Ethan Mccord and Josh Stieber deployed to Baghdad with Bravo Company 2-16 in 2007. Ethan McCord who says he scooped up the children and at least one of his comrades say the incident revealed the bankrupt brutality of the war. Ethan and Josh claim that though their unit was following the Rules of Engagement that day, they are taking responsibility for their role in the incident and initiating a dialogue around it; "Though we have acted with cold hearts far too many times, we have not forgotten our actions towards you. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. It's very disturbing. Captain James Hall stated they couldn't drive in Bradleys in fear of running over bodies. [18] The report recommends encouraging journalists in Iraq to wear special vests to identify themselves, and to keep the U.S. military updated about their whereabouts. [16] The military reported that it could not find its copy of the video. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. Wired.com: At the time you arrived on the scene, you didn't know what had happened, is that right? Josh states that these casualties demonstrate the impact of U.S. military policy on both the civilians and the soldiers on the ground. [63] The site stated on its Twitter account on January 8, 2010, that it had a copy of gunsight footage of the incidents. [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". WikiLeaks identified the leak's source as "a number of military whistleblowers". I hit 'em" and another member of the crew responds "Oh yeah, look at those dead bastards".[29]. 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. They're trained as soldiers to go into a building and clear a building. In refusing to recognize this, the US military fails both its own soldiers and their victims. Major Brent Cummings claimed they took great pains to prevent the loss of innocent civilian lives. McCord added, "I don't say that Wikileaks did a bad thing, because they didn't. Assange responded:[69][70]. They split up and the footage follows one who appears to be armed. McCord, in New York for the festival premiere, told the story of what he experienced while saving two children wounded in the incident. Our government may ignore you, concerned more with its public image. [81] When a congressman tried to jail him for his actions that day he . But you guys did have a firefight a couple of blocks away. 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. [20] According to a military review, soldiers in that company "had been under sporadic small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire since" the operationdescribed as "clearing their sector and looking for weapons caches"began. And cracking jokes is a way of pushing that stuff down. Forces Clash With Militias", "Reuters seeks U.S. probe into killing of Iraqi staff", "Return to Ward 17: Making peace with lost comrades", "Bradley Manning's statements during his trial", "U.S. gunfire kills two Reuters employees in Baghdad", "WikiLeaks silent on how it broke encryption", "Twitter / WikiLeaks: Have encrypted videos of U", "WikiLeaks posts video of 'US military killings' in Iraq", "Collateral Murder? Stuff like that happens on a daily basis in Iraq. On the video, it is then seen that Army soldiers establish a perimeter around the site and extract the children from the burning van. (The quote begins at 12:22 in video, and the shot that killed Saaed is at 12:25)", "Stephen Colbert Interviews WikiLeaks Founder", "US veterans write apology letter to Iraqis following WikiLeaks video", "We killed your father I'm heartbroken", "Widow of Iraqi killed by US troops in video 'accepts apology' after letter", "Airstrike Video Brings Attention to WikiLeaks Site", "Elliptical vs. treadmill: Which will give you the better workout? 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. [2][22] Pentagon officials told the Reuters news agency that U.S. military lawyers were reviewing the video and could reopen an investigation into the incident,[67] but a spokesperson later said that there were no plans to reopen the investigation. And I picked him up and started running with him over to the Bradley. And that in turn is what helped me and Josh write the letter, hoping that it would find its way to them to let them know that we're sorry. Gates said that the video provides the public with a view of warfare "as seen through a soda straw". [43] The report stated that the helicopter crew did not know how many people were in the building when they destroyed it with missiles, and that "there is evidence that unarmed people have both entered and are nearby". Minutes after the first engagement ended, the van returned traveling in an opposite direction (north) once again on this same road. I was trying to wash it off in my room. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. Apache helicopters were called in by a soldier in the Humvee (Hotel 26) under attack from the same position used by Namir Noor-Eldeen to photograph the vehicle. 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. For about 5 to 10 minutes the team diverted its attention to this vehicle. [48], In The Independent on April 8, 2010, human rights activist Joan Smith wrote that the engagements were like a game to the helicopter crew. 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. Our heavy hearts still hold hope that we can restore inside our country the acknowledgment of your humanity, that we were taught to deny. [59] Reuters requested a copy of the full video under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on the same day. Soldier Ethan McCord's Eyewitness Story, "Shadowed, Clamoring, Blurry. She concluded that command structures need to be in place to identify "combatants with serious psychological problems". "[88] In this interview, McCord reports that repercussions for seeking mental health help could include being labeled as a "malingerer", a crime under U.S. military law. 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. Wired.com: Do you support Wikileaks in releasing this video? [18] Both helicopters strafe a group of ten men with 30 mm rounds once they became visible again. The co-pilot/gunner for Crazyhorse 1/9 spotted three individuals near this building get into a red SUV and drive away to the west. An Apache maneuvered around a building to get a clear field of fire and shot all nine men, killing eight. That classified video created its own firestorm when the whistleblower site Wikileaks posted it April 5 on a website titled "Collateral Murder" and asserted that the attack was unprovoked. The girl suffered from a stomach wound and glass in her eyes, and the boy a head injury. We have asked our fellow veterans and service-members, as well as civilians both in the United States and abroad, to sign in support of this letter, and to offer their names as a testimony to our common humanity, to distance ourselves from the destructive policies of our nation's leaders, and to extend our hands to you. Ethan McCord: Right. Fox News reported in 2010 that the rules of engagement in Iraq had not been changed since the incident occurred. I have a huge place in my heart for children, having some of my own. [But] I was actually starting to get kind of better. [59][16] In a personal statement during her court-martial, Chelsea Manning stated that the military had access to the video, and was actively examining it, yet it told Reuters in response to the FOIA request that the information might no longer exist. There is a period of 20 minutes not included on the leaked tape. "These people can put out anything they want, and they're never held accountable for it. [18][19] The crew estimates the group is twenty men. McCord: I have never seen anybody being shot by a 30-millimeter round before. Reuters responded, "It is absolutely untrue that this story was spiked. 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. [38] The children, a girl and boy, suffered injuries. "The first thing I thought of was my children at home". When they arrived, they found a scene of fresh carnage the scattered remains of a group of men, believed to be armed, who had just been gunned down by Apache attack helicopters. 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. Seven men (including Noor-Eldeen) were killed during this first strike; Saeed Chmagh, who was injured, later died in a hospital. Both of these men, Chmagh and Tomal, were killed in the second strike, and two of Tomal's children were badly wounded. US soldiers Ethan McCord's Eyewitness Story of coming across the aftermath of the infamous Wikileaks Collateral Murder in which over a dozen innocent civilians, 2 of which were Reuters journalists, were killed. As Russia has accelerated its cyberattacks on its neighbor, it's barraged the country with an unprecedented volume of different data-destroying programs. . We were probably there on the roof for another four to five hours. I did see a video on YouTube after the Wikileaks [ video ] came out, of the children being interviewed. Vehicle; "When I saw those kids, all I could picture was my kids back home". [19] This account of first bringing the wounded children to the Combat Support Hospital appears to be contradicted by orders by radio that form part of the video record, which forbids it and orders that the children be handed over to local police. He looked at me, then his eyes rolled back into this head. [19], As the tape resumes, two men, one holding an AK-47, are seen walking. 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. When Bravo Company arrived at the scene, they reported finding two RPGs and an AK-47 or AKM. We've been there for so long now and it seems like nothing is being accomplished whatsoever, except for we're making more people hate us. 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. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C 107. How to Make Sure Youre Not Accidentally Sharing Your Location, Security News This Week: Sensitive US Military Emails Exposed. [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. Wired.com: The first thing you saw was the little girl in the van. The film received an Oscar nomination in January. There's no front lines here. The review was not released in full until 2010, after the video of the incident had been released by WikiLeaks. [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. McCord: I would be smoked. Our hearts are open to hearing how we can take any steps to support you through the pain that we have caused. [117], In June 2011 the Federation of German Scientists (VDW) awarded the "Whistleblower Award" to the person who made the video Collateral Murder public via WikiLeaks. [58] Reuters subsequently asked the U.S. military to probe the deaths. As the gunner fires the first missile, another man is seen walking along the street in front of the building. [89], When interviewed by Wired, McCord stated that he supported WikiLeaks in releasing the video, with some qualifications: "When it was first released I don't think it was done in the best manner that it could have been. Their 43-year-old father, Saleh, had been driving them to a class when he spotted one of the wounded men moving in the street and drove over to help him, only to become a victim of the Apache guns. He gave his view of the context of the killings: the Reuters guys walked into the hottest spot of a very hot morning. classified video created its own firestorm. [118][119], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}331849N 443043E / 33.3137N 44.512E / 33.3137; 44.512 (Airstrike of 2007-07-12). We are both soldiers who occupied your neighborhood for 14 months. [8] The video, which WikiLeaks titled Collateral Murder, showed the crew firing on a group of men and killing several of them, then laughing at some of the casualties, all of whom were civilians, including two Reuters journalists. McCord was captured in a video shot from one helicopter as he ran frantically to a military vehicle with Sajad in his arms seeking medical care. [32] The legal review carried out by the U.S. Army stated that the two children were evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital via Forward Operating Base Loyalty, then transferred to an Iraqi medical facility the next day. One of the first soldiers on the scene after the air attack, Ethan McCord, is now the subject of a short documentary, Incident in New Baghdad, which will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. "[76], Captain Jack Hanzlik, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command stated that the airstrike video "gives you a limited perspective, [it] only tells you a portion of the activity that was happening that day. [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. Instead, the Apaches decided to completely obliterate everybody in the van. We took her in there and we're checking to see if there were any other wounds. A draft version of the video WikiLeaks produced made reference to the AK-47s and RPGs, but WikiLeaks said that ultimately they became unsure about the RPG, believing the long object could have been a camera tripod, so they decided not to point it out in the released version. There's no before and there's no after". [Then] we were just told to move to this [other] location. Using short sentences, similar punctuation, or using the same words frequently as well as using Grammarly can boost your content as AI written. 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. I don't think that people really want to see this, though, because this is war. I was diagnosed with chronic, severe PTSD. McCord is the father of three children. The crew for Crazyhorse 1/9 could not engage due to target obfuscation from buildings and dust. Eamonn McCann Mon Aug 19 2013 - 20:49 Bradley Manning was scheduled to speak yesterday at the sentencing phase of his trial for having leaked 750,000 pages of classified documents and videos to. 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". And where the soldier said [in the video], "Well, you shouldn't take your kids to battle." The men become obscured behind a building as the Apache moves around the group. They did have weapons there. He is seen swinging the weapon below his waist while standing next to the man holding the RPG. 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. "[46] Assange later said "Based upon visual evidence, I suspect there probably were AKs and an RPG, but I'm not sure that means anything". "The helicopters were approximately a mile and a half away and they were zooming in on these guys . Just from watching that video, people cannot understand the complex battles that occurred. Colbert asked "So 'Collateral Murder' is to get political impact?" Both children were said to have been evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital via Forward Operating Base Loyalty, then transferred to an Iraqi medical facility the next day. The WikiLeaks edited video did not add arrows pointing to these men, or label them, as it did with the men carrying cameras. With Russia regularly knocking out Ukraines power grid, the country has turned to high-capacity batteries to keep it connected to the worldand itself. Assange responded: Yes, absolutely Our promise to the public is that we will release the full source material. WikiLeaks stated that the footage shows the "murder of Iraqi civilians and two Reuters journalists". 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. It was pretty much a shock when we got there to see what had happened, the carnage and everything else. "[60], Early in 2010, the Internet whistleblower site WikiLeaks made a public request for assistance in decrypting a video it described as "US bomb strikes on civilians", specifically requesting access to supercomputer time. I did see a guy moving from a rooftop from one position to another with an AK-47, who was firing at us. The second strike, also using 30mm rounds, was directed at a van whose driver, Saleh Matasher Tomal, appeared to happen to drive by and who proceeded to help the wounded Chmagh. The Apache crew then alerted the ground troops that they believed that they could see an injured child moving around inside the destroyed van. The Web site does not slow down the video to show that at least one man in that group was carrying a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a clearly visible weapon that runs nearly two-thirds the length of his body. When the cameraman on the ground aimed his camera in the direction of Bravo Company 216, a pilot remarked "He's getting ready to fire". [16][18][30] After the lead helicopter fires, one of the crew shouts "Hahaha. The video makes plain that in this incident, as in almost all military encounters in both Iraq and Afghanistan, our soldiers are up against forces that do not wear uniformsa violation of international law precisely because it places innocent civilians in jeopardy. But this particular eventthis is clearly murder. But youyou talked about the fog of war. What was shown in the Wikileaks video only begins to depict the suffering we have created. If there's anything I can to do help, I would be more than happy to. 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