Free Republic

THE TRIAL OF SSGT. WUTERICH:Final Battle Of Haditha Set To Begin by Nathaniel R. Helms | Friday, January 6, 2012 | Day Two: Jury selection complete Camp Pendleton, Calif. – An eight-man panel of four officers and four senior non-commissioned officers will begin listening to testimony Monday morning when the lawyers fighting the final Battle of Haditha offer their opening statements at the General Court Martial of SSgt Frank D. Wuterich, the last Marine standing in the six-year-old fight. The government is apparently expecting a tough battle in the weeks ahead. “I can’t think of a single witness desiring of...

Camp Pendleton, Calif. – LtCol. Jeffrey Chessani, battalion commanding officer of the Thundering Third at time of the so-called “Haditha Massacre", will not be testifying at the court-martial of SSgt Frank Wuterich, the military judge said Thursday. Chessani was the highest ranking Marine charged with a crime in connection with the deaths of 24 Iraqi citizens following a roadside ambush in the dusty Iraqi city during November 2005. “Chessani will not be a witness,” announced military judge LtCol. David Jones. “We lost that battle,” said chief defense attorney Neal Puckett, himself a former Marine military judge. Chessani was one of...

January 2, 2012The Haditha Marines-The Squad Leader-A Final Chapter It certainly seems appropriate that the last defendant in the Haditha case is the squad leader, SSgt Frank Wuterich. Leaders take responsibility, and SSgt Wuterich has taken full responsibility for the actions of his squad in Haditha. His stance from the outset has remained clear: "My Marines responded to the threats they faced in the manner that we all had been trained", he has steadfastly maintained. "I will bear the memory of the events of that day forever, and will always mourn the unfortunate deaths of the innocent Iraqis who were...

One month from now the longest, most expensive criminal investigation in Marine Corps history will finally come to an end one way or another at the general court martial of SSgt Frank Wuterich, the last Marine accused of unlawful killings at Haditha, Iraq on November 19, 2005. “When the public sees the truth at this court-martial, it will be one of the biggest news stories of the year,” said Neal Puckett, the lead defense attorney in the upcoming court martial. “The truth of the story is yet to be revealed.” Almost five years ago, a hidden insurgent remotely triggered...

“So is this justice? Not really. Having promised a full and open inquiry, the Corps held many hearings in secret session, held the findings secret, and released its decision on the disposition of the case on the Friday afternoon before Memorial Day, the perfect time to bury such news in a long holiday weekend. The Corps wanted this to just go away because of the embarrassment it caused and the doubts it cast on the fledgling Marine Corps Special Operations Command. Now, there are also lingering doubts over whether justice was indeed done, and worse, open questions about the credibility,...

Professionals that cannot change themselves from within, cannot respond to the needs of their constituencies while also inspiring the admiration and loyalty of their own members are in trouble.--"Tarnished Brass: Is the US Military Profession in Decline?" by Richard H. Kohn, World Affairs, Spring 2009 When General Conway took over as the Marine Corps Commandant, he went on the speech circuit talking about the “long war”. One speech was made at the Marines’ Memorial Association and World Affairs Council, in San Francisco, California on July 10, 2007. In that speech, General Conway stated, “we have a couple of incidents in...

Last night on Freedom Radio, retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Robert Weimann talked about his open letter to Secretary of the Army Pete Geren. Within it, 'Capt Roger Hill Case: Mister Secretary, it's time to end the double standard,' LTC Weimann demonstrates that political considerations have endangered the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and resulted in more than a few unjust prosecutions of our troops. Battlefield evidentiary requirements will be addressed within a revamp of the Military Commission Act (that was nearly hidden within Friday's White House announcement). With due respect to President Obama, those few select Members of Congress with...

I missed two award ceremonies this past week and these two ceremonies make interesting contrasts regarding Marines. I must admit that I was not invited to the first ceremony nor is there any earthly reason why I should have been. I read about it in a Bing West article, "Distinguished Disservice: In honoring Murtha, the Navy insults its own". Mr. West, a Marine veteran, is the noted author of several books. His latest is an excellent work about the Iraq War entitled, The Strongest Tribe. The Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Donald C. Winter, awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award...

Sgt Ryan Weemer, accused of killing an unarmed man during the battle of Fallujah. Acquitted by a jury of eight officers who had been in combat. Good thing Jack Murtha wasn't on the jury; he would have likely voted for conviction before the first witness was sworn. Tell me again how he keeps winning elections. And then fix it, please.

CAMP PENDLETON -- A military jury this morning acquitted Marine Sgt. Ryan Weemer in the killing of an unarmed Iraqi insurgent during the battle for the city of Fallujah in 2004. The 26-year-old Illinois native hugged his attorney, who broke into tears on hearing the not-guilty verdict. Weemer's wife, sister and high school English teacher, who attended each day of the trial that started March 30, also cried as the decision was read. Weemer was charged last year with unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty. Prosecutors alleged that as a corporal, he killed one of four captive insurgents the government...

During a March 22, 2009, Freedom Radio interview, retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel Robert Weimann discussed the improper command influence that occured throughout much of the Haditha investigation. The 'Sins of the Generals' were many and began even before Tim McGirk's insurgent talking-points driven Time magazine article. The top brass violated both the spirit and intent of the 1986 'Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reform Act'. The combat commander was the convening authority yet politicians, those outside the chain-of-command, and others improperly interjected themselves, let media buzz and enemy propaganda into their decision cycles, and forced further investigation even after Army Colonel...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- The Monday start of a trial for the second of three men accused of killing four unarmed captives during a 2004 battle in Iraq has been delayed. Sgt. Jermaine Nelson was scheduled to go on trial in a base courtroom on a charge of unpremeditated murder for allegedly shooting one of the captives. No bodies were ever found in a case built almost exclusively on an admission from one of the defendants. Nelson also is charged with three counts of dereliction of duty for failing to follow the rules of engagement, the laws of war and the...

On this, the third Christmas that we've been following the Haditha travesty, I wanted to give a seasonal shout-out to all the pals I've made over these past three years. Many are known to me, and to each other, only by screen names on Free Republic. Still, you're all like my extended family, and so here's a list of my Christmas wishes for you... For Girlene, a millionaire Boyene or a pony (your choice). For ticked, a blog that has more readers than the New York Times (God knows you deserve it). For lilycicero, a million smiles all your own...

A Houston defense attorney on Thursday exhorted peers in Oklahoma County to embrace their "special responsibility.” Jack Zimmerman said it is vital for attorneys to be willing to stand between the government and those overmatched individuals it tries to put in prison. "When you’re dealing with liberty, and not money, you have a special responsibility,” he said. Zimmerman on Thursday discussed one of his recent cases — involving a former Edmond Marine accused of murdering civilians in Iraq — at the annual meeting of the Oklahoma County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association at the Cox Convention Center. He detailed his defense...

Initially, when the Haditha story broke, a number of things did not make sense to me and sent my mental warning flags flying. One of the concerns was that so many of the Pentagon generals seem to be involved while the investigations were still being conducted. In addition, the Washington generals were not relying on the combat commanders in Iraq to establish the facts of Haditha but were responding to the Washington political pressure and media. Another flag was the censure and relief of the Marine Corps combat chain of command. Again, the censures and relief occurred before the investigations...

Watch the interview at the source: Fox News (while it's up). Or see it now in Windows Media or as a Flash file (these are large files: they will take a couple-few minutes to load). Interview transcript:MEGYN KELLY: It has been one of the most talked about stories of the Iraq War: the so-called Haditha Massacre. Two dozen Iraqis killed by US Marines. After the news first broke, Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha, a former Marine himself, was quick to condemn the accused Marines, saying they quote “murdered these Iraqis in cold blood”. Take a look at this exchange from MSNBC......

Justin Sharratt and his attorney, Noah Geary, kicked off their media tour this morning on KDKA Radio. The two are publicizing the slander lawsuit against Congressman Murtha. (For more, see HERE.) The morning show on KDKA, with host Marty Griffin received an appalling number of calls from slander-lovers who stuck up for Murtha, the Slime Thing. Justin and Noah are scheduled to be on the Steve Malzberg show at 4:45 (though that can change with breaking news). Click HERE for more information Steve's show. Please consider calling the show at 1-800-321-8828 and let Justin and Noah know that real Americans...

Former Marine lance corporal, Justin Sharratt, files suit against Congressman John MurthaSecond defamation suit to be filed by a Marine who Murtha said "murdered innocent civilians in cold-blood". Sharratt is a constituent of Murtha in Pennsylvania's 12th District. Press conferences tomorrow. Developing. Story to follow.

Government Drops Contempt Charges Against Sergeants Weemer and NelsonThis is a developing story. For background on the contempt charges, see here.

The CBS television network battled it out with the Marine Corps Wednesday morning at the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C. The fight is over outtakes from a 60 Minutes interview with a Marine sergeant accused of killing civilians in Haditha, Iraq. Lawyers representing the three sides (the Marine Corps, CBS and SSgt Frank Wuterich) told the five-judge panel why, and why not, the Marine Corps should be entitled to video recordings the news program didn’t use. The interview was conducted by correspondent Scott Pelley for the 60 Minutes investigation, "The Killings in Haditha". It...