Posted on 06/17/2007 6:48:37 AM PDT by RedRover
Hearing fact sheet
The hearing is scheduled to commence June 18, 2007.
1st Lt. Andrew A. Grayson, of Springboro, Ohio, was 25-years-old and on his second tour of Iraq at the time of the Haditha incident.
He joined the service in May 2003 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. An intelligence officer with 2nd CI HUMINT Co., Lt. Grayson and SSgt. Justin Laughner gathered information about the ambush and subsequent battle on November 19, 2005.
An exemplary Marine officer, Lt. Grayson was nominated for a Bronze Star before the investigation into Haditha began. Grayson's attorney, Joseph Casas, said the medal recommendation was written in February 2006, about the same time government agents were probing the deaths.
Casas said the nomination praised the Marine for learning of two other roadside bombs in Haditha from Iraqis he questioned in the wake of the attacks. He was also cited for obtaining information that led to the capture of two men who detonated the bomb that sparked the violence.
The medal nomination also cites other instances in which Grayson obtained information that may have saved American lives over a five-month period from August to December 2005, Casas said.
"I think it is indicative of the type of Marine he is and the unblemished career Lt. Grayson has led and of his good military character," said Casas, who believes the recommendation is still under consideration.
Lt. Grayson faces three charges related to the incident. Each of those charges comes with the possibility of five years' prison time and dismissal from the service.
Preferred Charges and Specifications:
Charge I: Violation of the UCMJ, Article 92 (Dereliction) (Maximum punishment: Dismissal, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 6 months)
Charge II: Violation of the UCMJ, Article 107 (False Official Statement) (Maximum punishment: Dismissal, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 5 years)
Charge III: Violation of the UCMJ, Article 134 (Obstructing Justice) (Maximum punishment: Dismissal, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, confinement for 5 years)
Convening authority: Lt. Gen. James Mattis, commanding general for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Forces Central Commander for Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa.
Defense counsel: Joseph Casas (civilian attorney and former prosecutor for the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps)
What to expect at the hearing: Key prosecution testimony will come from SSgt. Justin Laughner. He testified at the Lt. Col. Chessani hearing that 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson "pressured" him to erase photographs of the dead in Haditha from his computer. The reason was that they would not be part of a statement being prepared for top-ranking officers and a Time magazine reporter. Laughner said he felt the order amounted to obstruction of justice but that he complied and later lied when asked whether any pictures had been taken.
Key defense testimony will come from Capt. Jeff Dinsmore (intelligence officer, 3/1) who will testify that statements regarding insurgents in Haditha were, in fact, correct.
An interesting wrinkle: On June 13th, attorney Joseph Casas announced that Lt. Grayson had been discharged on June 1, 2007 and was therefore not liable for prosecution under the UCMJ. Casas has advised Grayson not to appear at the hearing. According to the Associated Press, "The Marine Corps disputes that Grayson has been deactivated and declined to explain why he had received discharge papers."
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For the official USMC advisory, click at the link.
Grayson...the discharged Marine.
The medal nomination also cites other instances in which Grayson obtained information that may have saved American lives over a five-month period from August to December 2005, Casas said.
Bears repeating.
By the way, friends and family of Lt. Grayson are welcome here. Send me a “private reply” and I’ll give you the basics about using this site.
Most definitely this bear repeating.
Most definitely this bear repeating.
Most definitely this bear repeating.
Yep it does.
Prayers up for 1st Lt. Grayson.
:)
I love your mind!
I would hope those two men gave valuable intelligence.
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I forgot those. I wasn’t really talking about a bear.
You know Red, there is this big deal about Lt. Grayson telling Laughner to erase the pictures of the dead Iraqis.
I can imagine we can make the case that Lt. Grayson was just following a standing order that combatants are not to take pictures of fallen enemy or comrades for unofficial use. Briones, Wright and Laughner said they took pictures. Were they ordered, in an official capacity, to take said pictures. It will be interesting to find out who issued the orders to take the pictures. Who was in charge of the Haditha engagement scene after the IED and SAF attack. I can only put 2nd Lt Kallop on the scene that day.
Were any of these pictures taken under “lawful orders?” If not, then they are irrelevant. Actally they were illegal.
Darryl
Good points all, Darryl. I’ve had those same thoughts and though it’s possible, I find it iffy that three of them were ordered to take photos.
Whew, I thought you knew a talking, repeating bear.
...the lawyer for an officer charged in the case said an Article 32 hearing scheduled for his client would move forward despite an administrative error by the Marine Corps.
First Lt. Andrew Grayson is now due in court July 23, attorney Joseph Casas said. On Wednesday, Casas told The Associated Press his client might not be eligible for prosecution because he had been discharged. The Marine Corps said it issued the discharge papers in error.
Even though I am sorry that any of the Marines have to go through this, IMO it is probably better for Lt Grayson to go forward so his name is cleared by the same system that has put a mark on it.
I noticed the big delay...once again.
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