Footnote to the preceding

One of the complaints directed against the military in the face of charges of abuse and torture is its failure to aggressively pursue the issue. The Pentagon, of course, insists that oh my yes, we take it very very seriously. One hint as to how seriously was buried in a report from AP last week in the wake of the release of the damning documents.

In one of the reports, a Marine said he and two others were ordered to kill three Iraqis.

"The executions allegedly took place in early April 2003 while the unit was temporarily based at an abandoned Iraqi pharmaceutical factory south of Baghdad," according to the NCIS document, dated June 26, 2003.

The Marine said he was threatened with death if he did not carry out the order. The bodies of the dead Iraqis were allegedly dumped in a hole, the document said.

After the incident was reported, the Marines were interviewed. One, who was interviewed and advised of his rights, retracted his previous statements, saying the executions never took place.

I can just imagine how that "interview" went. First the reading of rights, then:

"So, we're talking murder here, aren't we? And you say you were ordered to do it? Well, it's your word against an officer's, isn't it, soldier? What are we looking at here, minimum 20 to life, I'd say, wouldn't you, Frank?"

"Yeah, Joe, that sounds right to me. Unless, of course, he just made it up and it never happened."

"Sure, that could be true. Maybe he just wanted a good story to tell back home. Now, if he'd just say that, all this 20-to-life stuff would just go away, wouldn't it?"

"I think so, Joe. So what about it, soldier, want to tell us again how it went down?"