Say what McCord?
Recently a short film was released for a film festival in New York called “Incident in New Baghdad.” A short film about “Collateral Murder” video. While I have huge doubts when the producer, James Spione says that this is not a anti-military film. But what gets my attention is a sudden change in tone from Ethan McCord according to a article by military.com. The same one that has been reported about here many time.
After the video was released in April of 2010, McCord – by then out of the Army – wrote a public letter of apology to those injured or who lost family members in the attack. McCord told Military.com at the time that the fault lay more with loose rules of engagement than with the Soldiers.
He also criticized the video because it was presented out of context and failed to show what was happening elsewhere on the ground that might explain why the Apache crew responded as it did.
“I was upset when the … video came out. I felt they [Wikileaks] were attacking the wrong people,” he told Military.com. McCord was assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Regiment. The Apaches belonged to the 227th Aviation Regiment.
Really that is totally different from what you said here.
Asked if the Collateral Damage video put soldiers in harms way, (as the Pentagon claimed), without hesitation, McCord said, “That video release did not put anyone in harm’s way.”
McCord attended the VFP Convention to give the video context:
“What that video shows is not special in any way because it shows a daily occurrence in Iraq.
“We’re killing innocent people daily in Iraq.
“Killing children daily.
“Women daily
You mean innocent people with RPGs?
While the video released by Wikileaks left open the question of whether or not the only “weapon” present was a camera carried by a Reuters photographer, the film documents that an AK-47 and an RPG were found at the scene of the initial attack – although Spione is quick to point out that the Apache crew did spot actual weapons before they fired onto the street from the skies above.
In an interview in the movie, McCord also recalls seeing an RPG near the bodies when he reached the scene.
“I enlarged the part [of the video] where you can see the weapons,” Spione said. Still photos taken by Soldiers at the time also show the weapons, he said.
Category: Antiwar crowd, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Media, Terror War
I guess the three 15-6 investigations that were conducted after the fact weren’t good enough for the anti-war crowd. I know the crews who flew that mission and made the tapes. Damn fine shooting.
You guys seen this?
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/complete/la-na-arlington-graves-20110427,0,5065831.story
The Left’s mantra applies to everyone but them, “Guilty until proven guilty” is the sort of thing that has been going on since Vietnam, Matt. An excellent resource for learning more about the anti-war crowds (besides here) is Scott Swett’s http://www.wintersoldier.com/ It is thorough, very well researched and has debunked the lies that have been told about “war crimes” during and after Vietnam. A lot of the critters you’ll see in todays anti-war movement are from that period of time and coaching this younger bunch of critters.
There’s a larger principle involved here: the People do not put their trust in due process of law. Take for example the current fluff-up of the POTUS’s birth certificate: no amount of evidence will exonerate the POTUS.
Ask a Truther what happened to WTC-7 and you’ll get pure Hollywood, without the popcorn.
The POTUS himself, in the dustup over trying KSM in the US’s federal courts, said KSM would remain imprisoned, regardless of whether he was convicted or not.
Kelo, and the manner in which investors lost their shirts in the GM bailout have all gone toward distrust in the due process of law. Before that, we were regaled with tales of Bushisms: stormtroopers beating down granny librarians for protecting Atta’s access to the internet, spying on people in the US making phone calls overseas, and bank operations modified to destroy privacy.
We’ve seen trust in the concept of law as a mechanism for justice eroded, perhaps beyond repair. Due process, evidence, and all of that no longer mean a thing when some yahoo wants to believe s/he is the Lone Hero(ine) in a Villainous Country.
I find it interesting that everyone wants to weigh in on this, but nobody has ever talked to the 4 people who were flying that day…not that they would want to get drug through the mud, which they would be.
Having been in similar positions and having viewed lots of gun tape, the people who want to second guess and name call the aircrew involved have no idea what they are talking about. I can recall everything that was said when this first broke and how disgusted I was at how little and how poorly the Army handled this situation.
There’s a lot that’s wrong about this. I have not seen the film and I was trying to get on there so it wasn’t McCord alone on there. I’m in contact with Busmaster 6, My senior medic that day, and a lot of the guys that were on the ground, also Hotel 2-6 who authorized the initial strike. they’re not happy with how this is being showed. The Apaches were from 227 Avn, but I couldn’t tell you which bn. Let me make this perfectly clear, we were in contact MOST OF THE DAY. from about the time we SP’d out of gate 5, till we got to our two objectives (Bronze and silver if I recall correctly) Mortar platoon which was attached to Bravo, and also assets from Delta and Psyops had outer cordon while we knocked and cleared houses. Now to make this perfectly clear the reason there was a Battalion+ sized mission in this are was because Alpha was getting hit almost all the time. If you look up “Ranger Walk” this was pretty much the same thing. Dismounted infantry in a show of force. When the actual incident happened Mortar Platoon was receiving heavy fire, and 3rd platoon supported by elements of second were trying to provide overwatch and return fire. In case it was not abundantly clear at the time of the video the insurgents were pretty well armed, and more than one group was lining up to jump us. Now I’m out, I can talk, but I do not have a forum to refute most of the claims made. McCord is acting like a bit of a jackass on most of this, and I am NOT pleased to see MY image on a trailer (If you watch the trailer for the film you’ll see a medic bent over and Iraqi trying to treat him, that’s me) McCord was ORDERED to get the kids, by Bushmaster 6, and my Senior is the one that did the treatment in the back of a Brad all the way to FOB Loyalty (NOT an Iraqi hospital) So if… Read more »
Hey Doc, I read Finkel’s book awhile ago, had no idea you were in that battalion. I remembered the “Rangers” as the battalion motto, distinctive from the 75th Ranger Regiment, that oddity stuck out in my mind. The battalion commander name started with a K right? A lot of vehicular patrols were conducted and at the time there was a high shaped-charged IED threat. Severe casualities were sustained.
Came across that as I went through a few of the old threads. Good luck in your future endeavors.
Couldn’t remember who this McCord guy was or how he was connected to the “collaterall Murder incident”. This site is becoming a tome or codex of some kind.
#6 DocB
“So if anyone has a way for me to refute this in a public forum, please let me know, because I’m getting mighty pissed off about it.”
This might sound silly, but have you considered your own blog? This comment of yours with some tightening up could make for a fine blogpost, and would allow for your voice to be heard.
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