I have set out below the facts that I can distill from reporting and military briefings about the Haditha and Ishaqi atrocities. I have used the same headings for organizing these data to describe the My Lai massacre in 1968 and to offer a basis of comparison.
Ishaqi
Number of Iraqis Killed: 11 including 5 children, 4 women
(1person not accounted for)
Military figure: 4 bodies of a man and two women and a child; an Al-Qaeda suspect was taken into custody; "up to
9 collateral deaths" with no accounting of ages or sex of victims.
Discrepancy in bodies recovered = 7 plus all the bodies were found in one room handcuffed and covered in blankets
Date of incident = March 2006
Evidence = Knight Ridder, AP and Agence-Presse photos and Video evidence showing bodies with gunshot wounds to the heads.
See the Schofield article at: http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/14138980.htm
Reported in press =March 19, 2006
Military Rationale Offered: Soldiers were following rules of
engagement and therefore no atrocity occurred. Soldiers had behaved correctly in pursuing an Al-Qaeda suspect who had fired at them. "Troops
approached a suspected Al Qaeda safe house, they were fired on and responded
with a massive ground and air assault. The report said they apprehended the target
of the operation that killed one man, two women, and a child. It said the heavy
fire collapsed the roof." Boston Globe, 6/3/06
Initial Military Response: Allegations the troops had deliberately killed a family and
then covered it up were "absolutely false". Video evidence of news
organizations was obtained from "Insurgent sympathizers" in the town.
Military personnel charged: 0
Haditha
Number of Iraqis Killed = 24
Military figures: 15
Discrepancy in body count = 9
Date of incident = Nov. 19, 2005
Evidence = still images taken with cell phone, video evidence.
Still images taken by military photographers have not been released.
Reported in press = March 2006 by Time Magazine and given wide coverage in
late May 2006 after Cong. Murtha commented on the atrocity.
Military Rationale Offered: Soldiers acted after an IED killed a Marine. Breakdown
in authority and discipline.
Initial Military Response: No need to investigate. 15 civilians
killed by roadside bomb, other 9 were insurgents
Current Military Response: Haditha facts faked due to a military coverup;
Lying occurred and there was possible failure of officers to control subordinates
Military personnel charged: 7 Marines, 1 Navy sailor; highest rank of officers
charged is a Lt. Col.
My Lai
Number of Vietnamese killed in My Lai = 500+
Military figures: 400 to 500 with additional 90 to 100 in Co Luy as part
of same operation
Discrepancy in body count = none
Date of incident = March 16, 1968
Evidence = Still images taken by military photographers. Many personal accounts
given by participants in a court martial
Reported in press = November 1969 (20 months elapsed). Article written by
Seymour Hersh who won a Pulitzer Prize.
Military Rationale Offered: Every villager was considered a Vietcong member.
Officers lost control of their command. No planning documents for the operation
were found.
Initial Military response: 128 enemy killed. 3 weapons recovered. The following
morning, Brig. Gen. Young is told of the occurrence involving the pilot who
threatened to kill American troops. The observation is made that BG Young
appeared more
concerned about the threatening behavior of the pilot than anything else.
A Division investigation of its own activities launched on March 18th. The
investigation
was completed on March 28th without mentioning civilian deaths.
Current Military response: A textbook massacre to be studied
by all officers in training to learn all of the mistaken assumptions during
the operation.
My Lai is considered a breakdown in military discipline as well as a cover-up.
Violations of Rules of Engagement
Military Personnel Convicted: Lt. Calley; Captain Medina charged with dereliction
of duty and murder of 102 people, but these charges were dropped. Superior
officers of Capt. Medina were not charged.
Nearest high ranking officer: Army Lt. Col. Barker and
his superior were in a military helicopter observing the operation and in radio
contact with officers
on the ground. Barker was killed three months after My Lai in a helicopter
accident.
AmeriCal officers:
Major General Sam Koster
Asst Div. Cdr = Brig. Gen. George H. Young
11th Infantry Bde = COL Oran K. Henderson (in helicopter)
Task Force cmdr = LT. Colonel Frank Barker (in helicopter)
C Co. commander = CPT Ernest "Mad Dog" Medina (directing troops)
Plt ldr for 1st Plt = 1LT William "Rusty" Laws Calley
Source for My Lai:
4 Hours in My Lai
http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usamhi/usarsa/HUMANRT/Human%20Rights%202000/my-lai.htm
Note: The Ishaqi civilian murders were judged legal by the U.S. military
on 6/2/2006 as soldiers were following the Rules of Engagement. In My Lai,
the
soldiers were
not following Rules of Engagement according to current military history.
Keys to Critical Thinking:
1. Where were the Division officers for the troops carrying out atrocities
in Haditha and Ishaqi? What was their proximity to the site?
2. What communications existed between troops doing the killing and the
higher command?
3. What commands were given by officers at the rank of Colonel or above?
4. What investigative decisions were made by general officers following
the Haditha and Ishaqi atrocities?
5. What were the Rules of Engagement in operation during these events?
6. When did general officers first learn of these incidents and how did
they learn about them?
7. Where are the investigative reports of each participant in these atrocities?
8. What statements were made about killing women, children, and infants?
9. Which statements identify women, children, and infants as enemy deaths?
How were
these reported in official reports from the earliest date after the atrocity?
10. What efforts were made to restrict reporters from access to this information?
11. How were reporters informed of these incidents officially by the military?
12. What evidence is there that a cover-up has taken place or continues?
What other incidents have involved civilian deaths reported as collateral damage?