Ethan McCord: Incidents Like ‘Collateral Murder’ Happen Almost Daily in Iraq

Ethan McCord: Incidents Like ‘Collateral Murder’ Happen Almost Daily in Iraq

Ethan McCord: Incidents Like ‘Collateral Murder’ Happen Almost Daily in Iraq

Iraq War veteran Ethan McCord tells the story of the WikiLeaks “Collateral Murder” footage and how the incident made him certain that the US had no place fighting in the country.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Just over a year ago, WikiLeaks released footage from a gunsight camera of an Apache helicopter engaged in an attack that killed two journalists and eight civilians in Baghdad. The “Collateral Murder” video, as it came to be known, was a shocking document of America’s war in Iraq, and was greeted with a firestorm of controversy on its release. One of the first soldiers on the scene after the air attack, Ethan McCord, is now the subject of a short documentary, Incident in New Baghdad, which will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York next week.

McCord, in New York for the festival premiere, told the story of what he experienced while saving two children wounded in the incident. When he returned to the Forward Operating Base, he requested mental health support to deal with the scenes he had witnessed. He was laughed at and told to “suck it up.”

According to McCord, what Americans can see in the video is “one incident of many,” and that similar abuses of American military power occur almost daily. “You can see from that one incident that we shouldn’t be” in Iraq, McCord concludes.

For more, read Greg Mitchell’s “One Year Later: Soldier in WikiLeaks Iraq ‘Murder’ Video Speaks Out in New Film.”

—Kevin Gosztola

An urgent message from the Editors

As the editors of The Nation, it’s not usually our role to fundraise. Today, however, we’re putting out a special appeal to our readers, because there are only hours left in 2025 and we’re still $20,000 away from our goal of $75,000. We need you to help close this gap. 

Your gift to The Nation directly supports the rigorous, confrontational, and truly independent journalism that our country desperately needs in these dark times.

2025 was a terrible year for press freedom in the United States. Trump launched personal attack after personal attack against journalists, newspapers, and broadcasters across the country, including multiple billion-dollar lawsuits. The White House even created a government website to name and shame outlets that report on the administration with anti-Trump bias—an exercise in pure intimidation.

The Nation will never give in to these threats and will never be silenced. In fact, we’re ramping up for a year of even more urgent and powerful dissent. 

With the 2026 elections on the horizon, and knowing Trump’s history of false claims of fraud when he loses, we’re going to be working overtime with writers like Elie Mystal, John Nichols, Joan Walsh, Jeet Heer, Kali Holloway, Katha Pollitt, and Chris Lehmann to cut through the right’s spin, lies, and cover-ups as the year develops.

If you donate before midnight, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar by a generous donor. We hope you’ll make our work possible with a donation. Please, don’t wait any longer.

In solidarity,

The Nation Editors

Ad Policy
x