The U.S. military may be done in Iraq, but at least one of its men is still waiting to resolve one of the war’s most controversial events.

 

Marine Sergeant Frank Wuterich is finally going to trial at Camp Pendleton in California on charges of voluntary manslaughter, dereliction of duty and assault after his squad on November 19, 2005, killed 24 Iraqis, including three women and seven children, in the strife-torn town of Haditha. It is considered the worst case of non-bomb-related killings of Iraqi civilians by Americans.

 

Wuterich is one of eight Marines to face charges for the killings that helped taint the reputation of American soldiers in the country. Six of the others had their charges dismissed, while a seventh went to trial but was acquitted.

 

The Marine’s defense team is expected to testify that the 31-year-old was following military combat rules when he led his men into Haditha. First they pulled a taxi driver and four teenagers from a car and killed them. Then they tossed grenades into three homes and opened fire on them. All of this came after one Marine was killed and two others wounded by a nearby roadside bomb.

 

A court-martial jury of eight combat veterans, four officers and four enlisted men, was chosen on Friday. Opening statements are scheduled for Monday.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Jury Chosen for Court-Martial of Marine in 24 Iraqi Deaths (by Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times)

Last Defendant in Iraq War Crimes Case Heads to Trial After Years of Delays (by Julie Watson, Associated Press)

US Marine to Stand Trial over 2005 Killings That Left 24 Iraqis Dead (by Karen McVeigh, The Guardian)

Haditha Killings (Wikipedia)