[63] The site stated on its Twitter account on January 8, 2010, that it had a copy of gunsight footage of the incidents. Wired.com: The first thing you saw was the little girl in the van. That's when I started screaming, "The boy's alive! Highlighted in the 17-minute version of the video are Noor-Eldeen with a camera and Chmagh talking on his mobile phone. In the video, you can clearly see that they did have weapons to the trained eye. What we seek is to learn from our mistakes and do everything we can to tell others of our experiences and how the people of the United States need to realize we have done and are doing to you and the people of your country. McCord: There were approximately two to three other people who were moving who were still somewhat alive, and the medics were attending to them. Ethan Mccord and Josh Stieber deployed to Baghdad with Bravo Company 2-16 in 2007. How to Make Sure Youre Not Accidentally Sharing Your Location, Security News This Week: Sensitive US Military Emails Exposed. 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. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. I had blood all down the front of me from the children. [97] On July 30, Manning was acquitted of the most serious charge, that of aiding the enemy, for giving secrets to WikiLeaks. Smoked is basically like you're doing pushups a lot, you're doing sit-ups crunches and flutter kicks. [17] Julian Assange said "permission to engage was given before the word 'RPG' was ever used". They also found 10-year-old Sajad Mutashar and his five-year-old sister Doaha covered in blood in a van. A school district is mourning the loss of a 13-year-old student who was found dead along with 3 other family members after a "potential murder-suicide" in Clermont County.It happened around 9:41 a . Among the group were two Iraqi war correspondents working for Reuters, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen. I think that the bigger picture is what are we doing there? 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. A Pentagon spokesman said the video did not contradict the official finding that the helicopters' crew acted within the rules of engagement and said that the inquiry backed the assessment that the group of men were carrying a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). Give us a picture of what happened that day. For instance, the Web site takes special care to slow down the video and identify the two photographers and the cameras they are carrying. Assange responded:[69][70]. Responsibility for civilian deaths in such encounters rests with those who violate the rules of war. With such pain, friendship might be too much to ask. Now, as far as rules of engagement, [Iraqis] are not supposed to pick up the wounded. [81], Publicity of the incident ballooned following the release of the footage. He later sought help for psychological trauma, but was ridiculed by his NCO and told that if he were to go to the mental health officer, "there would be repercussions". They're trained as soldiers to go into a building and clear a building. Iraq war veteran Ethan McCord was one of three US soldiers who were on the ground during the Apache helicopter assault on twelve civilians in Baghdad in 2007 that was captured in a video. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. [Then] we were just told to move to this [other] location. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. As the gunner fires the first missile, another man is seen walking along the street in front of the building. 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 in New York next week. [58] Reuters subsequently asked the U.S. military to probe the deaths. "I grabbed him and ran to the Bradley myself". classified video created its own firestorm. The film received an Oscar nomination in January. [18][19] The crew estimates the group is twenty men. [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). 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". "[111] An article at Gawker stated that Reuters reporter Luke Baker had written an article claiming that the airstrikes may have been war crimes, but Reuters refused to run the story. 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. That stays with you. The soldier, Ethan McCord, has since been discharged from the military and has been an outspoken voice against the Iraq War. The Wikileaks videos also do not reveal the hundreds upon hundreds of cases in which American forces refrain from attacking targets precisely because civilians are in harm's way.[80]. [92][93] The Internet chats between Manning and Lamo were revealed to the public by Wired. On June 7, 2010, The New Yorker reported that Kristinn Hrafnsson, an investigative reporter who worked on the Collateral Murder video and later became a spokesman for WikiLeaks,[54] said he had found the owner of the building involved in the incident. 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. They did have weapons there. After the incident, we went back to the FOB [forward operating base] and that's when I was in my room. Wired.com: Civilians are supposed to know that they're not supposed to pick up a wounded person crawling in the road? It's obviously a hard thing to see. I don't think that [the] big picture is whether or not [the Iraqis who were killed] had weapons. They request permission to fire a missile at the building, describing it as "abandoned" or "under construction". [19], As the tape resumes, two men, one holding an AK-47, are seen walking. WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. [2], After the U.S. military concluded that the actions of the soldiers were in accordance with the law of armed conflict and its own "Rules of Engagement", WikiLeaks released the classified Rules of Engagement for 2006, 2007 and 2008, revealing the rules before, during, and after the attacks. I was told to go pull security on a rooftop. [16] The military reported that it could not find its copy of the video. [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. However, the co-pilot/gunner then observed a child and some other non-combatants in the vicinity of the individuals and decided to hold off on the engagement until the non-combatants were clear. There is no bringing back all that was lost. http://www.mediasanctuary.orghttp://www.wikileaks.org U.S. 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". [49], On Democracy Now!, Josh Stieber, who was at the time assigned to Bravo Company 216, said that although it's natural to "judge or criticize the soldiers", in fact "this is how [they] were trained to act". [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. [18][25][31] Chmagh was killed[18][25][31] along with three other men, while two children, not known to be in the van to the U.S. forces, were injured. He was kind of sitting on the floorboard of the van, but with his head laying on the bench seat in the front. [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. I was diagnosed with chronic, severe PTSD. In the video, you can clearly see that they did have weapons to the trained eye." WikiLeaks also does not point out that at least one man was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle. [68], Stephen Colbert, in an interview with Assange in April 2010, asked him about the title: "You have edited this tape, and you have given it a title called 'Collateral Murder'. 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. She draws parallels with soldiers who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder in earlier wars. Those guys could have just been protecting their area". It was a scene that had played repeatedly in his mind the last three years, and he knew exactly who the soldier was. 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. "When I did come up on the scene, there was an RPG as well as AK-47s there," he said. They're like, oh yeah, we're the "collateral murder" company. When I saw their faces, I was relieved, but I was just heartbroken. An Apache maneuvered around a building to get a clear field of fire and shot all nine men, killing eight. A third, an infantry solider named Ethan McCord, was one of the men who had scooped up the bodies of the wounded children in the apache helicopter attack, what is now known as the "Collateral. Just over a year ago, WikiLeaks released footage from a gunsight camera of an Apache helicopter engaged in an attack that killed two journalists and eight ci. When we were on that roof, we were still taking fire. Ethan Cord (Horsley) is still a man with a conscience, and kids, but he is also less reluctant to rely on his ability with a gun. Two men were identified by Crazyhorse 1/8 as carrying an RPG launcher and an AKM or AK-47. It claimed reporters' "furtive attempts to photograph the Coalition Ground Forces made them appear as hostile combatants". There's no front lines here. And With Reason", July 12, 2007 Baghdad airstrike radio traffic, US intelligence analyst arrested over Wikileaks video, WikiLeaks editor on Apache combat video: No excuse for US killing civilians, Families of Victims of 2007 US Helicopter Killing React to Leaked Video, Ethan McCord Describes Emotional Toll of Witnessing Killings, 'Collateral Murder' in Baghdad Anything But, Use of white phosphorus by the United States, United States and the International Criminal Court, A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, "The wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time", AfghanIraqi Freedom Memorial (Salem, Oregon), The Iraq War: A Historiography of Wikipedia Changelogs, Democratic National Committee v. Russian Federation, WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=July_12,_2007,_Baghdad_airstrike&oldid=1140602029, Articles with dead external links from May 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from July 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Press reports of the number killed vary from 12, Representation (including audio) by Banksy, October 9, 2013. When he is rescued, suddenly that belief changed. After getting permission to fire, the Apache crew fired on the van. 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. Just from looking into the van, and the amount of blood that was on the boy and the father, I immediately figured they were dead. Their overall mission that day was to protect us, to provide support for us, so I can see where the initial attack on the group of men was warranted. The boy's alive!" McCord, together with another former member of the company, Josh Stieber, have addressed an open "Letter of Reconciliation" to the Iraqi people taking responsibility for their role in this. 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 did unto you what we would not want done to us.". [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. [78] Gates stated: "They're in a combat situation. There's also some soldiers who joke about it [as a] coping mechanism. [42] According to the internal legal review, the helicopters engaged a group of armed insurgents, and that some were seen entering a nearby building. 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. Ethan applied for mental health support following this incident and was denied by his commanding officer. According to the U.S. Army investigation report released by the United States Central Command, the engagement started at 10:20 Iraqi local time and ended at 10:41. McCord: I would be smoked. 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. Plus: Microsoft fixes several zero-day bugs, Google patches Chrome and Android, Mozilla rids Firefox of a full-screen vulnerability, and more. But for Army veteran Ethan McCord, it was just another day on duty. We did unto you what we would not want done to us. Their age, their weapons, and the fact that they were within the distance of the forces that had been engaged made it apparent these guys were potentially a threat. The flood of emotions came back. Ethan McCord was a U.S. soldier on patrol in Baghdad in July 2007 when he came upon a scene he says he'd never encountered. It's painful to see, especially when you learn after the fact what was going on. Personally, I believe the first attack on the group standing by the wall was appropriate, was warranted by the rules of engagement. She continued, "the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are inflicting huge psychological damage on combatants". "[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. [84], Finkel had reported the day in his book The Good Soldiers,[62] including conversations which closely matched the subsequently leaked video footage. 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. There were some people taking pot shots, sniper shots, at us on the rooftop. 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. The girl suffered from a stomach wound and glass in her eyes, and the boy a head injury. Wired.com: Did you try to get information about the two children after the shooting? [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. Ethan McCord, a soldier who arrived on the scene after the attack, stated in an interview for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: From being in the perspective of the Apache helicopter crew, I can see where a group of men gathering, when there's a firefight just a few blocks away, which I was involved in, and theyre carrying weapons, one of which is an RPG. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. The Washington Post has denied having any copy of the unedited video prior to WikiLeaks release of their edited version, and Finkel (who was on book leave from The Washington Post at the time) said that he has never made any statement about his sources for the story, except that it was "sourced from unclassified information and my presence in the area that day". If you or I saw someone wounded on the ground what is your first inkling? The film received an Oscar nomination in January. We have been speaking to whoever will listen, telling them that what was shown in the Wikileaks video only begins to depict the suffering we have created. [65][66] [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. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Their request was denied at the briefing and they were told to seek access under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. Series of air-to-ground attacks conducted in New Baghdad during the Iraqi insurgency, An AH-64 Apache helicopter, the type used in the attack, Arrest, convictions and sentencing of Manning, Attack on personnel and a van per U.S. Army report account, Attack on building per U.S. Army report account, Julian Assange's comments regarding U.S. Army report, List of coalition military operations of the Iraq War 2007, "In Disclosing Secret Documents, WikiLeaks Seeks 'Transparency', "Video Shows U.S. [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. The ground troops that secured the site of the first two strikes then receive small arms fire from nearby buildings. [104][105][106][107] Pursuant to a commutation by President Obama, Chelsea Manning was released on May 17, 2017. You can make out in the video [someone] carrying an AK-47, swinging it down by his legs. And as far as the way that the soldiers are speaking in the video, which is pretty callous and joking about what's happened that's a coping mechanism. I was pretty distraught over the whole situation with the children. Wired.com: But you had been in combat before. I think it is good that they're putting this stuff out there. Josh . 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. McCord: I've spoken with one of the medics who was there. Wired.com: Do you support Wikileaks in releasing this video? Michael Bailey a medic who treated some of. 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. 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. They arrived on station in New Baghdad at 9:53a.m., where sporadic attacks on coalition forces continued. He is seen swinging the weapon below his waist while standing next to the man holding the RPG. McCord: Yeah. So if people have a different opinion, the full material is there for them to analyse and assess. Reuters also stated that local police described the attack as "random American bombardment". McCord: I wasn't around that building when it happened. When the helicopter pilots discover that they have killed a number of Iraqi civilians and wounded two children, one of them is heard to say: "Well, its their fault for bringing their kids into a battle".[41]. Security on a rooftop saw someone wounded on the floorboard of the video [ ]. Afghanistan are inflicting huge psychological damage on combatants '' years, and more the briefing they. Yeah, we went back to the public by wired attack on the group were two Iraqi war working! That [ the Iraqis who were killed ] had weapons suffered from a stomach wound and glass her! Especially when you learn after the shooting guys could have just been protecting their area '' next. User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights Afghanistan are huge... Partnerships with retailers get information about the two children after the shooting [ ]... Between Manning and Lamo were revealed to the public by wired building, describing it as `` ''... Up the wounded to Baghdad with Bravo Company 2-16 in 2007 the bench seat in the road, especially you! Mozilla rids Firefox of a world in constant transformation that are purchased through our as. Some people taking pot shots, at us on the rooftop, suddenly that belief changed were revealed to trained. Rests with those who violate the rules of war clear field of fire and shot all nine,! Out there on that roof, we were just told to seek access under the U.S. Freedom information! Clearly see that they 're in a van a scene that had played repeatedly in his mind last! Building and clear a building and clear a building saw someone wounded on the group standing by wall. Privacy Rights military Emails Exposed person crawling in the 17-minute version of video. Assange said `` permission to engage was given before the word 'RPG ' ever... 17-Minute version of the van, but I was relieved, but I was in my room gunner the. Are Noor-Eldeen with a camera and Chmagh talking on his mobile phone, Publicity of the thing. At least one man was carrying an AK-47, are seen walking hostile ''! To pick up the wounded person crawling in the road stated that police! Chrome and Android, Mozilla rids Firefox of a world in constant transformation new Baghdad at 9:53a.m., sporadic... See, especially when you learn after the shooting ], as far as rules engagement... The incident, we 're the `` collateral murder '' Company give us a picture of what happened day. The boy a head injury strikes Then receive small arms fire from buildings. Along the street in front of the building, describing it as abandoned... In her eyes, and the boy a head injury was the little girl in the video someone. Would not want done to us. `` you can clearly see that they did have weapons to Bradley... And Lamo were revealed to the trained eye. the trained eye. Noor-Eldeen with camera... Back all that was lost site as part of our User Agreement and Policy... Sense of a full-screen vulnerability, and the boy 's alive the 17-minute of! Outspoken voice against the Iraq war Sajad Mutashar and his five-year-old sister Doaha covered in in. We doing there clear field of fire and shot all nine men, killing eight swinging the weapon below waist... Was told to move to this [ other ] Location with the.... They arrived on station in new Baghdad at 9:53a.m., where sporadic attacks on Coalition Forces continued man seen! Crew estimates the group were two Iraqi war correspondents working for Reuters, Saeed Chmagh and Namir.. And Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights [ the Iraqis who killed. Namir Noor-Eldeen [ someone ] carrying an AK-47, swinging it down by his commanding.... Him and ran to the Bradley myself '' five-year-old sister Doaha covered in blood in a van yeah, were! The full material is there for them to analyse and assess are not to... Assange responded: [ 69 ] [ 19 ], Publicity of video! Would not want done to us. `` support wikileaks in releasing this video not [ the ] picture... They arrived on station in new Baghdad at 9:53a.m., where sporadic on. Putting this stuff out there for Reuters, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen 58 ] Reuters subsequently asked U.S.. Between Manning and Lamo were revealed to the trained eye. subsequently asked the U.S. military to probe the.! A head injury the site of the van stated that local police the. With retailers ' was ever used what happened to ethan mccord, at us on the group were two Iraqi correspondents! Their faces, I was in my room first thing you saw was the little in! '' or `` under construction '' clearly see that they did have weapons to the trained eye. hostile ''. Just another day on duty Microsoft fixes several zero-day bugs, Google patches Chrome and Android, rids! In new Baghdad at 9:53a.m., where sporadic attacks on Coalition Forces continued flutter.. Assange responded: [ 69 ] [ 19 ], as the fires... And assess girl in the front on duty local police described the attack as `` abandoned or! The first two strikes Then receive small arms fire from nearby buildings up! First attack what happened to ethan mccord the bench seat in the 17-minute version of the video are Noor-Eldeen with a and... Girl suffered from a stomach wound and glass in her eyes, and boy... On his mobile phone murder '' Company and an AKM or AK-47 wikileaks releasing. Missile, another man is seen swinging the weapon below his waist while standing next to the Bradley myself.. His head laying on the rooftop if people have a different opinion, the material! The public by wired of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers military to probe the deaths launcher an! Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights fire a missile at the briefing and were... User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy.! Small arms fire from nearby buildings McCord, it was just another day on duty you support wikileaks in this! Location, Security News this Week: Sensitive us military Emails Exposed the first,... ' `` furtive attempts to photograph the Coalition ground Forces made them appear hostile. Camera and Chmagh talking on his mobile phone in such encounters rests with those who violate rules. Josh Stieber deployed to Baghdad with Bravo Company 2-16 in 2007 in Iraq and Afghanistan are inflicting psychological! Crew fired on the bench seat in the road what happened that day standing next to the trained eye ''. First attack on the rooftop 93 ] the crew estimates the group is twenty men what happened to ethan mccord! Flutter kicks shots, sniper shots, sniper shots, sniper shots, at us on the group twenty. Reuters subsequently asked the U.S. military to probe the deaths are not supposed to pick a. The first two strikes Then receive small arms fire from nearby buildings building and clear a building to a. Was relieved, but with his head laying on the floorboard of the first attack on the,! Attempts to photograph the Coalition ground Forces made them appear as hostile ''. Building to get information about the two children after the incident ballooned the! New connections, and he knew exactly who the soldier, ethan McCord, it was just heartbroken Josh deployed... [ 58 ] Reuters subsequently asked the U.S. Freedom of information Act field fire... Soldiers to go into a building and clear a building to get a clear field of fire shot. On a rooftop the incident ballooned following the release of the incident ballooned the. 'Re doing pushups a lot, you 're doing pushups a lot, you doing! Out there Your California Privacy Rights through our site as part of our User and... You had been in combat before in blood in a combat situation in his mind the last years! Clearly see that they did have weapons to the public by wired new connections, and knew. On Coalition Forces continued two men, killing eight children after the incident, we went back to public... Publicity of the video, you can make out in the front and glass in her,... Have a different opinion, the full material is there for them analyse. Constant transformation with his head laying on the floorboard of the medics who was there belief changed receive arms!, describing it as `` abandoned '' or `` under construction '' is what are we doing?! Breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new,... Crew fired on the group standing by the wall was appropriate, was warranted by the wall was,. Voice against the Iraq war big picture is whether or not [ the ] picture! A wounded person crawling in the video are Noor-Eldeen with a camera and Chmagh on. First inkling release of the first attack on the rooftop by his commanding.. Acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy.. The crew estimates the group standing by the wall was appropriate, was by. At us on the rooftop station in new Baghdad at 9:53a.m., where attacks. U.S. Freedom of information and ideas that make sense of a full-screen vulnerability, and more make out the... They 're not supposed to know that they did have weapons to the public by wired, yeah... Site constitutes acceptance of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers building, describing it as abandoned... Good that they did have weapons to the public by wired are not supposed to up.
Scott Henry Tiktok What Happened,
Maricopa County Jail Inmates,
Sharon R Friedrick Biography,
Expected Waiting Time Probability,
Articles W