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Jesse Macbeth

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Jesse Macbeth

Jesse Adam Macbeth (born Jesse Adam Al-Zaid[1], 1984- ) was featured in the 2006 Pepperspray Productions video, posted at peacefilms.org, Jessie Macbeth: Former Army Ranger and Iraq War Veteran.[2]"

Video at peacefilms.org

In the video, Macbeth makes a number of allegations about his service in the Iraq War (approximate point in the video noted in parentheses):

  • He and other U.S. Army Rangers were ordered "...do whatever it takes...to strike fear in the hearts of the Iraqis..." (1:07);
  • He and other Rangers routinely executed children as part of the interrogations of their parents (6:15);
  • He personally killed almost 200 men, women, and children, many at close range, and most or all noncombatants (7:30);
  • He and other Rangers infiltrated a mosque, waited for about 200 worshipers to arrive and pray, slaughtered them with guns, ignited the bodies, hung them from the rafters, wrote anti-muslim graffiti on the walls, and left bodies in the streets (9:30);
  • He and other Rangers shot and killed unarmed protesters and children who threw rocks (12:20);
  • He personally killed a mother pleading for mercy, and her three children, including an infant, because he "had to."(16:05);

At the end of the video, he comments on how the mainstream media won't quote him, which is why independent media are necessary so that truth can be disseminated.

At present, no other primary sources have described the atrocities that Macbeth describes, all of which are apparent violations of Geneva Conventions. However, it may be possible to draw a parallel between his discussion of killing civilians in their own houses, and an alleged 19 November 2005 incident involving Marines in Haditha.

Timeline and Inconsistencies

Over time, Macbeth has given several interviews and has been quoted and published in several online sources. A number of inconsistencies have appeared in reports about him, or in his own quotes.

Jessie Macbeth, as used in the video, may not be the correct spelling of his name; he has also been identified as Jesse Macbeth and Jesse MacBeth by various online publications.

A narrator in the video says that he "...served in Iraq for 16 months before being wounded..." The war began in March of 2003. The Eastern Arizona Courier reported in November of 2003 that Jesse MacBeth had returned 2 and a half months prior - roughly in late August of 2003, after sustaining a back injury, making such a deployment about five months long[3].

Macbeth is quoted on SocialistAlternative.org that he was "stabbed many times," has shrapnel in his knee, and has been shot in the back, and that he has received the Purple Heart.[4] The Eastern Arizona Courier article reported that MacBeth had been shot in the back by an M16 rifle while in a tunnel, but that a Canadian nurse stitched him up and he continued fighting. The article also says that he planned to attend a hearing that month about a medical discharge from the Army. There was no mention of the stabbings or the shrapnel in the article.

In April of 2004, Jesse Macbeth wrote to the Arizona State University State Press [5] (student newspaper), about an unrelated local matter, saying that he had already spent 16 months in Iraq. The letter was published, despite the fact that the war was only about 13 months old then. Macbeth said he was about to be redeployed in the letter.

The report on SocialistAlternative.org includes the Macbeth quote "We would leave the bodies in the streets and blame it on the Shi'ites or the Sunnis. [In Fallujah] we were ordered to go into mosques and slaughter people while they were praying." In the video, he said this was in retribution for the similar acts done to the bodies of American contractors. The mutilation and public display of American corpses in Fallujah happened March 31, 2004, between the two press reports placing Macbeth in Arizona.

Operation_Vigilant_Resolve, an attempt by U.S. forces to gain control of the citty of Fallujah, began in April of 2004.

From June to September of 2004, Macbeth (or his attorney) was dealing with legal issues in Arizona[* [6]. On Sept. 28, 2004, Macbeth was convicted of fraudulent use of a credit card, a felony, in Graham County (Arizona) Superior Court.

Operation Plymouth Rock, the Marines siege of Fallujah, occurred in November of 2004. The Supreme Court of Arizona's public access to court documents database indicates that Macbeth had some records pertaining to probation recorded after the siege and through May of 2006.

In the report on SocialistAlternative.org, Macbeth says his unit was the 3d Ranger Battalion. The unit did not participate in the siege of Fallujah. Macbeth also says he was "picked" for Ranger School. The army does not select soldiers for the school. Macbeth's face is also not discernable among photos of Ranger School graduating classes from 2001 to 2003 available on the Internet[7].

Additionally, many people have questioned the authenticity of Macbeth's uniform:

  • Macbeth wears his beret with the flash over the wrong eye;
  • Macbeth wears a Special Forces Combat Patch, while claiming to have served with the Rangers;
  • Macbeth wears two tabs above his special forces patch where only one is necessary;
  • Macbeth does not wear a ranger tab;
  • Macbeth does not wear airborne wings;
  • Macbeth's rank is not sewn onto his uniform, as Rangers would (instead of the metal pins);
  • Macbeth rolls his sleeves as a Marine would, not as a soldier would;
  • Macbeth has the wrong flash on his beret, and no regimental crest attached.

These criticisms have been made by people looking at photos and video of Macbeth, rather than observations made in person. Critics suggest that because his uniform is not worn properly, with the correct patches sewn on, that perhaps he is not actually a Ranger.

Additionally, on Military.com, an account in his name had a profile that claimed both the Combat Infantry Badge and Combat Action Badge until 22 May 2006. Decoration with both badges is possible under certain circumstances, but not likely for a person of Macbeth's age, and impossible without switching operational specialities.

A definite determination on Macbeth's veteran status would be possible with a copy of Macbeth's DD-214 military record, no version of which is available online. It is not known whether any of the mass media or independent media outlets that quoted Macbeth have requested this documentation.

On May 22, 2006, the Just Citizens blog posted a quote from Army spokesman John Boyce about Macbeth:

“Initial research by the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg shows no Soldier with the name of Jesse Macbeth having ever been assigned to the Special Forces or the Army Rangers -- which are, in fact, two separate disciplines. This appears to be some sort of hoax. [8]”

Iraq Veterans Against the War membership

MacBeth is associated with the organization, Iraq Veterans Against the War.

MacBeth appears to be carrying a banner for the organization at a March 19, 2006 march and rally in Tacoma, Washington on "Dying to Preserve the Lies", the blog of Lietta Ruger, a member of Military Families Speak Out[9].

He appears on a list of "special guests" as a member of the group at a May 17, 2006 "Halliburton on the Run!" Teach-in and press event in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The list was circulated on numerous blogs.

The video posted at peacefilms.org repeatedly uses imagery from Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Military.com membership

On 22 May, 2006, Macbeth's Military.com profile listed among his ribbons a Bronze Star (without a valor device), a Purple Heart, an Army Good Conduct Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, an Army Service Ribbon, and an Overseas Service Ribbon. He also listed among his badges the Ranger tab, the Special Forces tab, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Combat Action Badge, Airborne jump wings, and a marksmanship award.

By the evening of 22 May, 2006, the profile had been updated to remove the decorations.

It is noteworthy that Military.com does not check the identities of any of its users; although the account is associated with Macbeth and features his photograph and mentions an Iraq Veterans Against the War affilitation, it's possible that the account was set up by someone other than Macbeth. The account has been active since 2005. Military.com also does not require proof of military service before professing veteran status.

References

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