Posted on 11/03/2009 11:53:15 AM PST by jazusamo
The Marine Corps said Monday that a brigadier general and two colonels will preside over a Board of Inquiry deciding the fate of Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the highest-ranking officer accused of wrongdoing after two dozen Iraqis were slain in the city of Haditha following a 2004 roadside bombing.
But a Marine Corps spokesman said the identities of the officers will not be disclosed.
"We're treating it like they are part of a jury pool and not releasing their names," said the spokesman, Lt. Col. Roger Galbraith. "We don't want people trying to contact them ahead of time. We don't want to taint them."
The Board of Inquiry is being conducted to recommend to the Secretary of the Navy if Chessani's conduct in the wake of the killings warrants ordering him to retire and if so, at what rank.
Chessani originally was charged with dereliction of duty for what prosecutors said was his failure to order a full-scale probe of the incident.
Chessani maintains he reported the killings up the chain of command and had no direction to launch a formal inquiry.
Charges against him were dropped earlier this year after the Marine Corps decided not to appeal a finding that his case was tainted by unlawful command influence involving a legal adviser to a general overseeing the case.
(Excerpt) Read more at nctimes.com ...
I couldn’t agree more when you say it’s a vindictive abomination on the part of his persecutors, I really thought the Marine Corps was above this.
The Marine Corps is better than this.
I can’t prove the following, it’s speculation on my part, but if it walks like a duck...
This persecution is directly linked to funding, IMHO. This is pressure being brought by a civilian defense appropriator. The Corps is between a rock and a hard place.
Talk about unlawful influence.
I think it’s a strong possibility and believe the unlawful influence started in the House and flowed downhill.
Praying for this Brave Hero and his family that are being putting through this living Hell on earth!!
sMurtha is still smerkin’ and needs to put out of office...someone needs to lock him in a padded cell and through away the key, along with Carter and few other unmentionable DC TRASH!! Like you say....’stuff runs down hill’.
No reason why he could not have made a few phone calls and stopped this stupid harassment of Marines.
The facts and circumstances became irrelevant the day Haditha was politicized.
“dismissal from the service”
Point of clarification: officers only get a dismissal as punishment by a court-martial. He may be encouraged to retire, but they can’t force him out unless they do a discharge board, which I’d be very surprised at. And as an O-5, he almost certainly has 20 years and can go to 27.
Colonel, USAFR
Are they really serious?
UCI is basically an admission that the system was railroading Chessani, or at least appeared to be doing so, and now they want to conduct this “new” phase in secrecy!?
All of us retirees know that there’s no such thing as a Brigadier who is not known by every 4star and 3star in the force. And, so far as bird colonels go, it’s probably the same. And they can reach out and touch anyone, and it’s probably filed away in the back of these panelists’ minds that their 4-star wanted Chessani blackballed.
No way this panel shouldn’t consist of retired, combat-experienced officers from a different branch of service.
And it should be public, so we know who they are, and that that is the case.
A brigadier general and two colonels......I sure hope one of them is not Col. Ewers!
I have no idea if it’s typical for a “board of inquiry” to have anonymity for their panel members. Anyone know? Also, will his defense lawyers be able to have any input to this board?
This sounds too convenient in getting around having to start the case all over, yet handing out a possible punishment. Hopefully they will decide the damage to his career has been enough punishment and recommend no reduction for his retirement.
Thats some pic ma. I am sure there are others that also would echo your sentiments. It is all so damn sad for our Marines that got so screwed in the case.
Thank you for that information and your service to our nation. Best hope of course would be that this side show blows up in the face of those bringing this and the Lieutenant Colonel is found to have done nothing wrong and will be able to continue on his career and retire at his choice.
Thanks for the ping
At least we had a few victories tonight.
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