Pvt. Robert Pennington Posted on 08/11/2007 5:23:31 AM PDT by radar101
Pvt. Robert Pennington
CAMP PENDLETON ---- The seventh of eight Marines jailed for the execution of an Iraqi man left the brig Friday afternoon, freed by a Camp Pendleton general.
Pvt. Robert Pennington walked free after Lt. Gen. James Mattis granted him clemency, slashing the remaining seven years off Pennington's eight-year sentence.
Pennington struck a lengthy plea deal earlier this year, admitting his role in a plot that left an Iraqi man dead on the side of a road in the rural village of Hamdania on April 26, 2006.
His family said Friday they were overjoyed with the decision to set Pennington free.
"We are in this place of almost suspended animation," Pennington's mother, Deanna Pennington, said in a phone call Friday evening. "We are so happy he is out. Now we can get on with the process of healing."
The general's decision in Pennington's case did not come as a surprise. This week, Mattis issued early releases for three men jailed in the case; four others have served their terms or were set free by juries earlier this summer.
A sense of fairness led him to release most of the men who were jailed for the Iraqi's death, Mattis said in a statement.
The decision Friday left only one defendant in the Hamdania case behind bars: Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins, who crafted the plan and led his squad through its execution.
Last week, a jury convicted Hutchins of murder and handed him a 15-year prison sentence. Marine officials have said Mattis is considering whether to cut Hutchins' sentence as well.
Mattis signaled leniency in a number of war-crime cases this week. He announced Thursday that he would drop charges against two of seven Marines accused in a separate case in which 24 Iraqis were killed in the town of Haditha. The general based that decision on an investigative officer's recommendation.
As an authority over the military case, Mattis has the power to lighten sentences or drop charges against the troops even after juries have convicted or jailed them.
"My sense is that he is deeply engaged in these cases," Pennington's attorney, retired Gen. David Brahms, said of Mattis.
"Very few senior officers would have taken the action that he took," Brahms later added. "He is a Marine warrior, a leader, looking at these cases through that special perspective."
According to testimony from court proceedings, the frustrated eight-man squad went after a suspected insurgent believed to be behind roadside bombings and attacks on U.S. troops. When they couldn't get to him, they grabbed and killed his neighbor.
Charged with murder and other crimes, Pennington pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder and kidnapping.
In announcing the clemency decision for Pennington, military officials said Mattis took into account that, at the time of the incident, the 21-year-old Pennington was a lance corporal who was neither a squad leader nor a fire team leader.
Pennington did not fire his weapon, although he did help gag the man, according to testimony.
The Washington state native was on his third tour in Iraq.
Contact staff writer Teri Figueroa at (760) 631-6624 or tfigueroa@nctimes.com.
If that isn't the TRUTH--unfortunately. Most spend their time in the CYA Mode. This man needs to be President or C-JCS.
ping
“How long will it take before our enemies in Iraq, including the anti-USA left, start using the accusation of our troops of “war crimes” as another weapon against us?”
That’s already a common occurrence. The general term for US military persons in the leftist blogs and forms is killbot. Mindless murder machines.
Mooslime news rags that cant get our own msm to feed them evil acts by our soldiers, real or imagined, just make up their own to report.
He made the loony libs furious on February 1, 2005 when he said, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right upfront with you, I like brawling."
Nothing ever come of it, and he was subsequently promoted to where he is now.
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From his official biography:
Lieutenant General James N. Mattis is currently serving as the Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command and Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force.
As a Lieutenant, he served as a rifle and weapons platoon Commander in the 3d Marine Division. As a Captain, he commanded a rifle company and a weapons company in the 1st Marine Brigade. As a Major, he commanded Recruiting Station Portland. As a Lieutenant Colonel, he commanded 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, one of Task Force Ripper's assault battalions in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. As a Colonel, he commanded 7th Marines (Reinforced). As a Brigadier General, he commanded 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and then Task Force 58, during Operation Enduring Freedom in southern Afghanistan. As a Major General, he commanded 1st Marine Division during the initial attack and subsequent stability operations in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a Lieutenant General, he commanded the Marine Corps Combat Development Command and served as the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development.
He is a graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the National War College.
God bless the Gen.
It’s great to see a real warrior survive the PC military of the last 15 years.
I got shivers of admiration for the man just reading this post.
Finally, a voice of reason and common sense!
The Post's article reports the defamation lawsuit is based on public comments Murtha made outside his scope as a congressman:
Attorneys for Frank D. Wuterich, 26, argue in court papers that Murtha tarnished the Marine's reputation by telling news organizations in May that the Marine unit cracked after a roadside bomb killed one of its members and that the troops "killed innocent civilians in cold blood." Murtha also said repeatedly that the incident was covered up....
... statements made by members of Congress generally are protected under the "speech or debate" clause in Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution. But legal experts said the clause grants immunity only for what lawmakers say in legislative proceedings and does not apply to news releases, speeches and other
The above line was the reason for this story. It gives liberals and Murtha cover for the Haditha non-massacre. You see, the soldiers at Haditha actually did all those things, but the Marine general is lenient...
Bleh!
HA!!
I am sure that is already the case. There is a soldier right now from here in Georgia that is under investigation for killing an insurgent, any yes he was definately an insurgent. Between the a-holes in the media who would absolutely LOVE to have our guys involved in an atrocity and the Dems they have to watch their backs threefold.
What kind of BS is that? Didn't we use to give out medals to troops who killed the enemy? Geez.
About negative three years, maybe a bit "less".
ping
So let’s see! We send our “kids” over to fight a horrible enemy. When the enemy is killed, our government pays the enemy and it seems well, then we charge our “kids” with murder; put them and their families through HE** fighting to clear their names. Do I have this right? Thank God for this voice of reason, Lt General Mattis. I pray that Wuterich is successful in his lawsuit against Rep. Murtha; perhaps holding Rep Murtha’s feet or rather mouth to the fire will send a clear message to others. Again I couldn’t be happier that the charges have been dropped; I pray they will be dropped against Sgt Hutchins as well and soon!!!
I served under him when he was a Major; I knew he’d do the right thing when the time was right. I knew.
Thank God that Lt. Gen. Mattis has done the right thing, he is a fine man and Marine.
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