Frank Wuterich

Infobox Military Person
name= SSgt Frank WuterichUnited States Marine Corps
born=
died=
placeofbirth= New London, Connecticut
placeofdeath=


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|United States United States of America
branch=United States Marine Corps
serviceyears=
rank= Staff Sergeant
commands=
unit= 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines
battles= Operation Iraqi Freedom
awards=
laterwork=

Frank Wuterich is a Staff Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and is alleged to have participated on 19 November, 2005 in a war crime in Haditha, Iraq, where the Marines are accused of having killed 24 civilians after a Marine had died in an insurgent attack. As of June 2008, Wuterich is charged with nine counts of manslaughter, but his trial date has been postponed.

Background

Wuterich grew up in Meriden, Connecticut, and graduated from Orville H. Platt High School in 1998. He was well known as an honor student, jazz trumpet player, and drama club president. In his senior year of high school Wuterich enlisted in the Marine Corps. He originally intended to join the Marine Corps Band, but was not accepted. [Chedekel, Lisa. [http://www.topix.net/content/trb/3689866459282053502708970727782901803795 "In Defense Of A Son"] , "Hartford Courant", 13 June, 2006. Accessed 13 June, 2006.] Before going to Iraq, Wuterich was stationed in Hawaii, and later at Camp Pendelton, California, as an instructor at Marine Combat Training (MCT). MCT is essentially a condensed version of the School of Infantry (SOI), and teaches basic infantry skills to Marines who will work in non-infantry occupations (and since "every Marine is a rifleman", all non-infantry Marines must attend MCT). At this school, he was described as level headed and taught his young and older Marines to follow orders. In Hawaii, he met and married former wife Marisol with whom he has three daughters. [Tanner, Adam. “ [http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-06-14T144115Z_01_N13425868_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-HADITHA-SERGEANT.xml&archived=False Family, colleagues praise Marine in Haditha probe] ”, "Reuters", 14 June, 2006. Accessed 16 June, 2006.] This was the first tour of duty in Iraq for Wuterich.

Haditha killings

According to news reports Wuterich was the senior Marine on patrol (no commissioned officers being present), and after the killings, allegedly lied to his commanding officers by stating that 15 of the dead Iraqi civilians were killed in the same IED explosion that touched off the incident. [Ricks, Thomas. [http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/white-house-braces-for-damning-report-on-haditha/2006/06/01/1148956481467.html "White House braces for damning report on Haditha"] , "The Sydney Morning Herald", 2 June, 2006. Accessed 4 June, 2006.] "Time" magazine has reported that military investigators had placed Wuterich in at least two of the houses in which the killings took place. [Duffy, Michael, McGirk, Tim, and Ghosh, Aparisim. “ [http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/04/time.cover/index.html The Ghosts of Haditha] ”, "Time Magazine", 4 June, 2006. Accessed 16 June, 2006.]

On 11 June, 2006, the "Washington Post" reported a detailed account of Wuterich's version of events as related through his attorney, Neal A. Puckett. [White, Josh. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/10/AR2006061001129.html "Marine Says Rules Were Followed"] , "The Washington Post", 11 June, 2006. Accessed 16 June, 2006.]

Many news reports have contradicted Wuterich's version of events, claiming that the Marines entered several houses and deliberately killed civilians. Besides photographic evidence of the killings provided by Iraqi journalism student Taher Thabet and testimony from a young Iraqi girl who survived by hiding described watching the Marines shoot her family members systematically. [McGirk, Tim. [http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1174649-2,00.html "Collateral Damage or Civilian Massacre in Haditha?"] ,"Time Magazine", 19 March, 2006. Accessed 22 June, 2006.] The photographs and forensic evidence were later used to corroborate the Marines' version of events. [ Zielbauer, Paul von. [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/15/world/middleeast/15haditha.html "Forensic Experts Testify That 4 Iraqis Killed by Marines Were Shot From a Few Feet Away"] , "NY Times", 15 June, 2007.]

Since being named in news reports in connection with the killings, several of Wuterich's family members have spoken out in his defense. Wuterich's father, Dave Wuterich, told the Associated Press that “I just don't believe that he [Frank Wuterich] would do something like that.” [Eaton-Robb, Pat. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/12/AR2006061200703.html "Father Supports Marine in Haditha Probe"] , "Washington Post", 12 June, 2006. Accessed 16 June, 2006.] Wuterich's sister Maria Wuterich also came to his defense in a discussion at thinkprogress.org. Previously, Wuterich's former wife, Marisol, had praised Wuterich in blog postings. [Tanner, Adam. [http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-06-14T144115Z_01_N13425868_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-HADITHA-SERGEANT.xml&archived=False "Family, colleagues praise Marine in Haditha probe"] , "Reuters", 14 June, 2006. Accessed 16 June, 2006.] On 19 June, 2007, Marisol Wuterich and her father-in-law were interviewed on Fox News Channel's "Hannity and Colmes". Both said that they back Frank Wuterich “100 percent”. [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200269,00.html Transcript of Hannity and Colmes] , 19 June, 2006. Accessed 22 June, 2006.]

Captain James Kimber, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey R. Chessani, and Captain Luke McConnell according to a report by The Times on 29 May, 2006 were all relieved of their duties on suspicion of inadequate reporting of or investigation into the Haditha incident.

Congressman Murtha

On 2 August, 2006, Wuterich filed a lawsuit naming Representative John Murtha (D-PA) as a defendant in a libel case. Wuterich's lawyers claimed that Murtha harmed Wuterich's image by popularizing the Haditha Killings. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080101345.html "Marine Names Murtha in Defamation Suit"] ]

More recently Wuterich's lawyers admitted at a news conference that Murtha identified Wuterich's squad and not Wuterich himselfFact|date=February 2007. Murtha also has said said he does not blame Wuterich for "lashing out" Fact|date=February 2007.

On 1 September, 2007, news outlets [The Washington Post, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/31/AR2007083102043.html "Witness Describes Iraq Killing"] Accessed 2 September, 2007] reported on a hearing of Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz, a subordinate of Wuterich at the time of the Haditha incident, in which Dela Cruz testified against Wuterich.

Dela Cruz testimony

Dela Cruz claimed that Wuterich had, following a bombing in which Marines were injured and that took place about one week prior to the Haditha incident, instructed his men to kill any nearby Iraqi in case of another bombing to "teach them a lesson". Dela Cruz alsocontradicted Wuterich's account that the five unarmed men from a nearby car, which Wuterich is accused of having shot to death, were trying to run away, and instead said that they were "just standing around", and that some of them held their hands behind their heads when Wuterich opened fire. He claimed that Wuterich then fired them in the chests at close range to ensure their death. Dela Cruz admitted to having fired upon the men himself but claimed that by the time they had already been dead. He also admitted to having urinated on one of the bodies, and said that at the time he thought the men responsible for the bombing, and that his emotions had taken over due to the death of Lance Corporal Terrazas and the injuries the IED inflicted on two other Marines.

Dela Cruz also testified that Wuterich later instructed him to tell anyone who asked that the men had tried to run away, and were consequently shot by the "Iraqi Army". Dela Cruz admitted to having lied to investigators on at least two occasions and claimed that he could not tell the truth until prosecutors dropped the charges against him.Fact|date=September 2007

Aerial footage of the area that an unmanned drone shot minutes after the IED explosion put the claim that the men had tried to flee into question, but also cast doubt about Dela Cruz's account of his role in the shooting. [PBS FRONTLINE, "Rules of Engagement", original air date Feb 19, 2008.]

Lt. Col. Colby Vokey, one of Wuterich's defense attorneys, disputed Dela Cruz's account of the incident and questioned his credibility for changing his story several times during the investigation.

On 2 September, 2007, an updated re-airing of "60 Minutes", narrated by Scott Pelley, disclosed that Wuterich did not have to go to Iraq, but went because "he wanted to see war". Pelley also revealed that all charges had since been dropped against Sanick Dela Cruz and two others.

Charges levelled

On 21 December, 2006, the US military charged Wuterich with 12 counts unpremeditated murder against individuals and one count of the murder of six people "while engaged in an act inherently dangerous to others". [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21200494.htm "U.S. Marines charged with murder in Haditha"] . Reuters AlterNet. Accessed 22 December, 2006.]

When announcing the charges, Colonel Stewart Navarre said, "We now know with certainty the press release was incorrect and that none of the civilians were killed by the IED (improvised explosive device) explosion".

On September 3, 2007, the Article 32 hearing investigating officer recommended that Staff Sgt. Wuterich be tried for negligent homicide in deaths of two women and five children, and that charges of murder be dropped. [Mark Walker, [http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/10/04/military/12_03_4110_3_07.txt Officer: Drop murder charges against Haditha Marine] , "North County Times", September 3, 2007.] Charges against the other Marines directly involved in the incident had been recommended dropped after their hearings found the charges were not supported by the evidence. [Alex Roth and Rick Rogers, [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20070712-9999-1n12haditha.html Evidence against Marines called weak] , "San Diego Union Tribune", July 12, 2007.]

References

External links

* [http://www.frankwuterich.com/ Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich's Support website]
* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20060603-9999-1n3wuterich.html "One friend says Marine isn't capable of atrocities"] by Alex Roth, "The Union-Tribune". Accessed June 3, 2006.
* [http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-friends-role,0,72581.story?coll=hc-headlines-local "Friends Ponder Marine's Role in Haditha Killings"] by Lisa Chedekel, "The Hartford Courant". Accessed June 3, 2006.
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/22/world/middleeast/22haditha.html?_r=1&oref=slogin "Marines Charge 4 With Murder of Iraq Civilians"]
* [http://www.blackfive.net/main/2006/09/from_the_marine.html#more Open Letter to Gen. Mattis]