6 posts tagged “marines”
Remember hearing or reading about a slaughter dubbed the Haditha Massacre by the pro-terrorist Mainstream Media (MSM), the Democrats and Democrat Rep. John Murtha in particular?
Well hoax is nearly ended. Lt Colonel Jeffrey Chessani had his charges dismissed by a military judge (Colonel Steven Folsom). Of the eight Marines charged by the terrorist set up the MSM fell for and Murtha has never apologized for, only ONE remains to be exonerated. Let us pray that ONE is not made a scapegoat to satisfy politically correct politicians of the Left.
Here is something that made it to my spam folder and I found in a random check before clearing it. It is about the Haditha Marines falsely accused of massacring civilians in Haditha, Iraq.
As the e-mail from Christopher Ruddy of Newsmax points out one Marine – Lance Cpl Justin Sharratt – has been completely exonerated.
However two other enlisted Marines who I thought were in the clear are going to Court Martial despite their Article 32 Hearing recommending ALL charges be dropped.
Is the Pentagon so intent on finding a scapegoat that it is picking on American heroes that cannot afford a proper legal defense when their Article 32 Hearing found NO FAULT in their actions?
This is crazy!
Christopher Ruddy’s e-mail is sent out to Move America Forward readers imploring for donations for Tatum and Wuterich’s Legal Defense fund since the Pentagon has decided to proceed with a Court Martial even after an Article 32 exoneration.
The email is a bit dated; however I am certain these Marines could still use the dough. Read Ruddy’s plea on behalf of Tatum and Wuterich and send them some money. I am guessing any amount is not too low and the higher the amount the more appreciation will be for Americans defending our nation and your ability to have Liberty and Rights at home.
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Dear Move America Forward Reader:
Two heroic Marines who fought in Haditha, Iraq need your help!
These men who fought to defend us now face an incredible legal nightmare.
Please take a minute read about their plight — and how you can help by reading Newsmax's urgent letter below.
Sent: Fri 3/7/2008 9:42 AM
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Haditha Marines Still Need Your Help!
Urgent Letter From Christopher Ruddy
Publisher, Newsmax.com
Dear Reader:
Two Marines need your help . . . again.
Last year, I wrote to you about the plight of three American heroes, Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, and Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich.
The three were under investigation for allegations that they committed atrocities in Haditha, Iraq, in November 2005.
When I first wrote to you about these courageous men, they were under Article 32 investigation — the military equivalent of a grand jury hearing.
The hysteria against these Marines was set off by a Time magazine reporter whose only sources were known insurgent propagandists, civilian supporters of al-Qaida, or civilians intimidated by al-Qaida thugs.
On the basis of the Time story alone, and despite the fact that Time was forced to retract parts of the initial story four times, the media across the world reported that the Kilo Company Marines had gone on a rampage.
The Time report claimed Marines had massacred 24 innocent civilians on Nov. 19, 2005, in retaliation for the death of one of their fellow Marines.
The Marine was killed by a roadside bomb.
In response to the media charges and those echoed by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., and a badly bungled investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS), the three heroes were falsely charged with multiple counts of murder.
When we alerted you to this grave injustice, Newsmax readers rose to the occasion. You donated more than $250,000 for the legal defense funds of these Marines.
And your help made a big difference.
At the end of the Article 32 hearings, the presiding military officer recommended strongly that all charges be dropped against the three Marines.
Sharratt was fully exonerated.
But suddenly the Pentagon ignored the findings of the military tribunal relating to Tatum and Wuterich and recommended that these Marines should face courts-martial.
Both are scheduled to go to court in March, with long jail sentences looming.
As you can imagine, the legal defense costs for these Marines have placed an enormous burden on them and their families, and have well exceeded even the $250,000 our readers have donated to their cause.
We have been informed that these Marines are in desperate need of financial resources to continue their legal struggle.
You can help these Marines — Go Here Now.
In a letter to Newsmax, John and Stephanie Tatum, the parents of Lance Cpl. Tatum, expressed their extreme frustration: The government “put on its best case including hearsay written statements from Iraqi civilians and others. The investigating officer Lt. Col. Paul Ware (a tough combat veteran and a felony level military judge) who reviewed all of the evidence against Stephen at the article 32 hearing recommended that all charges be DROPPED! He stated that the key government witnesses’ testimony was not credible.”
In the report on the Wuterich case, Ware wrote: "The evidence is contradictory, the forensic analysis is limited and almost all the witnesses have an obvious bias or prejudice."
Gen. James Mattis, the Marines’ commanding general, agreed and dismissed all seven original allegations, including murder charges.
But the Pentagon is continuing to press charges, including manslaughter. As a result, both families face costly trials and the very real possibility their sons will be railroaded on the flimsiest of evidence.
"It is very disheartening and frustrating," Mrs. Tatum writes. "Stephen has not dishonored his country or the Marine uniform that he wears with great pride, dedication, and respect . . . We don’t have enough money in our retirement account and equity in our home to come close to covering all these new trial expenses."
Truthfully, these Marine families should not have to pay for political show trials.
But the lengths to which the Pentagon is going to prosecute these Marines is shocking.
You can help these Marines — Go Here Now.
Military prosecutors even sought to keep Wuterich’s attorneys from calling a key exonerating witness, Maj. Jeffrey Dinsmore.
One of the reasons the Article 32 hearings had cleared the Marines was the very compelling testimony of Dinsmore, an intelligence officer who had carefully monitored the engagement in Haditha.
Dinsmore kept a narrative complete with photos from an unmanned aerial vehicle, transcripts of radio transmissions from the scene of action, and reports from some of the participants all the way up the command ladder.
Dinsmore's reports proved conclusively that the actions of the Marines were proper and justified in clearing out areas with terrorists.
Nevertheless, a Pentagon prosecutor filed a motion to prevent Dinsmore from testifying. Fortunately, a military judge denied this motion, but the Pentagon's attempt shows how awful the treatment of these Marines has been.
Back to Haditha
We at Newsmax have reported the truth about this case for nearly two years with comprehensive coverage from our correspondent Phil Brennan. We believe a grave injustice has been committed against these hero Marines.
Here is some background on these courageous young men, Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum and Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich.
In his first tour of duty in Iraq, Tatum fought fearlessly in the second battle of Fallujah, a small city in al Anbar province north of Baghdad in what is known as the Sunni Triangle.
This battle, in November 2004, was one of the fiercest and bloodiest engagements in the long and proud history of the Marine Corps, and it earned Tatum the admiration and respect of his fellow Marines in the 3rd battalion, 1st Marine Regiment — the storied "Thundering Third."
Tatum was at the infamous "Hell House" fight at Fallujah immortalized in Nat Helms’ book "My Men Are My Heroes: The Brad Kasal Story." In this vicious battle, wounded Marines fended off a fierce guerilla attack for almost 24 hours.
In the days before and after that bloody incident, Tatum fought in the terrifying street-by-street, house-by-house fight to cleanse Fallujah of the al-Qaida thugs terrorizing the city.
In his second tour of duty, this time in insurgent-controlled Haditha, Tatum's unit faced an enemy lurking in the shadows among the civilian population, on the lookout for a chance to ambush Marines or kill them with hidden IEDs (roadside bombs) or sniper fire.
On Nov. 19, 2005, an IED exploded under a Humvee, killing driver Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas and wounding two other members of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion 1st Marines, Lance Cpls. James Crossan and Salvador Guzman.
The surviving Marines then came under fire from two houses near the site of the explosion.
Almost immediately, a white sedan came on the scene and Sgt. Frank Wuterich, mindful of an intelligence briefing that had warned of an impending ambush involving a white car, killed the occupants as they came out of the vehicle and refused to stop when ordered to do so.
A rapid response team arrived on the scene 15 minutes after the IED explosion and the officer in command ordered Wuterich and his men to clear the two houses.
In the course of what became a fierce door-to-door, full-day battle, 24 Iraqis were killed. At least eight insurgent terrorists were believed to be among them. But some civilians were clearly killed in the crossfire.
Despite the loss of civilian life, the military was satisfied that the Marines had acted properly because of Dinsmore's meticulous work in chronicling the engagement with video and radio reports.
Dinsmore's reports proved conclusively that the actions of the Marines were proper and justified.
Months later, in March of the next year, wild allegations began to surface that these Marines knowingly massacred innocent Iraqi civilians. Time magazine followed with its report.
Since then, these Marine heroes and their parents have been living a life of total hell.
You can help these Marines — Go Here Now.
Of course, the legal defense costs for these Marines have placed an enormous burden on them and their families.
One defense lawyer estimated that by the time the courts-martial are over, the Marines — defenders of freedom, who have limited incomes and resources — will have incurred legal expenses amounting to $500,000 each.
That's why we are asking our readers to help these brave young Marines with their legal defense costs. You can do so by Going Here Now.
We will be forever indebted to the heroic young men and women who serve to protect us in Iraq. They do not deserve to be tortured with criminal allegations and overwhelming financial burdens.
Heroic Americans
Let me tell you about these young men whose extraordinary heroism and exceptional service to their country have been rewarded with totally unjustified charges of murder.
Lance Cpl. Tatum hails from Oklahoma City, Okla. He graduated from the Putnam City public schools, playing sports in grade school followed by football in high school.
His parents say Stephen has always had a positive attitude, and was well liked by his teachers and friends.
Stephen, they told Newsmax, is a religious young man who enjoys going to church with family and friends. He always wanted to be a Marine and has served his country with great pride, honor, and dedication.
Staff Sgt. Wuterich was an honor student in Meriden, Conn., an active sportsman who played the trumpet in the school band, and performed with the drama club.
While still in his senior year of high school, Frank enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
For the past eight years, he has been an outstanding leader with many decorations and commendations.
Ironically, before being charged with murder, he had been recommended for the Bronze Star for the very actions at Haditha that resulted in the charges.
Frank is married to Marisol, a nursing student. They have three children.
They Need Your Help
These courageous Marines need your help and they need it now. They've earned it and deserve it.
You can show your support for these great Americans by Going Here Now.
We are so strongly behind these Marines that Newsmax has made $15,000 in donations to help their legal defense funds.
To make a donation, send your gift to the Haditha Heroes Fund at Newsmax or Go Here Now, and we will divide your donations between these two funds equally.
Newsmax will send all donations — every penny — to the aid of the Marines. Newsmax will even pay all the credit card processing costs that will incur.
Help us show America's appreciation for these fine young Marines and their selfless service to our country — Go Here Now.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Christopher Ruddy
Editor, Newsmax.com
Well it appears the Move America Forward protesters were more effective than the anti-American Code Pink because the Berkeley City Council voted 7 – 2 not to send a letter to the Marines to say they were not welcome in Berkeley. However the hubris of the Left engaged the City Council not to apologize for their un-American activities.
JRH 2/14/08 (Hat tip toward Jim Phelan)
The Berkley, CA City Council in collusion with Code Pink have been assaulting a Marine Recruiting office in the city with municipal permits and Council Resolutions basically calling The Few, The Proud, The Marines mass murders and soldiers of an illegal war.
These Lefties don’t get it that when the military executes pressure in the lands of transnational terrorists it makes it difficult for the Islamists to plan operations of death and destruction here at home. I believe that is the primary reason that a horrendous incident like 9/11 has not recurred on American soil since the American Military has taken the fight to lands whence Islamism is the center of a dark abode of hatred.
For Leftie citizens, organizations like Code Pink and the moronic intrusion of a local City Council insulting the one of the protectors that allows the Left to express their deluded Free Speech is a dark day for American cohesion and patriotism.
Let Freedom reign and overcome the evil of the deluded with the truth of support to those institutions that make Liberty possible.
Move America Forward is planning a counter rally in Berkeley to demonstrate the foolishness of Left Wing delusion. If you are in a position to join MAF physically or have the financial means to travel, bless God show up in numbers that will embarrass the delusion of the Left in Berkeley, CA.
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CNN & Fox News Coming to Berkeley Rally
Move America Forward Email
Fri 2/8/2008 10:04 PM
ALERT: We have learned that CNN and Fox News Channel, along with all local San Francisco Bay area media outlets, will be present on Tuesday, February 12th when we conduct our day-long pro-troop demonstration and protest of the Berkeley City Council.
We simply MUST have a big crowd of patriotic Americans out on Tuesday - with your American flags - so that all of America can see the pushback we are waging against the Berkeley City Council.
Our pro-troop demonstration begins at 5:00 AM - and you can join us at any time from then on to 7:00 PM when the Berkeley City Council meets and we march inside to make our outrage known, and DEMAND that all three anti-military resolutions be rescinded, and that an apology be issued to the Marines and all military men and women who are serving this nation.
Complete details on the protest time and location - and travel information - available here: http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org
WEATHER FORECAST FOR TUESDAY: Sunny with a high near 63 degrees.
P.S. We have received feedback that many of you will be traveling long distances to get here - many from out of state. So if you are thinking about coming but aren't sure it will be worth the effort, please realize how many people are making that effort to come. Join us in solidarity for our troops and insure that we have the large numbers we need to show the Berkeley City Council - and the news media - that America will not stand for this disgraceful action!
Many thanks are owed to Twana’s Blog for alerting us to the retirement words of an American hero – Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine General Peter Pace.
The Haditha incident and prosecution of Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani relating to charges of poor investigation is going to come down to the word of the Media that sourced from the enemy and the facts reported by Marines at the incident. Who will the Article 32 Hearing listen to: fabricated propaganda by Islamofascists or the Marine witnesses?
Apparently as more and more evidence comes to light, Representative Murtha’s call for a slam dunk Justice is being obscured by the facts. The Thomas More Law Center has found credible evidence that refutes the Times and WaPo who got their information from Iraqis sympathetic to Insurgent Terrorism.
Combined Source: SlantRight.com.