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Whistleblower who taped CO claims backlash

A Marine-turned-whistleblower says he is getting the cold shoulder from other leathernecks after he publicly acknowledged recording his commander coaching their unit in Iraq to get their stories straight for military investigators.

On Aug. 23, 2006, Sgt. Henry Butts secretly recorded Capt. Shane Cote, commander of Bravo Company, 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, giving what the officer described as the “C-Y-A part” of his briefing. In the audio, obtained by Marine Corps Times, Cote ordered dozens of men in his company to get their story straight in case investigators asked questions about a firefight that might have left Iraqi women and children dead in the crossfire.

“Earlier up on the roof, there was like five women and little girls, OK? We f---ed that area up,” Cote, 35, told his Marines, after a day that included at least nine firefights in 14 hours. “If we did any collateral damage, there will be people here asking. Your answer, for the sake of yourselves — and me — better be you were f---ing shooting at muzzle flashes.”

Butts said he is feeling the backlash after coming forward about the commander he said told members of his unit it was OK to lie. His critics want to attack the messenger, when they should be focusing on Cote’s actions, he said.

“I’ve been told that Marines — anybody from Bravo Company — have been instructed to not talk to me,” Butts said. “People have been taking little jabs at me” by posting messages online. “But I know who they are.”

Butts said that an ongoing personal conflict with Cote had compelled him to document every exchange with his commander. He used a Samsung MP3 player his wife had given him for Christmas to record the Aug. 23 briefing. Butts admitted he did not immediately hand the recording over to Corps officials, only doing so weeks later after learning that Cote was attempting to take administrative action against him. He handed the recording over to his first sergeant, who pushed it higher.

Investigations ensued

The recording prompted three investigations, according to Capt. Erin Weiner, a Marine Forces Reserve spokeswoman: The Army probed missing communication gear, lost during one firefight; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service looked into the possibility of non-combatant deaths; and the Marine Corps investigated the unit’s leadership. The NCIS and Corps’ investigations remain open, she said.

In an earlier interview, Marine officials said the NCIS investigation had found no corroboration of civilian deaths.

“The Naval Criminal Investigative Service conducted an investigation and found no evidence of non-combatant deaths as a result of the incident,” said Al Foucha, another MarForRes spokesman, in a Nov. 9 interview. “Appropriate administrative actions were taken by the commanding general, 4th Marine Division, regarding leadership issues pertaining to the incident. Specifics of these actions are not releasable due to Privacy Act restrictions.”

“Captain Cote, in November 2006, was relieved of command,” Weiner confirmed, adding that he was then transferred to the Individual Ready Reserve. “Legal administrative proceedings are still ongoing. He could potentially be court-martialed.”

Investigation ending soon

Weiner said the Corps’ investigation into the unit’s leadership should conclude “pretty soon” — within the next six months.

Despite multiple attempts by phone and mail, Marine Corps Times was unable to reach Cote for comment. Additional attempts to reach him through Marine officials also went unanswered.

Butts said he has been asked why he held on to the recording before handing it over to his superiors as his unit readied to return to the States.

“I wanted to get home, and I really didn’t know what to do with it. It was the last thing on my mind, to bring something like that up in Iraq,” he said. “It’s a long, drawn-out story, and my credibility was on the line with this guy, and that was the only reason why this thing was even recorded.

“I would do it again, but I would do it faster,” he said.

The platoon sergeant, who has since transferred to 4th AAV’s Alpha Company, is preparing to deploy again to Iraq by the end of the year.

His MP3 player is going with him.

“I have it for music purposes,” he said.