Dave,
You bring up an interesting point. LCpl Mendoza had charges against him for that shooting dropped in exchange for this testimony. So this incident was not subjected to as much scrutiny in the following hearings. I agree that ringing a bell and then shooting the person who answers through the door would be ridiculous and criminal. LCpl Mendoza’s testimony was deemed to be unreliable in the Art. 32′s. So if he did as he says then he committed a crime and skated by testifying against his buddies. Not very flattering if true.
Mike,
I have given SSgt Wuterich the most charitable reading possible of the ROE and his decisions and also his state of mind. I saw his interview on 60 Minutes and he did himself no favors there either.
You make good points about both his highly questionable but probably not criminal actions and how they affected the mission overall. They definitely adversely affected relations with many Sunnis.
Thanks for checking in.
Cordially,
Uncle J
