livethepuglife:

working-class-hero:

so-what-if-im-drinking-again:

blogvader:

occupyallstreets:

Marine gets no jail time in killing of 24 Iraqi civilians

Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich will not serve a jail sentence following his guilty plea in the killing of 24 Iraqis in 2005, a military judge said Tuesday.

The announcement by Lt. Col. David Jones came after Wuterich took responsibility during his sentencing hearing at Camp Pendleton for the killings in the Euphrates River town of Haditha and expressed remorse to the victims’ families.

Jones said he had planned to recommend 90 days in the brig — the maximum as requested by the prosecution — but that the plea bargain approved by Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser had called for no jail time.

Wuterich, 31, was the last of eight Marines charged in the Haditha killings to have his case resolved. Six had the charges against them dropped, and one Marine was acquitted.

As the squad leader, Wuterich ordered his Marines “to shoot first, ask questions later” as they stormed two houses on Nov. 19, 2005, after a roadside bomb had killed one Marine and injured two others.

Source

Imagine what would happen if this person committed a similar act against white people in a suburban American town.  The entire country would be calling for his head, but since his crimes were committed against nameless and faceless Iraqis in the middle of a war zone, no one gives a fuck that a murderer is still a member of our military and free to walk our streets.

 Put yourself in his position.  You’re in a combat zone, where the enemy is wearing civilian clothes.  You’re on full alert 24/ 7, because you don’t know if that woman is pushing a baby or an IED.  That’s right, bad guys don’t have a bed time or take weekends off.  None of you know the amount of stress these men were under.  Yea, it’s a damn tragedy, but don’t you dare judge them until you’ve been through combat.

Okay, so I realize that I have absolutely no experience in any of the matters above, so you can take my opinion or leave it, it really doesn’t matter. I have to agree with the post above me. I mean yes, war is horrible, tragic and really awful, and I don’t there’s anyone who could dispute that. However, like he^ said, put yourself in the shoes of the soldiers. You’re obviously going to be tired, stressed, and you really don’t know if that person is a civillian or the enemy. If you took the time to find out, there is a very high probability that you would end up dead. Would you want to take that risk? Also, I’m just going to say that (person two posts up) saying: “Imagine what would happen if this person committed a similar act against white people in a suburban American town.  The entire country would be calling for his head, but since his crimes were committed against nameless and faceless Iraqis in the middle of a war zone, no one gives a fuck that a murderer is still a member of our military and free to walk our streets.” You said “suburban American town.” does this sound like “war zone” to you? Are there stressed soldiers getting orders to kill people in a “suburban American town”? Not something I have heard of. If America was a war zone, you realize we’d (well.. I’m not American but I assume Canada, being an ali of The States would be going to war with them) also turn into nameless faceless civilians? That’s what happens during a war. I’m not justifying this act, im just saying there’s two sides to every story.

He killed the enemy. Not nameless, faceless Iraqis. He saw their faces, he has to live knowing he killed those people. He will never forget those faces. And that is punishment enough.

I can’t believe people are actually making excuses for a man who killed a new born, 8 children and 15 unarmed men and women. They raided 3 houses and fired at a taxi passing by killing the driver and all three passengers. 

It’s sickening that people think the memory is of killing innocent people is ‘punishment enough’.