Haditha Killings

1. Haditha Killings BY: Emily, Chiho, and Lexi

2. Background • Haditha, middle class oasis-like city • Control of Haditha was vital in order to protect a dam • Marine Corps sent in some of its most battle-hardened men, Kilo Company • Sergeant Wuterich was in charge. On November 19, 2005, as they drove west, a terrific explosion rocked Wuterich's convoy. • Wuterich and some of his men engaged a car they deemed hostile near the scene of the explosion, killing its five occupants. They then advanced on these nearby 4 houses after identifying them as the source of incoming fire, killing the occupants including women and children.

3. Question • How is the Haditha Killings portrayed differently through the media from the American prospective versus the Iraqi perspective, and how does the media reveal images that are hidden from the public eye?

4. Rules of engagement

5. US INITIAL portrayal • The Marine Corps issued a press release so inaccurate it would eventually lead to allegations of a cover-up. • Tim McGrik was contacted by the Hammurabi Human Rights Org, and finally got the real truth about that day • His article in Time in March 2006 got little play in the media. There weren't a whole lot of follow-ups to the TIME magazine story initially.

6. US portrayal • Congressman John Murtha addressed the country and revealed the truth about the Haditha events • TIME magazine revisited the story in June 2006, this time placing it on the front cover. • Statement changed to 24 deaths instead of the initial 15

7. Iraqi portrayal • Human Rights Org released a video that captured events of the day of the Haditha Killings • The video has interviews with children that witnessed their own family members death and other nearby citizens

8. Trial • The process began in the Spring of 2007 with preliminary hearings to determine whether any of the Marines would face court-martial. • No recordings were allowed in the court room • The Marines retell their experience by unsworn statements • Rules of Engagement • “ I had been told by my squad leader to treat the house as hostile. Before even entering the house, shots had already been fired. Upon entering the house, I heard an AK-47 racking”

9. End result of trial • The end result of the trial, in the end, two years after the incident, all of the charges against the Marines were dropped.

10. The zero connection • “Entertainment is the singular thing you produce now. And it is just another propaganda, the most insidious, greatest propaganda ever devised, and this is your only export now…” (Walter 222) • “’Wait.’ The Boss grabbed Remy by the arm and raised his hand as if he didn’t want to hear the rest. He nodded at the ghostwriter, who turned off the tape recorder and drifted back a few steps” (Walter 117).

11. Works cited • Duffy, Michael, Tim McGirk, and Bob Ghosh. "The Ghosts Of Haditha." Time. Time, 04 June 2006. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/ 0,9171,1200763,00.html>. • MCGIRK, TIM, and BAGHDAD. "Collateral Damage or Civilian Massacre in Haditha?" Time. Time, 19 Mar. 2006. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/ 0%2C8599%2C1174649%2C00.html. • "Rules of Engagement." Frontline. PBS. 19 Feb. 2008. PBS. Web. 16.Apr. 2012.     <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/haditha/ view/>. • Walter, Jess. The Zero. [S.l.]: Harper Perennial, 2007. Print.