Posted on 03/04/2010 6:07:20 PM PST by La Enchiladita
Two Republican lawmakers are seeking to have charges dropped against three Navy SEALs facing court-martial for accusations of abusing a terror suspect arrested for an ambush killing of U.S. contractors in Iraq.
The SEALs -- Special Warfare Operators 2nd Class Matthew McCabe and Jonathan Keefe and Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Julio Huertas -- were part of a team that in September 2009 captured Ahmed Hashim Abed, the suspected plotter behind the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA contractors in Fallujah in 2004.
...Reps. Dan Burton, R-Ind. and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. held a news conference Thursday with McCabe and more than a dozen retired Navy SEALs and other special forces personnel.
"They did their job. It's our turn now," Rohrabacher said. "We've got to do our job, which is back them up and insist that this court martial be canceled."
"These people are laying their lives on the line every single day and they cannot go into a combat situation with kid gloves on," Burton added.
Burton and Human Events, a conservative publication, have gathered petitions with more than 150,000 signatures demanding that the charges be dropped against the men.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I think we have to remember that maintaining military discipline is supremely important. The article says only one of them was charged with assault. All three are charged with dereliction of duty and making a false official statement. I’m not sure what the dereliction of duty is about, but in the military, even more than civilian life, making a false official statement is a serious matter and cannot be excused or overlooked.
Thank you for posting the link to the petition.
I signed it early on. I see that others here have signed it.
:)
I saw Matthew McCabe and his lawyer interviewed tonight.
He’s such a fine young man and patriot, my heart breaks.
Such a sickening outrage. Just unbelievable.
I feel the same way.
How about blaming those who would snub them without reason post-exoneration? I get sick seeing people sticking victim masks on Superman.
Your right, in today’s military people like Congressional Medal of Honor awarded Pappy Boyington would never have been allowed to become a 1LT. The warrior ethic is gone, replaced by managers ala the morons who lost Vietnam.
We do remember that maintaining military discipline is important. HOWEVER, matters can be handled with discretion OR with much publicity and fanfare. The latter was chosen for this case. Remembering that this is a time of war is also part of the military code.
BUMP!
Good for Burton and Rorbacher. There should be more of them making a big stink about this. Instead we get hidden language snuck into bills with criminal penalties for CIA interrogators who saved US lives.
What a screwed up country we have become.
Who turned these guys in?
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/58016
Thanks! I wonder why they don’t name him.
And I wonder how we could find out!!
Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist
Probably the later information identifying the witness as a non Seal is correct.
They have not named him, I'm sure out of fear the general public or rest of the Navy will take revenge on him.
“HOWEVER, matters can be handled with discretion OR with much publicity and fanfare. The latter was chosen for this case.”
Chosen by whom? It seems to me the lawyers decided to try to win their cases in the court of public opinion, rather than in the courtroom.
The non-SEAL petty officer was the “snitch” or tale-bearer who carried the story to the “SEAL leader.” The charges were based on the snitch and the complaints of the heinous evildoer perp.
I hope his name comes out. It would only be fair.
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