Free Republic

Jury acquits former Marine in killing of IraqisThe Associated Press Fri, Aug 29, 2008 (1:42 a.m.) Jurors wept and embraced former Marine Jose Luis Nazario Jr. after acquitting him of voluntary manslaughter in the killings of unarmed Iraqi detainees during a fierce 2004 battle. Tears rolled down Nazario's cheeks and courtroom spectators openly sobbed and cheered Thursday for Nazario, who was the first U.S. veteran tried by a civilian court for alleged actions in combat. "It's been a long, hard year for my family," Nazario said outside the courtroom. "I need a moment to catch my breath and try to...

<p>“Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's big speech on Thursday night will be delivered from an elaborate columned stage resembling a miniature Greek temple.</p> <p>The stage, similar to structures used for rock concerts, has been set up at the 50-yard-line, the midpoint of Invesco Field, the stadium where the Denver Broncos' National Football League team plays.</p>

Several years ago as the MSM began to fall in love the leftist Republican Arnold Swartznegger they chose to carefully examine the fourteenth amendment regarding Arnolds possible requirement deficit, even going to the point of 'floating a trial balloon' to determine the public attitude toward amending the Constitution to 'force a fit'. It is noted that the idea did not gain any traction to speak of, but there was, and still remains, some interest in this notion.Now comes an examination of a true contender, someone who has a good chance of being elected, and with serious people asking pertinent questions...

My name is April Popaditch, wife of Gysgt Nick Popaditch (ret) AKA Cee-gar Marine to FreeRepublic. This web site was such a source of strength to my family and I when my husband was wounded in Fallujah, Iraq April 2004. The beauty of the words and prayers that we read on a daily basis from all of you, will stay in our hearts forever. Military life is a sacrifice but one you never regret. Support from people you've never met, is life affirming and gives us the strength to carry on our new missions in life. I hear on the...

I got this funny story in a chain mail: A biker is riding by the zoo, when he sees a little girl leaning into the lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the cuff of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents. The biker jumps off his bike, runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain the lion jumps back letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank...

Marine Robert Lamica was getting ready for his second deployment to Iraq on Monday. So his parents drove to North Carolina to bring his wife and the couple's belongings back to Massachusetts. During the trip home to Florence, the family stayed at a motel in Delaware. ~snip~ Lamica says, "Everything they own is on that truck and in the trailer, all of his Iraq medals all of his Iraq pictures, their wedding pictures, their furniture, their clothes, everything they own is on that truck."

What can we freepers do to help the marine being the first charged in a civil court of essentially 'war crimes'? Who is the PA and Judge that allows this farce? Where can I find petitions to sign. I have already called my congress critters.

Just watch the VID..

If you're going to ask Brian Stann about how tough it is to be a mixed martial artist in one of the world's top fighting promotions, World Extreme Cagefighting, you should first consider asking him how difficult times were when he was trudging through the 100-plus-degree heat of embattled Iraq for months -- twice. ..... Stann, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, Iraqi War veteran and Silver Star recipient is now on a new mission, but one, he claims, doesn't veer too far off his previous path. Now the WEC light heavyweight champion, Stann sets out on his...

A school district near Austin, TX wants to name a new high school there Vandegrift High School after a fallen Marine who graduated in 1999. He was killed in Iraq serving his country, and the local school board voted to name a new high school after him. This is a great gesture of appreciation. But unfortunately some lunatic leftists are protesting this decision. Please contact the Leander ISD to let them know you support their decision, despite what a vocal, anti-American minority of fringe activists think. Call the school district at 512-434-5000. Fax a letter to them at 512-434-5398. Email...

(Published July 10, 2008) CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Marine Sgt. Ryan Weemer hoped his battle experience in Fallujah and other Iraqi hot zones would pave the way to a job in the Secret Service. Instead, the 25-year-old is among three Marines charged with murdering unarmed captives in November 2004, during some of the heaviest house-to-house fighting of the Iraq war. ADVERTISEMENT Cracking the Code of Sexual Chemistry and Attraction Still Time to Slim Down for Summer More Scholarships for Working Moms Going Back to College Weemer is due in a Camp Pendleton courtroom Thursday for a daylong preliminary hearing, known...

Family Of Subway Robbery Suspect Says Customer Shouldn't Have Pulled Trigger POSTED: 10:30 am EDT June 29, 2007 PLANTATION, Fla. -- The family of one of the men who was shot by a retired United States Marine while they attempted to rob a Subway sandwich shop said the customer shouldn't have pulled the trigger. According to Plantation police, two armed men barged into the Subway at 1949 Pine Island Road shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday, demanding money...

That Marines stand tall and rigid in their actions, thoughts and deeds when others bend with the direction of the wind and are as confused as a dog looking at a ceiling fan. that each and every Marine considers the honor and legacy of the Corps as his/her personal and sacred trust to protect and defend. that most civilians don't have a clue what makes us tick...And that's not a bad thing. Because if they did, it would probably scare the hell out of them. that others say they want to be like us, but don't have what it takes...

The judge in the Elton John Richards case ruled Friday afternoon to suspend sentencing, giving Richard five years of supervised probation. Elton John Richard, a former Marine, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after he shot and killed 34-year-old Daniel Romero in December of 2005. Richard says Romero was armed trying to break into his car, threatening his family. Judge Pat Murdoch initially gave Elton John Richard two years in prison and four years supervised probation. The ruling in February caused outcry in the community. An Albuquerque police sergeant said the ruling was too harsh and started a petition to change...

no link yet, just the banner

HONOLULU — The Marine Corps is expelling one Marine and disciplining another for their roles in a video showing a Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff while on patrol in Iraq. The 17-second video posted on YouTube drew sharp condemnation from animal rights groups when it came to light in March. The clip shows two Marines joking before one hurls the puppy into a rocky gully. A yelping sound is heard as it flips through the air. Marine Corps Base Hawaii said in a news release Wednesday that Lance Cpl. David Motari received unspecified "non-judicial punishment" and "is being...

Unravelling The Mystery Of The Kitty Litter Parasite In Marine Mammals ScienceDaily (Jun. 5, 2008) — Researchers at California Polytechnic State University have discovered what may be a clue to the mystery of why marine mammals around the world are succumbing to a parasite that is typically only associated with cats. The key may just be the lowly anchovy, according to research presented today at the 108th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Boston. Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite which causes toxoplasmosis, considered to be the third leading cause of death attributed to foodborne illness in...

CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) -- On leave from the violence he had survived in the war in Iraq, a young Marine was so wary of crime on the streets of his own home town that he carried only $8 to avoid becoming a robbery target. Despite his caution, Lance Cpl. Robert Crutchfield, 21, was shot point-blank in the neck during a robbery at a bus stop. Feeding and breathing tubes kept him alive 41/2 months, until he died of an infection on May 18. Two men have been charged in the attack, and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason said Friday the...

A Marine sergeant accused of murdering an Iraqi insurgent at Fallujah more then three years ago was returned to Marine Corps control Thursday after spending a week in a Los Angeles civilian jail on federal contempt charges. US District Judge Percy Anderson ordered Sergeant Jermaine Nelson released from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles a week after ordering him confined for refusing to testify against his former squad leader in a related federal murder investigation, his lawyer Joseph Low said. Nelson is charged by the Marine Corps with unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty for allegedly shooting an Iraqi...

A suspected illegal immigrant has pleaded guilty in the drunken-driving deaths of a Marine and his date in a Thanksgiving 2006 car crash near Columbia.A spokesman for Howard County prosecutors, Wayne Kirwan, said 27-year-old Eduardo Morales-Soriano pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of negligent manslaughter. Morales-Soriano was ordered to serve 10 years in prison as part of a 20-year suspended sentence, and he will be turned over to federal immigration authorities after completing the prison time.Authorities said Morales-Soriano had a blood alcohol level at the time of the crash that was four times the legal limit. The collision at the...

Thanks for serving...

Hi, I'm writing looking for information. A family member's recent obituary contains the reference "honorably served his country in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He was a Marooned Mud Marine & received a Purple Heart. " None of knows what a 'marooned Mud Marine' was and we're hoping someone here will know. One guess is Guadalcanal. Thanks so much.

(edit)Kelly, 61, who is also a retired Marine sergeant, was immediately tested to see if he was a match, and as luck would have it, he was.“It was really admirable to see these two men who had defied fear in battle and situations of severe adversity to come together,” Molmenti told FOXNews.com. “Now they’re fighting the biggest fight of their whole lives and they're helping each other with this precious gift.” (edit)

Karla Comfort received a lot of looks and even some salutes from people when she drove from Benton, Ark., to Camp Pendleton, Calif., in her newly-painted, custom Hummer H3 on March 2nd. The vehicle is adorned with the likeness of her son, 20-year-old Lance Cpl. John M. Holmason, and nine other Marines with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division who where all killed by the same improvised explosive device blast in Fallujah, Iraq, in December.

HADITHA, Iraq, May 6, 2008 – Marine Corps Cpl. Nicholas L. Szczerba has become a jack of all trades for Headquarters and Services Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5. Marine Corps Cpl. Nicholas L. Szczerba, 22, a rifleman from Shingle Springs, Calif., assigned to 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, saws through a piece of wood at Combat Outpost Haditha, Iraq, April 25, 2008. Szczerba has become a handyman for Headquarters and Services Company while deployed to Iraq. He has built multiple walls and doors, and installed air conditioning units in the...

I hope this is ok to post here. I am trying to find some information for my husband on something we got when his father passed away a couple of years ago. It is clearly a blood chit from pictures I've seen online, but it doesn't really look just like the ones I can find online. It has only an American flag on it, with characters (beats me if they are Chinese or Korean, he flew over both during his career as a marine pilot). I would love to be able to translate it, as we plan to frame it...

MIAMI - Armed but alone, Marine Pfc. Guy Gabaldon roamed Saipan's caves and pillboxes, persuading enemy soldiers and civilians to surrender during the hellish World War II battle on the island. Using the Japanese language skills he learned as a boy, he warned the Japanese they would die if they stayed hidden and told them Marines were not torturers as they had heard. The Marines, he said, would feed them and give them medical care. Many agreed, and Gabaldon, just 18, led them back to U.S. lines. By the battle's end, Gabaldon had coaxed more than 1,000 Japanese out of...

May 2) - A Marine sergeant who became a symbol of resilience as he strove to recover from a roadside bomb blast in Iraq that blanketed 97 percent of his body with burns has died, the Defense Department said. He was 22. Sgt. Merlin German died April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he was continuing treatment for the injuries he suffered in combat on Feb. 22, 2005, the Pentagon said Thursday. The former turret gunner was dubbed the "Miracle Man" for his determination in facing his wounds, which cost the former saxophone player his fingers...

A Marine sergeant who became a symbol of resilience as he strove to recover from a roadside bomb blast in Iraq that blanketed 97 percent of his body with burns has died, the Defense Department said. He was 22. Sgt. Merlin German died April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he was continuing treatment for the injuries he suffered in combat on Feb. 22, 2005, the Pentagon said Thursday. The former turret gunner was dubbed the "Miracle Man" for his determination in facing his wounds, which cost the former saxophone player his fingers and rippled his...

I love the juxtaposition of video clips of Iraq and Berkely when a hippie claim that the marines make him feel like Berkely is being "occupied". The ex-marine flips out flips out and when an old bearded hippie asks him what's wrong just he says, "oh my buzz, I'm getting a little wrecked". The old guy says "Right on man." When a code pinker says its important to protect free speech so she can protest. He says, "If only there was an organization sworn to protect that free speech." She says "that would be great." You can't make this...

KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq, April 28, 2008 – A hard-fought transition brought one Marine from shooting photos to shooting rifles. Marine Corps Cpl. Andrew M. Oquendo, a scout with Company D, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5, stands in front of a light armored vehicle at Camp Korean Village, Iraq, April 16, 2008. Oquendo, 22, from Paterson, N.J., joined the Marine Corps infantry after being a photographer for the U.S. Air Force. Photo by Marine Corps Cpl. Ryan Tomlinson, Regimental Combat Team 5   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Cpl. Andrew M. Oquendo, a scout with...

Marine Gets Wish to Return to Iraq By Bryan Dean Staff Writer Gene Gibson remembers his son joking about what he would do if he came under fire in Iraq. Master Sgt. William "Spanky” Gibson, 37, had an old knee injury from his wrestling days at Pryor High School. On duty with the U.S. Marines in Iraq, Gibson joked with his father over the phone in May 2006 about how he would protect himself. "He said ‘If they start shooting at me, I'll stick that bad leg up there,'” Gene Gibson said. "Well, that's where they got him, right through...

School officials have informed Pope that since Francisco Velasco, is 21, he is too old to attend the function Saturday night. Principal Robert McBride says the main reason is that 21 is the legal age for alcohol consumption. Velasco, who is stationed at Fort Lee, Va. received permission from his superiors to fly to Chicago for the weekend just for the dance, but since he can't attend, Pope has decided to skip the function.

(video at link)A US Marine at a roadway checkpoint, bored to tears, talking to a Baghdad-bound Iraqi taxi driver. You have to understand Marine humor in combat, a little on the sick side, but very funny. This lad's sarcasm and cynicism is profound and hilarious. This might be why the Commandant of the Marine Corps tried to have the Marines pulled from Iraq and sent to Afghanistan, because the lance corporals were complaining that they had no one to shoot at. Of course, Secretary Gates turned him down, so now the Marines are passing the word via cab drivers for...

We sat down next to a local who introduced himself as "Sticks." He asked us why we were in town. We told him. Sticks stood up and asked for the bar's attention. He announced the reason for our visit and then everyone in the room stood and gave us a lengthy ovation. They had heard of Blue. We had to practically fight to get out of the bar and back on our way to Blue's parents' house. During the drive, the other lieutenant and I decided that although the rest of the country might not care, people in the small...

As a drill instructor at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Luke Mercardante trained more than 1,200 men, turning them from civilians into Marines. Later, at Camp Lejeune, Mercardante visited the Wounded Warriors barracks and was approached by a young man who had been one of his recruits. The man told him that a lesson he learned from Mercardante at boot camp saved his life, said Mercardante's girlfriend, Kimberly Hull. The young man remembered Mercardante yelling at him, telling him not to move, Hull said. So when the time came, he didn't move, and lived.

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2008 – Marine Lance Cpl. Evan Eskharia, a basic water systems technician with Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), received his United States citizenship during a naturalization ceremony at Al Faw Palace here April 12. Marine Lance Cpl. Evan Eskharia shows off his certificate of naturalization after a ceremony at Al-Faw Palace, Baghdad, April 12. Eskharia has wanted to be a U.S. citizen since coming to America when he was a child. He serves as a basic water systems technician assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. U.S....

A Marine Corps sergeant from Brentwood prevented a tragedy Sunday, when he pulled an 8-year-old girl from the bottom of an apartment complex swimming pool. Miguel Hinojosa is being heralded by police and fire officials for his quick actions, which they say saved the child's life. Around 2 p.m., dispatchers received a call that a girl who was not breathing had been pulled from the bottom of a pool at an apartment complex at 2400 Shady Willow Lane in Brentwood. East Contra Costa Fire District Battalion Chief Jeff Burris said the pool was crowded, and that he believes the girl's...

Package of a Marine born in Baghdad becoming an American Citizen at a ceremony held at Al-Faw Palace in Baghdad. Produced by Staff Sgt. Ryan O' Hare. Also see "Iraqi Marine Becomes American Citizen" in the b-roll section.

Bay Area Brothers Welcomed Home from Iraq Written by Melanie Morgan    Friday, 11 April 2008 This story makes my heart skip a beat. Two brothers, both Marines, serving their country in Iraq, came home safely to the San Francisco Bay Area last night. And they were greeted as heroes at the airport by the Patriot Guard Riders, EaglesUP West Coast coordinator Doug Lyvere, family and soon- to- be friends. KPIX News covered it here.250 people showed up! The Boy Scouts waited anxiously to say hello.I know that readers of this blog from the South, the Midwest and other parts...

http://www.jdnews.com/articles/captured_55965___article.html/cesar_laurean.html Cesar Laurean, wanted since Jan. 11 for the killing of a pregnant Camp Lejeune Marine, has been captured in Mexico, said Capt. Rick Sutherland of the Onslow County Sheriff's Department. More details will follow as they develop.

If you’ve ever wondered what the Marines have in mind when they advertise for “a few good men,” look no further than Gunnery Sgt. William “Spanky” Gibson. Two years ago, he lost a leg to a sniper’s bullet in Iraq. Today, he’s back in the combat zone — by his own choice.

BERKELEY _ CodePink should be turning red. That seems to be the consensus of many who were on the receiving end of a bogus announcement Tuesday by the radical anti-war group that the embattled U.S. Marine Corps recruiting center in Berkeley was caving to the pressure of weekly protests and leaving town. ``If you want to be taken seriously as an organization of serious protest, then you don't play jokes _ even on April Fools' Day,'' said Robin Lakoff, a professor of linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, who has written about the politics of language. CodePink and other...

A Royal Marine who threw himself onto an exploding grenade to save the lives of his patrol has been put forward for the UK's highest military honour. Lance Corporal Matt Croucher, 24, a reservist from Birmingham, survived because his rucksack and body armour took the force of the blast. He was part of a reconnaissance troop in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in February, when the incident happened. The Ministry of Defence said he could be considered for the Victoria Cross.

SANTA ROSA - A teenager learned it is not a good idea to try to rob a former U.S. Marine at knifepoint, no matter how old he is. Santa Rosa police Sgt. Steve Bair said an 84-year-old man was walking on Fourth Street with a grocery bag in each arm when the boy approached him with a large knife at about 2 p.m. Wednesday. "Old man, give me your wallet or I'll cut you," the boy said. The man said he was a former Marine who fought in three wars and had been threatened with knives and bayonets before. The...

Charges against a US Marine allegedly involved in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha were dropped on Friday ahead of his trial, the military said in a statement. A court martial for lance corporal Stephen Tatum had been due to start on Friday on charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault. However in a statement released from the Marines Camp Pendleton base outside San Diego, the military said the charges had been dismissed "in order to continue to pursue the truth seeking process into the Haditha incident." It was not immediately clear if...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The Marine Corps dropped its case and gave full immunity Friday to a serviceman who was accused of involuntary manslaughter in a squad's killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005. The case against Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, 26, of Edmond, Okla., was dropped as jury selection was about to begin for his court-martial. The government has been seeking Tatum's testimony against the squad leader, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich of Meriden, Conn. In addition to two counts of involuntary manslaughter, Tatum had been charged with reckless endangerment and aggravated assault. Tatum's attorney, Jack Zimmerman, said there...

U.S. Marine Cpl. Mario Ramos-Villalta put on his freshly pressed uniform early Thursday as a citizen of El Salvador. By the end of the day, he would be a citizen of the United States of America. Ramos-Villalta told CNN: "It means a lot to me after so many years and two combat deployments." 3 of 3more photos » "I am an American," he said with a smile, moments after his paperwork cleared. "It means a lot to me after so many years and two combat deployments, I finally get it, being an American. We are happy about it."

YUMA — A Marine who disarmed a huge truck bomb outside a bombmaking factory in Iraq last year has been awarded the Bronze Star medal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chCEGvWLiOo