Marine Officer Found Not Guilty Over Alleged Role in Haditha Killings

(SALEM, Ore.) - A Marine Lieutenant charged charged in connection with the killings in Haditha, Iraq, Andrew Grayson, was found "not guilty on all charges" by a military court martial yesterday. The Marine officer's defense team leveled the accusation against prosecutors that they were relying on a botched and politically motivated investigation.

1st Lt Andrew Grayson was charged with obstruction of justice, making false official statements and an attempted fraudulent separation from the Marine Corps.

He is one of many Marines being brought up on charges for their conduct in the wars overseas by what many consider to be a group of overzealous group of government prosecutors more than happy to take down their own.

Grayson was among eight Marines who have been cleared over the controversial incident relating to the deaths of 24 people in the central Iraqi town.

Military prosecutors allege that in 2005, Marines from 3rd Battalion 1st Marines (3/1) killed many Iraqi's after members of Kilo Company were injured and killed in a complex attack on November 19th 2005.

Grayson was on his second tour in Iraq at that point. According to innocentmarine.com, he was the Human Intelligence Exploitation Team (HET) officer in charge of the Camp Lejeune based team that was attached to 3/1 for the duration of the deployment.

"He and his eight-man team were responsible for conducting interviews of local Iraqis' in order to garner information that would save the lives of Marines from 3/1," the site explains.

The original press release from the military stated that 15 Iraqis had been killed by the bomb. It was later reported by Time magazine that "most of the dead were killed as Marines conducted a vengeful raid through three houses near the site," the Telegraph UK reported.

Then a military investigation reached the conclusion that five Iraqi men were shot by a car stopped at the scene. The Marines then reportedly forcefully entered homes, using hand grenades and gunfire to kill more Iraqis, which included including women and children, in the process.

But Grayson always maintained he did nothing wrong, and that he was not at the scene when any of the alleged took place at Haditha. The military had accused him of telling a sergeant to delete photographs of the dead Iraqi's from a digital camera and a laptop computer. Grayson could have spent twenty years in prison if he had been convicted.

The contrast is mind boggling when compared to incidents like My Lai in Vietnam, when several hundred unarmed villagers were slaughtered in a single day. In that instance, a single officer named 1st Lt. William Calley was brought up on charges and after having his wrist slapped, he was completely acquitted by then President Richard. M. Nixon.

The Haditha killings in contrast, as bad as they were, represent a small number of deaths compared to My Lai, but Marines are almost always pursued and prosecuted. Today Army soldiers are also quickly investigated and charged with war crimes.

Upon exiting the courtroom, Grayson reportedly was visibly shaken, calling the acquittal an end to a terrible ordeal. "It's finally time for me to get to be with my family," he said.

All told. 8 servicemenbers have been charged over the incident. Four enlisted men faced charges over the Iraqi deaths and four officers, including Lt Grayson, were accused of covering up and failing to properly investigate the killings.

Of those 8, five have been cleared of charges. Two more still await prosecution. One of them was the Marine's squad leader, Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich. He will face a lesser charge of manslaughter when he goes on trail later this year.

Wuterich reportedly told a preliminary hearing at Camp Pendleton last year that he would "always mourn the unfortunate deaths of the innocent Iraqis who were killed during our response to that attack. Based on the information I had at the time, based on the situation, I made the best decision I could have," the Telegraph UK reported.

The highest ranking officer charged in the case is Colonel Jeffrey Chessani. He faces charges of dereliction of duty, and violation of a lawful order.

While he endures scrutiny over Haditha, the Marine advocacy site notes that 1stLt Grayson’s HET team in Haditha was a strong nomination for the Department of Defense Award for Intelligence Collection Team of the Year.

"Individually, 1st Lt Grayson was recommended for the Bronze Star with combat distinguishing device for his heroic achievements as the officer in charge of HET 3 during the Haditha deployment. Among other important accomplishments, this recommendation was a result of his role in locating and detaining the insurgents responsible for detonating the IED that killed LCpl Tarrazas and wounded LCpl Guzman and LCpl Crossan, as well as in locating and detaining other insurgents who participated in the November 19th complex attacks.

People supporting this Marine and others, say the U.S. media outlets are quick to pour on the judgment when members of military forces are investigated or charged, but they tend to bury the acquittals. As if standing as evidence of this today, a "Google News" search shows international news groups covering the story with U.S. outlets leaving it alone.

Sydney Morning Herald, Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom, Aljazeera.net, International Herald Tribune, France and Africasia, UK are the agencies showing with prominence on the Google search. If you look long enough, you will find a San Diego paper and the Boston Globe covering it but none of the American media giants one might expect. It gives weight to the argument that the plight of the U.S. war vets from Iraq and Afghanistan will probably have a long, uphill battle to fight for the rest of their lives.

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. Today, in addition to his role as a war correspondent in Afghanistan where he spent the winter of 2006/07, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website, affiliated with Google News and several other major search engines and news aggregators. Tim's coverage from Iraq that was set to begin in April has been delayed and may not take place until August, 2008. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com

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sharif June 17, 2008 7:28 am (Pacific time)

america tose days was a country that every person admired but it has turned to be a state thats blood thirsty..despite all the wrongs done against the current humanity someone has the guts to say that americans help thosse who cant help themselves! this is done as demonsrated in the case of iraq by killing millions of people across the world. now america has saved iraq by kiiling more than 1.5million people. lets hope that whoever the next president will bring sanity to that country because you never know some one to tame its execeses is coming up.

Vic June 8, 2008 7:54 am (Pacific time)

Right on JB ! May we all be open to other people's opinions and viewpoints. I know that the exchanges here have changed my views on a number of things. And it isnt the people who agree with me on everything that I learn from, it is the opposing views that make me stop and think.

JB June 7, 2008 8:47 pm (Pacific time)

Thanks Vic, That's what's great about this country, we can all disagree but we don't come over and explode a car bomb in the other guys neigborhood. Things are bad right now and probaly will get worst before they get better, but I really believe that a majority of us would unite and work together if we really had to. God bless America, and every other country

Vic June 7, 2008 7:16 pm (Pacific time)

PH and JB.... I appreciate your comments and the weight of your experience that is behind them. As for me not wanting to work for the freedoms I enjoy...no one would be quicker to resist if our country and our communities were under attack or being invaded. I would help resist and defend however I could. I think we all would. I am 50 years old....I have not seen that happen in my lifetime, nor have I seen another country that had the means or the will to occupy and conquer us....not because we have such a strong military, which we do, but because the average Americans would resist and fight and repel anyone who would try. I dont think I am smarter than people in the military or vice versa ...but if I were in the military and I saw that war was being waged for the wrong reasons ...corporate profit and control of oil, I would re-evaluate my commitment. See, I love this country and its people...and I love the spirit behind the formation of this country. I dont see where it is inappropriate to quote the founding fathers...are they irrelevant now? Is the Constitution irrelevant? I suspect some of you think so, along with that other dated document, The Bill of Rights. Heres another outdated quote from one of those irrelevant founding fathers..Thomas Jefferson " Dissent is the highest form of patriotism" We have a great country and a great system of government, but if we are lazy and apathetic and blindly patriotic we could lose it all.

JB June 7, 2008 2:23 pm (Pacific time)

America is about Democracy, we help those who can't help themselves. You are like a spoiled kid who wants all the cool stuff but doesn't want to work for it. Think of all the former Soviet satelites that are now independent countries. That's because we won the Cold War Vic. Any who just be thankfull that you can enjoy all the benefits and freedoms that others have fought and won for you. You didn't earn them but you get to enjoy them. Now eat your jelly doughnut Private Vic.

PH Veteran June 7, 2008 12:56 pm (Pacific time)

Vic running quotes from others, especially those from the Founding Fathers clearly demonstrates your lack of real-world experience and the historical ramifications of your below quotes. You are living the dream very few people on the planet are able to, and you obviously think active duty and our combat veterans are less intelligent than you. My guess is that you would not share your course and uninformed viewpoints with a couple of combat veterans in person. A below poster was quite correct that people of your ilk would be in a bad way had you said what you did in literally 95%+ of the world's countries. Yes we are a young country youngster, but we are the oldest democracy, and that is because of people you have absolutely nothing in common with.

Vic June 7, 2008 11:30 am (Pacific time)

Actually, JB..if you read virtually any of the writings of the founding fathers, going around the world trying to police it is not what "America is all about" To quote John Adams "America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy" or Thomas Jefferson "Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations and entangling alliances with none". Maybe the other countries of the world think that THEY should run their own countries, not some arrogant military regime that is one of the youngest countries on Earth and yet has wrought the most devastation on everyone else.

JB June 6, 2008 7:49 pm (Pacific time)

Anonymous is a moron, What about WW II that was the last war we fought for our own people, that was for survival of the nation, the rest for have been for other people but that is what America is about. If most of the people who leave post on this site lived in Russia, China, Cuba and a long list of other countries they would be in a jail cell tonight.

Vic June 6, 2008 6:18 pm (Pacific time)

JB and Sgt Rock...can you tell me when exactly it was that America was threatened with invasion and "my right to whine" was in jepoardy and was saved by the US military? When was that war that all you pro-war types mention that I should be grateful for when my freedoms were saved by the military? I missed that one. And even being a student of history....I cant find it !!! What country has or ever had the will and the means to invade and subjugate America??? The military is nothing more than a Mafia protection racket foisted on the American people....half of our money now goes to this rathole. Do I blame the veterans and people who enlist? No...but the fact remains, the military has bankrupted us, the American people, and has given us not a damn thing in return except the scorn and hatred of the rest of the world....and a lot of dead and messed up young men and women. I am all for a military...TO PROTECT OUR BORDERS..not go off on foreign adventures under the facade of "protecting our freedoms". Do you think the 1.2 million dead Iraqis (to date) of Operation "Iraqi Freedom" were a threat to our freedoms or way of life?

Anonymous June 6, 2008 6:00 pm (Pacific time)

our freedom came from the patriots of 1776. They stood by the constitution. Since then, soldiers have only faught wars that the elite trained and brainwashed them to fight for their own benefits.. soldiers: wake up!!!

sts June 6, 2008 4:55 pm (Pacific time)

you might want to view this video.. http://youtube.com/watch?v=VwwMF6biCJU

JB June 6, 2008 2:31 pm (Pacific time)

It's so ironic that the reason the Vic's of the world who whine and complain so much about things but have the right to do it and still enjoy the security and freedoms this country can offer is because of the people they hate the most, our military.

Sgt. Rock June 6, 2008 11:15 am (Pacific time)

Say Vic, pray tell, you went out and started a business and raised a family. Is that unique? Tell me, you had the freedom to do that, why? What was done to assure that you could "pursue happiness?" You knock veterans, but you have enjoyed the freedom they provided you, your family and the freedom to advance economically with their incredible sacrifices, now what do you call that? JB, why waste money on fuel for them, donate the money to help those who earned it, our disabled veterans. Just say a prayer for these people, maybe some day they'll get it?

Vic June 6, 2008 6:22 am (Pacific time)

"Sgt Rock" ...I dont live off anyone....instead of joining the military and having someone tell me when to wipe my butt and how to do it, I went to work in the real world and raised a family and started a business. Unlike you, however, I dont think I am superior to other people who chose different routes, including the military. And if you think the poor SOBs who are dying and getting maimed in Iraq and Afghanistan are sacrificing "for the country" you are delusional. They are indeed sacrificing, but it is for big business and I suspect, Israel.

Matt Johnson June 5, 2008 8:37 pm (Pacific time)

I guess Vic and Bob weren't willing to strap on the old kneepads and please the moron evil hateful bastard Bush, but I can tell you guys are cool with it. Hell, have at it, show him how much you really love him, after all only truly evil people and a few retarded people support him. I don't think you are half the Americans as the ones who are willing to call it for the truth of what it is. That is Vic and Bob, they are they ones with honor here.

JB June 5, 2008 8:16 pm (Pacific time)

Vic and Bob are code names for Victoria and Bobbie. They hate America but won't defect to Cuba like they should. I would donate them the boat and fuel.

Vic June 5, 2008 6:38 pm (Pacific time)

Axman...what exactly is it that Bob and I said that upsets you so much?

Sgt. Rock June 5, 2008 6:04 pm (Pacific time)

Axman-- vic and bob would not do that. They are armchair analysts who live off those who sacrifice for the country. There are a variety of names for them, but they are really quite harmless.

Axman June 5, 2008 4:09 pm (Pacific time)

Vic and Bob are a couple of sickos. Why don't you boys join the Marines and sign up for target practice.

Vic June 5, 2008 2:39 pm (Pacific time)

I bet drug dealers, murderers and rapists wish THEY could hold THEIR own court hearings...I bet they would all be found innocent too. What a f*****g sad joke. The whole world is watching...and we dont look so good.

bob June 5, 2008 12:33 pm (Pacific time)

I think it is kind of incredible that everyone in the military ever accused of killing civilians and hiding it is innocent. You know that these things to happen in war and yet we are talking about how courageous he is and how the media is so hard on him. Is it to much to ask for them to occasionally convict someone in the military of their human rights abuses

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