Charges Dropped Against Captain In Haditha Case
Capt. Lucas M. McConnell
CAMP PENDLETON — – Dereliction of duty charges have been dismissed against a Marine captain whose troops killed 24 Iraqis in November 2005 after a roadside bomb killed a comrade, the Marine Corps announced Tuesday.
Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of the Marine Forces Central Command, decided that any of what a statement referred to as “errors or omissions” made by Capt. Lucas M. McConnell would best be handled through an administrative process.
McConnell and three other officers were charged in December with failing to investigate the killings in the Iraqi town of Haditha as a possible war crime.
The administrative process could range from verbal counseling to a letter in McConnell’s personnel file. The letter could hurt his chances for promotion or a choice assignment.
McConnell was relieved of duty as commanding officer of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, during the investigation that led to charges against the four officers and four enlisted Marines. He was not at the scene of the killings.
Mattis has dismissed charges against two officers, McConnell and Capt. Randy Stone, and two enlisted Marines, Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt and Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz.
Mattis is considering recommendations by hearing officers that charges against Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum be dismissed and that Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the battalion commander, face court-martial.
A hearing officer has yet to forward a recommendation about Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, who was the squad leader when Marines killed five Iraqi men in the street and seven children, three women and nine men in three houses. Charges are also pending against Lt. Andrew A. Grayson.
Mattis has been serving as convening authority in the Haditha case and in other cases of alleged brutality committed by Marines in the Iraqi towns of Hamandiya and Fallouja and in Afghanistan.
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About fucking time. So what are they going to do now? Put a “Letter Of Concern” in his 201 file to fuck him over?
September 19th, 2007 at 5:46 amThey should just drop charges against all the Marines. They were under attack and all they did was fire back.
September 19th, 2007 at 6:27 amDanielle I am afraid that you are absolutely wrong. They did not just fire back when they got shot at.
September 19th, 2007 at 7:19 amThings happened on a much grander scale. From everything that I have read, both opinion and fact, it appears that their convoy had been hit by an IED, and was hit by an ambush at the time that the assault on the Haditha took place.
These Marines were taking heavy fire and had just lost a vehicle and friends to the IED and they were still able to conduct themselves in a professional and and proficient manner while conducting a textbook assault on the houses that fire was coming from. The convening athority, Lt. Gen. Mattis should not only not recomend that these Marines not by Courts Martialed, he should ensure that these Marines recieve medals and commendations for their clear headed actions and reactions in the heat of battle.
These Marines did not go overboard. They managed the threat the same as we are taught from the beginning of “BootCamp”.
The only group of people that should go before a Courts Martial are the members of the House and Senate that condemned these brave Marines before the facts came to light.
I talked to Shitbird Murtha’s press guy Matt Mazonki and asked if Murtha was going to apologize as publicly as he labled the Marines “cold blooded killers”, Matt said to answer that would only be speculation. Murtha had no problem commenting before the facts were out, isn’t that speculation?
Howie,
Should these guys be hung-out to dry? No. But what they did shouldn’t be commended. War sucks and shitty things are going to happen, but rewarding soldiers for gunning down civilians? Give me a break. They screwed-up. Their actions were not level-headed. Furthermore, the officers involved did not make these decisions in the ‘heat of battle.’ If they had done a better job we wouldn’t be hearing about this situation because it would have been handled internally.
As far as the charges being dismissed. That’s great but the Capt’s career is over. He’ll go to NJP, get a Ltr of Reprimand and get admin separated from the Marines. Shitty situation for everyone.
September 19th, 2007 at 8:00 amMurtha should be hung out to dry on a meat hook. His apology wouldn’t even mean shit now.
September 19th, 2007 at 8:57 am