kevin sites' open letter

Kevin Sites is, in his own words, a "freelance solo journalist currently on assignment for NBC News in Iraq." He also happened to be in the room, with a video camera, when a U.S. Marine shot an injured, unarmed Iraqi in a mosque in Falluja on November 13th. After Sites released the footage to the video pool, it got aired around the world.

Aside from reporting for NBC though, Sites is also running a personal blog (kevinsites.net) with dispatches from the front lines in Iraq, and his most recent post is titled, "Open Letter to the Devil Dogs of the 3.1". In it he offers his perspective of the events of that day and explains to the soldiers with whom he has been travelling why he released the footage. It is not easy to read, but it provides extraordinary insight into at least the difficulties of war reporting.

"So here, ultimately, is how it all plays out: when the Iraqi man in the mosque posed a threat, he was your enemy; when he was subdued he was your responsibility; when he was killed in front of my eyes and my camera -- the story of his death became my responsibility.

The burdens of war, as you so well know, are unforgiving for all of us."