Wired.com: Have you heard from any other soldiers since the video came out? On April 5, 2010, the attacks received worldwide coverage and controversy following the release of 39 minutes of gunsight footage by the Internet whistleblower website WikiLeaks. McCord: I would be smoked. Since then, McCord has been receiving threats to him and his family on a regular basis. [84], Finkel had reported the day in his book The Good Soldiers,[62] including conversations which closely matched the subsequently leaked video footage. [61] The longer video shows the third attack, in which Hellfire missiles were fired into a building.[43]. What we seek is to learn from our mistakes and do everything we can to tell others of our experiences and how the people of the United States need to realize we have done and are doing to you and the people of your country. The majority of us aren't. There's no easy way to kill somebody. I based the account in my book on multiple sources, all unclassified". [47] Greenwald called the second airstrike a "plainly unjustified killing of a group of unarmed men carrying away an unarmed, seriously wounded man to safety". Ethan McCord: From Atrocities in Iraq to Resisting U.S. Wars Tweet This interview was done by and first appeared in Revolution newspaper Revolution: In the attack shown in the WikiLeaks video, you were part of the unit that was at the scene, on the ground. A Pentagon spokesman said the video did not contradict the official finding that the helicopters' crew acted within the rules of engagement and said that the inquiry backed the assessment that the group of men were carrying a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). Two men were identified by Crazyhorse 1/8 as carrying an RPG launcher and an AKM or AK-47. http://www.mediasanctuary.orghttp://www.wikileaks.org U.S. They're trained as soldiers to go into a building and clear a building. They were stating that these people had no weapons whatsoever, that they were just carrying cameras. McCord: I wasn't around that building when it happened. But the time is long overdue that we say that the value of our nation's leaders no longer represent us. Both of these men, Chmagh and Tomal, were killed in the second strike, and two of Tomal's children were badly wounded. If you or I saw someone wounded on the ground what is your first inkling? Advertisement. It was more of a child who was frightened out of her mind. In the video, you can clearly see that they did have weapons to the trained eye. I don't think that people really want to see this, though, because this is war. I was told to go pull security on a rooftop. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. I think it is good that they're putting this stuff out there. 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. On the video, it is then seen that Army soldiers establish a perimeter around the site and extract the children from the burning van. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. [88], McCord requested mental health assistance following his experiences on July 12, but was told by his superior officers to "get the sand out of [his] vagina" and to "suck it up and be a soldier". [59], An internal legal review by staff at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in Iraq during July 2007 stated that the helicopters had attacked a number of armed insurgents within the rules of engagement, and that in an apparent case of civilian casualties two reporters working for Reuters had also been killed. Wired.com: Wikileaks presented the incident as though there was no engagement from insurgents. That stays with you. Give us a picture of what happened that day. [32] The Apache crew alerted the ground troops of the van and requested permission to engage the vehicle before the ground troops arrived. McCord: It was random sporadic spurts. She wrote that the co-pilot urged a dying, unarmed journalist to pick up a weapon as he tried to crawl to safety and that "the Apache crew open[ed] fire on civilians". [56] U.S. forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Scott Bleichwehl later stated: "There is no question that coalition forces were clearly engaged in combat operations against a hostile force". The company was charged with clearing their sector of any small armed forces, and had been under fire from small arms and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). There's no before and there's no after". The Apache crew saw unarmed[25] men exit the vehicle and move to Chmagh. Ethan McCord, a former US soldier, has shown great courage and integrity by exposing and condemning US war crimes in Iraq. 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. I was called a pussy and that I needed to suck it up and a lot of other horrible things. McCord: There were approximately two to three other people who were moving who were still somewhat alive, and the medics were attending to them. He said that the debate should be re-framed, that it is more appropriate to ask "questions of the larger system" that teaches "doing these things is in the best interests of my own country". So, the first thing I did was grab the girl. However, personally I don't feel that the attack on the van was warranted. 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. I think that the people could have been deterred from doing what they were doing in the van by simply firing a few warning shots versus completely obliterating the van and its occupants.[52][53]. The WikiLeaks edited video did not add arrows pointing to these men, or label them, as it did with the men carrying cameras. It wasnt like a cry of pain really. With such pain, friendship might be too much to ask. We did unto you what we would not want done to us.". Just from watching that video, people cannot understand the complex battles that occurred. She was crying. [81], Publicity of the incident ballooned following the release of the footage. She said that she was "aghast" at Finkel's portrayal of the incident. [97] On July 30, Manning was acquitted of the most serious charge, that of aiding the enemy, for giving secrets to WikiLeaks. [61], Washington Post reporter David Finkel, who at the time was embedded with Bravo Company 216 Infantry, later covered the incidents of the day in his book, The Good Soldiers. Their overall mission that day was to protect us, to provide support for us, so I can see where the initial attack on the group of men was warranted. And I picked him up and started running with him over to the Bradley. Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. "Our forces were engaged in combat all that day with individuals that fit the description of the men in that video. She had a stomach wound? The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Ukraine Suffered More Wiper Malware in 2022 Than Anywhere, Ever. 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. Fox News later stated that "although it could be argued AK-47 rifles are common household items, RPGs are not". The missile hits the building, and the man is caught in the explosion. There's also some soldiers who joke about it [as a] coping mechanism. "[31], In May 2011 the Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival awarded the investigative film Collateral murder, Hellfire, done by Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks spokesperson, and Ingi Ingason, with the award for International Journalism and Human Rights. It was sent back for more reporting in an effort to incorporate a wider range of experts. [63] The site stated on its Twitter account on January 8, 2010, that it had a copy of gunsight footage of the incidents. He added, "I think what this video shows is really a case that challenges whether the laws of war are strict enough. [47] The Australian newspaper said the group was displaying "no obvious hostile action". A school district is mourning the loss of a 13-year-old student who was found dead along with 3 other family members after a "potential murder-suicide" in Clermont County.It happened around 9:41 a . [19], The events between the attack on the van and the attack on the building (approximately 30 minutes) were not captured on the leaked video footage. [25] Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com said that "the vast majority of the men were clearly unarmed". Ethan McCord, a 33-year-old Army specialist, was engaged in a firefight with insurgents in an Iraqi suburb in July 2007, when his platoon, part of Bravo Company, 2-16 Infantry, got orders to. [50] In a later interview on the World Socialist Web Site, Stieber said that the attack "exposes so clearly the fallacy of using war as a tool of foreign policy or as a way to supposedly spread 'freedom and democracy' around the world".[51]. 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. The crew then reposition the helicopter and fire two more missiles into the upper floors of the building[44], WikiLeaks said in the preface to one of their videos of the incident that "some of the men appear to have been armed [although] the behavior of nearly everyone was relaxed" in the introductory text of the shorter video. [32], U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticized WikiLeaks for releasing the video without providing any context. I don't think that [the] big picture is whether or not [the Iraqis who were killed] had weapons. [55], Assange stated that the attack on the van was the most damning part of the video: "I'm very sceptical that was done under the rules of engagement; and, if it was legal, the rules of engagement must be changed". "The first thing I thought of was my children at home". WikiLeaks stated that the footage shows the "murder of Iraqi civilians and two Reuters journalists". "[32], The Guardian stated "It is unclear if some of the men are armed but Noor-Eldeen can be seen with a camera". 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. Part of Banksy's, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 21:26. And cracking jokes is a way of pushing that stuff down. However, the long version of the video shows that this van had already been targeted by one Apache (Crazyhorse 1/8), prior to the second strike, as it traveled south toward the Reuters employees who were simultaneously targeted by the other Apache (Crazyhorse 1/9) as they walked with the group of men north on the same road toward the van. Was it reasonable for the Apache soldiers to think that maybe the people they attacked were part of that insurgent firefight? However, I do know some soldiers went in to clear that building afterwards and there were some people with weapons in there, but there was also a family of four that was killed. Two men assisting in the rescue effort were from a group of five standing at an intersection seen in the upper right corner of the video when the Reuters employees arrive in the courtyard reported to Apaches as being a second position combatants were using to attack the Humvee. They split up and the footage follows one who appears to be armed. 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. On July 12, 2007, a series of air-to-ground attacks were conducted by a team of two U.S. AH-64 Apache helicopters in Al-Amin al-Thaniyah, New Baghdad, during the Iraqi insurgency which followed the invasion of Iraq. Josh Stieber was not at the scene of the shooting but says similar incidents happened throughout his 14-month tour; "The acts depicted in this video are everyday occurrences of this war." The promise we make to our sources is that not only will we defend them through every means that we have available technologically, legally and politically but we will try and get the maximum possible political impact for the material that they give to us. For instance, the Web site takes special care to slow down the video and identify the two photographers and the cameras they are carrying. It also states that "The cameras could easily be mistaken for slung AK-47 or AKM rifles, especially since neither cameraman is wearing anything that identifies him as media or press". McCord: I've spoken with one of the medics who was there. Lying dead on a street were inanimate objects that turned out to be. Gabriel Schoenfeld, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, said of the airstrike: It is precisely the presence of weapons, including RPGs, that goes a long distance toward explaining why cameramen for Reuterspointing television cameras around corners in a battle zonewere readily mistaken by our gunships for insurgents. Soldier on 2007 Apache Attack: What I Saw", "Redacted internal US Army report: "Investigation into Civilian Casualties Resulting from an Engagement on 12 July 2007 in the New Baghdad District of Baghdad", "WikiLeaks releases video of slaughter in Iraq", "Military shooting of Reuters men online", "Joan Smith: Now we see what war does to those who wage it", "US soldier on Baghdad airstrike: "Not out of the ordinary in Iraq", "2 soldiers in 'Collateral Murder' video apologize. [18][19] The crew estimates the group is twenty men. The ground troops that secured the site of the first two strikes then receive small arms fire from nearby buildings. 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. After the video was released, one of the soldiers involved in the incident, Ethan McCord, stated the following: "If you feel threatened in any way, you're able to engage that person. [49], On Democracy Now!, Josh Stieber, who was at the time assigned to Bravo Company 216, said that although it's natural to "judge or criticize the soldiers", in fact "this is how [they] were trained to act". However, according to the co-pilot for Crazyhorse 1/8 they failed to positively identify the occupants as combatants and returned to the previous engagement area. More and more Americans are taking responsibility for what was done in our name. Colbert asked "So 'Collateral Murder' is to get political impact?" Wired.com: The first thing you saw was the little girl in the van. [21][79], The New Yorker praised its release, calling it "a striking artifactan unmediated representation of the ambiguities and cruelties of modern warfare".[3]. Ethan McCord had just returned from dropping his children at school earlier this month, when he turned on the TV news to see grainy black-and-white video footage of a soldier running from a bombed-out van with a child in his arms. A unit from Bravo Company 216 was within 100 meters of the individuals that were fired upon with 30mm AH-64 Apache cannons. They also found 10-year-old Sajad Mutashar and his five-year-old sister Doaha covered in blood in a van. 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. The editors asked to see the remaining footage so Reuters could check whether it had been edited or manipulated. Soldier on 2007 Apache Attack: What I Saw, Ethan McCord had just returned from dropping his children at school earlier this month, when he turned on the TV news to see grainy black-and-white video footage of a soldier running from a bombed-out van with a child in his arms. A passing van then stopped and attempted to load a wounded man. WikiLeaks stated that "some of the men appear to have been armed [although] the behavior of nearly everyone was relaxed" in the introductory text of the shorter video. He later sought help for psychological trauma, but was ridiculed by his NCO and told that if he were to go to the mental health officer, "there would be repercussions". [92][93] The Internet chats between Manning and Lamo were revealed to the public by Wired. McCord, who served seven years in the military before leaving in the summer of 2009 due to injuries, recently posted an apologetic letter online with fellow soldier Josh Steiber supporting the release of the video and asking the family's forgiveness. However, the co-pilot/gunner then observed a child and some other non-combatants in the vicinity of the individuals and decided to hold off on the engagement until the non-combatants were clear. The Apache crew then alerted the ground troops that they believed that they could see an injured child moving around inside the destroyed van. He is seen swinging the weapon below his waist while standing next to the man holding the RPG". The boy's alive!" [108][109], In a June 7, 2010, article in The New Yorker, Raffi Khatchadourian addressed several issues involved in determining the legality of the attacks, including "proportionality", "positive identification" ("reasonable certainty" that the target has hostile intent), and "the treatment of casualties during an ongoing military operation". [96] Her trial on the remaining charges began on June 3, 2013. Many soldiers felt threatened just by the fact that you were looking at them, so they fired their weapons on anybody that was looking at them because they (I . Wired.com: But you had been in combat before. "Reading his account," she explained, "one would believe the engagement was somehow justified as 'payback' for an earlier attack that led to the death of a soldier. [57], Reuters reported that it could locate no witnesses who had seen gunmen in the immediate area. "These people can put out anything they want, and they're never held accountable for it. I've spoken with other soldiers who were there. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. Home: Wichita, Kansas, AN OPEN LETTER OF RECONCILIATION & RESPONSIBILITY TO THE IRAQI PEOPLE From Current and Former Members of the U.S. Military. The film received an Oscar nomination in January. Series of air-to-ground attacks conducted in New Baghdad during the Iraqi insurgency, An AH-64 Apache helicopter, the type used in the attack, Arrest, convictions and sentencing of Manning, Attack on personnel and a van per U.S. Army report account, Attack on building per U.S. Army report account, Julian Assange's comments regarding U.S. Army report, List of coalition military operations of the Iraq War 2007, "In Disclosing Secret Documents, WikiLeaks Seeks 'Transparency', "Video Shows U.S. I've lived with seeing the children that way since the incident happened. Captain James Hall stated they couldn't drive in Bradleys in fear of running over bodies. [16][18][30] After the lead helicopter fires, one of the crew shouts "Hahaha. A third, an infantry solider named Ethan McCord, was one of the men who had scooped up the bodies of the wounded children in the apache helicopter attack, what is now known as the "Collateral. Reuters responded, "It is absolutely untrue that this story was spiked. McCord, in New York for the festival premiere, told the story of what he experienced while saving two children wounded in the incident. There had been running gun battles. He is seen swinging the weapon below his waist while standing next to the man holding the RPG. They could n't drive in Bradleys what happened to ethan mccord fear of running over bodies is... His family on a street were inanimate objects that turned out to be nearby buildings no after.... [ 32 ], Reuters reported that it could locate no witnesses had! Added, `` I think it is absolutely untrue that this story spiked. It up and the man is caught in the explosion the missile hits building. Then, McCord has been receiving threats to him what happened to ethan mccord his five-year-old sister Doaha covered in blood a! I picked him up and a lot of other horrible things Anywhere,.. 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Drive in Bradleys in fear of running over bodies was called a pussy and that needed!, Reuters reported that it could be argued AK-47 rifles are common household items RPGs... 18 ] [ 30 ] after the lead helicopter fires, one of the men in video!

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