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ANN ARBOR, MI – He defended our Nation for over twenty-three years . . . often away from his wife and children . . . so that we could be home safely with ours. All patriotic Americans owe a debt of gratitude to this American hero. After a protracted four and a half year legal ordeal over the “Haditha massacre” - a massacre that never happened - LtCol Jeffrey Chessani completed his final day of active duty service in the United States Marine Corps last Friday, July 16, 2010. Thus ended the promising career of one of America’s most effective...

I understand the Board of Inquiry (BOI) results are mixed and the recommendation is that LtCol Jeff Chessani is permitted to retire with his rank intact. I am truly happy that General Carparotto and his other two board members submitted that recommendation. I am very concerned, however, that this small crumb is a political accommodation to cover the possible administrative, political deception and trickery yet to come.

Loss for Government As Board of Inquiry Rules LtCol Chessani Not Guilty of Misconduct December 14, 2009 ANN ARBOR, MI – Late last Friday afternoon (Eastern Standard Time), after three hours of deliberation, the military Board of Inquiry ruled LtCol Chessani was not guilty of misconduct and should not be demoted.  Nevertheless, the Board’s ruling produced a mixed result.  It ruled Chessani must now retire because he displayed “substandard performance” by failing to conduct a more detailed investigation of the civilians killed as a result of the house clearing actions of four Marines after they were ambushed in Haditha, Iraq...

Panel faults Marine for response to Iraq killings By ELLIOT SPAGAT (AP) – 2 hours ago SAN DIEGO — A military panel found that a Marine officer displayed substandard performance in his response to the deaths of 24 Iraqis but said he should maintain his rank. *snip* Last year, a military judge dismissed a criminal charge of dereliction of duty against Chessani because of improper conduct involving two other people, the general overseeing the case and an investigator. Chessani was relieved of his command in 2006. *snip* "The only thing we're disappointed in is that we still don't believe, after...

The highest-ranked Marine accused of bungling the military's response to the slayings of two dozen Iraqi civilians after a lethal 2005 roadside bombing displayed substandard performance, but he should not be demoted, a three-member Board of Inquiry ruled Friday. The military board said it will recommend to the secretary of the Navy that Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, with 22 years of service and three tours of duty in Iraq, be allowed to retain his rank and not be demoted to major. "It's been a long four years, but it hasn't been a miserable four years," Chessani told the North County...

The Marine officer who commanded the Camp Pendleton troops responsible for killing two dozen Iraqi civilians after a roadside bombing in 2005 denied Thursday trying to cover up the killings or failing to report what he knew to the chain of command in Iraq. "I was told it was a bona fide combat action and no investigation was required," Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani said of the response he got from his superiors after he reported the incident. Chessani also said his later removal as commander of Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment "was the most professionally devastating day of...

e-mail Closing Arguments This Morning In LtCol Chessani Board of Inquiry December 11, 2009 ANN ARBOR, MI – This morning, at approximately 9:00am Pacific Standard Time, Thomas More Law Center attorney Robert Muise will make closing arguments to the Board of Inquiry on behalf of Marine LtCol Jeffrey Chessani.  This is the final opportunity for Muise, a former Marine Infantry officer himself, to thwart the efforts of the government to destroy the 22-year career of Marine LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, one of America’s most effective combat commanders in Iraq. It is expected the Board will render its decision today, as well. One...

e-mail “Grunt Civilian” Gives Account of LtCol. Chessani's many Character Witnesses December 10, 2009 Email post (#2) by H. Hamilton – A report written by a concerned CA citizen attending the Board of Inquiry for LtCol Jeffrey Chessani.  IF the Board of Inquiry doesn't find Lt Col. Chessani INNOCENT of all charges, accusations, and wrong doing, it won't be the fault of Thomas More Law Center!  Lead by Col. Shelburne and Robert Muse, this is one of the BEST, nothing gets by, DEFENSE TEAMS this court observer has ever witnessed.    A finding other than "DROP THESE RIDICULOUS CHARGES BECAUSE CHESSANI IS ACTUALLY SUPERMAN!" would...

Lieutenant General Natonski (USMC Forces Command) was there... He said EVERY civilian kill, every time, should be investigated -- pretty funny when the Defense asked him if that went for the 2nd Battle for Fallujah and he had to say "No" -- he added that all civilians had been asked to leave so they were "pretty sure" all kills were insurgents Folks, the dictionary will tell you that doctrine is something that is taught; it is a principle or a body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief. Please take my word for it when I...

LtCol Chessani’s Board of Inquiry Continues ─ “Stand Up” Marine Officers Substantiate LtCol Chessani’s Innocence December 10, 2009 ANN ARBOR, MI – There was some good news in yesterday’s Board of Inquiry hearing taking place at Camp Pendleton, California.  Despite the obvious bias of their high command, “stand-up” Marine officers, Majors Jeffrey Dinsmore and Luke McConnell, in strong and unequivocal testimony, substantiated LtCol Chessani’s innocence. Today, a long line of “stand up” field grade officers and enlisted men who served with LtCol Chessani are expected to testify as to his outstanding military character. Major Jeffrey Dinsmore was LtCol Chessani’s...

email Direct from the Pendleton Battlefront, A Self Described “Grunt Civilian” gives First Hand Account of Chessani Board Of Inquiry (BOI)... December 09, 2009 Email post by H. Hamilton – The report from a concerned CA citizen attending the Board of Inquiry for LtCol Jeffrey Chessani.   Today (12-08-09) started with LtCol Kevin Gonzalez who was GREAT AND 3-4 HOURS!   Brigadier General Lewis Craparotta (Board member) and the Defense stopped the ongoing, ad nauseum questioning of witnesses since Board already has testimony...   Lieutenant Colonel Brian Christmas (under Colonel Stephen Davis who says Davis is his hero) was great and another Chessani...

Sins of the General’s Part 5: Political Equivocation at the BOI http://warchronicle.com/DefendOurMarines/Weimann/SinsOfGenerals_PartFive.htm “Moreover, defense attempts to disqualify Brig. Gen. Lewis Craparotta, the President and senior member of the Board, who during pre-hearing questioning expressed a personal view that investigating every civilian death is the right approach because “that’s the way to protect Marines,” also failed. Defense attorney LtCol Shelburne had challenged the fact that he was sitting on the Board of Inquiry with a pre-existing opinion of what to do in a similar situation as LtCol Chessani.” Folks, if the defense wanted to disqualify General Craparotta at LtCol. Chessani’s BOI,...

email LtCol Chessani’s Board of Inquiry Begins ─ Battle-Hardened Marine Veterans View Proceedings With Dismay December 04, 2009 ANN ARBOR, MI – On Wednesday, December 2nd, in a military courtroom at Camp Pendleton, California, the government began its case against an American warrior. They know this is their last chance to disgrace and destroy the 22 - year career of Marine LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, and it’s evident they are pulling out all the stops. Many of the spectators in the small courtroom were battle-hardened Marine veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Some were veterans of the Korean Chosin...

e-mail ANN ARBOR, MI – Four years after the so-called “Haditha Massacre, ” a massacre the government now knows never happened, the final chapter in the tragic persecution of LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, USMC, will begin when he faces a Board of Inquiry (BOI) starting on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 9 AM in a military courtroom located at the Marine base at Camp Pendleton, California.  LtCol Chessani served his nation for over 20 years, including three combat tours in Iraq as well as duty in the first Persian Gulf war.  He is one of America’s finest combat commanders.  His official fitness...

An inquiry board will convene Wednesday morning at Camp Pendleton to decide if a Marine Corps officer should be demoted for his actions after the shooting deaths of 24 Iraqi men, women and children four years ago. At issue is whether Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, who commanded the Camp Pendleton unit that carried out the slayings, engaged in misconduct in handling the incident. The inquiry board is the final step in Chessani's case; prosecutors earlier this year dropped two counts of criminal dereliction of duty. If the board finds there was no misconduct, the case will be closed. If it...

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...

“So is this justice? Not really. Having promised a full and open inquiry, the Corps held many hearings in secret session, held the findings secret, and released its decision on the disposition of the case on the Friday afternoon before Memorial Day, the perfect time to bury such news in a long holiday weekend. The Corps wanted this to just go away because of the embarrassment it caused and the doubts it cast on the fledgling Marine Corps Special Operations Command. Now, there are also lingering doubts over whether justice was indeed done, and worse, open questions about the credibility,...

ANN ARBOR, MI – Nearly four years after the so-called “Haditha Massacre,” an investigation conducted by over 65 NCIS agents (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) ─ the largest investigation in that agency’s history ─ with the expenditure of millions of taxpayer dollars, and prosecution losses at every stage of the criminal process, the government has decided to give up on the criminal prosecution against Marine LtCol Jeffrey Chessani.  Nonetheless, the battle for this loyal Marine officer continues. On Friday, August 28, 2009,  the new general in charge of LtCol Chessani’s case, Marine LtGen George Flynn, Commanding General of the Marine Corps...

The Marine Corps has dropped its pursuit of criminal charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the highest-ranking officer accused of misconduct after 24 Iraqi civilians were slain in the city of Haditha in 2005. Instead, Lt. Gen. George J. Flynn has decided to handle the matter administratively by appointing a three-member Board of Inquiry that will meet at Camp Pendleton this fall. The board of Marine Corps officers will determine if Chessani should be reduced in rank if it finds he engaged in substandard performance of duty, misconduct and professional dereliction of duty. Its finding will serve as a recommendation...

The Marine Corps has decided not to seek to reinstate criminal charges against a former battalion commander at Camp Pendleton for a 2005 incident in which his troops killed 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq. Chessani Instead, the Marine Corps will convene a Board of Inquiry to hear testimony and recommend whether Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani should be demoted to major for purposes of retirement. Even if such a recommendation is made and then accepted by the Secretary of the Navy, Chessani's retirement pay would still be based on being a lieutenant colonel. The Marine Corps had sought to try Chessani...