San Diego's The North County Times has this exclusive update on the case of Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, who faces allegations of failing to accurately disclose all he knew about the deaths of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, on November 19, 2005.
Chessani was the battalion commander of Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment on the day the civilians lost their lives. Despite a media firestorm that largely condemned the Marines after the incident became public, six of the eight Marines originally accused have either been exonerated or had charges dropped. Chessani initially faced a deriliction of duty charge, which was dropped, but he could still face a demotion and order to retire if the inquiry board holds him responsible.
If you're wondering why you didn't hear much about the Marines whose names have been cleared, it's because the America media did not follow their cases with the same vigor as the original accusations of a "massacre." The only Marine still facing charges that could put him in prison, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, had all murder counts against him reduced to manslaughter, but still faces trial at an unspecified date. He was interview by CBS News' Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes in 2007, in one of the most combative, unfair interviews I have ever seen a journalist conduct. I hope CBS gives Wuterich a follow-up interview if he is eventually cleared like all the fellow Marines who were with him that day.
Today, a loyal Marine with six children and a seventh on the way could be forced to leave the military in disgrace when nobody below the former battalion commander has been convicted of any wrongdoing. Chessani has said he regrets that civilians were killed that day, but insists he instructed all his men to tell the truth about what happened. Yet one of the only places I can find vetted information about this is The North County Times? I mean no disrespect to that local newspaper, which is doing the right thing by following this story, but this is national news, folks.
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