The Haditha Juries & Truth

I’m not going to belabor this post with the many links and references I usually practice, but get right down to the point: The four of eight Marines charged for crimes at Haditha who will face court martials in 2008 should and will be either exonerated or only found guilty of relatively minor procedural offenses.

The preliminary Article 32 hearings into the facts and circumstances, and the consequent recommendations by the hearing officer, eliminated the most serious charges as inadequately substantiated. What remained was largely reduced by the general who is the convening authority.

What the Marines face is allegations of not being perfect, in the face of battle.

I’ve written that the Marine Corps takes its discipline very seriously, and needs to for its superior performance under great stresses, and that I expected the remaining charges – even reduced, as many are -- to proceed to court martial.

Also, in the glare of negative publicity upon the United States and its Marine Corps generated by the media’s previous rush to judgment, mostly proven false in the Article 32 hearings, proceeding to court martials could hardly be avoided without in turn generating further unfounded accusations of justice not done to Iraqis.

In other words, the court martials are for the most part political. Any remaining disciplinary matters could have more ordinarily been handled by administrative sanctions.

At core: Lt. Col. Chessani stands accused of not being in two places at once, when other locations than Haditha were hotter at the moment. SSgt Wuterich stands accused of not excessively risking the lives of the men entrusted to him. LCpl Tatum remains charged with, pardon my sarcasm, recklessly being a fighting Marine. And, Lt Grayson stands accused of working within the rules.

I realize that’s oversimplifying. However, it is the core of the remaining charges.

They will be carefully evaluated during the court martials. I expect the result will be the Marines not being found guilty of the most severe charges, and perhaps more minor technicalities being upheld against them.

In future posts I will return to my more usual detailed presentations and analyses, but for this New Year’s day wanted to more simply lay out the basic underlying truths. A common resolution at New Year's day is to speak the truth. As a former Marine, I've confidence in my fellow Marines, both before and in judgment, to also find the core truths.

So, it’s not a happy new year for these Marines, being forced to face further ordeals. But, it will be a happier new year in 2009, as their conduct and honor, and that of their Corps and country, are demonstrated to be higher than that of their accusers.