MERIDEN - PBS's "Frontline" will air an in-depth program tonight at 9 about the 2005 killings in Haditha, Iraq.

The piece, titled "Rules of Engagement," hopes to provide an evenhanded look at the incident, which involved a squad of Marines under Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, a former Meriden resident.

The Marines allegedly killed 24 Iraqis, some of whom may have been insurgents, during the Nov. 19, 2005 incident. Wuterich has said he and his men followed standard combat procedure.

They were responding to a roadside bomb attack that killed one Marine and left two wounded. The Marines are accused of shooting and killing five Iraqis who approached the scene and later raiding several nearby houses, killing many of those inside.

Wuterich, 27, a 1998 Platt High School graduate, will be the first of four men to stand trial. He faces charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and obstruction of justice. His court martial is scheduled to begin March 3.

Another soldier who served with Wuterich, Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, was recently ordered to testify against him.

The idea that the Haditha killings were a straightforward massacre of innocents is incorrect, according to Arun Rath, the producer, writer and director of "Rules of Engagement."

The initial media coverage - following an announcement by U.S. Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania that the Marines had killed "innocent civilians in cold blood" - focused on the evidence against the men, Rath told the Record-Journal Monday.

As evidence in the Marines' favor came out, however, there was little additional coverage, he added. Wuterich is suing Murtha for defamation.

The Frontline piece was originally going to focus on civilian casualties in Iraq and only use Haditha as an example, Rath said, but his investigation led him to believe there was more to the killings than met the eye.

"The biggest dramatic detail compared to the initial version was just how intense a day of fighting it was in Haditha," Rath said. "We do have a number of witnesses saying that (the Marines) were coming under fire, including Iraqi witnesses. It appears that this was an all-out insurgent push to retake the town."

The program includes footage from an aerial drone that circled the area during the incident and an interview with an intelligence officer who explains the fight going on in Haditha at the same time.

Wuterich's father, David Wuterich, a Meriden resident, said he hopes the show provides a wider perspective of the events.

"We're hoping it comes out and shows what these guys go through, that this isn't just one-sided," he said. "They have to make split-second decisions."

The story, as portrayed by Murtha, was exaggerated, David Wuterich said, and needed to be set straight.

Ronald R. Perry, a Vietnam veteran and officer in the city's Marine Corps League, welcomes a new look at Haditha.

"This can release some of the truths about how you engage in combat. I hope it brings light to some of what (Wuterich) was trying to say - 'I was trained to do a thing, and I did it.' I hope this explains what young Marines have to go through," Perry said.

The segment airs at 9 p.m. on CPTV, Cox Cable position 5.

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