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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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The last battle
Images recorded by the Scan Eagle at Haditha: 0913 to 1544 / November
19, 2005
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0913 – Scan Eagle tracks motorcycle
courier until he meets up with the “blue car” that Cpl. Haman referred to
in his account of the battle. Then the Scan Eagle begins surveillance
of the blue car. The blue car cruises the palm grove, meeting up with
several vehicles that enter and exit on Palm Grove Trail. Both
vehicles linked up repeatedly with insurgents to exchange weapons and
intelligence, according to the Marines who wrote the report.
Eventually the blue car moves south and out of the palm grove toward
the “safe house.” Along the way the blue car stops several times to
hold conversations with unidentified Iraqis.
0913 to 0928 - Blue car and motorcycle
leave palm grove heading southwest toward safe so-called house what is
west of ambush site. The blue car travels about 2 kilometers during
the trip. Intelligence assets had warned Marines of alleged safe house
in previous meetings.
Blue car meets up with taxi
full of insurgents stopping and possibly linking up with other
possible insurgent vehicles as they head south along Palm grove trail.
Euphrates River is on east (right) side of image as the blue car
travels south.
Blue car meets up with
another vehicle where brief conversation takes place. Blue car is
still heading south toward safe house.
Blue car arrives at safe
house at intersection of Palm Grove Trail and River Road, about 700
meters from Route Chestnut and Viper. At this moment Cpl. Haman’s
squad is moving toward safe house in tactical formation. His squad is
about 600 meters from the blue car out of the frame coming toward it
from the upper left.
Blue
car is now parked out of sight of the road. Suspected safe house is
outlined in red at upper left. Another insurgent suspect is walking
toward the house at the time.
Blue car is now backed all
the way behind the suspected safe house drive way, putting it out of
sight of Marines closing in on the building. Unknown to the
approaching Marines there are already five to eight insurgents hiding
inside the building with a huge arsenal of weapons.
0940 – Scan Eagle observes two
more males enter safe house.
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Larger image below, click to enlarge...
0944 – Scan Eagle observes first Hellfire
missile attack from orbiting USMC “Cobra” attack helicopter. Cpl.
Haman’s 4th Plt has now cordoned off the building and is
out of site around the periphery of compound.
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0949 – Second Hellfire missile strikes
safe house. SSgt. Wuterich’s squad is about 600 meters north of this
building. 4th Squad has it surrounded.
From
SSgt. Frank Wuterich's statement at his Article 32 hearing:
“We watched as
rotary winged aircraft deployed Hellfires and dropped bombs on houses
directly to our south. We remained on overwatch for the majority of
the rest of the day.”
The battle has been developing for more than two hours.
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Larger image below, click to enlarge...
0945 to 1000 – 4th
Platoon Marines move in to assess Hellfire damage. At this point there
is still no return fire from insurgents. This is probably Haman’s fire
team crossing the road. Safe house is in lower left side of image.
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Larger image below, click to enlarge...
0945 to 1000 – 4th
Platoon Marines continue moving in at a run to assess Hellfire damage,
unfortunately they head to the wrong house. There is still no return
fire coming from safe house.
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0945 to 1000 – Smoke caused by the
explosion of Cpl. Hamen’s grenade when 4th Platoon attacked
the wrong house. Blue car is directly behind smoke plume.
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Larger image below, click to enlarge...
1014 - Two insurgents appear on roof and
begin throwing grenades at 4th Squad members. Smoke on left is
probably the grenade explosion that wounded Lt. Zall and the Navy
corpsman. Cpl. Haman's fire
team is in the building directly above and adjacent to where
insurgents are hiding on the roof. Moments before this frame was
recorded his fire team got into a grenade exchange inside that house.
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Larger image below, click to enlarge...
1018 – Insurgents move to the roof top and
engage in firefight with Marines below. Midway through the fight one
insurgent – seen in middle of roof lying sideways – was killed by
small arms fire from the attacking Marines. The dead insurgent and his
weapon remain on the roof until the building is bombed by Marine Corps
F-18 attack jets.
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1019 - One insurgent lies dead with his
weapon next to him (square) and another continues to move around the
roof firing at the Marines despite heavy return fire (circle).
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1029 – 4th Squad suppresses
rooftop fighters with heavy automatic weapons and M-203 grenade fire.
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1029 – 4th Platoon suppresses
insurgents in safe house with automatic weapons fire as wounded,
non-ambulatory Marines are carried to safety to a waiting gun truck.
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1031 – 4th Plt Leader Lt Zall
and other wounded Marines and a Navy corpsman are loaded into gun
truck for evacuation to Battalion Aid Station.
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Larger image below, click to enlarge...
1033 - Insurgent preparing to jump off
roof under heavy fire prior to Marine F-18 attack jets beginning their
bomb runs.
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Larger image below, click to enlarge...
1034 - Cobra helicopter gunship sprays
rooftop with 20mm cannon fire as two more insurgents jump off roof at
top of structure.
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1044 - LCpl Pegues marks insurgent targets
on roof with green smoke to identify their position prior to air
strikes by orbiting USMC F-18 attack fighters.
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1314
– After a dud bomb fails to dislodge insurgents at 1059 Marines
surround building and keep it cordoned off for more than two hours
until another flight of F- 18s arrives to bomb the structure. This is
picture of first 500-pound bomb hitting house.
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1314 – Second bomb hits target but fails
to explode. Remnants of bomb can be seen hurtling through the air
inside circle.
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1329 –
Third 500-pound bomb explodes,
literally flattening building. Later five insurgents and a large cache
of weapons were recovered among the debris. At least two insurgents
were seen fleeing from the building after the bomb blast.
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1429 – Fleeing insurgent is tracked from
house to house west of the safe house to a residence where Capt.
McConnell with a squad from 3rd Plt., a squad from 4th
Plt., a section of M1 tanks, and a squad of Iraqi soldiers detain him
without a fight.
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1514 - A section of M1 tanks (one in
square) and a squad of Iraqi soldiers close in on insurgent and
capture him without resistence.
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1544
– Insurgent, now zip tied and in custody of Iraqi soldiers, is led
away for interrogation.
This
was the last recorded action in the fight that lasted from 0715 to
1544, more than 8 hours.
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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 two: Insurgents regroup |
