Rules Of Engagement Page #6

the crowd had gathered?

- I would suppose so.

- Yes or no, please.

Yes.

- Is it in operation 24 hours a day?

- I suppose so.

- Yes or no?

- Yes.

Do you suppose there is a taping

system attached to this camera?

- Your Honor.

- Colonel.

- Yes.

- Where's the tape?

It is my understanding

that if there were tapes,

undamaged tapes, they'd have been

sent to the State Department.

Undamaged tapes?

Well, there was

destruction and looting...

after the killing.

As you withdrew, did you remember

to take the American flag with you?

Did you remember to take

the American flag, sir?

- Of course.

- Where is that flag now?

I brought it home and returned

it to the State Department.

It was shot to shreds,

wasn't it?

By the snipers, yes.

Yeah?

Right! Go right!

Goal!

At ease, son.

Let me see. Which one

of you people is named Justin?

- Let me take a guess. How about you?

- No.

Then I'll have to make

another guess. I'll take, uh... you.

How'd you know?

Are you in the marines?

Yes, sir, lam.

Go on in the house, kids.

There are sandwiches in the kitchen.

Mrs. Mourain, I'm sorry

to bother you at home.

- I'm Colonel...

-I know who you are, Colonel Hodges.

- Is that your boy?

- Yes.

Can I talk to you

a few minutes?

I don't think

that's appropriate.

I don't believe your husband

is telling the truth...

about what Colonel Childers did

in Yemen.

Kids, go on in the house.

There are sandwiches on the table.

Let's go! Come on!

You should take that up

with my husband, shouldn't you?

Colonel Childers risked his life

so you could be here, ma'am,

watching these kids play

out these windows.

Does that bother you?

I feel terrible about what

happened to Colonel Childers.

Can you tell me that he

manhandled your family?

Or that he prevented

your husband from doing his job?

Ma'am?

Can you tell me that?

No.

As far as I'm concerned,

he behaved quite honorably.

Will you testify to that?

- My husband's a good man.

- So is Colonel Childers.

I've been married for ten years.

You're asking me to throw that

away in an afternoon.

Your husband and you

and your son...

owe your lives

to Colonel Terry Childers.

We all have our priorities,

Colonel.

I can subpoena you, ma'am.

Please don't.

Don't put me up there.

I'm a very credible witness.

Now, if you'll excuse me.

You won't tell the truth

if I put you on the stand?

I don't know

what the truth is.

Colonel Childers is on trial for

what he did outside the embassy.

I wasn't there.

Were you?

Captain Lee, you were in command

of the TRAP team...

and the second ranking officer

under Colonel Childers in Yemen?

- Yes, sir.

-And you were on the roof...

of the embassy, were you not?

- Yes, I was.

Colonel Childers ordered you

to open fire...

immediately after Sergeant

Richard Krasevitch was shot.

- Is that correct?

- Yes.

But Sergeant Krasevitch was not

shot by the demonstrators, was he?

Objection. How could we know

the exact firing position...

of the bullet that killed

Sergeant Krasevitch?

Sustained. Counsel

refrain from leading the witness.

Did you at any time...

receive gunfire from within

the demonstration itself?

Captain?

I can't remember any fire

from the demonstrators,

to my knowledge that is, sir.

You killed the wrong people,

didn't you?

You should've been firing

at the snipers across the way.

- Isn't that correct?

- I can't answer...

- Objection. Calls for speculation.

- Sustained.

You shot at people who

were demonstrating peacefully,

who were not using

deadly force.

Your Honor, that's not

in evidence here.

Sustained. Major, I'm not going

to warn you again.

Captain, what were the words

Colonel Childers used...

when he ordered you to fire

on the demonstrators?

I don't remember

the exact words, sir.

He ordered me

to open fire.

When you obeyed Colonel

Childers' order to open fire,

did you believe it

to be a lawful order?

Yes, sir.

Otherwise it would have been your

duty to disobey. Is that right?

Yes, sir.

When your men opened fire

on the attackers in the crowd,

did the snipers in the buildings

across the way cease their firing?

Absolutely, sir.

It went completely quiet.

It would seem, then,

that the two groups were

actually one working together.

Objection. Counselis drawing

a conclusion for the witness.

Sustained.

Were you in a position

to observe Colonel Childers...

when everyone was evacuated?

Yes, I was.

What was the last thing

you saw him do?

- He went to the flagpole.

- Then what'd he do?

He took down

the American flag.

Was he personally

under heavy fire at that time?

- Yes, sir.

- No more questions.

Captain, prior to receiving orders

from the accused to open fire,

where was the point of greatest

concern for the safety of your men,

the crowd below or the snipers

in the buildings across the way?

- I'm not really sure.

- You're not sure?

Well, I guess...

Don't guess.

I'll repeat the question.

Was the point of greatest concern

the crowd below...

or the snipers

across the way?

I would have to say

the snipers.

Did you feel an immediate mortal

danger from the crowd as a whole?

- I don't understand.

- You don't understand?

- No, sir.

- Let me help you.

Were you more worried...

you'd be killed by these people

or by these people?

I wasn't thinking about that.

Have you ever been under fire?

You didn't see the crowd firing, but

you did take fire from the snipers.

Is that correct?

Yes.

Our clinic is not too far

from the embassy.

So I was one of the first

to arrive there.

Did you see any weapons

on the bodies of the dead?

No.

Did you remove any weapons from

the people you were treating?

No.

Not a single weapon

anywhere among the victims?

No, no weapons.

In your opinion, is Yemen

a training ground for terrorists?

Not at all.

We met in Yemen.

You encouraged me to tour

your clinic in order to witness...

the suffering caused by

Colonel Childers' orders.

- Do you remember that?

- Yes.

I found an audiocassette

on the floor of your clinic.

It's marked exhibit "R".

Do you remember that?

- Yes.

- I found another one...

inside the embassy.

In fact, I found several others.

They're all marked exhibit "R".

Will you translate the writing on

the outside of that cassette?

Declaration

of Islamic Jihad...

"Against United States".

These audiocassettes are used

for the purposes of religious...

and political propaganda due to

the high illiteracy rate in Yemen.

- Is that correct?

- Yes.

Will you translate

the words you hear...

on this audiocassette

for the court, please?

Dr Ahmar?

We call on every Muslim

who believes in God...

and hopes for reward...

"to obey God's command".

Dr Ahmar, does it say

what God's command is?

To kill Americans...

and plunder...

"their possessions

wherever he finds them".

- Go on, please.

To kill Americans...

and their allies,

both civil

and military,

is duty of every Muslim...

"who is able".

To kill Americans is a duty.

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