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JAG HUNTER HERE: (POSTING FROM THE SWEETWATER, TENNESSEE LIBRARY) STEELE'S MARCH (PART V - CONCLUSION) PART I - PART II - PART III - PART IV "So in the Libyan fable it is told That once an eagle,stricken with a dart, Said when he saw the fashion of the shaft, With our own feathers, not by others' hand, Are we now smitten. ' " -Aeschylus Exercising the power of clarity--putting ordnance on target--let's make clear the chaos of the treasonable motives threaded throughout the political power play narrated in this series.Peter W. Chiarelli plays the role of General Courtney...

JAG HUNTER HERE: (POSTING FROM THE SWEETWATER, TENNESSEE LIBRARY) STEELE'S MARCH (PART IV) PART I - http://jaghunters.blogspot.com/2008/12/jag-hunter-here-posting-from-sweetwater_18.html PART II - http://jaghunters.blogspot.com/2008/12/jag-hunter-here-posting-from-sweetwater_20.html PART III - http://jaghunters.blogspot.com/2008/12/jag-hunter-here-posting-from-sweetwater_22.html No Article 32 probable cause hearing was conducted before Ray Girouard's general court-martial. Ray's court-martial-- in consequence--is rendered void even by Defense Department procedural standards. The Supreme Court ruling is consistent on this point and worthy of consideration. Ray Girouard, belonging to the army is not subject to the illegal and irresponsible general court-martial he suffered, when the law for convening his court-martial and directing its proceedings and organization were so blatantly disregarded. In Ray's...

A military panel found a 101st Airborne soldier guilty of three counts of negligent homicide but not guilty of premeditated murder in the deaths of three Iraqi detainees. Staff Sgt. Ray Girouard, 24, smiled as he hugged his defense lawyer and family members after the verdict was read. He faced up to life in prison had he been found guilty of premeditated murder. Ron Bentley of Sweetwater said his grandson called home late Friday while the panel was deliberating and told his grandmother, Pat, “Ma, start praying for me.” Girouard called his grandparents again about midnight and was happy with...

Explosive new info in the Iron Triangle Case in the NYT this morning showing that not only did the Army already handle the four Iraqi deaths that the Rangers are charged with, they reprimanded the commander for them and ended his career. The commander, Col. Michael Steele, knowing he had already been punished for the incident, still allowed his men to be charged with murder and imprisoned. No charges have been filed against Colonel Steele in the Army’s continuing investigation. But two Defense Department officials said last week that Colonel Steele was formally reprimanded in the summer by Lt. Gen....

With the March 13 court martial date fast approaching, the counsel for 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Raymond Girouard is preparing a vigorous defense.The 101st Airborne soldier from Sweetwater stands charged with pre-mediated murder in the connection with the May 9, 2006, shooting deaths of three Iraqi detainees during operations at a chemical complex about 65 miles north of Baghdad.Three other soldiers charged in connection with the shootings have already pleaded guilty to lesser charges and stand poised to testify against the 2001 Sweetwater High School graduate.At least one of the other soldiers will testify Girouard ordered the men to kill the...

An Army investigator has recommended the death penalty for four soldiers accused of murder during a raid in Iraq. Lt. Col. James P. Daniel Jr. made the recommendation in report obtained Saturday by The Associated Press. Daniel found several aggravating factors that warrant a sentence of death in the case of four soldiers accused of killing three men during the May raid in the Salahuddin province. Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Girouard, Spc. William B. Hunsaker, Pfc. Corey R. Clagett, and Spc. Juston R. Graber, all of the Fort Campbell, Ky.- based 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, were...

SWEETWATER, Tenn. – A 6-foot banner hanging from a gazebo in the center of this town of 6,000 reads: “Ray fought for Sweetwater. Now let's fight for Ray.”Folks in Sweetwater are standing by hometown soldier Raymond Girouard, raising more than $18,000 for his defense against murder charges.The 24-year-old staff sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division, was one of four soldiers charged with murdering three Iraqi detainees last year.“Anybody that knows Raymond knows his character, and this is not Raymond,” said his grandfather, 64-year-old Ron Bentley.The other soldiers have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors; Girouard, the squad leader,...

Army investigators say that Col. Michael D. Steele, a decorated combat veteran and brigade commander in Iraq, issued improper orders to his soldiers that contributed to the deaths of four unarmed Iraqi men during a raid in May, according to military documents. Skip to next paragraph The Reach of War Go to Complete Coverage » No charges have been filed against Colonel Steele in the Army’s continuing investigation. But two Defense Department officials said last week that Colonel Steele was formally reprimanded in the summer by Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the former commander in Iraq, for not reporting the...