Ex-GIs Sorry for ‘Collateral Murder’ Deaths

Two Soldiers whose unit was on the ground when the so-called "Collateral Murder" helicopter attack occurred in Baghdad in 2007 have published an open letter of apology to the families of the Iraqi dead and wounded as a result of the incident.

Former Army Spc. Ethan McCord, who can be seen in the video rescuing a child wounded by the U.S. fire, and former Spc. Josh Stieber, who was not actually with the ground operation that day, say in the letter to the Iraqi survivors that they "acknowledge our part in the deaths and injuries of your loved ones." They also say the video, captured by a gun camera on one of the Apaches, highlights an all-too-common problem in Iraq – innocents being killed or injured.

But both men also say there is less blame for the Soldiers in the attacking AH-64 Apache than for the rules of engagement and a mindset that can turn anyone into a target.

McCord labeled the controversial video -- released April 5 by the whistleblower website Wikileaks -- misleading because it failed to capture everything going on in the area. "I was upset when the … video came out. I felt they [Wikileaks] were attacking the wrong people," he told Military.com. McCord and Stieber were assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Regiment. The Apaches belonged to the 227th Aviation Regiment.

The attack helicopters were called in to support ground ops when the aviators saw a group of men they believed were combatants. McCord backs up a helicopter crewman's claim that some in the group that was fired on had rocket-propelled grenades. Others who viewed the video say no RPGs are visible, and that what the Apache crewman ID'd was a camera carried by a Reuter's news photographer. (The Reuter's photographer and his driver were killed in the attack.)

Following that attack the helicopter opened fire on a van that had stopped to pick up a wounded man, killing several adults and wounding two children who were inside the vehicle.

McCord said he pulled both children from the van, and said in the letter that he thought of his own children at the time.

The vets are asking others to electronically sign the online letter. There were more than 2,300 names as of noon April 20, though many are identified as "Anonymous."

McCord said he believes the initial attack can be justified since the crew said they saw weapons. He does not believe the attack on the van can be justified. The Army's investigation of the incident found no wrongdoing on the part of the Soldiers. Defense Secretary Robert Gates slammed Wikileaks, saying the website posted the video entirely without context.

McCord and Stieber agree that context is lacking in the video, but say it does show something very wrong with U.S. actions in Iraq. The two write in their letter that the video "only begins to depict the suffering we have created. 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."

Stieber, who says he became a conscientious objector while in Iraq, said troops were told that if an IED went off while they were patrolling then "anyone who was in the area was free to be shot. And rarely did any of those people have anything to do with it."

When commanded to fire in that kind of situation, he said, he would shoot to miss. He says he was not on the Baghdad mission the day of the helicopter attack because his commander ordered him to stay because of his conscientious objections.

"Our letter of reconciliation [does not] necessarily wholly stand for this one situation," McCord said, "but this one situation that happened, with me being there and pulling the children out of the van, made me come to terms with everything. I understand there's going to be backlash with the troops, but there's also going to be support within the troops."

Original Story:
Video Spurs Questions About '07 Attack