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Every once in awhile a case of government abuse comes along which is so egregious it brings to a boil the blood of people of conscience. The charging of Marine Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani with serious crimes by the US government is just such a case. I beg you to read this all the way through, then ask yourself if you shouldn't do something about this.
It was Calvin Coolidge who spoke the quote in our title above, way back in 1920. He would spin in his grave if he knew about this disgraceful story of our government's betrayal of the very soldiers it places in harm's way. The US government is sparing no expense to convict one of the most effective combat officers in Iraq... on trumped-up charges... to satisfy the political ambition of a well-known congressman.
For twenty years Marine Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Chessani has been defending our nation, often away from his wife and children, so that we could be safely with ours. The US has ordered him to stand trial to please this powerful anti-war congressman and his allies in the liberal press. The Chessani trial will start on April 28, 2008.
The bogus criminal charges against Chessani were triggered by fierce house-to-house, room-by-room combat action taken by four Marines under his command after they were ambushed by insurgents in Haditha, Iraq in November, 2005. You probably recall hearing something about this.
General Thomas McInerney, former Joint Force Commander and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, called the prosecutions of the Haditha Marines "despicable." He said "We cannot fight a war like that. We're not taking car of our own people."
The four Marines involved in this incident were members of the battalion commanded by Lt. Col. Chessani - the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines - one of the most decorated units in the Marine Corps. Lt Col Chessani is charged with failing to accurately report and investigate this incident. He faces dismissal from the Corps, loss of all retirement benefits, and years in prison.
Lt. Col. Paul Ware, USMC, a judicial officer who heard testimony in several cases involved in this incident had this to say: "To believe the government version of facts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, and... may encourage others to bear false witness against Marines as a tactic to erode public support of the Marine Corps and its mission in Iraq. Even more dangerous is the potential that a Marine may hesitate (to act) at the critical moment when facing the enemy..."
The US Army conducted two independent investigations of the incident and both investigations concluded there was no "massacre" and certainly no cover-up.
Here's what happened. On Nov 19, 2005 at 7:15 a.m., a Marine convoy was rolling through Haditha, a terrorist stronghold. Suddenly, a roadside bomb was set off destroying a Marine Humvee. The powerful blast killed one Marine and injured two others. The bomb was a signal for a terrorist ambush to begin. The Marines immediately received fire from the terrorists who were shooting FROM INSIDE nearby civilian homes.
A four-man Marine fire team commanded by Chessani stormed two houses occupied by the armed insurgents, and in the ensuing gun battles killed at least 9 insurgents. A number of civilians who were in these same homes were inadvertantly killed. In urban combat where terrorists purposefully use civilians as human shields, civilian casualties are, sadly, not uncommon. That roadside bomb was also the signal for insurgency attacks throughout the city, which resulted in additional Marine casualties. Unmanned aerial vehicles video taped the action that morning in Haditha. The video clearly shows insurgents gathering their weapons and attacking Marines throughout the day.
Lt. Col. Chessani was responsible that morning for directing the combat response of approximately 2,000 American and friendly Iraq troops. He immediately reported the deaths of the civilian Iraqis to his superiors. Not one of Chessani's superiors hearing of the civilian casualties considered it "criminal." In fact, his superiors commended him him for a job well done.
Several months later, Time Magazine ran an inflammatory article, instigated by an INSURGENT OPERATIVE, accusing the four Marines of deliberately massacring innocent civilians. This set off a firestorm of political and media pressure which caused military brass to buckle. They assigned over 60 investigators to conduct a year-long, multi-million dollar investigation focused on Jeff Chessani and his four enlisted men! The absurdity of all this is that Chessani is charged with failing to accurately report and investigate a crime which the miltary already concluded never occured.
But a leading anti-war politician, Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha, saw the Haditha incident as a way to assert pressure on President Bush to leave Iraq. Even if the congressman had to scapegoat innocent Marines in the process. Murtha appeared on the major tv networks and publicly accused the young enlisted Marines of "cold blooded" murder, and Marine officers of a "cover-up." Mind you, this was long before the investigations were completed. What is particularly mind-boggling about this is that Murtha himself is a decorated veteran of war and certainly must remember the uncertainties of close combat.
But why would the US military react so strongly to one man's opinion? Ah, now there's the crux of the matter. Congressman Murtha is head of the House Military Appropriations Subcommittee - a position with significant influence over the military pocketbook. Murtha, on the other hand, is the same person caught on tape negotiating bribes with Arab Sheiks during the FBI's 1980 Abscam investigation. He is an unindicted coconspirator in that case. Not exactly your white knight.
Chessani's background? The Lt Col has honorably served his country as a Marine for 20 years. He and his wife Alisa have 5 young children (2 to 9 years old) and a sixth is expected. He served three tours of duty in Iraq, including the Second Battle of Fallujah. He also served in Panama and in the First Persian Gulf War. He is a devout Christian with a deep sense of right and wrong. According to his official 2006 Combat Fitness Report, his superiors considered him a superb leader who demonstrated moral courage, with unlimited potential and value to the Marine Corps. He was described as one of their finer thinkers.
Are not the terrorists laughing in their caves at the US? One insurgent operative "plants" a magazine article in the liberal press, it's picked up by an ambitious anti-war politician who thought he could use the incident as a club with which to beat President Bush, thereby advancing his efforts to become the House Majority Leader, and the terrorists have eliminated one of America's most effective combat officers. Not to mention devastating the life and family of this patriotic Marine officer. This could affect our military for years to come.
Military prosecutors are doing everything they can to convict Chessani. He is the scapegoat they must convict to satisfy Murtha. The vast resources of the military are at their disposal. The number of military investigators is virtually limitless. The Marine command structure is mandated to cooperate.
To date, Chessani's legal expenses already approach a half million dollars. Thankfully, he is being defended, pro bono, by the Thomas More Law Center, a Christian legal defense organization to which I donate as I can. But they need more financial help. Their small staff of lawyers will need to file motions to dismiss these bogus charges. Motions to compel discovery which has been withheld from them. Motions to dismiss the charges based on unlawful command influence. They will be requesting depositions from several high ranking military officers and civilian officials, including congressmen, service department heads and others. And much more.
The courtmartial will take place at Camp Pendleton, CA. It will last several weeks. The Thomas More attorneys are former Marine Officers themselves. All are former Judge Advocates, and all are outstanding defense lawyers. They will need to set up headquarters at Pendleton with all the attendant expenses.
Regardless of how one may feel about the war in Iraq, Lt Col Chessani was in Iraq because his country sent him there. That's why he deserves the support of all Americans. Now is the time to show our gratitude and to express our contempt for the politics of personal destruction we see here. The consequences of failure here, not just to Chessani and his family, but also to our nation, demand that we do what we can to help Chessani and his legal defense.
George Washington's words are a somber warning for America: "The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in war... shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of earlier wars are treated and appreciated by our nation."
There are several ways you can help in this case. I hope you will do all three!
1) Send letters and e-mails to the offices of Pennsylvania Congressman Murtha expressing your feelings about his reprehensible actions in this case. All Congressmen's contacts are available on-line through simple Google searches. Emails to other government officials, even to the Marine Corps itself, as well as The White House and the Pentagon, asking for an immediate dismissal of these charges may also make an impression.
2) Donate whatever you feel you can to the defense of Lt Col Jeffery Chessani. $5, $10, $25, $50 or more. Every dollar helps. Your donations are completely tax-deductable. Donations may be made on-line at the More Law Center website (if the url web address isn't active, please copy and paste into your browser address field. These url's may be longer than the line width of this window):
https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/ThomasMoreLawCenter/OnlineGiving.html
If you want to learn more, here's the More webpage dedicated to this case:
http://www.thomasmore.org/qry/page.taf?id=63&_function=detail&sbtblct_uid1=164&month=11&year=2007
If you would prefer to donate by check, include a note or memo on your check mentioning Lt Col Chessani. Donations may be made out to "Thomas More Law Center" and sent to:
Thomas More Law Center
24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48106
3) Please pass this along. Tell everyone on your e-mail lists to read this blog and to pass it along to others. The abuse of power shown by Congressman Murtha is despicable. Let us not take this sitting down. You needn't be a supporter of the War in Iraq to see the injustice to one of our own here. People of conscience need to fight back!
Thank you very much for whatever you can do.
It should be pointed out that after this trial, it is very possible that Lt Col Chessani and his men may themselves launch a civil suit against Congressman Murtha and other individuals for their blatantly unpatriotic behavior regarding the Haditha incident. Winning such a suit may be another legal mountain to climb because of the nature of the case and the governmental status of those being sued. Only time will tell.
DISCLAIMER: The writer of this blog is in no way officially connected to the Thomas More Law Center or any of its associates, nor to anyone connected to this trial or incident, but is acting out of personal conviction. The information contained above comes directly from the Thomas More Law Center's literature and other public sources.
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