Soldier Ethan McCord's Eyewitness Story, "Shadowed, Clamoring, Blurry. 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. Their age, their weapons, and the fact that they were within the distance of the forces that had been engaged made it apparent these guys were potentially a threat. Michael Bailey a medic who treated some of. [67], WikiLeaks released a 39-minute version, which shows all three incidents, and a 17-minute version, which shows only the first two incidents. From our own experiences, and the experiences of other veterans we have talked to, we know that the acts depicted in this video are everyday occurrences of this war: this is the nature of how U.S.-led wars are carried out in this region. She had a stomach wound? 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. 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. You are seeing only a very narrow picture of the events". "[88] McCord also recalled being ordered to "kill every motherfucker on the street" in the event of an attack on their convoy. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. According to Tom Raju, a reporter at CNN, "the soldiers of Bravo Company, 216 Infantry had been under fire all morning from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms on the first day of Operation Ilaaj in Baghdad". [32] Assange also said "it's ludicrous to allege that we have taken anything out of context in this video". [48], In The Independent on April 8, 2010, human rights activist Joan Smith wrote that the engagements were like a game to the helicopter crew. Fox News later stated that "although it could be argued AK-47 rifles are common household items, RPGs are not". It was more of a child who was frightened out of her mind. 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. I wasn't thinking about it as much. I went back outside to the van, and that's when the boy took, like, a labored, breath. Ahlam Abdelhussein Tuman, the widow of the man who had been driving the van, and the mother of the children McCord had carried out, responded to the open letter in 2010:[75]. "[32][77] He said that WikiLeaks "does not point out that at least one man was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle. Daniel Ellsberg, a former United States military analyst who was known for having leaked the Pentagon Papers to the media, said of the airstrike: It would be interesting to have someone speculate or tell us exactly what context would lead to justifying the killing that we see on the screen. Major Brent Cummings claimed they took great pains to prevent the loss of innocent civilian lives. The owner told him that three families were living in the building and seven residents had died, including his wife and daughter. Please accept our apology, our sorrow, our care, and our dedication to change from the inside out. And that in turn is what helped me and Josh write the letter, hoping that it would find its way to them to let them know that we're sorry. When I saw their faces, I was relieved, but I was just heartbroken. Some of them [say] I don't care what anybody says they're not there. Forces Clash With Militias", "Reuters seeks U.S. probe into killing of Iraqi staff", "Return to Ward 17: Making peace with lost comrades", "Bradley Manning's statements during his trial", "U.S. gunfire kills two Reuters employees in Baghdad", "WikiLeaks silent on how it broke encryption", "Twitter / WikiLeaks: Have encrypted videos of U", "WikiLeaks posts video of 'US military killings' in Iraq", "Collateral Murder? Ethan McCord, a soldier who arrived on the scene after the attack, stated in an interview for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: From being in the perspective of the Apache helicopter crew, I can see where a group of men gathering, when there's a firefight just a few blocks away, which I was involved in, and theyre carrying weapons, one of which is an RPG. WikiLeaks stated that the footage shows the "murder of Iraqi civilians and two Reuters journalists". Ethan McCord who says he scooped up the children and at least one of his comrades say the incident revealed the bankrupt brutality of the war. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our livesfrom culture to business, science to design. The ground troops that secured the site of the first two strikes then receive small arms fire from nearby buildings. "The helicopters were approximately a mile and a half away and they were zooming in on these guys . Those guys could have just been protecting their area". When the cameraman on the ground aimed his camera in the direction of Bravo Company 216, a pilot remarked "He's getting ready to fire". McCord: My platoon sergeant knew that I was having a hard time with it and that same night he came into the room and he told me, hey, just so you know, both of the children survived, so you can suck it up now. The Apache crew then alerted the ground troops that they believed that they could see an injured child moving around inside the destroyed van. Knowing that I was part of the system that took their father away from them and made them lose their house it's heartbreaking. [25] Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com said that "the vast majority of the men were clearly unarmed". "I grabbed him and ran to the Bradley myself". We've been there for so long now and it seems like nothing is being accomplished whatsoever, except for we're making more people hate us. The Apache crew saw unarmed[25] men exit the vehicle and move to Chmagh. Inside 'Adam-12' Star, Kent McCord caught the attention of TV lovers when he popularized the "Jim Reed" character in 1968's "Adam-12." McCord maintained the role for seven seasons till the show ended in 1975. Responsibility for civilian deaths in such encounters rests with those who violate the rules of war. I always questioned it in the back of my mind. The majority of us aren't. [19], As the tape resumes, two men, one holding an AK-47, are seen walking. [18][25][31] The Apache crew requested permission to engage, stating it "looks like [the men] possibly, picking up bodies and weapons" from the scene,[33] and repeated their request to shoot,[7][34][35][36][37] before they received permission to begin firing on the van and its occupants. McCord: Yeah. McCord: I doubt that they were a part of that firefight. 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. One of the first soldiers on the scene after the air attack, Ethan McCord, is now the subject of a short documentary, Incident in New Baghdad, which will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. I know the scene by heart; it's burned into my head. We are doing what we can to speak out against the wars and military policies responsible for what happened to you and your loved ones. For instance, the Web site takes special care to slow down the video and identify the two photographers and the cameras they are carrying. The Wikileaks videos also do not reveal the hundreds upon hundreds of cases in which American forces refrain from attacking targets precisely because civilians are in harm's way.[80]. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C 107. When this video first came out, there was a lot of outrage by the soldiers, just because it depicted us as being callous, cruel, heartless people, and we're not that way. There were some people taking pot shots, sniper shots, at us on the rooftop. Ethan Cord (Horsley) is still a man with a conscience, and kids, but he is also less reluctant to rely on his ability with a gun. We lost our country and our lives were destroyed. McCord: I wasn't around that building when it happened. She said that she was "aghast" at Finkel's portrayal of the incident. 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. Both of these men, Chmagh and Tomal, were killed in the second strike, and two of Tomal's children were badly wounded. 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. Killing of Reuters Employees", "Dealing With Assange and the WikiLeaks Secrets", "Iraq war files: Apache Hellfire victims", "US soldier on aftermath of WikiLeaks Apache attack", Leaked U.S. video shows deaths of Reuters' Iraqi staffers, "Notes from the Courtroom: Alexa O'Brien's Transcript of Pfc. Gates said that the video provides the public with a view of warfare "as seen through a soda straw". You can see in this particular image he is lying on the ground and the people in the van have been separated, but they still deliberately target him. Soldier Ethan McCord speaking about the civilian massacre documented in WikiLeaks's April 2010 vid. I've spoken with other soldiers who were there. "[32], The Guardian stated "It is unclear if some of the men are armed but Noor-Eldeen can be seen with a camera". The co-pilot/gunner for Crazyhorse 1/9 spotted three individuals near this building get into a red SUV and drive away to the west. Hanzlik said images gathered during a military investigation of the incident show multiple weapons around the dead bodies in the courtyard, including at least three RPGs. The footage was portrayed as classified,[7] but the individual who leaked it, U.S. Army soldier Chelsea Manning,[a] testified in 2013 that the video was not classified. The military said that the van was "fair game under Army rules" , because it had no visible markings to suggest it was an ambulance or a protected vehicle. Ethan Mccord and Josh Stieber deployed to Baghdad with Bravo Company 2-16 in 2007. 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. Our hearts are open to hearing how we can take any steps to support you through the pain that we have caused. The editors asked to see the remaining footage so Reuters could check whether it had been edited or manipulated. [2], After the U.S. military concluded that the actions of the soldiers were in accordance with the law of armed conflict and its own "Rules of Engagement", WikiLeaks released the classified Rules of Engagement for 2006, 2007 and 2008, revealing the rules before, during, and after the attacks. Wired.com: There was another attack depicted in the video that has received little attention, involving a Hellfire and a building that was fired on. 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. In addition to five[98][99] or six[100][101][102] espionage counts, she was also found guilty of five theft specifications, two computer fraud specifications and multiple military infractions. For about 5 to 10 minutes the team diverted its attention to this vehicle. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. After the incident, we went back to the FOB [forward operating base] and that's when I was in my room. [81] As the gunner fires the first missile, another man is seen walking along the street in front of the building. He looked at me, then his eyes rolled back into this head. Wired.com: But you had been in combat before. A draft version of the video WikiLeaks produced made reference to the AK-47s and RPGs, but WikiLeaks said that ultimately they became unsure about the RPG, believing the long object could have been a camera tripod, so they decided not to point it out in the released version. [32], U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticized WikiLeaks for releasing the video without providing any context. [21][79], The New Yorker praised its release, calling it "a striking artifactan unmediated representation of the ambiguities and cruelties of modern warfare".[3]. Eamonn McCann Mon Aug 19 2013 - 20:49 Bradley Manning was scheduled to speak yesterday at the sentencing phase of his trial for having leaked 750,000 pages of classified documents and videos to. Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. When the crew were informed that a child had been injured by their attack, one initially responded, "Ah damn. [23] Among the group are two journalists working for Reuters, Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh. Tasked to conduct escort, armed reconnaissance patrols, and counter-IED and counter-mortar operations, the two helicopters left Camp Taji at 9:24a.m. I don't think that people really want to see this, though, because this is war. They're trained as soldiers to go into a building and clear a building. [18][24][25][26][27] While the two are carrying media cards, a military officer claimed they were not wearing distinctive clothing identifying themselves as such. Lawmakers are increasingly hellbent on punishing the popular social network while efforts to pass a broader privacy law have dwindled. But you guys did have a firefight a couple of blocks away. Advertisement. There's also some soldiers who joke about it [as a] coping mechanism. 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