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Take No Prisoners

Another proud moment in U.S. Military History.

U.S. Marines execute an Iraqi to the cheers of fellow marines

-:WARNING:-

This video should only be viewed by a mature audience

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Page Updated: 12/15/03 2:13 PM: PST.

Transcript: 

CNN Presents: Fit To Kill

Aired October 26, 2003 - 20:00 ET

CROWLEY: Wounded, another Iraqi writhes on the ground next to his gun. The Marines kill him -- then cheer.

RIDDLE: Like, man, you guys are dead now, you know. But it was a good feeling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah!

CROWLEY: When the battle is over and you are still standing, the adrenalin rush is huge.

RIDDLE: I mean, afterwards you're like, hell, yeah, that was awesome. Let's do it again.

CROWLEY: Inexplicable to some, but not to generations of veterans. Continued Here

U.S. ENEMY PRISONER OF WAR (EPW) AND CIVILIAN INTERNEE (CI) OPERATIONS INSTRUCTIONS

Basic U.S. policy underlying the treatment accorded EPW and all other enemy personnel captured, interned, or otherwise held in U.S. Army custody during the course of a conflict requires and directs that all such personnel be accorded humanitarian care and treatment from the moment of custody until final release or repatriation. The observance of this policy is fully and equally binding upon U.S. personnel, whether capturing troops, custodial personnel, or in whatever other capacity they may be serving. This policy is equally applicable for the protection of all detained or interned personnel, whether their status is that of prisoner of war, civilian internee, or any other category. It is applicable whether they are known to have, or are suspected of having, committed serious offenses which could be characterized as a war crime. The punishment of such persons is administered by due process of law and under the legally constituted authority. The administration of inhumane treatment, even if committed under stress of combat and with deep provocation, is a serious and punishable violation under national law, international law, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Violations of this policy, and the laws and regulations may result in an individual being prosecuted as a war criminal. Anyone observing a violation of law, or suspecting one has happened, has a positive legal obligation to report it to appropriate authorities. Failure to do so is a violation in itself. Continued

Convention (I) for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field. Geneva, 12 August 1949.

Comments from readers regarding this video.

Tom-  I believe the way you present the 'shocking' video you have on your website is very irresponsible and inflammatory.   The very fact that it is presented without amplifying remarks or background information, coupled with how you use 'execute' to describe the situation, illustrates how naive you are to military operations.  

The current policy in Iraq is to SHOOT ON SIGHT ANYBODY emplacing IEDs....yes, those nasty little roadside bombs that have killed almost 200 of our service personnel.  But of course, given the very OBVIOUS leftist slant of your website, it is apparent that you wouldn't see fit to report all the facts, choosing instead to attempt to use such media
to advance your faltering liberal agenda, rather than condemn a terrorist agenda.  Where on your website do you report the assassinations by terrorists who only hope to get their country back up and running, or the indiscriminate bombings that kill innocent, non-combatant Iraqis?  

Forget the fact that we have build hundreds of schools, enabled democracy, re-energized the Iraqi economy, or that Saddam killed tens of thousands of people (to name a few).   According to your website, a day doesn't go by when we aren't killing Afghani children or conspiring with the Israelis to take over the world.  

Too bad the economy is up, and the Dems best hopes lie w/ Howard Dean...Good luck with that!   Bush in 2004!  

SEMPER FI!

Capt. James Kimber
United States Marine Corps
Training & Education Command
Reconnaissance & Special Skills Officer
COMM: (703)784-3041 DSN 278
FAX: (703)432-0608
EMAIL: kimberjs@tecom.usmc.mil

I cannot believe you want us to believe that the video you show of the US
Marines killing that man is anything but a propaganda issue?  Why didn't you
include the part where this character was laying in ambush for the Marine
patrol to wlak by?  Why didn't you show the part where he is rigging an
improvised explosive device to go off the next convoy that drives by it?

What you have shown here is prue drivell.  I am outraged that you have the
audactiy to put this on your site.  I am further embarassed if someone
actually believes that "their" Marines would do such a thing to a person who
didn't deserve it.  Don't give me "Well, thats for courts to decide."
argument.  This is a battle zone and you have ZERO idea of what these 18-22
year oldss are having to deal with on a daily basis. 

I am appalled and dismayed at your lack of support for our troops, my
brothers in arms, that are out there.  You say "I support the troops, not
the mission."  But when you show vulgarity like that on your site, you have
no support for them at all. 

Obviously, your kids are not in the military.

CWO2 Bryan M Simon, USMC
Combat Cargo Officer USS Juneau
E-Mail: simonb@juneau.navy.mil
Siprnet: simonb@juneau.navy.smil.mil

Dear Sir;

I saw both the video on the front page and read the letters from the Marines. 

Disgusting. 

I too, am recently returned from seven months in Iraq, with a Division Cavalry unit. I see nothing to defend in that video and am glad that you have archived it so that others can see it. As a scout with over twenty years in the Army, mostly in combat units, I would say that what is captured on the video appears to be murder and in violation of the Law
of Land Warfare. 

This is not how warriors behave but how thugs operate. If the Iraqi man was indeed laying in ambush or setting an IED, then it is entirely appropriate to shoot him and to shoot him until he is no longer a threat. Once he ceased combat operations however, it became the soldiers' job to treat him and give him the same aid they would have one of our wounded soldiers receive. 

That's how the Law of Land Warfare works. 

To use him as a target and appear so joyful about it demonstrates that murder occurred and not combat operations. That is not a reflection of how callous all the soldiers are or what is encouraged or allowed in units. That unit has a problem. Any commander that glosses over that incident is neglecting his duty.

In the opening days of the war, our medics treated many Iraqi casualties, sometimes heroically. That's what you do. Its the law. I have no love lost for Iraqis, especially after watching the ones so happy to get a handout dance so gleefully in soldier's blood. 

Our troops killed plenty, engaging in combat actions. My instructions to soldiers on missions almost always included the words - "if at anytime you feel threatened, shoot, shoot first and shoot center mass." But at no time were any of our soldiers instructed, allowed or countenanced to murder an injured person, be he combatant or not. I took pride that my commander insisted we "keep our mean faces on. We are not here to make
friends" but also insisted on the humane treatment, even recommending our PA for an award solely for working heroically on an Iraqi casualty.

This man had attempted to engage our forces, was shot and shot bad and eventually died. No one was happy that a human died. We understood that if we are to expect to be treated a certain way upon injury or capture, then we must treat the enemy the same way. That's what warriors do.

1SG Perry D. Jefferies <pjefferies@hot.rr.com>
Copperas Cove, TX

www.jeffzed.org
...information wants to be free...

Mike Roberts: 

Remember that we applied the Geneva Conventions of War to some Japanese
Generals and hung them for doing exactly the same thing, summarily executing
US POWs.

John Stone

Elizabeth Mann

Bob Simms

This information is very important for everyone. War is no fun nor is it glorious. These kind of incidents are more common place than  people think. Every generation has seen this but we are to traumatized to speak of it even years afterwards. Those who spend time talking about it either were not there or are not normal. Those in the latter category  are few and far between.

Thomas D, U....

I just watched that video and I am shocked to say the least.  I would  first like to direct my comment to the two "Marines" that decided to comment.  First of all, you are both rear area personnel.  Neither of you are frontline combatants, with possibly the exception of the combat controller, but definately not the desk jockey captain.  I was a combat engineer, and a MSG.  Do not sit back at your desk and defend those actions.  The Army scout that stated that those were in DIRECT violation of the Laws of War were correct.  This is somethign that was drilled into our heads in bootcamp, MCT, and in School.  The enemy was wounded and as stated by the Geneva Convention we are bound to provide him help.  That video proved that some of our troops are no better than the ones they are killing.  I GUARANTEE that if video footage had been shown of Iraqi troops doing that, everyone would have lost their minds.  People lost their minds when they saw a U.S. serviceman being dragged through the streets of Somalia.  And he was dead already.  Imagine if they would have done that to your darling Jessica Lynch.  But no, the Iraqi doctors saved her.  THEY SAVED HER LIFE.  So, don't sit there behind your desk and try to rationalize what those "Marines" did.   What's truly ironic, is that you would defend those "Marines" but any Marine under your command would probably be prosecuted under the UCMJ if they sent a dirty joke over email.

But let's look at it on a more tactical level.  Should we have saved him, we COULD HAVE


INTERROGATED HIM.  Did you ever think of that?  No, probably not.  A live POW provides more information than a dead one.  We possibly could have found out more about the cells, but this "kill them all mentality" is what is stopping us.  I know you have interpreter/interrogators there, try freaking using them.  With people like that blind-to-the-facts desk jockey Captain, and that brainwashed Combat Controller running the show, it's no wonder that the post war operations have been such a sham. 

Tom, I would like to say that not all Marines are like that.  In fact, most probaably arent.  I would like to think that there was a reason they did what they did.  I would like to know the background behind what led up to that.  Of course even then, I don't think that what they did was justified.  It was wrong, just plain wrong.

Rob

Tom,

I viewed the video of the US MArines  shooting the Iraqi on the ground.  I
was appalled at the behaviour and attitude of the Marines involved.  So the
man was armed and was involved in a shootout.  He was also wounded,
disarmed, distraut and probably seeking help.  What the Marines did was
sheer bloody murder, and if the US Government had any credibility they would
prosecute those involved as crimminal s and murderers.  What also appalled
me was the attitude of those who carrie dout the crime.  Stating how great
it felt and that (in the case of one Marine) he wanted to do it again.  Have
we, or to be more precise the US now got a future mass murderer  on ntheir
hands?  Will these men be deprogrammed before being sent home to their
families?  Will these people who now have a taste for killing and liking it
carry on later in life?  God (if she or he exists) I hope not.

As to the comments from serving members of the USMC who replied to your
publishing the article.  These two men, both leaders in the US Armed Forces
have sent a message that those leaders support murder.  Lt William Caley did
in Vietnam, as did his Battalion and Brigade Commanders.  Additionally I was
appalled by the political views expressed by one of the individuals.  Such a
blatant expression of political views and bias is, in my opinion also
indefensible.  Soldiers can have a political view, but they should not
publically express those views as a soldier. If Captain Kimber USMC and CWO
Simon wanted to criticise your handling of the article they should have done
so as Mr Kimber or Mr Simon.   If these two men were sefing members of the
Australian Defence Forces they would have been in more trouble than Ned
Keley (an Australian Bushranger or outlaw hung for his crimes) and would
have been reprimanded by the Military Authorities.

If some Hawks in the US or elsewhere want to paint me as a left wing namby
pamby pacifist, get this.  I am a Vietnam Veterna and proud of it.  We
Australian Vets, as with the US, NZ, Thai, Taiwanese, Korean, Philippine etc
comrades, did a job that we were sent to do.  It is irrrelevant now whether
that War was justified or not.  I also served for 20.5 years in the
Australian Regular Army, including 10 years in the Australian Army
Intelligence Corps.  I believe I can recognise an illegal act when I seee
one.  What I saw in that Video was an illegal act.  A man writhing in agony
on the ground, taken out of the fight, who could not protect himself,
probably in shock, was shot once and probably twice - IN THE BACK.  I
thought it was the code of the great American West not to shoot a man in the
back.  That was supposed to be the cowards way.

I conclude murder is murder.  In addition that the US Armed Forces, the Bush
Administration, and the wider American community must wake up to the fact
that most of those killing Americans do so because they have seen their
country destroyed, invaded, and occupied by foreign powers.  Just as the
French did between 1940 and 1945, the Poles did in the same period they are
patriots fighting for their country.

Regards

Charles Dearling

Dear Sir,

Finding a link to your page
(http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5365.htm) on a military and history board I frequently visit, I was (once
again) shocked by the savageness the US forces show in Iraq.

To introduce myself, I am a German student of history and English, I have
served in the German Forces and, as every patriot, I am proud of my country.

For me the United States always were a nation of great people. People who do
not hesitate to stand up for anything they believe in. Unfortunately however
it seems that certain lessons were not learned by your goverment. Especially
to mention the lession of deescalation and correct behaviour in an occupied
country. The fact that men like Capt. James Kimber and CWO2 Bryan M Simon
state your website and the presenting of the video as "devious" or "outraging"
simply shows that they do not know the most basic rules of the "Haager
Landkriegsordnung" (laws of landwarfare, constituted at the beginning of the 20th
century) and the Conventions of Geneve. I am not aware how US recruits are
schooled in terms of international law, but I would expect them to meat German
standards at least. Every German soldier, before even holding a rifle for the
first time is schooled in international law, law of war and war ethics. As the
US forces tend to be more likely involved in off country operations I would
consider it irresponsible to send young boys unschooled into war.

I am well aware that US soldiers receive less cultural education about the
countries they enter, a fact leading to deviant behaviour in the eyes of many
Iraqis, but yet the problem of the US forces in Iraq is not behaviong
deviant, but simply contraproductive. If the USA would have learned as much from
German Worldwar II experiences as they took our scientists, they could have won
Vietnam (or propably would not have entered it at all), but surely they would
not pay such a high bloodtoll in Iraq.

Entering hostile territory is never easy, but keeping occupied territory
quiet is even a harder task to manage. Looking back on German expierences the
USA should have learned the following:
# You cannot win a partisan/guerilla war.
# Everytime your forces are ambushed and you do punishment raids, the
guerillas will do punishment raids as well. But they will be more succesful than
you.
# Fighting guerillas is fighting people who got nothing to loose and are
willing to die for their cause, so killing them is like saying: Yes you are
right.
We experienced this on the Balkan, in Greece, Italy and of course Russia.

I do not know if these marines showen in the video were attacked in the
first place, but as you stated it was not an appropriate response to kill the
man. After all he was lying on the ground, visibly unable to act and seizing to
be a threat. Law imperates to help this man. I fully agree with 1SG Perry D.
Jefferies and am not able too add anything in this matter.

For the future I wish the very best for our Allies the United States of
America. Though I fear a political confrontation coming up between the EU and the
USA I still have hopes for a century as bright as the past. I hope Mr Bush
will loose next years election and wish you all the best, Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year. May their be peace in these strange times.

OG d. R. Christian U. Wohlthat

Einigkeit, Recht, Freiheit

Maybe someone should let the commanding officer of the USS Juneau
(oflahertyk@juneau.navy.mil) Kevin O'Flaherty and the Commanding General
of the Marine Corp Training Command (FlynnG@tecom.usmc.mil) BG George
Flynn  know what outstanding Marines they have in their command. 
Marines like these who encourage through their words the violation of the
Geneva and Hague convention. 
As a former Military police man who served with 3AD during Desert Storm
this video makes me ill.  The man is obviously wounded and no longer a
combatant.  These Marines are no longer soldiers in my eyes but cold
blooded killers. 

Paul