It would be naïve to think politics played no part in the Marine Corps’ decision to charge eight service members in conjunction with the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians 13 months ago in the farming town of Haditha. Politics or not, it was an appropriate decision.

Under the military justice system, this is just the beginning of a process that may or may not lead to courts-martial for the eight accused Marines. And, as in any criminal justice proceeding under American standards, a charge is not a verdict. It’s critical, though, that the United States hold itself and its military accountable.

Even more important than the murder charges against four enlisted men is the decision to take action against four officers who weren’t present at the clash in Haditha but are suspected of obstructing the truth in its aftermath.

At home and abroad, the U.S. military presence in Iraq is increasingly unpopular. That’s unlikely to change, no matter the outcome of this case, but Americans must be clear that we are committed to conducting ourselves honorably, even in war.

Ignoring possible atrocities – or, worse, tolerating their cover-up – validates the enemies who malign our intent, discredit our values and tarnish our image in the Mideast and beyond. It’s hard to make the case that you sent troops into a country to secure freedom for its people when you won’t differentiate between the insurgents and the innocents. It not only reflects badly on the nation, it puts at greater risk the vast majority of U.S. military personnel who are devoted to upholding principles of decency.

When a roadside bomb went off in Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005, it killed a Humvee driver and wounded two other members of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines. In the mayhem that followed, 24 Iraqi civilians died from grenades and gunfire, but their deaths were first attributed to the initial explosion. Later they were said to have been caught in a crossfire between Marines and insurgents. If it hadn’t been for a local journalist, who videotaped the bodies and turned it over to Time magazine – whose editors in turn confronted Pentagon officials – the incident might have gone uninvestigated.

And the opportunity to fully examine the evidence would probably have been missed, leaving Iraqi civilians bitter, suspicious and uncertain as to who has their well-being at heart.

One Haditha cleric, quoted by the New York Times, said he would prefer that the Marines be turned over to the local people “to get the punishment they deserve.”

If the claims that arose from a nine-month probe by military investigators are true, it reveals that at least eight Marines have failed to grasp America’s stated purpose for sending troops there – namely, to make Iraq free, safe and stable for the Iraqis.

If that attitude is then seen as representative of American views, rather than an anomaly perpetrated by misfits, it will be the direct fault of superiors who should have enforced justice, but tried instead to hide the truth.