Eating our own

By Thomas Lifson

A very disturbing story comes from NewsMax, by Phil Brennan.

A heroic Marine Lt. Colonel called by his superiors "a superb leader, who knows his men, knows the enemy, knows his business," is facing charges sparked by specious TIME Magazine stories based on the testimony of known insurgent propagandists.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Chessani who commanded the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment in Haditha when members of the unit were ambushed by insurgents was recommended for promotion to colonel by his Division commander, who filed a fitness report calling him one of the most effective combat commanders in Iraq.

Yet Chessani now faces criminal charges arising out of the so-called "Haditha massacre" of November 19, 2005 - even though he was not at the scene.

We have been covering the so-called Haditha incident since it came to public notice, and have always been skeptical that it was anything but Marines defending themselves from attack, with possibly some regrettable but inevitable civilian casualties. As more evidence has leaked out, the original story by TIME Magazine which sparked an investigation has proven to be riddled with inaccuracies and questionable motives on the part of sources. Nevertheless. LtC Chesanni is accused of failing to investigate properly and faces criminal penalties. This is an outage.

Read the link and draw you own conclusions. An outstanding officer has been taken away from important duty and faces severe jeopardy thanks to careless media and the eagerness of many in America to believe the worst about those who sacrifice so much to defend us.

Hat tip: Alan Fraser