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John Murtha forgot Semper Fi
Washington Examiner ^ | 2-19-2010 | Tom Stone - OP/ED

Posted on 02/19/2010 12:53:50 PM PST by smoothsailing

Tom Stone: John Murtha forgot Semper Fi

By: Tom Stone
OpEd Contributor
February 19, 2010

In this Sept. 13, 2006, file photo, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Murtha, an influential critic of the Iraq War whose congressional career was shadowed by questions about his ethics, died Feb. 8. He was 77. (AP)

I have waited until the burial of Rep. John Murtha, D-PA, to allow an appropriate amount of time for the grieving of his family and the accolades of his accomplishments to subside before writing to put forth what is, in my opinion, a stain on his legacy that will never be cleared.

Since his death, I have heard not a word from the press or print media regarding his involvement in what had been labeled “The Hadithah Massacre.” While Murtha was clearly frustrated with the Iraq War and sought its end, his method to achieve that end was the blatant, unfounded defamation of eight young Marines involved in that incident.

His labeling of the young Marines as “cold-blooded killers,” and the officers as guilty of dereliction of duty in the reporting and investigating of the incident, without any substantive proof whatsoever, was shocking, irresponsible, and critical to the U.S. military’s obsessive pursuit of convictions of these eight young Marines.

Murtha was the catalyst in this tragedy, and the real guilty parties, the Marine Corps General Staff and Pentagon Officials, all caved in to his malicious, dare I say, delusional accusations, and soon the witch hunt for the sacrificial lambs was on.

As has hardly been reported by The Washington Post or other news outlets, six of the Marines have been exonerated, one was given immunity prior to the prosecutions (which I might add were extraordinary prosecutorial overreach), and one is still awaiting his fate.

What Murtha did to these young men, potentially ruining their promising military careers, hanging an albatross around their necks for the rest of their lives, causing undue emotional and financial stress to them and their families, is what I will always remember of him.

And despite the exonerations, this man could never bring himself to apologize for what he wrongfully did to them. He was not a man of honor.

I am reminded of the Starfish Story, wherein a young boy, in the process of throwing a few dying starfish, among thousands stranded on the beach, back into the ocean, is approached by an old wise man, who asks the boy, “ Why are you doing this? So many, so many are dying. Throwing a few back, it won’t make any difference.”

To which the young boy replies, while throwing one more back into the ocean, “ Well, it makes a difference to this one.” What John Murtha did to these young Marines might be seen as somewhat of a reverse of this story.

While he may have done much good for so many thousands, when it came to these eight young men he might as well have said, “I saved thousands, but these last eight, hell, let ‘em die, it won’t make any difference.”

Hemingway once wrote, “The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” Because of Murtha’s public pretrial, pre-evidence execution of these men, the Marine Corps proceeded to break them, or, as my son’s lawyer, Charles Gittins put it, they proceeded to eat their young.

It is my hope that these brave young men – Jeffrey Chessani, Lucas McConnell, Andrew Grayson, Frank Wuterich, Stephen Tatum, Justin Sharratt, Sannick Dela Cruz, and my son, Randy Stone, have grown stronger because of this and have moved on to productive and fruitful lives, despite Murtha’s and the Marine Corps’ politically driven efforts to publicly hang them.

My sympathies go out to the Murtha family.

Tom Stone is a U.S. Marine Corp veteran who served in Viet Nam for 13 months in 1967 and 1968. His son, Randy, was exonerated in August 2007 of all charges in connection with the Haditha Massacre.



TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 111th; murtha; semperfi; traitor; usmc
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To: imahawk

Randy Cunningham (R.Calif) is in jail for a long time for doing some of what Murtha has been getting away with for years. He is not only a traitor but a common crook. I never wished him dead but now that he is, I am not sorry. I hope dogs are pissing on his grave. I am not being nice.


21 posted on 02/19/2010 2:03:15 PM PST by fish hawk
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Tom Stone is a U.S. Marine Corp(sic) veteran

Corps

22 posted on 02/19/2010 2:03:31 PM PST by A.A. Cunningham (Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
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To: IPWGOP

Haditha Marines Ping.


23 posted on 02/19/2010 2:06:45 PM PST by smoothsailing
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To: smoothsailing

Murtha was also the one who talked Reagan into pulling out of Lebanon! He was a CREEP.


24 posted on 02/19/2010 2:08:24 PM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion,,,,,,the Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: imahawk

He;s now maggot food.


25 posted on 02/19/2010 2:10:18 PM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion,,,,,,the Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: smoothsailing

Mr Stone assumes, correctly in my opinion, the involvement of Congress, The SecNav (SecDef?), the Pentagon, and the Marine Corps, in the prosecution of the Haditha Heroes.

How to make them woefully finally see their error?

I don’t know. I pray it comes to me some day. My experience with our warriors is that, like now in Afghanistan, they continue bravely to protect this nation despite what albatross the nation hangs on them in the way of spiteful ROE or embarrassing political gamesmanship.


26 posted on 02/19/2010 2:12:03 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! Those who support our troops pray for their victory!)
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Comment #27 Removed by Moderator

To: A.A. Cunningham
Good eye, AAC. I would expect better from the Washington Examiner.

I do, however, give them well deserved credit for publishing Tom Stone's OP/ED.

28 posted on 02/19/2010 2:18:05 PM PST by smoothsailing
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To: xzins

I certainly agree with your assessment.

Our PC military leadership is dangerous to our frontline warfighters and by extension, our nation as a whole.

I am humbled by the dedication and valor of our warriors; especially when I consider the obstacles thrown in their paths.

God Bless Them.


29 posted on 02/19/2010 2:27:38 PM PST by smoothsailing
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To: smoothsailing

Murtha will not be missed.

He will be remembered not as a brave Marine, but as a criminal and a disgusting traitor.

Perhaps he’s not really dead, perhaps he’s simply “redeployed.” No... he’s gone, gone for all of eternity... good.


30 posted on 02/19/2010 2:42:54 PM PST by Gator113 (Obama is America's First FAILED "light skinned African American [Pres-dent] with no Negro dialect..")
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To: Migraine

Did anyone see how his funeral was conducted. Military, or put out on the curb on trash day?


31 posted on 02/19/2010 2:45:05 PM PST by gunner03
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To: smoothsailing

An embarrassment to the Marine Corps!


32 posted on 02/19/2010 3:03:17 PM PST by jmaroneps37 (Conservatism is truth. Liberalism is lies.)
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To: jazusamo

“I thank Tom Stone for writing this and God Bless the Haditha Marines..”

I can’t say it any better.

Semper Fidelis.


33 posted on 02/19/2010 3:37:39 PM PST by USMCPOP (Father of LCpl. Karl Linn, KIA 1/26/2005 Al Haqlaniyah, Iraq)
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To: smoothsailing
My sympathies go out to the Murtha family.

My sympathies go out to America's finest, their families and friends. I will NEVER consider John Murtha among them.

34 posted on 02/19/2010 3:43:52 PM PST by PGalt
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To: smoothsailing

Thanks for posting this.

Tom Stone has done a wonderful job of expressing the feelings of many!!! And I am one of the many!!


35 posted on 02/19/2010 4:03:44 PM PST by Semper Fi Mom (Mother of a Marine and proud of it! (www.WeSupport Frank.com))
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To: PhilDragoo

36 posted on 02/19/2010 4:13:11 PM PST by Kaslin (Acronym for Obama: One Big Ass Mistake America)
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To: fish hawk

Do you think the dog would mind terribly if I joined him?I can play dog real well.


37 posted on 02/19/2010 4:20:13 PM PST by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life is tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: jazusamo

Amen to what he wrote. Murtha lost his way and went to the dark side.


38 posted on 02/19/2010 4:29:14 PM PST by Marine_Uncle (Honor must be earned....)
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To: Semper Fi Mom
Thanks for posting this.

It is a respectful honor to post Tom's words, and I'm glad you had a chance to see them. :-)

39 posted on 02/19/2010 4:30:00 PM PST by smoothsailing
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To: smoothsailing

Marine Tom Stone is a better man than I. There is as much forgiveness in my heart for traitors as there is for Hanoi Jane or War hero Kerry or Benedict Nelson - or John Murtha.

Traitors deserve nothing but our strongest disgust.


40 posted on 02/19/2010 5:14:00 PM PST by NTHockey (Rules of engagement #1: Take no prisoners)
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