On the same day as the NPR interview, Finkel was asked how he had seen the unedited video and whether WikiLeaks had shown it to him. [61] The longer video shows the third attack, in which Hellfire missiles were fired into a building.[43]. Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. 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. A unit from Bravo Company 216 was within 100 meters of the individuals that were fired upon with 30mm AH-64 Apache cannons. So I went to a sergeant and asked to see [the mental health person], because I was having a hard time dealing with it. [92], On February 28, 2013, Manning pleaded guilty to 10 of 22 specified charges. The story was then overtaken by a more updated one out of Washington that incorporated reporting from the original piece. Our government may ignore you, concerned more with its public image. [19], As the tape resumes, two men, one holding an AK-47, are seen walking. I've had nightmares. Michael Bailey a medic who treated some of. We're sorry for the system that we were involved in that took their father's life and injured them. Captain James Hall stated they couldn't drive in Bradleys in fear of running over bodies. Wired.com: Civilians are supposed to know that they're not supposed to pick up a wounded person crawling in the road? (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? Knowing that I was part of the system that took their father away from them and made them lose their house it's heartbreaking. After the non-combatants were clear Crazyhorse 1/8 engaged the targets. 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. 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. [67], WikiLeaks released a 39-minute version, which shows all three incidents, and a 17-minute version, which shows only the first two incidents. [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. On 19 April 2010, Ethan McCord, who appears on the ground in the video, and Josh Steiber, a member of the same company who was not present on the day, wrote an open Letter of Reconciliation & Responsibility to the Iraqi People apologising for the events in the video. [110], Mark Taylor, an international law expert and a director at the Fafo Institute for International Studies in Norway, told Al Jazeera "there's a case to be made that a war crime may have been committed." I don't think that people really want to see this, though, because this is war. So if people have a different opinion, the full material is there for them to analyse and assess. As the killing goes on, you obviously would see the killing of men who are lying on the ground in an operation where ground troops are approaching and perfectly capable of taking those people captive, but meanwhile you're murdering before the troops arrive. [113], The report states that at least two members of the group which were first fired on were armed, that two RPGs and one AKM or AK-47 rifle could be seen in the helicopter video, and that these weapons were picked up by the follow-up U.S. ground troops. After the incident, we went back to the FOB [forward operating base] and that's when I was in my room. [16] The military reported that it could not find its copy of the video. [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). McCord: I have never seen anybody being shot by a 30-millimeter round before. With Russia regularly knocking out Ukraines power grid, the country has turned to high-capacity batteries to keep it connected to the worldand itself. It was more of a child who was frightened out of her mind. Wired.com: Did you try to get information about the two children after the shooting? In July 2007, McCord, a 33-year-old Army specialist, was engaged in a firefight with insurgents in an Iraqi suburb when his platoon, part of Bravo Company, 2-16 Infantry, got orders to investigate a nearby street. [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. I know the van, I know the faces of everybody that was there that day. McCord admits that she was sad to go because she had been there for a decade and a half, but that "it wasn't the end of the world" and that she wasn't worried for "a nanosecond" that . Josh Stieber was not at the scene of the shooting but says similar incidents happened throughout his 14-month tour; "The acts depicted in this video are everyday occurrences of this war." Among the group were two Iraqi war correspondents working for Reuters, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen. 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. 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. McCord: I've spoken with one of the medics who was there. Wired.com: But you had been in combat before. You joke about the situations and what's happened to push away your true feelings of the matter. Wired.com: Have you heard from any other soldiers since the video came out? [19], The team observed several individuals from this group, some possibly wounded, run into a large multistory building. Seven men (including Noor-Eldeen) were killed during this first strike; Saeed Chmagh, who was injured, later died in a hospital. Our heavy hearts still hold hope that we can restore inside our country the acknowledgment of your humanity, that we were taught to deny. 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. [81] [32] Assange also said "it's ludicrous to allege that we have taken anything out of context in this video". FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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. The soldier in the video said that your husband shouldn't have brought your children to battle, but we are acknowledging our responsibility for bringing the battle to your neighborhood, and to your family. They're like, oh yeah, we're the "collateral murder" company. [25] Both videos depict the attack on the van, van driver, and two other men, and the aftermath when the two seriously injured children were evacuated by U.S. ground forces who arrived on the scene. I was called a pussy and that I needed to suck it up and a lot of other horrible things. They were stating that these people had no weapons whatsoever, that they were just carrying cameras. She wrote that the co-pilot urged a dying, unarmed journalist to pick up a weapon as he tried to crawl to safety and that "the Apache crew open[ed] fire on civilians". Ethan was on the ground at the scene of the shooting, and is seen on the video rushing one of the injured children to a U.S. "The helicopters were approximately a mile and a half away and they were zooming in on these guys . Some of them [say] I don't care what anybody says they're not there. The footage was portrayed as classified,[7] but the individual who leaked it, U.S. Army soldier Chelsea Manning,[a] testified in 2013 that the video was not classified. 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. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. The WikiLeaks edited video did not add arrows pointing to these men, or label them, as it did with the men carrying cameras. [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. He's no longer in the Army. 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. It wasnt like a cry of pain really. The editors asked to see the remaining footage so Reuters could check whether it had been edited or manipulated. 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. It could be that since he and Amelia (Sigrid Thornton) have quit. That classified video created its own firestorm. When we were on that roof, we were still taking fire. 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. The soldier, Ethan McCord, has since been discharged from the military and has been an outspoken voice against the Iraq War. We humbly ask you what we can do to begin to repair the damage we caused. Josh states that these casualties demonstrate the impact of U.S. military policy on both the civilians and the soldiers on the ground. However, the long version of the video shows that this van had already been targeted by one Apache (Crazyhorse 1/8), prior to the second strike, as it traveled south toward the Reuters employees who were simultaneously targeted by the other Apache (Crazyhorse 1/9) as they walked with the group of men north on the same road toward the van. Home: Laytonsville, Maryland Served in: Baghdad (Rustamiyah) 07-08 Fort Riley, KS 06-07, 08-09, BACKGROUND ON ETHAN MCCORD: Branch of service: United States Army (USA) Unit: 1st ID Rank: Spc. McCord: She had a stomach wound and she had glass in her eyes and in her hair. 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". "When I did come up on the scene, there was an RPG as well as AK-47s there," he said. McCord added, "I don't say that Wikileaks did a bad thing, because they didn't. He was kind of sitting on the floorboard of the van, but with his head laying on the bench seat in the front. [21], The Air Weapons Team (AWT) of two Apache AH-64s from the 1st Cavalry Division had been requested by the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment (216), 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich, before July 12 to support Operation Ilaaj. [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". Ethan McCord pulled your daughter and son from the van, and when doing so, saw the faces of his own children back home. 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]. These people were operating in split second situations.". Josh . [45][114], "Cameramen and armed insurgents" (all captions from the Army report), "Cameraman peering around corner of wall", "Pictures taken by ground forces after reaching the site". Assange said that Finkel had seen the video and that at least one individual at the offices of The Washington Post had a copy of the video for at least a year, prior to its release by WikiLeaks. [47] The Australian newspaper said the group was displaying "no obvious hostile action". [78] Gates stated: "They're in a combat situation. [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. I was pretty distraught over the whole situation with the children. [108][109], In a June 7, 2010, article in The New Yorker, Raffi Khatchadourian addressed several issues involved in determining the legality of the attacks, including "proportionality", "positive identification" ("reasonable certainty" that the target has hostile intent), and "the treatment of casualties during an ongoing military operation". [81], Publicity of the incident ballooned following the release of the footage. The crew then reposition the helicopter and fire two more missiles into the upper floors of the building[44], WikiLeaks said in the preface to one of their videos of the incident that "some of the men appear to have been armed [although] the behavior of nearly everyone was relaxed" in the introductory text of the shorter video. [But] I was actually starting to get kind of better. They did have weapons there. She draws parallels with soldiers who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder in earlier wars. New details reveal that Beijing-backed hackers targeted the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, adding to a string of attacks in the region. [38] The children, a girl and boy, suffered injuries. She was crying. [18] Al Jazeera stated that the Army had received "reports of small arms fire", but were unable to positively identify the gunmen. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. [18][24][25][26][27] While the two are carrying media cards, a military officer claimed they were not wearing distinctive clothing identifying themselves as such. After getting permission to fire, the Apache crew fired on the van. Hanzlik said images gathered during a military investigation of the incident show multiple weapons around the dead bodies in the courtyard, including at least three RPGs. But the time is long overdue that we say that the value of our nation's leaders no longer represent us. Advertisement. There's no easy way to kill somebody. The military said that the van was "fair game under Army rules" , because it had no visible markings to suggest it was an ambulance or a protected vehicle. [50] In a later interview on the World Socialist Web Site, Stieber said that the attack "exposes so clearly the fallacy of using war as a tool of foreign policy or as a way to supposedly spread 'freedom and democracy' around the world".[51]. Using short sentences, similar punctuation, or using the same words frequently as well as using Grammarly can boost your content as AI written. When the crew were informed that a child had been injured by their attack, one initially responded, "Ah damn. It has also ignored many veterans who have returned physically injured or mentally troubled by what they saw and did in your country. As the pilot positions the helicopter to attack the building, two unarmed men walk towards, and perhaps into, the building. Our hearts are open to hearing how we can take any steps to support you through the pain that we have caused. It's painful to see, especially when you learn after the fact what was going on. Smith describes this reaction as inhuman. After the video was released, one of the soldiers involved in the incident, Ethan McCord, stated the following: "If you feel threatened in any way, you're able to engage that person. Soldier Ethan McCord's Eyewitness Story, "Shadowed, Clamoring, Blurry. Vehicle; "When I saw those kids, all I could picture was my kids back home". Colbert asked "So 'Collateral Murder' is to get political impact?" [22], In the video on the morning of July 12, 2007, the crews of two United States Army AH-64 Apache helicopters observe a gathering of men near a section of Baghdad in the path of advancing U.S. ground troops, some armed with AKMs and RPGs. [43] He walks into a building which has been identified as the source of fire at U.S. ground troops. But the video and accompanying audio make clear that the soldiers in the helicopter said they spotted 'weapons' among those in the grouplater identified by an internal army investigator as an AK-47 and an RPG. More than a dozen people were killed in three attacks captured in the video, including two Reuters journalists, one carrying a camera that was apparently mistaken for a weapon. 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. The company was supported by two Apache helicopters from the 1st Cavalry Division's Aviation Brigade, call signs "Crazyhorse 1/8" and "Crazyhorse 1/9". Our heavy hearts still hold hope that we can restore inside our country the acknowledgment of your humanity, that we were taught to deny. Highlighted in the 17-minute version of the video are Noor-Eldeen with a camera and Chmagh talking on his mobile phone. And cracking jokes is a way of pushing that stuff down. On April 5, 2010, the attacks received worldwide coverage and controversy following the release of 39 minutes of gunsight footage by the Internet whistleblower website WikiLeaks. It's very clear that that is the approach, to try and find any mechanism to excuse the behavior, and that is what ended up happening. In fact, that's one of the reasons I went to the van immediately, because I could hear her crying. She continued, "the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are inflicting huge psychological damage on combatants". [15] An anonymous U.S. military official confirmed the authenticity of the footage,[16] which provoked global discussion on the legality and morality of the attacks. In refusing to recognize this, the US military fails both its own soldiers and their victims. 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. Reuters also stated that local police described the attack as "random American bombardment". [60] The Pentagon eventually blocked the FOIA request[25] despite several follow-up requests by Reuters. [92][93] The Internet chats between Manning and Lamo were revealed to the public by Wired. They request permission to fire a missile at the building, describing it as "abandoned" or "under construction". 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. It happened because my content was bad. 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what happened to ethan mccord