Word: wuterich
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...Frank Wuterich knew before he finished boot camp that he didn't want to be a Marine for life, but he may wind up one anyway. Wuterich is the central suspect in the Iraq war's most notorious massacre, at Haditha, where 24 Iraqis were killed by U.S. Marines--Marines led by Wuterich. During his first media interview, the former high school band member and honor student is exceedingly polite. Wearing jeans, black sneakers and a light blue polo shirt, he shows a visitor around his two-story semidetached house at Camp Pendleton in southern California, patiently answers questions...
...York Times story also said that there is no official record of an AK-47 rifle that the Marines claim was taken from one of the town residents killed that day. But Wuterich's lawyers say their client has a clear memory of what was done with that AK-47; he says it was put into the first Humvee in his convoy, along with a suitcase taken from one of the Iraqi houses, by another Marine (whom the lawyers will not name). The AK-47 and the suitcase were to be taken back to base, tagged...
...Wuterich says he is anxious to have the investigations finished and be able to face any accusations openly. "This is just another thing the public will judge me by," he says of the latest reports. "I have no idea what these reports are talking about." He says he believes he acted appropriately that day, and has filed a lawsuit for defamation against Congressman John Murtha, who claimed last May that Marines had "killed in cold blood" in Haditha. No Marines who were in Haditha have yet been charged with a crime, and no Marine has been detained...
...Marines, however, removed three officers after the initial probes into Haditha, including Wuterich's commander. Military sources say they expect other officers to be punished for not thoroughly investigating the events. In addition, military sources have told TIME that they expect criminal charges to be brought in this case, as early as September, when Lt. Gen. James Mattis, the commander overseeing the case, is expected to complete his review of the investigation...
...Though Wuterich may be among those charged, his lawyers insist he had no reason to believe he did anything wrong that day. According to the attorneys, one of Wuterich's commanders told him that he had recommended that Wuterich receive a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal for his actions in Haditha. As TIME previously reported, on Jan. 1, 2006, Wuterich got a promotion from sergeant to staff sergeant...