Haditha

As information about the massacre in Haditha continues to emerge, this piece from the Telegraph becomes all the more chilling.

A short stay with the men of the 3rd Bn 1st Marine Division in their camp located in Haditha Dam on the town's outskirts, made clear it was a place where institutional discipline had frayed and was even approaching breakdown... Haditha was shockingly different [from most American bases] - a feral place where the marines hardly washed; a number had abandoned the official living quarters to set up separate encampments with signs ordering outsiders to keep out; and a daily routine punctured by the emergency alarm of the dam itself with its antiquated and crumbling machinery.

And just in case anyone has high hopes for decisive action against the Marines who apparently perpetrated this crime, reminding oneself of what happened to Lt. William Calley, the only man convicted of murder in the massacre at My Lai, Vietnam - where 300 unarmed civilians were slaughtered:

Calley, an unemployed college dropout, had managed to graduate from Officer's Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1967. At his trial, Calley testified that he was ordered by Captain Ernest Medina to kill everyone in the village of My Lai. Still, there was only enough photographic and recorded evidence to convict Calley, alone, of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison, but was released in 1974, following many appeals. After being issued a dishonorable discharge, Calley entered the insurance business.

(Thanks to Michael for the link to the Haditha story.)