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Defend Our Marines / September 15, 2007
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The
Real Story of Haditha: Never-before-revealed images from a
surveillance video
Part
one: The ambush site: 0759
Part two: Insurgents regroup: 0814 - 0910
Part three: The last battle:
0913 - 1544
© Nathaniel R. Helms 2007
You're seeing here it first.
These
images are from a video, obtained by Defend Our Marines, that
was recorded by a
Scan
Eagle orbiting the ambush site at Haditha on November 19, 2005.
The video runs 43-minutes and is a presentation culled from more than
eight hours of continuous footage.
They
have never before been seen by the public.
The images
are presented in chronological order using the time/date stamps
created by the Scan Eye recording system as the video was being made.
The video we
obtained was
prepared for the upcoming Article 32 hearing of Captain Lucas
McConnell, formerly the company commander of Kilo Co., 3rd
Battalion, 1st Marines at Haditha in 2005. McConnell was
relieved of command in April, 2006 for alleged dereliction of duty
following allegations of murder by members of his infantry company
during the day-long battle in Haditha that left 24 Iraqis and one
Marine dead, and 11 Marines wounded.
This presentation is
intended to refute allegations made in Time magazine and other media
outlets which claimed the Marines massacred the Iraqi civilians in a
fit of rage following the death of LCpl Miguel “T.J.” Terrazas, one of
Kilo Company’s Marines. The cable television network CNN also obtained
a copy of this video presentation but for reason best known to its
producers
elected to disregard most of the exculpatory images
contained in it.
[NOTE:
Video images with enhancement boxes were altered by selecting the area
and brightening it with a Photoshop tool for clarity.
The rectangular white box on each image is the camera target area,
designated by the Scan Eagle operator.]
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Insurgents regroup
Images recorded by the Scan Eagle at Haditha: 0814 to 0910/ November
19, 2005
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Larger image below, click to enlarge...
0814 –
above - Possible trigger
house approximately 150 meters north of the IED
ambush. Scan Eagle operator received intelligence information
suggesting the IED was triggered from this house south of Route
Chestnut and proceeds to the area for a closer look. Soon after the
Quick Reaction Force (QRF) led by Lt. Kallop arrives it moves to this
location on foot and searches this house without results.
(To find this house on Google Earth, go
to: 34° 7’44.40”N 42°22’49.85”E)
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0829 - Insurgents believed to be fleeing
from the presumed trigger house north of the ambush.
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Larger image below, click to enlarge...
0829
– Another frame showing the same two
insurgents fleeing the area.
The two
suspects are approximately 150 meters north of the IED blast, moving
west
– probably toward a large palm grove where other insurgents were
gathering. This assumption is based on the reported flight path of
Scan Eagle as it moved from north to south searching for the source of
automatic weapons fire that Marines reported receiving enroute to the ambush site.
Meanwhile, SSgt Wuterich and his squad are
still south of the suspected trigger house after clearing the first
two houses involved in the controversial “assault” after the ambush
was triggered.
Capt.
Jeffrey Dinsmore, the 3/1 S-2 (Intelligence Officer),
testified that he was not controlling the Scan Eagle and had several
conversations with its operators to keep them looking in the immediate
battle area.
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Larger image below, click to enlarge...
0844 - Wide angle view of the palm grove
located about 1,500 feet northeast of Route Chestnut – out of the
picture at the bottom of the frame. The palm grove is located between
the River Road and the Euphrates River.
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0844 – Scan Eagle detects three insurgents
in palm grove about 1.5 kilometers (1,500 feet) north of the ambush
site. Only one is shown in this video capture.
The UAV was initially
directed to circle the palm grove to look for the source of rifle fire
from a long range ambush Marines coming to the IED site were receiving
while transiting Routes Chestnut and Viper. When seen in its entirety
the Scan Eagle shows a mosaic of insurgents advancing toward the
Marine’s location. These were all two and three-man cells closing in
on the ambush area from multiple directions through the palm grove.
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0845 – Scan Eagle spots motorcycle courier
and follows him as he drives around the palm grove on so-called “Palm
Grove Trail” contacting small cells of insurgents gathering under the
protective umbrella of palm fronds. The road is part of a labyrinth of
connecting paths and trials though the palm grove.
The motorcycle courier depicted here would circle
the palm grove on partially obscured roads for the next 45 minutes
contacting cells of insurgents moving toward the battle area.
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Larger image below, click to enlarge...
0859 - First sighting of blue car
described by
Cpl. Joe Haman when his squad from 4th
(Weapons) Platoon was called into action in response to the attack of
SSgt. Wuterich’s convoy. Barely visible above and to the left of the car is
the motorcycle rider. He passed the blue car and then turned around
and stopped next to it.
The 4th Squad’s mission was to go to a
location identified as a “safe house” where insurgents were seen to be
congregating. Haman’s squad was approx. 600 meters west of the ambush
site at a Combat Outpost (COP) when the IED exploded. Haman reported
intense small arms fire coming from that direction immediately after
the IED exploded.
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0859 - Blue car and motorcycle stopped in
palm grove for about 2 minutes.
Almost immediately insurgents came out of the
trees to meet up with occupants of blue car and the motorcycle
courier.
The insurgents received arms, supplies and
instructions.
Larger image below, click to enlarge...
After about 10 minutes of milling about the
insurgents seem to hold a pep rally of some sort. The demonstration
lasts for a minute or so before the gathering disperses.
Larger image below, click to enlarge...
After the rally the insurgents split up into
small cells and again disappear into the trees. Scan Eagle
periodically tracks them as they move south toward the battle area.
Then its attention shifted to vehicular traffic which seemed to be
increasing in the palm grove area.
____________________________________________________
Nathaniel R. Helms
Defend Our Marines
15
September 2007
Note: Nat Helms is a Contributing Editor to Defend Our
Marines. He is a Vietnam vet, journalist, combat reporter, and, most
recently, author of
My Men Are My Heroes: The Brad Kasal Story (Meredith Books, 2007).
Go to...
Part one: The ambush site
Part three: The last battle |
