When this is over, there really should be accountability. Everyone thinks in terms of Murtha, and he definitely is at the top of the list, but there are others who threw their brothers under the bus. They should be held to public scorn.
Ewers is on that list.
So is Solis.
I’m debating whether to include Mattis and Helland, but perhaps they were operating on the advice of a prejudiced chief legal counselor.
SecNav
COS Marine Corps
Laughner
Others?
I’m so-so on Solis. Who will create the accountability? I’m not sure more than one or two news sources even mentioned 1st Lt. Grayson’s not guilty verdict.
McGirk is not a “brother”, but he deserves plenty of scorn for blowing this up into a “massacre”.
On the flip-side, here’s a few that deserve praise for their defense or pursuit of these Marines’ stories:
Redrover, Nat Helms, Phil Brennan, Arun Rath (producer, “Rules of Engagement”), and the many who donated to the Marines’ funds.
I think that the senior JAG Corps and NCIS/CID has a lot of culpability in these cases. Their coercive tactics and plea dealing under duress led to the hyper visibility across the board. Over charging seems to have become a way of life for prosecutors, both military and civilian, and it’s high time the brakes were applied.
Good example is the case near my hometown in PA; a grandfather left his baby grandson in his car at work, but the daughter and son-in-law do not want charges brought, as that would only make the pain deeper. If the prosecutor works for us, he shouldn’t act; I’m betting he will — as a warning to all other parents. As if any parent willfully does that type of deed!