Sgt. Wuterich on 60 Minutes
Sgt. Wuterich of Haditha infamy was on 60 Minutes tonight. It wasn't pretty.
Early on, Wuterich gives the rules of engagement for using deadly force: positive ID, hostile act, hostile intent. The interviewer, Scott Pelley, then takes him through the events of the day. One of the men in his squad was killed when an IED hit his vehicle. Essentially, Wuterich shot and killed the first Iraqis he saw after that happened. There was no positive ID, and likely no hostile act by this group of Iraqis.
Wuterich and his men then decided to 'clear' two nearby houses. Again, the criteria for using deadly force were not followed. Part of clearing was to roll a grenade into a neigboring room through a crack in a door, although they had no idea who was present. This is how a bunch of children got killed. Wuterich first says he did not fire his weapon, they Pelley reminds him that six of the bodies had bullets from his gun.
Apologetics for atrocities such as Haditha often include the story about how the people committing the atrocities had been getting shot at , their friends got killed, etc. This is no excuse, but I am not sure who it is not an excuse for. It's not an excuse for those committing atrocites, since plenty of their comrades do not commit atrocities in the same circumstances.
But it is also not an excuse for the commanders to scapegoat Wuterich. When they start a war or send people into battle, they know some people will snap, although they may not know who or when. I do not know to what extent Marine training tries to prevent this from happening, but it is clear from human nature that it will be far short of 100% successful.
Trials of people like Wuterich are show trials. They are trying to score a PR point that "we are not cold blooded killers," for both domestic and internation consumption. People who snap and commit atrocities are tried for their personal failings alone, although the commanders know full well that if you subject a large group of people to the stress of combat, a certain percentage are likely to commit atrocities. Because they recognize that it is unfair to try individuals like Wuterich alone, defense attorneys are allowed to present a lot of evidence concering the particular stresses the defendent was subject to, thus influencing courts to give light sentences.
The same forces at work in the Haditha case were also at work in the My Lai and other atrocities from the Vietnam war.
In his interview, Wuterich does not come across as someone who was really well trained. This could be an ominous sign for the troops being sent to Iraq for the current surge without full training.
Early on, Wuterich gives the rules of engagement for using deadly force: positive ID, hostile act, hostile intent. The interviewer, Scott Pelley, then takes him through the events of the day. One of the men in his squad was killed when an IED hit his vehicle. Essentially, Wuterich shot and killed the first Iraqis he saw after that happened. There was no positive ID, and likely no hostile act by this group of Iraqis.
Wuterich and his men then decided to 'clear' two nearby houses. Again, the criteria for using deadly force were not followed. Part of clearing was to roll a grenade into a neigboring room through a crack in a door, although they had no idea who was present. This is how a bunch of children got killed. Wuterich first says he did not fire his weapon, they Pelley reminds him that six of the bodies had bullets from his gun.
Apologetics for atrocities such as Haditha often include the story about how the people committing the atrocities had been getting shot at , their friends got killed, etc. This is no excuse, but I am not sure who it is not an excuse for. It's not an excuse for those committing atrocites, since plenty of their comrades do not commit atrocities in the same circumstances.
But it is also not an excuse for the commanders to scapegoat Wuterich. When they start a war or send people into battle, they know some people will snap, although they may not know who or when. I do not know to what extent Marine training tries to prevent this from happening, but it is clear from human nature that it will be far short of 100% successful.
Trials of people like Wuterich are show trials. They are trying to score a PR point that "we are not cold blooded killers," for both domestic and internation consumption. People who snap and commit atrocities are tried for their personal failings alone, although the commanders know full well that if you subject a large group of people to the stress of combat, a certain percentage are likely to commit atrocities. Because they recognize that it is unfair to try individuals like Wuterich alone, defense attorneys are allowed to present a lot of evidence concering the particular stresses the defendent was subject to, thus influencing courts to give light sentences.
The same forces at work in the Haditha case were also at work in the My Lai and other atrocities from the Vietnam war.
In his interview, Wuterich does not come across as someone who was really well trained. This could be an ominous sign for the troops being sent to Iraq for the current surge without full training.
posted by Tommy Times at 6:20 PM
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