S.C., it was drilled into our heads repeatedly: Do not fire on unarmed civilians.
Do not act out of rage. Do not take life as punishment.
Soldiers of the United States military are expected to be professional and concise. It is part of a soldier's duty to pause and gauge the situation — this concept holds true in particular for a man in a leadership position.
I never saw combat. I can't testify to Wuterich's state of mind. But I can testify to the fact that his actions went against everything the U.S. military teaches its soldiers. U.S. soldiers kill in the line of duty. They kill as part of achieving an objective.
They do not murder.
We would never allow something like this to take place here at home. If it were American civilians, we too would be outraged. What happened in Haditha was a tragedy and a war crime. Wuterich should not have been allowed to walk out of that courtroom a free man.
Wuterich has tarnished the honor of the United States. We have not done ourselves justice by letting him walk; we have not done justice by who we are as Americans — and we have yet to bring justice to the people of Haditha.
Nicholas Pierce is a 22-year-old history junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_nabdulpierc.
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Contact Nicholas Pierce at npierce@lsureveille.com
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