The reporter tells his story...

[Donster]

What happened in the Fallujah mosque

I hope this isn't considered "political" in any way. I just felt it needed to be posted. Regardless of anyones opinion on this situation one way or the other. We have only read or heard about bits and pieces of this story. I thought we should read what the reporter who shot the video had to say.

[Joker]

Sounds as though the reporter is feeling guilty. I bet he wishes he'd never set foot in that mosque.

[Gunny]

'Fraid there are a lot of folks gonna wish they hadn't set foot in that mosque.

[Stag]

I'd say this one was beyond politics Don. It's more about morality.

I can't know what was in the mind of that Marine. He is the only one who does.

God knows where that Marine's head was at that moment, but it was nowhere pleasant.

At that point the Marine who fired the shot became aware that I was in the room. He came up to me and said, "I didn't know sir,  I didn't know." The anger that seemed present just moments before turned to fear and dread.

Was the reporter right to report what he saw? If we believe that our standards are higher than those we fight, the answer has got to be YES.

But as Banger said, I bet he (the reporter) wishes he'd never set foot in that mosque.

[No105_Archie]

My son is 18. He thinks he's a "tough guy", but I don't believe he can even imagine what those young men are having to do. I thank God that he's not over there and wonder that kids of that age can function at all in such situations.

I am not a vet so I have no conception of combat.....but I am old enough to know that men can react in "abnormal" ways under extreme stress. It's easy to pass judgement on that young Marine, or the reporter but I don't know that the judgement can be valid unless you have "been there"

I am glad that I am not that young man's CO nor the boss of that reporter.

Don't know what else to say

[Joker]

Well, I've never covered marines in combat. However, I did have the opportunity to cover marines in the field once, on exercises for a couple of days near Camp Lejune, North Carolina.

My experience was that marines will do just about anything for you when you're with them in the field. They really do take care of you -- it's as though they feel responsible for your safety. I'm sure this NBC cameraman's personal experience was even more intense, in combat. He got close to those marines, and it shows.

Deep down, I wouldn't be surprised if the cameraman wishes he had destroyed that footage. Given the chance to do it again, I bet he would.

In my opinion, this sort of incident is inevitable when you're fighting terrorists. Guerillas who dress as civilians make the entire population a target by implication. Even when terrorists don't target civilians directly, they're putting civilians in danger by their tactics.

You reap what you sow -- isn't that the excuse terrorists used to justify their attacks on the United States in the first place? That's right, warfare is hideous and immoral. So stop using places of worship as strongpoints, stop booby-trapping corpses, stop faking surrenders -- in short, shooting at our troops and these sorts of incidents will end, along with the war.

Whatever the case, it's up to a court martial to determine whether this marine committed a crime. I don't think the cameraman is in any position to judge, no matter how close he was to the action.

[Stans]

How many here have seen the movie "The Big Red One"? Remember the scene in the concentration camp where Mark Hammil finds a Nazi guard hiding in a crematorium oven? Mark started shooting him, even though the Nazi could not return fire. This young Marine had been shot the day before, perhaps the stress was just a little too much for him and he shot before thinking. These young men are in a difficult situation, trying to carry out their orders and stay alive. Under such circumstances I can see how a fighting man would shoot first and ask later. I can't say his actions were justified, I also can't condemn him.