Posted on 03/02/2008 6:50:32 PM PST by RedRover
In November 2006, Jason Wayne Washburn was a member of the 3/1 Marines Weapons Company in Haditha. Today he is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Washburn wasn't in Haditha the morning of November 19th, and didn’t see what happened. But is coming to Washington to testify about it anyway. He will be part of Winter Soldier II on March 13-16. As Washburn says on his IVAW profile page, “it was a squad in my unit that went on a rampage after they were hit with an I.E.D. and ended up killing around 26 civilians.”
How does Washburn know what happened in Haditha? According to the London Times, he heard about it from his good friend, Sgt Sanick Dela Cruz.
Dela Cruz is one of the sleaziest characters to emerge from the Haditha prosecution. And I say that reluctantly. I wanted to believe the best of Dela Cruz and gave him every benefit of the doubt.
But facts are facts. Dela Cruz lied to NCIS agents, then, when he failed a polygraph lied about his first lie. Incredibly, the government offered him immunity, but, thankfully, his testimony has not been believed. An Investigating Officer is on record as saying he could not rely on Dela Cruz for the truth.
So here we go again. Marines will be condemned for Haditha based on rumors and sea stories. After an exhaustive investigation, there is no evidence to support Washburn's claim of "rampaging Marines".
Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. Washburn claims that Haditha “wasn’t an isolated incident”.
If I was a Marine who served with Jason Wayne Washburn, I would be very, very nervous. We now have the precedent of inactive servicemen being charged with war crimes in civilian court. The media is standing by to destroy the lives of any military member accused of a crime even on the flimsiest hearsay evidence. And flimsy hearsay evidence is what Washburn has to offer.
The story is developing and we’ll have updates.
Ping
If this is true, then this person, as well as anyone who lies about his/her military experiences (or lack thereof), should be prosecuted to the fullest extent permissible under the law.
It was far more serious than any malfeasance of his own in Viet Nam. He and his pals smeared a whole generation of US troops. And he never apologized.
'Winter Soldier II' is about as relevant as 'Woodstock 1994' - - that is, nothing more than an embarrassing attempt by gray-ponytailed losers and sugared-up college kids to relive history. As for Washburn, even the Marines have their share of what we used to call "sh!+birds" and he fits the profile to a tee. Let him and the rest of the mice squeak - - 'Winter Soldier II' will be forgotten as quickly as 'Woodstock 1994'.
FRegards,
LH
One part of the Frontline documentary that I remember well was Justin’s dismay of the betrayal he was forced to deal with.
I didn't think Washburn was lying about being a Marine. But if he says anything that contradicts the official record without having direct, credible, corroborated, first-hand evidence to back it up, then that should be considered perjury. Certainly there has to be some military regulation (I do not know, I am not military) that covers this sort of thing.
At least I would think if a witness is doing the same thing in a civilian court, perjury charges would apply.
And as for Jack Murtha, that man is a living disgrace to the USA. He makes Benedict Arnold look like a great patriot.
Sounds like this Washburn may be joined at the hip with Murtha the Mouth.
Thanks for getting the word out Red! There will be reps from “our side” live-blogging from Winter Soldier II so we’ll get the scoop first hand and can debunk the crap outta it.
That interview, if true, proves unlawful command influence. The Commandant of the Marine Corps had convinced a Congressman of the defendant’s guilt....everything looked to the Commandant as it looked to the Congressman.
That fits them both perfectly, they’re now members of a very small group.
Amen to that!
I have a feeling that Dela Cruz - - who actually has a pretty good history of serving admirably in combat - - may not be the brightest bulb in the knife drawer. I think the prosecutors threatened him, intimidated him, and spun him around like a top until he was so confused he didn’t know what he saw or heard. In fact, I think he was TOLD what he saw and heard by the prosecution....
In the end, his “testimony” has turned out to be worthless anyway.
(By the way, Smooth, that shirt is perfect for asshats like Washburn, Murtha, Kerry....)
I’m willing to hold fire on Dela Cruz for now.
bump
So, POS Murtha claimed in his interview:
That the Commandant of Marines told him (Murtha) that he (the Commandant) saw the incident with the “taxi” (which, btw, was photographed with the weapons stacked up which had been taken from it) pulled up. And that the Commandant saw the Marines on location kill the men inside the “taxi” in cold blood? And then go in the house and kill?
Murtha is claiming the Commandant witnessed these things and then told him (Murtha) about it?
There is no way in hell that the Commandant said any of that. There’s no way in hell the Commandant saw any of that. Nothing in the actual factual evidence supports anything Murtha has to say.
Someday, we might wake up and decide we want to survive as a nation, a culture and a people. On that day, the life expectancy of those who represent the interests of our enemy will reach zero.
Until then, we will continue to crawl on our knees to pleasure our tormentors. And if we do not wake up and relearn how to stand up, we will pass away as every other nation, culture, people have who’ve allowed themselves to coddle betrayers.
That was a long time ago, and that boy took the bait (and has been embarrassing NCIS ever since!!), swallowed the hook, and all he got was a bump on the head, a sore lip, and a lifetime of misery, because everyone but him (& Mendoza) are going out the front doors, while he slinks out the back!
by Cam Beck
For my family, Semper Fidelis is more than a fancy slogan. It is truly a way of life. My father retired from the Marine Corps in the 90s, after serving over twenty years and more than one tour of duty in a combat zone. Therefore, my two brothers and I grew up in a culture that demanded excellence and loyalty of its members, and it showed. It is partially for this reason, I am convinced, that we all joined the Marine Corps when we were of the appropriate age. Because of my upbringing, it is somewhat difficult to imagine what life would be like, had I not grown up surrounded by living, breathing personifications of "Semper Fidelis," and I am increasingly beginning to realize that I do not understand the mindset of those who had not. It is this realization that led me to reflect on the history of the phrase, and speculate the reason it holds such weight with the members of the Marine Corps..
The first thing I questioned was the Latin thing. Why not simply make the slogan "Always Faithful," since that is what the Latin phrase literally means? More people would certainly understand it. Apparently, whenever someone has something important to say, he translates it to Latin, and that lends the phrase credibility and respectability.
E Plurbus Unum. Pro bono. Carpe Diem. Mea Culpa. Sic Semper Tyrannus. The phrases are a part of our culture, but not native to our language. Unless we have been taught what they mean separately from our education in English, we would have no idea. I would wager that Semper Fidelis means more to those who use it than just about any other Latin phrase in use today.
Customarily, though, Latin has also been the language of law. Habeus Corpus, Stare Decisis, and Per Curium are terms one commonly would come across if he did only a precursory exploration of legal decisions. Even the United States adopted the practice of using Latin in its written Constitution, in spite of the desire to create a Constitution that could be easily understood by common people, who typically could not read and write Latin. However, America was a special case. The people had already been governing themselves for some time before the revolution. Unlike today, now that apathy reigns, participation in local politics was almost necessary for survival. That atmosphere of social and political cooperation was one that was replete with Latin phrases. America was unique--set apart from the other countries--for just that reason. It was a province that was governed by the people, not kings--and its people would not relinquish that tradition without a fight.
When doctors started translating ailments into Latin-Greek hybrids, they were criticized for creating a language that only doctors could understand. Of course, that was partly the point. It set apart those who could understand from those who could not--thus both signifying the value that doctors provided as well as creating a group of people who could identify one another by their similar values and education.
The use of Latin in the Marine Corps motto is not bred from a very different motivation. Of course, the Marine Corps has never experienced a mutiny. Marines in England were revered for their loyalty to the crown, just as United States Marines are now revered for their downright fanatical dedication to each other, their service, and their country. Using Latin to characterize this quality represents its legitimization--its codification. Significantly, for Marines at least, it also provides a caste--a group that is separate and unique from any other--a group that has no desire to be like any other.
“It is not negotiable. It is not relative, but absolute.”
What is left unsaid in the motto is also notable. The phrase is "Always faithful." It isn't "Sometimes Faithful." Nor is it "Usually Faithful," but always. It is not negotiable. It is not relative, but absolute. Who is always faithful, though. and to what, exactly are they faithful?
Interestingly, the simplicity of the phrase and the calculated neglect to specify its parameters seems to strengthen it. Marines pride themselves on their straightforward mission and steadfast dedication to accomplish it. Things do not need to be spelled out for them; they know what it means and what to do about it.
Even though Marines are known to swell with pride from time to time (they do, after all, have a noble legacy to continue), they are not snobbish. Even the use of Latin must make them uncomfortable, because they shorten an already-short motto to the more colloquial "Semper Fi." This does not misrepresent the phrase; it simply symbolizes the ability of common people to become part of a brotherhood that demands more of its members than any other comparable group in the world.
The longer I am out of the service, the more I recognize my draw to and longing for the culture of "Semper Fidelis." I suspect that reading this will impart nothing significant to Marines, as they already are aware of their glorious charge. It is my earnest hope, however, that it may help others understand the reason Marines hold the Corps in such high esteem. All those references by former Marines, in their new jobs, to "back when I was in The Corps," will begin to make a little more sense. Marines are imbued with Semper Fidelis, and all it means, and because they lived it for so long, they have difficulty accepting any less from others.
Semper Fi!
Excellent! Thanks for the ping
Semper Fidelis,
LH
ping
Same guy..
Great post! Thanks, Smooth.
Ping to girlene’s post #26 and the link to Michael Moore, where he gives info on the new Winter Soldiers.
These turn in events really continue to show how badly some people in power for some strange reason want to prosecute any of those Marines involved in this case regardless of having a sound case against them. By any stretch of the imagination, this is simply a witch hunt to burn someone at the stake with prior knowledge no witch even existed.
These turn in events really continue to show how badly some people in power for some strange reason want to prosecute any of those Marines involved in this case regardless of having a sound case against them. By any stretch of the imagination, this is simply a witch hunt to burn someone at the stake with prior knowledge no witch even existed.
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