SAN DIEGO - A Marine sniper has been charged with two counts of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting deaths of two civilians in Iraq.

Sgt. John Winnick II also has been charged with aggravated assault against two other civilians and failing to adhere to the military’s rules of engagement.

Winnick’s attorney, Gary Myers, said a hearing will be held to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to court-martial the Marine.

The charges allege Winnick killed the civilians on June 17, 2007, during combat operations near Lake Tharthar in Iraq’s western Anbar province. The charges also allege he fired at two others without first determining whether any of the civilians posed a threat, Myers said.

The lake was once Saddam Hussein’s favorite fishing spot. The military believed the fairly isolated area was being used for training and recuperation by insurgents.

Marines spokesman Mike Alvarez confirmed the charges.

Winnick is a member of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton, Alvarez said. Winnick was working with the base’s 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit at the time of the shootings.

Full Story Here:
Marine sniper charged in Iraqi deaths

There are several things I want to say in regards to this story and for some reason they ALL start off with the words Bull Shit!!

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the situation faced by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, here’s a little insight for you, just to make sure that everyone is on the same page, we are NOT fighting a UNIFORMED enemy or an organized army, we are fighting an insurgent guerrilla force and technically, they are ALL civilians.

If this Marine was a trained sniper he would NOT have wasted rounds and risked giving his position away in order to shoot some innocent civilians, it just doesn’t work that way.

I wasn’t there so I can’t speak definitively to exactly what transpired but I DO have an extensive knowledge of what a sniper does, how he does it, why he does it and what motivates him to do it, and actually shooting unarmed civilians is just not a part of the program, that is not a part of the Marine mindset, and especially that of the sniper.

“The Marine Corps has the best sniper program in the world,” said Gunnery Sgt. Richard Tisdale, staff non-commissioned officer in charge of the Scout Sniper School. “A sniper needs to be trained as best as possible because they must be combat ready at all times,” he explained.

“Due to the nature of the sniper’s mission, they must be trained mentally and physically to operate independently forward of friendly positions on the battlefield.” More Here

I am not passing judgement on this Marine, that is the job of others, I wish him the very best in this proceeding and I feel a sense of confidence that his training, and further evaluation of all the information available will vindicate a Marine that was only doing the job he was trained to do.

The United States Marine Corps trains killers, young men and women that go to war for their nation, any time, any where, against any enemy and against all odds, every Marine is a rifleman and is the very best that they can possibly be, but they are NOT murderers, I am willing to go out on a limb and say that this Marine was very sure of his target or he wouldn’t have pulled the trigger.

If he wasn’t sure of his target, and he went against ALL acceptable rules of engagement for a Marine sniper, then may God have mercy on his soul.

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