An intelligence officer on his second tour of duty in Iraq at the time of the Haditha homicides, 1st Lt. Andrew A. Grayson faces three charges related to the incident.
He is accused of dereliction of duty after he allegedly "willfully failed" to ensure that the incident was fully investigated and accurately reported up the chain of command. The charge carries a maximum punishment of six months in jail and discharge from the service.
The 25-year-old also is accused of making a false official statement and obstructing justice, a charge that specifically alleges he wrongfully endeavored to impede an investigation. Each of those charges comes with the possibility of five years' prison time and dismissal from the service. Grayson joined the service in May 2003 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. He is currently assigned to the 2nd Intelligence Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force as a human exploitation team commander.
Thought I was done for the night, but found one more personal article (sorta) for Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum.
http://www.edmondsun.com/local/local_story_357225731.html?keyword=topstory
Little known about charged Marines
John A, Williams
The Edmond Sun
EDMOND — Not much is known about the eight Marines recently charged in the deaths of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, last November.
Parents and loved ones understandably are shaken and want to keep their privacy, others were requested by the Marines’ attorneys not to talk to the media.
What is known about Edmond Marine Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum is he is represented by a respected lawyer in legal circles, who earned two Bronze Stars and has a Purple Heart from his service in the Marine Corps.
Thursday, Tatum was charged with two counts of unpremeditated murder and one count of negligent homicide related to the deaths of four Iraqis in Haditha and one count of assault.
Tatum’s family has turned down requests to be interviewed and attorney Jack Zimmerman has instructed Tatum not to speak to reporters.
Zimmerman, a retired colonel and military judge who spent 20 years in the Marines on active duty and the reserves, maintains Tatum and his fellow Marines did nothing wrong in Haditha.
“I think that most people would assume everybody in that squad that responded the way they were trained to respond,” Zimmerman told The Edmond Sun earlier this month.
“Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum comes from a great family, a patriotic family that is proud of what he is doing for our country as I think we all should be. I think he is a good representative of Edmond.”
According to the North County Times in Escondido, Calif., Zimmerman believes there was “no criminal intent” involved in the shootings.
“I believe that if the military justice system is allowed to function the way it is designed, Lance Cpl. Tatum is going to be cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.”
Tatum, joined the Marines in October 2003 and was two months into his second assignment in Iraq when the Haditha killings took place, Zimmerman said.
A former prosecutor, Zimmerman said he has cut his usual fees in half to take Tatum’s case.
Another Houston attorney, not connected to Zimmerman’s firm, is acting as trustee for a legal defense fund to help defray Tatum’s legal expenses.
Christopher M. Odell can be reached at 1111 Louisiana St., 44th floor, Houston, Texas 77002, or by calling (713) 250-3584.