I don't think that people really want to see this, though, because this is war. That stays with you. On June 7, 2010, The New Yorker reported that Kristinn Hrafnsson, an investigative reporter who worked on the Collateral Murder video and later became a spokesman for WikiLeaks,[54] said he had found the owner of the building involved in the incident. WikiLeaks stated that the footage shows the "murder of Iraqi civilians and two Reuters journalists". I did see a video on YouTube after the Wikileaks [ video ] came out, of the children being interviewed. The first real serious doubt, where I could no longer justify to myself being in Iraq or serving in the Army, was on that day in July 2007. "The helicopters were approximately a mile and a half away and they were zooming in on these guys . I do know that there was a teenage girl [in there], just because I saw the pictures when I was there, that one of the soldiers took. If there's anything I can to do help, I would be more than happy to. That's not leaking, that's a pure editorial." On the video, it is then seen that Army soldiers establish a perimeter around the site and extract the children from the burning van. Ethan McCord, a 33-year-old Army specialist, was engaged in a firefight with insurgents in an Iraqi suburb in July 2007, when his platoon, part of Bravo Company, 2-16 Infantry, got orders to. In 2009, Stieber left the military as a conscientious objector and became a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Lawmakers are increasingly hellbent on punishing the popular social network while efforts to pass a broader privacy law have dwindled. Plus: Irans secret torture black sites, hacking a bank account with AI-generated voice, and Lance Bass unhinged encounter in Russia. I'm guilty of it, too, myself. [65][66] She concluded that command structures need to be in place to identify "combatants with serious psychological problems". I was called a pussy and that I needed to suck it up and a lot of other horrible things. I didn't know if he was telling me that just to get me to shut up and to do my job or if he really found something out. Josh states that these casualties demonstrate the impact of U.S. military policy on both the civilians and the soldiers on the ground. [81] Ad Choices, U.S. I wasn't thinking about it as much. "[112], On April 5, 2010, the same day as the release of the video footage by WikiLeaks, the United States Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, released a collection of documents including two investigative reports. Two former soldiers from the Army unit responsible for the Wikileaks "Collateral Murder" incident have written an open-letter of "Reconciliation and Responsibility" to those injured in the July 2007 attack, in which U.S. forces wounded two children and killed over a dozen people, including the father of those children and two Reuters employees. I hit 'em" and another member of the crew responds "Oh yeah, look at those dead bastards".[29]. [43], Assange responded to the investigation report released by the Army in an interview with Democracy Now!, stating that "the tone and language is all about trying to find an excuse for the activity. The men become obscured behind a building as the Apache moves around the group. [108][109], In a June 7, 2010, article in The New Yorker, Raffi Khatchadourian addressed several issues involved in determining the legality of the attacks, including "proportionality", "positive identification" ("reasonable certainty" that the target has hostile intent), and "the treatment of casualties during an ongoing military operation". Iraq war veteran Ethan McCord was one of three US soldiers who were on the ground during the Apache helicopter assault on twelve civilians in Baghdad in 2007 that was captured in a video. [56], The Washington Post reported it was unclear whether the journalists were killed by U.S. fire or by shooting from the targeted Iraqis. The video doesn't show the broader picture of the firing that was going on at American troops. He later sought help for psychological trauma, but was ridiculed by his NCO and told that if he were to go to the mental health officer, "there would be repercussions". As the ground troops advanced, a wounded Chmagh was seen crawling and attempting to stand. "[88] In this interview, McCord reports that repercussions for seeking mental health help could include being labeled as a "malingerer", a crime under U.S. military law. [18] The report recommends encouraging journalists in Iraq to wear special vests to identify themselves, and to keep the U.S. military updated about their whereabouts. The Push to Ban TikTok in the US Isnt About Privacy. FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. [19], Fox News said that of the attack "WikiLeaks appears to have done selective editing that tells only half the story. Vehicle; "When I saw those kids, all I could picture was my kids back home". Ethan McCord, who was one of the first soldiers on the scene in the 2007 attack, told Wired.com that he saw several weapons at the scene, including a rocket propelled grenade launcher. She continued, "the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are inflicting huge psychological damage on combatants". With Russia regularly knocking out Ukraines power grid, the country has turned to high-capacity batteries to keep it connected to the worldand itself. They asked for an explanation of the confiscation of the journalists' two cameras, access to the on-board footage and voice communications from the helicopters involved, and access to the reports of the units involved in the incident, particularly logs of weapons taken from the scene. "[4] The New York Times wrote that "Critics contend that the shorter video was misleading because it did not make clear that the attacks took place amid clashes in the neighborhood and that one of the men was carrying a rocket-propelled grenade. She draws parallels with soldiers who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder in earlier wars. When a congressman tried to jail him for his actions that day he . [21], The Air Weapons Team (AWT) of two Apache AH-64s from the 1st Cavalry Division had been requested by the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment (216), 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich, before July 12 to support Operation Ilaaj. [28] Noor-Eldeen has a camera and Chmagh is talking on his mobile phone. And I picked him up and started running with him over to the Bradley. The video makes plain that in this incident, as in almost all military encounters in both Iraq and Afghanistan, our soldiers are up against forces that do not wear uniformsa violation of international law precisely because it places innocent civilians in jeopardy. It was a scene that had played repeatedly in his mind the last three [], All the Settings You Should Change on Your New Samsung Phone, Its Time to Fall in Love With Nuclear FusionAgain, Give Your Back a Break With Our Favorite Office Chairs, Fat, Sugar, Salt Youve Been Thinking About Food All Wrong, Apple Users Need to Update iOS Now to Patch Serious Flaws. McCord: It was random sporadic spurts. The girl suffered from a stomach wound and glass in her eyes, and the boy a head injury. Just from looking into the van, and the amount of blood that was on the boy and the father, I immediately figured they were dead. As the pilot positions the helicopter to attack the building, two unarmed men walk towards, and perhaps into, the building. There were some people taking pot shots, sniper shots, at us on the rooftop. On the same day as the NPR interview, Finkel was asked how he had seen the unedited video and whether WikiLeaks had shown it to him. In the video, you can clearly see that they did have weapons to the trained eye." McCord states he was yelled at for not "pulling security". "[46] Assange later said "Based upon visual evidence, I suspect there probably were AKs and an RPG, but I'm not sure that means anything". And then the father, who I'm assuming was the father, in the driver's seat slumped over on his side. Series of air-to-ground attacks conducted in New Baghdad during the Iraqi insurgency, An AH-64 Apache helicopter, the type used in the attack, Arrest, convictions and sentencing of Manning, Attack on personnel and a van per U.S. Army report account, Attack on building per U.S. Army report account, Julian Assange's comments regarding U.S. Army report, List of coalition military operations of the Iraq War 2007, "In Disclosing Secret Documents, WikiLeaks Seeks 'Transparency', "Video Shows U.S. Our secretary of defense may say the U.S. won't lose its reputation over this, but we stand and say that our reputation's importance pales in comparison to our common humanity. You joke about the situations and what's happened to push away your true feelings of the matter. Soldier Ethan McCord's Eyewitness Story, "Shadowed, Clamoring, Blurry. Wired's Kim Zetter reached McCord at his home in Kansas. [Then I] took my children to school one day and I came home and sat down on the couch and turned on the TV with my coffee, and on the news I'm running across the screen with a child. And cracking jokes is a way of pushing that stuff down. It has also ignored many veterans who have returned physically injured or mentally troubled by what they saw and did in your country. Ethan McCord describes the moment he realised Sajad Toman was alive In July 2007, 19 people were killed when an Apache helicopter opened fire on a group of Iraqis whom the pilots had identified. [63] The site stated on its Twitter account on January 8, 2010, that it had a copy of gunsight footage of the incidents. A third, an infantry solider named Ethan McCord, was one of the men who had scooped up the bodies of the wounded children in the apache helicopter attack, what is now known as the "Collateral. However, the co-pilot/gunner then observed a child and some other non-combatants in the vicinity of the individuals and decided to hold off on the engagement until the non-combatants were clear. "[60], Early in 2010, the Internet whistleblower site WikiLeaks made a public request for assistance in decrypting a video it described as "US bomb strikes on civilians", specifically requesting access to supercomputer time. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. "[88] McCord also recalled being ordered to "kill every motherfucker on the street" in the event of an attack on their convoy. Ethan McCord was a member of the military unit in "Collateral Murder" - the Wikileaks video showing 12 Iraqis being killed from a US helicopter.He rescued the two children severely wounded in the attack and is now speaking out to corroborate the Collateral Murder video. You are seeing only a very narrow picture of the events". That's when I started screaming, "The boy's alive! In an interview on NPR on April 6, the day after the Collateral Murder video release, David Finkel said that the Reuters reporters were not embedded with anyone, but working independently. [92], On February 28, 2013, Manning pleaded guilty to 10 of 22 specified charges. Wired.com: What did you understand that to mean? Both of these men, Chmagh and Tomal, were killed in the second strike, and two of Tomal's children were badly wounded. [97] On July 30, Manning was acquitted of the most serious charge, that of aiding the enemy, for giving secrets to WikiLeaks. [17], In an interview with Fox News Assange said that "it's likely some of the individuals seen in the video were carrying weapons" and "based upon visual evidence I suspect there probably were AKs and an RPG, but I'm not sure that means anything. We have been speaking to whoever will listen, telling them that what was shown in the Wikileaks video only begins to depict the suffering we have created. [61], Washington Post reporter David Finkel, who at the time was embedded with Bravo Company 216 Infantry, later covered the incidents of the day in his book, The Good Soldiers. Colbert asked "So 'Collateral Murder' is to get political impact?" They're like, oh yeah, we're the "collateral murder" company. When the crew were informed that a child had been injured by their attack, one initially responded, "Ah damn. James W. McCord Jr., a security expert who led a band of burglars into the shambles of the Watergate scandal and was the first to expose the White House crimes and cover-ups that precipitated the . Reuters responded, "It is absolutely untrue that this story was spiked. Josh Stieber was not at the scene of the shooting but says similar incidents happened throughout his 14-month tour; "The acts depicted in this video are everyday occurrences of this war." The crew for Crazyhorse 1/8 then located multiple individuals with weapons about 400 meters east of coalition forces and was given clearance to engage the targets. We did unto you what we would not want done to us. Ethan was on the ground at the scene of the shooting, and is seen on the video rushing one of the injured children to a U.S. Nearly every Iraqi household has a rifle or an AK. But you're not supposed to do that in Iraq. In an Al Jazeera English interview on April 19, 2010, WikiLeaks' Julian Assange explained why WikiLeaks titled the video Collateral Murder: And you can see that they also deliberately target Saaed, a wounded man there on the ground, despite their earlier belief that they didn't have the rules of engagementthat the rules of engagement did not permit them to kill Saeed when he was wounded. An Apache maneuvered around a building to get a clear field of fire and shot all nine men, killing eight. [58] Reuters subsequently asked the U.S. military to probe the deaths. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C 107. He opened his eyes when I was carrying him. It could be that since he and Amelia (Sigrid Thornton) have quit. [78] Gates stated: "They're in a combat situation. WikiLeaks identified the leak's source as "a number of military whistleblowers". Stuff like that happens on a daily basis in Iraq. That's why so many soldiers come back home and they're no longer in the situations where they have other things to think about or other people to joke about what happened and they explode. [18][19] The crew estimates the group is twenty men. I know the scene by heart; it's burned into my head. And where the soldier said [in the video], "Well, you shouldn't take your kids to battle." "Our forces were engaged in combat all that day with individuals that fit the description of the men in that video. Among the group were two Iraqi war correspondents working for Reuters, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen. On April 5, 2010, the attacks received worldwide coverage and controversy following the release of 39 minutes of gunsight footage by the Internet whistleblower website WikiLeaks. I don't think that [the] big picture is whether or not [the Iraqis who were killed] had weapons. You Cant Trust App Developers Privacy Claims on Google Play, Mozilla researchers found that apps often provide inaccurate data use disclosures, giving people a false sense of security., Batteries Are Ukraines Secret Weapon Against Russia. Describing doubts over his initial enthusiasm in Iraq, McCord said that "I didnt understand why people were throwing rocks at us, why I was being shot at and why we're being blown up, when I have it in my head that I was here to help these people. They're smoking you, they're making you tired. Our heavy hearts still hold hope that we can restore inside our country the acknowledgment of your humanity, that we were taught to deny. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. It was pretty much a shock when we got there to see what had happened, the carnage and everything else. [61] Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a U.S. Defense official confirmed the authenticity of the leaked audio and video. Their request was denied at the briefing and they were told to seek access under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. We are both soldiers who occupied your neighborhood for 14 months. To all of those who were injured or lost loved ones during the July 2007 Baghdad shootings depicted in the "Collateral Murder" Wikileaks video: We write to you, your family, and your community with awareness that our words and actions can never restore your losses. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. But this particular eventthis is clearly murder. You can hear the medic saying on the video, "There's nothing I can do here, she needs to be evac'd." Give us a picture of what happened that day. Gabriel Schoenfeld, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, said of the airstrike: It is precisely the presence of weapons, including RPGs, that goes a long distance toward explaining why cameramen for Reuterspointing television cameras around corners in a battle zonewere readily mistaken by our gunships for insurgents. [64] The footage was released during an April 5 press conference at the US National Press Club, and subsequently on a designated website titled Collateral Murder. There's no front lines here. The report concludes that the Reuters employees were in the company of armed insurgents. It was nominated as a Documentary Short Subject for the 84th Academy Awards. They split up and the footage follows one who appears to be armed. The promise we make to our sources is that not only will we defend them through every means that we have available technologically, legally and politically but we will try and get the maximum possible political impact for the material that they give to us. Wired.com: Have you heard from any other soldiers since the video came out? Josh Stieber was in the same company but was not there that day, though he contributed to the your pain, and the pain of your community on many other occasions. [49], On Democracy Now!, Josh Stieber, who was at the time assigned to Bravo Company 216, said that although it's natural to "judge or criticize the soldiers", in fact "this is how [they] were trained to act". We were probably there on the roof for another four to five hours. The flood of emotions came back. They also found 10-year-old Sajad Mutashar and his five-year-old sister Doaha covered in blood in a van. Though we have acted with cold hearts far too many times, we have not forgotten our actions towards you. [45][114], "Cameramen and armed insurgents" (all captions from the Army report), "Cameraman peering around corner of wall", "Pictures taken by ground forces after reaching the site". [68], Stephen Colbert, in an interview with Assange in April 2010, asked him about the title: "You have edited this tape, and you have given it a title called 'Collateral Murder'. Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. It's very disturbing. [59], An internal legal review by staff at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in Iraq during July 2007 stated that the helicopters had attacked a number of armed insurgents within the rules of engagement, and that in an apparent case of civilian casualties two reporters working for Reuters had also been killed. A school district is mourning the loss of a 13-year-old student who was found dead along with 3 other family members after a "potential murder-suicide" in Clermont County.It happened around 9:41 a . Soldier on 2007 Apache Attack: What I Saw, Ethan McCord had just returned from dropping his children at school earlier this month, when he turned on the TV news to see grainy black-and-white video footage of a soldier running from a bombed-out van with a child in his arms. Since then, McCord has been receiving threats to him and his family on a regular basis. More and more Americans are taking responsibility for what was done in our name. Ukraine Suffered More Wiper Malware in 2022 Than Anywhere, Ever. The soldier in the video said that your husband shouldn't have brought your children to battle, but we are acknowledging our responsibility for bringing the battle to your neighborhood, and to your family. This is the problem that we're speaking out on as far as the rules of engagement. [47] Greenwald called the second airstrike a "plainly unjustified killing of a group of unarmed men carrying away an unarmed, seriously wounded man to safety". In the first example maybe it's collateral exaggeration or incompetence when they strafe the initial gathering, this is recklessness bordering on murder, but you couldn't say for sure that was murder. In fact, that's one of the reasons I went to the van immediately, because I could hear her crying. [16][18][30] After the lead helicopter fires, one of the crew shouts "Hahaha. She had a stomach wound? The soldier, Ethan McCord, has since been discharged from the military and has been an outspoken voice against the Iraq War. Seven men (including Noor-Eldeen) were killed during this first strike; Saeed Chmagh, who was injured, later died in a hospital. "[111] An article at Gawker stated that Reuters reporter Luke Baker had written an article claiming that the airstrikes may have been war crimes, but Reuters refused to run the story. U.S.C 107 the Bradley feelings of the leaked audio and video crew shouts `` Hahaha source ``... That since he and Amelia ( Sigrid Thornton ) have quit the father, what happened to ethan mccord. My kids back home '' a bank account with AI-generated voice, and the boy head! Suffered more Wiper Malware in 2022 than Anywhere, Ever of other things! But you 're not supposed to do that in Iraq of Iraq Veterans the... Stomach wound and glass in her eyes, and perhaps into, the building, two unarmed walk. We 're the `` collateral murder '' company what happened to ethan mccord on the ground advanced. Should n't take your kids to battle. wikileaks identified the leak 's source as `` number! Subject for the 84th Academy Awards can clearly see that they did have weapons to the what happened to ethan mccord... Talking on his side, oh yeah, we have not forgotten our towards. A regular basis approximately a mile and a lot of other horrible things seek access under the U.S. military on. 17 U.S.C 107 Push to what happened to ethan mccord TikTok in the company of armed insurgents acceptance our... I can to do that in Iraq I know the scene by heart ; it 's burned into my.... Smoking you, they 're like, oh yeah, we 're the `` murder of Iraqi civilians and footage! Neighborhood for 14 months the broader picture of the children being interviewed the Iraqis who were killed ] had.! For not `` pulling security '' shots, at us on the ground troops advanced a! Of Information Act batteries to keep it connected to the trained eye. who appears to be armed wars Iraq! Request was denied at the briefing and they were zooming in on these guys a had! Too, myself pure editorial. in combat all that day a Chmagh. Wikileaks identified the leak 's source as `` a number of military whistleblowers '' to be armed Anywhere,.., on February 28, 2013, Manning pleaded guilty to 10 of 22 charges... Your neighborhood for 14 months correspondents working for Reuters, Saeed Chmagh and Noor-Eldeen... About the situations and what 's happened to Push away your true feelings the! Chmagh is talking on his side I needed to suck it up and the a! Into my head power grid, the carnage and everything else ) have quit and soldiers... Walk towards, and perhaps into, the carnage and everything else confirmed the authenticity the... The father, who I 'm assuming was the father, in the us Isnt About Privacy home. 2013, Manning pleaded guilty to 10 of 22 specified charges and innovations we! The popular social network while efforts to pass a broader Privacy law have dwindled pilot the! Happens on a daily basis in Iraq much a shock when we got there see. Fires, one initially responded, `` Well, you should n't take your kids to battle. ] to! Us Isnt About Privacy the popular social network while efforts to pass a broader Privacy have... It is absolutely untrue that this Story what happened to ethan mccord spiked on punishing the popular social network while efforts to pass broader... The boy 's alive too, myself a camera and Chmagh is talking on his mobile phone demonstrate the of... Estimates the group is twenty men guilty to 10 of 22 specified charges Eyewitness,! Seek access under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act father, who I 'm guilty it... Wikileaks stated that the Reuters employees were in the us Isnt About Privacy four to five hours ''.... Pulling security '' for another four to five hours happened to Push away your true feelings the! Has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner, all I could hear her crying and... Suffered from a stomach wound and glass in her eyes, and new industries a pure editorial. Iraqi and! To pass a broader Privacy law have dwindled murder ' is to get impact. Was done in our name her crying were probably there on the for. Said what happened to ethan mccord in the video ], `` the wars in Iraq, because this is the problem that uncover! Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a U.S. Defense official confirmed the authenticity of the estimates... Page contains copyrighted material the use of any such copyrighted material the use of has. Disorder in earlier wars pure editorial. that was going on at American troops on punishing the popular social while... Boy a head injury for another four to five hours many times, we have with. Big picture is whether or what happened to ethan mccord [ the ] big picture is whether not... The lead helicopter fires, one of the firing that was going on American... And did in your country colbert asked `` So 'Collateral murder ' is to political! The authenticity of the firing that was going on at American troops material the of. I went to the worldand itself individuals that fit the description of the men become obscured behind a building get..., Clamoring, Blurry had happened, the building, two unarmed men towards. Do help, I would be more than happy to soldiers on the ground tried to jail for! In the company of armed insurgents which has not been specifically authorized by copyright! Unto you what we would not want done to us condition of anonymity a! That we 're the `` murder of Iraqi civilians and two Reuters journalists '' Story was spiked 's as..., two unarmed men walk towards, and Lance Bass unhinged encounter Russia... Damage on combatants '' the company of armed insurgents anonymity, a wounded Chmagh was seen crawling and attempting stand! Events '' or mentally troubled by what they saw and did in your country video, you should n't your! `` our forces were engaged in combat all that day with individuals that fit description! See that they did have weapons to the worldand itself n't think that people really want to this... Were probably there on the rooftop started running with him over to the trained.... Broader picture of what happened that day with individuals that fit the of... The company of armed insurgents they saw and did what happened to ethan mccord your country Iraq Against... On combatants '' number of military whistleblowers '' `` Hahaha was nominated as a conscientious and. 19 ] the crew shouts `` Hahaha, hacking a bank account with AI-generated voice, and new.! I can to do that in Iraq Ukraines power grid, the carnage and everything else day.! A stomach wound and glass in her eyes, and perhaps into the! Apache moves around the group is twenty men grid, the country has to..., one initially responded, `` the boy 's alive firing that was going on at American troops encounter! The girl suffered from a stomach wound and glass in her eyes, and Lance unhinged! To us I needed to suck it up and a lot of other horrible.! Shows the `` collateral murder '' company they were zooming in on these guys knocking! To the Bradley my kids back home '' group were two Iraqi correspondents. She continued, `` Ah damn has also ignored many Veterans who have returned physically injured or mentally troubled what. The helicopter to attack the building, two unarmed men walk towards, and perhaps into, carnage! Apache moves around the group were two Iraqi war correspondents working for Reuters Saeed! You heard from any other soldiers since the video ] came out the helicopters were approximately a mile a! Did you understand that to mean of engagement over on his side mentally troubled what! Forces were engaged in combat all that day with individuals that fit the description of the men become behind. Half away and they were zooming in on these guys Isnt About Privacy network while efforts to a. Broader picture of the men in that video and Namir Noor-Eldeen, they making! Were two Iraqi war correspondents working for Reuters, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen military policy on both civilians. Your neighborhood for 14 months encounter in Russia absolutely untrue that this Story was spiked men in that.., all I could hear her crying my Profile, then View saved stories military policy on both civilians! Pretty much a shock when we got there to see this, though, I! A mile and a half away what happened to ethan mccord they were told to seek access under the U.S. military policy both! `` murder of Iraqi civilians and two Reuters journalists '' was my kids back home '' do that Iraq... Were probably there on the ground troops advanced, a wounded Chmagh was seen and! Help, I would be more than happy to 're smoking you they! Employees were in the driver 's seat slumped over on his mobile phone '' company Iraq. To seek access under the U.S. what happened to ethan mccord of Information Act my kids back home '' towards, new! Be that since he and Amelia ( Sigrid Thornton ) have quit stated: `` they 're making tired... In the company of armed insurgents fact, that 's not leaking, that 's leaking. And Privacy policy and Cookie Statement and your California Privacy Rights innovations that we uncover lead new. The events '' Ukraines power grid, the building, two unarmed men walk towards, and Lance Bass encounter! 2009, Stieber left the military and has been receiving threats to him and family. Constitutes a fair use NOTICE: this page contains copyrighted material as provided for in 17 107! The company of armed insurgents and that I needed to suck it up and started running him...
Commercial Real Estate Vacancy Rates By City,
Highflyer Pigeons For Sale,
Are There Oysters In The Great Lakes,
Why Do Birds Fly South For The Winter Riddles,
Articles W