James Kimber
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| James Kimber | |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Fountain Hills, Arizona |
| Allegiance | USMC |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines |
| Battles/wars | Operation Iraqi Freedom |
James Kimber, age 33, is a Captain in the United States Marine Corps and is alleged to have possibly participated in the November 2005 war crime in Haditha, Iraq, where the Marines are accused of having murdered 24 civilians after one of them had been killed in an insurgent attack. He was removed with the commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey R. Chessani and the Captain Luke McConnell according to a report by The Times on 29 May 2006 [1], although he claims that their removals were unrelated. [2] Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich was the marine on patrol and is under investigation.
James Kimber's attorney and Iraq War veteran Paul Hackett has maintained that Kimber was not associated with the killings and was actually nominated for a Bronze Star for valor in Haditha. A month ago he was relieved of command because in the course of an interview with Britain's Sky News TV, some of his subordinates in India Company of the 3rd battalion were profanely critical of the Iraqi security services' performance. [3] Kimber himself has stated that he did not learn of the killings until February, and that he is a political casualty. [4] Reuters has also reported that Kimber "was commander of a company several miles away that day [November 19]". [5]
Kimber, who is a 10-year Marine veteran, has served two tours of duty in Iraq. During his first tour he was stationed in the vicinity of the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal for valor for his actions during Operation Phantom Fury in November 2004. [6]
