Exonerated!
A Marine corporal who was videotaped shooting an apparently injured and unarmed Iraqi in a Fallujah mosque last year will not face a court-martial, the Marine Corps announced Wednesday.
A review of the evidence showed the Marine’s actions were “consistent with the established rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict,” Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, said in a statement.
Good. I’m glad the evidence proved this, and he was cleared.
Thanks to Gunslinger for the heads up.
Military Thingies | Mr. Bingley | 
May 4, 2005 9:50 pm
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Justice happens.
Good!
What is the old saying? Something like: if you are innocent, you are better off before a military tribunal, if you are guilty, a civilian jury is your best bet.
So the Marines get it right, and the Army (as seen below) is busy implementing Project FUBAR. As seen further below, the Navy is already there. Dese guys, y’know? Get on the ball, we want to be proud of the entire military.
In a battle for hearts and minds, the military needs not just to be willing to punish bad behavior within the ranks, but also to stand behind good soldiering. We did not need this investigation of an obviously appropriate shoot. Any commander on the scene could have vouched for the necessity of immediately dispatching any possum-playing enemy fighter. The calculation that supererogatory self-criticism advances our cause is simply wrong. It plays right into the enemy’s hands, making their claims of wrongdoing seem credible, when a forthright defense could explain directly why their claims of wrongdoing are NOT credible. Now, five months later, we now get a vindication that the mainstream media will run in three paragraphs on page 22. That is better than answering the accusations when they were made in the first place? My full post here.