This is unrelated to Haditha. It is very much related to Commandant Hagee's recent trip around the world.

The officer corps, commissioned and enlisted, of the Corps, and I don't doubt, the Army, need to pause, reflect, and make sure they've got their moral compasses with them.

That said - this happens in every war of significant duration that has ever been fought. That includes the "Last Great War" that ended in 1945. The Greatest Generation had it's murderers, too.

One of the things that marks a distinction between our miltary and Saddam's military, or Milosevic's, or Hitler's is the fact that we're doing the investigating (the Marine investigation of Haditha predates the press revelations of same) and where the evidence supports the allegations - we prosecute.

And, just like in real life murders - even though we know something stinks, and we're pretty sure we know who did it - the evidence just isn't there, so yes, I'm sure some malefactors go unpunished. Just like in the rest of an imperfect world, where real CSIs and the labs they work for can't wrap everything up neatly in one hour. Much less have some of the crime scene control issues offered up in a combat zone. Unlike the Press and the Public, a Court has to have sufficient evidence, a distinction, at bottom, we're all glad exists.

If there's evidence, charge 'em. Fight it out in Court. And if the defense loses, we've got space here at Leavenworth. Send 'em to us.

The whole story is here.

Crossposted at Milblogs.