CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Gen. Michael W. Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, is in Iraq as two Camp Pendleton units are under investigation over the deaths of Iraqi civilians.

The allegations charged that as many as 16 Iraqis, including women and children, were killed last November, and that another unwarranted killing took place a month ago.

“Not everything since liberation has turned out as we expected or hoped,” said President George W. Bush.

It was a rare admission by Bush in a primetime news conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Even more troubling are the allegations that Camp Pendleton-based Marines went house-to-house, killing innocent civilians in Haditha last November after one of their own was killed by a roadside bomb.

Psychologist Jeffrey Matloff said, while not offering an excuse, the allegations need to be put into perspective.

“When you go to war, it does terrible things to people, to non-combatants, to everyone. I think it is not a surprise that these kinds of things happen. They happen in all wars,” said Matloff.

A prime example is the Mi Lai Massacre of 350 men, women and children by U.S. forces in Vietnam.

Like their Vietnam counterparts, Matloff said it could be difficult in Iraq to determine who the enemy is.

Suicide bombers, sectarian violence, and improvised explosive devices are almost a daily occurrence that Matloff said may also have been a factor.

“You know when troops take casualties, being ambushed, or being hurt by IEDs. It’s only natural to want to get back to having some sort of revenge,” said Matloff.

Hagee was in Iraq to remind Marines about when to use lethal force and, in a statement before leaving, reminded troops that courage is to do the right thing in the face of danger and pressure from other Marines.

Some of the Marines under suspicion are in custody while others are restricted to their bases.

At this time, no one has been charged.