They are a disgusting pair.
Posted on 12/31/2010 1:59:47 PM PST by jazusamo
Two Camp Pendleton Marines charged with war crimes in Iraq should see resolution of their long-fought cases in 2011.
The cases, both of which involved the slaying of civilians, spurred far-reaching changes on the battlefield ---- changes some troops complain have hindered their ability to protect themselves and each other.
~snip~
"The acts of a single Marine can have profound consequences that reverberate around the world in real times," said Gary Solis, a military law expert and former Marine Corps attorney and judge. "But as long as we put weapons in the hands of 19-, 20-, and 21-year-olds, somewhere, sometime, bad things are going to happen."
Sixteen Camp Pendleton troops were charged with crimes at Haditha and Hamdania, but only Hutchins wound up serving any prison time.
That resulted in part from the prosecutors and military judges having little experience with war-crime prosecutions, Solis said.
"They found themselves up against highly experienced, aggressive lawyers who waltzed them around the courtroom," he said. "The Marine Corps has paid a price for that."
The renewed emphasis on ethical behavior in what revered Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis calls a "morally bruising environment" is one of the chief positives to emerge from the two cases, according to Solis.
"In conflicts as difficult as this war on terrorism, battlefield ethics play a significant role, and stressing that can only be beneficial," Solis said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nctimes.com ...
The NCIS and JAG prosecutors have spent untold hours and money on these cases. Charges have been dropped on six of the eight Haditha Marines, one found not guily at court-martial and one CM is pending.
The Marine Corps forced the retirement of two defense attorneys while keeping prosecutors after they were due for separation.
The government investigators and prosecutors have spent tens of millions on these cases while the defendants and their lawyers had to fend for themselves. Now Solis and Walker try to turn it around saying these Marines were waltzed around the courtrooms by their highly experienced, aggressive lawyers. If this wasn't so disgusting it would be laughable.
Ping!
Sounds like in addition to waltzing them around the courtroom those lawyers caught the Marine Corp JAG organization attempting to deny a proper defense.
You’re exactly right. That was Sgt. Larry Hutchins’ case and they did the same thing to one of SSgt. Wuterich’s military lawyers.
........Bump.........
They are a disgusting pair.
The only ones trying to “waltz” are solis and walker. Scum
Having been in the courtroom, I can personally tell you that these Marines were NOT “waltzed around” by their lawyers. As a matter of fact, they didn’t dance at all!!!
You are correct - IF THIS WASN’T SO DISGUSTING, IT WOULD BE LAUGHABLE!
Sois and Walker make me want to “throw-up,”
Thank you for confirming that, Semper Fi Mom.
May 2011 be the Happiest New Year of all for you and yours!!!
it was similar to operation phoenix in Vietnam, going to the homes of known communist agents and killing them in their homes. operation Phoenix worked, and vietcong actions was severely reduced in all areas of that operation, yet the media found out aboutit and called it murder.
What Hutchins and all others on that patrol did is NO DIFFERENT than if they used a Maverick missile from an AH-64 with video tape on a known insurgent’s address. With one huge exception: the pilots of those helicopters dont smell the sweat and blood of the men they kill. Marines do.
It makes me sick to see insurgents killed by the dozens in videotapes on Youtube and elsewhere, where we all cheer that bad guys are taken down, yet just how many of those dozens were just hanging around and just how many were children, and JUST HOW SCREWED would a MARINE be if HE killed all those men in one attack as they were walking away from any building, mostly unarmed??
yet we call the Apache and AC-130 people heroes for doing the same thing...
It aint right.
BUMP what you said. This article / column is a new low, even for Walker.
Not only do the military prosecutors have virtually unlimited financial resources, they also have the backing of administration and Pentagon political scum who send signals down through the ranks, signals that are inevitably picked up by judges and panels of officers who want that next promotion. (”We need convictions.”)
Additionally, the military controls the venue, and if they want to make it impossible (or nearly impossible) for the defense to bring witnesses into court, well, then they can just hold the proceedings in Baghdad or Germany, for example.
The deck is stacked against the young heroes who have been second-guessed for their life-or-death battlefield decisions, and worthless scum like Walker and Solis have the gall to continually lie and spit their venim, barely holding back their contempt for the real men who go to war.
Anyway, what was the point of Walker writing this follow-up (and once again going to the Solis well for quotes)? There’s nothing else Walker can do to keep himself out of mischief? I truly wonder if Walker and Solis close the door and play with each other whenever Walker comes calling for quotes to use in his latest hit piece?
I wouldn't expect you to find much humor in any of this, but maybe you can find a brief smile knowing Col Sean Sullivan is going to be the laughing stock of Miramar once the Solis comments about being "waltzed" makes the rounds.
Walker & Solis sound wounded, like a couple hyenas struck together by the same spear.
Prayers up....
>> Solis: “But as long as we put weapons in the hands of 19-, 20-, and 21-year-olds, somewhere, sometime, bad things are going to happen.”
They’re old enough to die for the Country then give them the credit they deserve by not disparaging their judgment.
>> Solis: “They found themselves up against highly experienced, aggressive lawyers who waltzed [the inexperienced prosecutors and military judges] around the courtroom,”
The endless prosecutorial resources and manipulation are not a factor for Solis. Seeking convictions at the expense of jurisprudence is.
“In conflicts as difficult as this war on terrorism, battlefield ethics play a significant role, and stressing that can only be beneficial,” Solis said.
Wrong.
In conflicts as difficult as this one or any other one, closing with and destroying the enemy is always beneficial, even if that enemy is a pair of enemy supporting scumbags like Solis and his pal.
Pulling trigger pullers off the battlefield over ridiculously and obviously manufactured enemy propaganda, working hard to destroy morale of our war-fighters, propagandizing against our own... that is offering direct aide and comfort to an enemy.
We aint serious about war-fighting until we start putting such as those two, and McGirk or whatever that douchebag’s name is, up against a firing squad.
Death to the enemy.
Death to all who support that enemy.
Death to all who work to limit, hamper, degrade or cease our delivering death to all those who are enemy.
This article is little more than (1) an effort to salvage the reputations and credibility of a journalist and a lawyer, and (2) to push a narrative that has our guys actually guilty even though exhonerated.
It is essential to succeed at #2 to accomplish #1.
Walker’s and Solis’ take on Haditha is discredited by the facts and the hearings and the trials.
The facts establish that the Walker/Solis tandem is bitter, desperate, and irrelevant.
It also makes me believe that they think Wuterich is going to win. They’re trying to shape the post-acquital interpretation ahead of time.
In the aftermath of the final exoneration of the last defendant in the Haditha & Hamdania matter, it’s up to we true honest Americans to make life as miserable as possible for Walker and Solis; maybe to the extent of “Dan Blathering” them (getting them completely discredited professionally & Fired).
Good thing I checked in at this ‘gathering place’.
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