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At some point, the demands of waging a long, hot guerrilla war with no end in sight can wear down the very best warrior. Military sociologists who have studied soldiers in battle say incidents such as what allegedly happened at Haditha tend to increase as insurgencies go on. Charles Moskos, one of the nation's leading experts on military personnel, said the nature of the Iraqi insurgency, particularly as it enters its fourth year, makes it difficult for soldiers to distinguish friend from foe. "There is a guerrilla group that is being supported by the local populace, and that makes the innocent civilians viewed as part of the bad guys. In these situations of extreme stress, one can lose one's moral balance," says Moskos.
Pentagon personnel managers have tried to increase the length of time between deployments--most soldiers get 20 months between tours. Pentagon officials say Army units deploy to Iraq for a year and Marines ship out for six months, but units from both services have been known to stay in Iraq longer. Says an Army general: "Are they stressed? Yes. Will it get worse? Yes. Is it affecting their combat ability? Not yet."
Haditha has become one of those Rorschachs of war--a test that makes those who favor a pullout sure that the time for it has come and an episode that makes those who want to stay the course note that the events of Nov. 19 are the exception and not the rule. At least one thing has changed. The Marines in Haditha have become more restrained, slower to fire their weapons, residents say. But something else has not. Marines continue to patrol the neighborhoods, and there are convoys of humvees rolling down Hay al-Sinnai Road practically every day. [This article contains a complex diagram. Please see a hard copy or pdf.] The Incident .. At 7:15 a.m. on Nov. 19, 2005, a roadside bomb exploded in Haditha, killing Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas. That night, U.S. Marines took the bodies of 24 Iraqis to a local hospital. What happened that day: Bomb explodes under last humvee in convoy. Marines originally reported they immediately came under fire from surrounding buildings
TAXI HUMVEE CONVOY
To central Haditha
Movement of Marines
Hay al-Sinnai Road
Al-Subhani Neighborhood Taxi Four teens and driver killed
First raids
Waleed house Seven killed, including three women
Younis house Eight killed, including two women and four children
Later raids Ayed houses (father and son) Marines leave 10 to 15 women and children under guard and move on to adjoining house, where four men are killed.
... And Its Aftermath
THE DAY AFTER
Nov. 20, 2005: U.S. Marines spokesman Captain Jeffrey Pool issues the military's first official report on the incident, noting that "a U.S. Marine and 15 Iraqi civilians were killed yesterday from the blast of a roadside bomb." The same day, Haditha journalism student Taher Thabet videotapes the scene at the homes where the killings had occurred and at the local morgue
COMPENSATION
December 2005: The U.S. military pays $2,500 per victim to families of 15 of the dead Iraqis. A U.S. officer, Major Dana Hyatt, later confirms he gave out a total of $38,000