Multiple sources

Last night I incorporated comments from Uncle Jimbo--formerly of US Special Forces, to the tune of 14 years. Additionally if you recall, I mentioned a story from CNN's Arwa Damon that told the story of her time with the Marine unit alleged to have committed "war crimes" in Haditha.

Today AP reporter Antonio Castaneda filed a similar report about his time with that same unit. In it, members of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion , 1st Marine Division while in Haditha in October of last year express thoughts eerily similar to Jimbo's. From the testimony of more than one witness:

But, for all their experience and obvious military skill, there was something else that caught my attention.

Several Marines approached me and asked my opinion about a controversial incident during the Fallujah offensive in the fall of 2004.

A Marine from the battalion shot and killed a wounded, unarmed man in a mosque. The killing was videotaped by a cameraman and broadcast worldwide.

Several Marines wanted to know if I thought the shooting was justified. I hadn't examined the footage. I saw it in passing on CNN. I wasn't there, and I didn't claim to understand the raging hell the storming of Fallujah must have been.

But some Marines were eager to discuss the shooting, arguing that the Marine was entirely justified in firing at a perceived threat. To them, it was a litmus test to identify those who understood combat. The Marine Corps agreed on some level, opting not to press charges against the Marine.