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Sharratt suit seeks 'justice' By Michael Jones, Staff writermjones@observer-reporter.com PITTSBURGH - Hours after filing a federal slander lawsuit against Congressman John Murtha, 24-year-old Justin Sharratt coolly described in one word what he wants from the man who said he and his fellow Marines killed "innocent civilians in cold blood." "Justice," Sharratt said without flinching. "Basically, just showing America that a congressman can't get on TV and say anything he wants." Sharratt, of Canonsburg, was charged in 2006 with three counts of unpremeditated murder after a battle on Nov. 19, 2005, in Haditha that left 24 Iraqis dead. The charges were...

Last modified: Friday, September 26, 2008 6:02 AM EDT In this photo taken from his official Web site, Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, 24, of Canonsburg, waits for his trial to begin. He is suing U.S. Rep. John Murtha for slander, saying the Johnstown congressman presumed him guilty before he had his day in court. (Submitted photo) Marine sues Murtha for slander By MICHELLE GANASSIDaily American Staff WriterA Marine exonerated on murder charges in the Haditha encounter is suing U.S. Rep. John Murtha for convicting him in the media before his day in court. Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt,...

A former Marine lance corporal exonerated in the investigation into the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, has filed a slander suit against Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) for allegedly saying that the Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood." Lawyers for Justin Sharratt, 24, filed the lawsuit today in federal court in Pittsburgh. Sharratt's family lives in Murtha's district. Murtha, a former Marine and vocal opponent of the Iraq war, made his comments at a news conference in 2006, before Sharratt and seven other Marines were charged for the November 2005 killings. After a preliminary hearing at Camp...

Murder charges against a US Marine accused of killing three Iraqi civilians during an alleged massacre in Haditha two years ago have been dropped, the military said on Thursday. A statement released by the Marines at their Camp Pendleton base in southern California revealed that three charges of unpremeditated murder against Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt had been withdrawn. The decision was announced in a written ruling from the commander Lieutenant General James Mattis and followed a recommendation from an investigator last month that the charges should be dropped. "An independent Article 32 investigating officer has considered all the facts and...

Congressman John Murtha, who announced our surrender in Iraq long before Senator Reid did, embarrassed even Speaker Pelosi with his off-the-wall statements smearing our military and smearing President Bush. Long before anyone had really looked into the Haditha incident, a place in Iraq where U.S. Marines were engaged in a firefight, and where various Iraqis told tales of deliberate murders carried out by our Marines, Congressman Murtha passed judgment, and said that they were guilty. It now appears that he will owe them an apology. To the rest of us, and to his constituents in Pennsylvania, he owes us his...

Darryl Sharratt, father of LCpl. Justin Sharratt, will be the guest on The Front Line with Kit Jarrell blog talk radio tonight, June 20, from 10:00 to 11:00 Eastern (just click at the link, click on tonight's show, and listen live).He'll be talking about his son's Article 32 that concluded last week at Camp Pendleton.If you miss the live broadcast tonight, go to the site any time after 11:00 tonight. There will be a link on the home page to the archived broadcast.

CAMP PENDLETON ---- The officer in charge of a military hearing expressed serious doubts Friday about the government's prosecution of Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, one of three Marines charged in the November 2005 shooting deaths of Iraqi civilians in the city of Haditha. Lt. Col. Paul Ware, who will recommend whether to send Sharratt to trial, challenged the prosecution, saying the government's theory of the case does not warrant the three counts of unpremeditated murder filed against Sharratt in December. "The account you want me to believe does not support unpremeditated murder," Ware told the lead prosecutor, Maj. Daren Erickson....

Our son, L/Cpl Justin Sharratt is not a murderer. The media refuses to report the truth about what happened in Haditha on 19 November 2005. The media has blatantly ignored the truth as to what happened in House 4 where 4 Iraqi men were killed. Our son followed his ROE, used his Marine Corps training and survived a firefight when he used lethal force in House 4. Detailed and scientific testimony by two government witnesses, Lt. Col Elizabeth Rouse and NCIS Agent Mark Maloney, showed the forensic evidence disproves all accounts of murder in House 4. The Lt. Col testified...

In all coverage of the Iraq war, there is ample evidence to suggest a liberal bias. Constant coverage of suicide bombings, pools of blood, wailing women, men screaming for revenge, and Muqtada al Sadr calling for attacks on US forces -from Iran- while there is virtually no mention of any progress being made on the ground. But by far, the biggest -and most blatant- example of media bias comes in the recent coverage of Defense Secretary Robert Gates' April 4th interview with syndicated radio talk-show host Laura Ingraham. In the interview, Gates was quoted as saying "So far, so good"...

FALLUJAH BOOTS To Red Rover: Justin and I wear the same size shoes. When he returned from his first tour of Iraq, he gave me a pair of worn, ratty combat boots. No longer serviceable, they were the boots he wore in Fallujah. I can’t pretend to know what he went through while wearing those boots, but they are a gift from a Marine son. I wear them as often as I can. Every step I take in them reminds me of my son, my hero. To walk in the steps of my hero. Justin is not just my son,...

Rather than some frenzied killing spree, Sharratt says that the Marines in 3-1 Kilo Company raided 22 homes that day, but only fired their weapons in four instances. They took 30 prisoners, and found weapons, thousands of dollars in US cash, and Jordanian passports, and he says that the allegations they murdered civilians are patently false. "The bottom line is," says Sharratt, "what were the Rules of Engagement that day, and did the Marines of 3-1 Kilo Co. follow them faithfully to the best of their ability? That is what this case will hinge on".

<p>HADITHA MARINES.... our MARINES On September 11, 2003 the United States of America was attacked by a ruthless enemy. We watched in silent horror as the images of the World Trade Center were televised to a stunned nation. I can’t imagine how each and every American felt. I do know how a seventeen year old felt that day and each day thereafter. 9/11 cemented my son’s will to become a United States Marine. He told his mother and me he would join tomorrow if he were old enough. In August 2003, Justin Sharratt, our son enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Justin had no visions of grandeur or malice, his was a simple mission. To defend the United States of America from all enemies.</p>

I am the father of L/Cpl Justin Sharratt. On August16th, 2003 the dreams of a little boy became reality. My son Justin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after high school graduation. Since the age of six, Justin dreamed of a military career. The combat boots, camouflage fatigues and helmet he wore as a child would soon become his uniform of the day as a United States Marine. To serve and protect the United States of America from all enemies both domestic and foreign; a duty he did not take lightly. Justin’s first combat tour of duty was the...

WASHINGTON COUNTY-- Parents of a marine accused in the November 2005 slayings of Iraqi civilians in Haditha are coming to their son’s defense.Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt, 22, who lived in western Pennsylvania for a time, is one of several Marines under investigation. Now, his parents, who grew up in Washington County, say their son told them he followed the rules of engagement.They say their son was raised a Catholic and knows the difference between right and wrong. The Sharratt’s also say they believe the Marines have abandoned those implicated in the killings.They also blame U.S. Rep. John Murtha for prejudging...