In an Al Jazeera English interview on April 19, 2010, WikiLeaks' Julian Assange explained why WikiLeaks titled the video Collateral Murder: And you can see that they also deliberately target Saaed, a wounded man there on the ground, despite their earlier belief that they didn't have the rules of engagementthat the rules of engagement did not permit them to kill Saeed when he was wounded. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. It's very clear that that is the approach, to try and find any mechanism to excuse the behavior, and that is what ended up happening. WikiLeaks identified the leak's source as "a number of military whistleblowers". Though we have acted with cold hearts far too many times, we have not forgotten our actions towards you. The company was supported by two Apache helicopters from the 1st Cavalry Division's Aviation Brigade, call signs "Crazyhorse 1/8" and "Crazyhorse 1/9". So I just sucked it up and tried to move on with everything. [16][18][30] After the lead helicopter fires, one of the crew shouts "Hahaha. [28] Noor-Eldeen has a camera and Chmagh is talking on his mobile phone. It was a scene that had played repeatedly in his mind the last three [], All the Settings You Should Change on Your New Samsung Phone, Its Time to Fall in Love With Nuclear FusionAgain, Give Your Back a Break With Our Favorite Office Chairs, Fat, Sugar, Salt Youve Been Thinking About Food All Wrong, Apple Users Need to Update iOS Now to Patch Serious Flaws. The story was then overtaken by a more updated one out of Washington that incorporated reporting from the original piece. McCord is the father of three children. I was pretty distraught over the whole situation with the children. [43] It concluded that an investigating officer would want to know how the armed men were identified as combatants from the earlier engagement; would question the nature of the collateral-damage estimate carried out by the crew before the missiles were launched; and would wish to determine whether a missile attack was a proportionate response to the threat. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our livesfrom culture to business, science to design. McCord states he was yelled at for not "pulling security". [81] When Bravo Company arrived at the scene, they reported finding two RPGs and an AK-47 or AKM. Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. [61] Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a U.S. Defense official confirmed the authenticity of the leaked audio and video. [18][24][25][26][27] While the two are carrying media cards, a military officer claimed they were not wearing distinctive clothing identifying themselves as such. 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. I was told to go pull security on a rooftop. When a congressman tried to jail him for his actions that day he . However, personally I don't feel that the attack on the van was warranted. McCord: My platoon sergeant knew that I was having a hard time with it and that same night he came into the room and he told me, hey, just so you know, both of the children survived, so you can suck it up now. Please accept our apology, our sorrow, our care, and our dedication to change from the inside out. McCord: There were approximately two to three other people who were moving who were still somewhat alive, and the medics were attending to them. I don't think that [the] big picture is whether or not [the Iraqis who were killed] had weapons. [85] It was nominated as a Documentary Short Subject for the 84th Academy Awards. [113], The report states that at least two members of the group which were first fired on were armed, that two RPGs and one AKM or AK-47 rifle could be seen in the helicopter video, and that these weapons were picked up by the follow-up U.S. ground troops. "These people can put out anything they want, and they're never held accountable for it. Describing doubts over his initial enthusiasm in Iraq, McCord said that "I didnt understand why people were throwing rocks at us, why I was being shot at and why we're being blown up, when I have it in my head that I was here to help these people. [17], In an interview with Fox News Assange said that "it's likely some of the individuals seen in the video were carrying weapons" and "based upon visual evidence I suspect there probably were AKs and an RPG, but I'm not sure that means anything. On the video, it is then seen that Army soldiers establish a perimeter around the site and extract the children from the burning van. [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". [115], While the Air Weapons Team was providing support at the first engagement area they were informed by ground troops that they were receiving small arms fire from the south/southwest. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. (quote begins at 5:15)", "Soldiers in 'Collateral Murder' video apologise", "Meet The New Public Face Of WikiLeaks: Kristinn Hrafnsson Forbes", "2 Iraqi Journalists Killed as U.S. From our own experiences, and the experiences of other veterans we have talked to, we know that the acts depicted in this video are everyday occurrences of this war: this is the nature of how U.S.-led wars are carried out in this region. WikiLeaks stated that the footage shows the "murder of Iraqi civilians and two Reuters journalists". They were destroyed. I grabbed the medic and we went into the back. Josh Stieber was in the same company but was not there that day, though he contributed to the your pain, and the pain of your community on many other occasions. He kept saying, we were there, we know the truth, they're saying there was no weapons, there was. China Is Relentlessly Hacking Its Neighbors. In an interview on NPR on April 6, the day after the Collateral Murder video release, David Finkel said that the Reuters reporters were not embedded with anyone, but working independently. [18][25][31] The Apache crew requested permission to engage, stating it "looks like [the men] possibly, picking up bodies and weapons" from the scene,[33] and repeated their request to shoot,[7][34][35][36][37] before they received permission to begin firing on the van and its occupants. Ethan applied for mental health support following this incident and was denied by his commanding officer. But you guys did have a firefight a couple of blocks away. Two men were identified by Crazyhorse 1/8 as carrying an RPG launcher and an AKM or AK-47. I've had nightmares. When he is rescued, suddenly that belief changed. [19], Fox News said that of the attack "WikiLeaks appears to have done selective editing that tells only half the story. "[4] The New York Times wrote that "Critics contend that the shorter video was misleading because it did not make clear that the attacks took place amid clashes in the neighborhood and that one of the men was carrying a rocket-propelled grenade. A passing van then stopped and attempted to load a wounded man. The Apache crew saw unarmed[25] men exit the vehicle and move to Chmagh. Using short sentences, similar punctuation, or using the same words frequently as well as using Grammarly can boost your content as AI written. Ethan McCord describes the moment he realised Sajad Toman was alive In July 2007, 19 people were killed when an Apache helicopter opened fire on a group of Iraqis whom the pilots had identified. There had been running gun battles. That's a violation of the laws of war and of course what the mainstream media have omitted from their stories is this context. How to Make Sure Youre Not Accidentally Sharing Your Location, Security News This Week: Sensitive US Military Emails Exposed. [32] Assange also said "it's ludicrous to allege that we have taken anything out of context in this video". 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." He condemned and reported the massacre as soon as it happened. I know the van, I know the faces of everybody that was there that day. Among the group were two Iraqi war correspondents working for Reuters, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen. I did see a guy moving from a rooftop from one position to another with an AK-47, who was firing at us. He was shot and killed. Plus: Microsoft fixes several zero-day bugs, Google patches Chrome and Android, Mozilla rids Firefox of a full-screen vulnerability, and more. This is the problem that we're speaking out on as far as the rules of engagement. [But] I was actually starting to get kind of better. They also found two Canon EOS digital cameras with telephoto lenses. [42] According to the internal legal review, the helicopters engaged a group of armed insurgents, and that some were seen entering a nearby building. McCord, in New York for the festival premiere, told the story of what he experienced while saving two children wounded in the incident. 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. [43], Assange responded to the investigation report released by the Army in an interview with Democracy Now!, stating that "the tone and language is all about trying to find an excuse for the activity. The film received an Oscar nomination in January. The Apache crew then alerted the ground troops that they believed that they could see an injured child moving around inside the destroyed van. After the non-combatants were clear Crazyhorse 1/8 engaged the targets. [32] The Apache crew alerted the ground troops of the van and requested permission to engage the vehicle before the ground troops arrived. Captain James Hall stated they couldn't drive in Bradleys in fear of running over bodies. [25] Both videos depict the attack on the van, van driver, and two other men, and the aftermath when the two seriously injured children were evacuated by U.S. ground forces who arrived on the scene. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. They're smoking you, they're making you tired. 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. Wired.com: There was another attack depicted in the video that has received little attention, involving a Hellfire and a building that was fired on. When we were on that roof, we were still taking fire. We are both soldiers who occupied your neighborhood for 14 months. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. [92][93] The Internet chats between Manning and Lamo were revealed to the public by Wired. In addition to five[98][99] or six[100][101][102] espionage counts, she was also found guilty of five theft specifications, two computer fraud specifications and multiple military infractions. I don't think that people really want to see this, though, because this is war. [18] A long shadow cast on the ground by a telephoto lens on Noor-Eldeen's camera is misidentified by the pilot as an additional RPG aimed at him and a U.S. Army Humvee directly below his aircraft. Vehicle; "When I saw those kids, all I could picture was my kids back home". 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. soldiers. They split up and the footage follows one who appears to be armed. Major Brent Cummings claimed they took great pains to prevent the loss of innocent civilian lives. It claimed reporters' "furtive attempts to photograph the Coalition Ground Forces made them appear as hostile combatants". The footage was portrayed as classified,[7] but the individual who leaked it, U.S. Army soldier Chelsea Manning,[a] testified in 2013 that the video was not classified. He runs the girl to the Bradley. [64] The footage was released during an April 5 press conference at the US National Press Club, and subsequently on a designated website titled Collateral Murder. Knowing that I was part of the system that took their father away from them and made them lose their house it's heartbreaking. But for Army veteran Ethan McCord, it was just another day on duty. But the time is long overdue that we say that the value of our nation's leaders no longer represent us. The boy's alive!" I know the scene by heart; it's burned into my head. Our heavy hearts still hold hope that we can restore inside our country the acknowledgment of your humanity, that we were taught to deny. Soldier Ethan McCord's Eyewitness Story, "Shadowed, Clamoring, Blurry. As the gunner fires the first missile, another man is seen walking along the street in front of the building. So I went to a sergeant and asked to see [the mental health person], because I was having a hard time dealing with it. Wired.com: At the time you arrived on the scene, you didn't know what had happened, is that right? 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). For about 5 to 10 minutes the team diverted its attention to this vehicle. [86], Ethan McCord, the soldier seen in the video carrying the injured boy, recalled in an interview on The Marc Steiner Show that on arrival at the scene, "The first thing I did was run up to the van". Since then, McCord has been receiving threats to him and his family on a regular basis. They heard about something, they came to it and they just wantedfrom everything I've learned since, they were just there to get that side of the story. 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. The WikiLeaks edited video did not add arrows pointing to these men, or label them, as it did with the men carrying cameras. The soldier in the video said that your husband shouldn't have brought your children to battle, but we are acknowledging our responsibility for bringing the battle to your neighborhood, and to your family. How is this guy supposed to [decide] should I stop and pick them up, or is the military going to shoot me? [59] Reuters requested a copy of the full video under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on the same day. According to Tom Raju, a reporter at CNN, "the soldiers of Bravo Company, 216 Infantry had been under fire all morning from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms on the first day of Operation Ilaaj in Baghdad". I can accept their apology, because they saved my children, and if it were not for them, maybe my two little children would be dead. So, the first thing I did was grab the girl. For instance, the Web site takes special care to slow down the video and identify the two photographers and the cameras they are carrying. Lying dead on a street were inanimate objects that turned out to be. On the same day as the NPR interview, Finkel was asked how he had seen the unedited video and whether WikiLeaks had shown it to him. McCord: When it was first released I don't think it was done in the best manner that it could have been. [19], As the tape resumes, two men, one holding an AK-47, are seen walking. Assange said that Finkel had seen the video and that at least one individual at the offices of The Washington Post had a copy of the video for at least a year, prior to its release by WikiLeaks. Ethan McCord, who was one of the first soldiers on the scene in the 2007 attack, told Wired.com that he saw several weapons at the scene, including a rocket propelled grenade launcher. What was shown in the Wikileaks video only begins to depict the suffering we have created. [15] An anonymous U.S. military official confirmed the authenticity of the footage,[16] which provoked global discussion on the legality and morality of the attacks. He is seen swinging the weapon below his waist while standing next to the man holding the RPG". [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. There's no easy way to kill somebody. Give us a picture of what happened that day. They wrote that:[71][72][73][74]. Wired.com: Did you try to get information about the two children after the shooting? From our own experiences, and the experiences of other veterans we have talked to, we know that the acts depicted in this video are everyday occurrences of this war: this is the nature of how U.S.-led wars are carried out in this region. The ground controller responds, "If you've [positively identified] the individuals in the building with weapons, go ahead and engage the building". That's why so many soldiers come back home and they're no longer in the situations where they have other things to think about or other people to joke about what happened and they explode. I think that the bigger picture is what are we doing there? The flood of emotions came back. [43] He walks into a building which has been identified as the source of fire at U.S. ground troops. In refusing to recognize this, the US military fails both its own soldiers and their victims. Both of these men, Chmagh and Tomal, were killed in the second strike, and two of Tomal's children were badly wounded. Ethan McCord was a member of the military unit in "Collateral Murder" - the Wikileaks video showing 12 Iraqis being killed from a US helicopter.He rescued the two children severely wounded in the attack and is now speaking out to corroborate the Collateral Murder video. [17] Politifact stated: "When Assange points out in the context of justifying the title 'Collateral Murder' that the word 'RPG' was not used until after permission to engage was given, he leaves the impression that the soldiers were given the okay to open fire on a group of unarmed men, or men believed to be unarmed. McCord: I doubt that they were a part of that firefight. [Then] we were just told to move to this [other] location. Personally, I believe the first attack on the group standing by the wall was appropriate, was warranted by the rules of engagement. "[112], On April 5, 2010, the same day as the release of the video footage by WikiLeaks, the United States Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, released a collection of documents including two investigative reports. That stays with you. Two children were found in the van, a four-year-old girl with gunshot wounds and embedded windscreen glass wounds and an eight-year-old boy with multiple wounds, including brain damage arising from shrapnel damage to his right temporal lobe. I just kept telling him, "Don't die; don't die." [30], Assange stated that some of the press had not reported on the third airstrike, in which three Hellfire missiles were fired onto an apartment complex, which only appears in the longer unedited version of the two videos.[31]. Inside 'Adam-12' Star, Kent McCord caught the attention of TV lovers when he popularized the "Jim Reed" character in 1968's "Adam-12." McCord maintained the role for seven seasons till the show ended in 1975. 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