Posted on 01/07/2005 8:01:02 AM PST by Former Military Chick
WASHINGTON - Naval investigators continued a search Thursday for missing Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, who surprised his family, attorney and military officials by not returning from a holiday leave to face charges that he deserted his unit in Iraq last summer.
Hassoun, a 24-year-old Muslim with dual Lebanese and American citizenship, failed to return to the Marine base at Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Tuesday following an authorized holiday.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service was investigating, but a spokeswoman said she could not comment on details of the case.
Hassoun's Marine Corps-appointed lawyer said there were no indications before the holiday that Hassoun would not return to attend his pretrial hearing next week.
“Corporal Hassoun was looking forward to having these charges adjudicated and seeing what evidence the government believed it had against him,” Maj. Phil Stackhouse said. "There's nothing to indicate to the contrary.”
Hassoun's family members in Lebanon and Utah had no insight into his disappearance. An agitated relative answering the phone at Hassoun's family residence in Tripoli, Lebanon, said everything they know has come from news reports.
"He was in the United States. That's all we know," the unidentified man said before hanging up. "I don't know what happened. I don't know what to think."
Hassoun's family in West Jordan could not be reached Thursday.
Several broadcast news reports said Hassoun had been tracked back to Lebanon. A security official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said Hassoun was banned from entering Lebanon after he left the country in July.
Hassoun disappeared from the military base near Fallujah, Iraq, on June 20, and was initially believed to have deserted until an insurgent group released video of Hassoun blindfolded with a sword held above his head. Later rumored to be murdered by the group, Hassoun appeared in Lebanon, some 500 miles away, on July 8.
Hassoun insisted he had been kidnapped, but the Marine Corps charged him with desertion.
Retired Brig. Gen. David Brahms, a former staff judge advocate to the Marine Corps, said the pretrial hearing can't continue in Hassoun's absence, but the corps may use his disappearance as further proof of his guilt and may file additional charges. “My sense is they will not treat him kindly and may consider putting him in the brig as a way of keeping him around,” he said. --- Derek P. Jensen contributed to this report.
Imagine that his family is not answering the phone. I find this very troubling. How the hell did he get on a flight to Lebanon where he is banned of returning to. His face had been all over the news, not one person saw anything?
Retired Brig. Gen. David Brahms, a former staff judge advocate to the Marine Corps, said the pretrial hearing can't continue in Hassoun's absence, but the corps may use his disappearance as further proof of his guilt and may file additional charges. “My sense is they will not treat him kindly and may consider putting him in the brig as a way of keeping him around,” he said.
Oh how maddening.
I had mentioned this earlier, but, I do think it would be a real coup if John Walsh covered this poor disgrace of an American.
Some might say we do not want the international community witnessing such an investigation and the apprehension of this military man, I say hogwash.
We need to find this guy, find out who and what he is, give him an attorney, have him go to trial, and if he is fact is what he appears to be, a deserter, then he should be confined to hard labor in prison for the rest of his natural life.
Well, they no longer do have hard labor at Ft Leavenworth (military barracks), instead, they have condemned the old prison, where when you look at it, you can envision the sweat and hard work of the prisoners as they built their own prison.
Now, it is being brought down, will try and go and get a few photo's. The new prison looks like a college campus. They now make the flag boxes for those who have died and served in the military to put their loved ones flag into.
I call BS on this.
Why was anyone surprised? I do not get this.
Owl_Eagle
”Guns Before Butter.”
I think his family and their spokesman from the local mosque are all lying.
Political correctness works. It works at destroying rational and empirical thought and function. It's a weapon of the left and America haters and our enemies to destroy us.
An Islamofascist will be able to bring a nuke into the US and set it off because no one will be able or willing to stop him for fear of hurting his "feellings" or being accused of "racism".
It'll be OK if a million Americans are killed as long as we don't hurt someone's "feelings".
It's Basic Military Science 101 that deserters must be strictly punished. Otherwise, if leniency is shown, you are asking for a plague of desertions.
This is not helpful, especially when the traitor media have been running stories about National Guard personnel refusing to show up.
The U.S. army has always been run with a maximum amount of flexibility and allowance for initiative among the ranks. That's one reason why it has always been so successful. In comparison, up until 1945 European armies were always rigidly run with no allowance for initiative. But you can't do that if people feel free to bug out whenever the urge strikes them.
This is a very bad and foolish precedent.
And how would good mooselims handle this? Why, they'd start roughing up his family.
Hassoun Search Latest
Michelle Poe
WNCT-TV 9
The search continues tonight for a marine accused of once again deserting his post. That as the Marine Corps answers questions about why Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun was allowed to leave base.
Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun has now been missing from Camp Lejeune for two days. Hassoun was on leave from the base to visit family in Utah, but should have been back on duty Tuesday.
Today the Marine Corps is defending their stance in letting Hassoun leave the base. Major Matt Morgan says there were no grounds on which to hold the corporal because he has yet to be formally indicted.
He also said Hassoun had already taken leave twice since he returned to the base this summer, and returned to duty each time after visiting relatives in Utah.
Morgan says there was no reason for commanders to think Hassoun wouldn't come back this time as well.
Hassoun vanished from his post in Iraq last summer. He says he was captured and held hostage by anti-coalition forces. But the military accused him of desertion, something Hassoun’s family say's he was ready to fight. Tarek Nosseir, Hassoun family spokesperson said, "he was definitely upbeat. He was, in my mind, somebody who wanted to stay and fight this out, saying that he was innocent and he wanted people to hear his side of the story."
Hassoun's Article 32 hearing began on December 21st, but was adjourned until January 13th.
"Morgan says there was no reason for commanders to think Hassoun wouldn't come back this time as well".
Baloney! Here's why:
"Hassoun's Article 32 hearing began on December 21st, but was adjourned until January 13th".
That is a good job for them.......
They need to track this guy down and not let him out of their sight.
He has probably joined up with the enemy now.
If so the death penaly comes to mind..
Maybe he was kidnapped again!! (/sarcasm off)
Thanks for keepin me posted Former Mil Chick!! Keep em coming.
By the way, didn't hear that they were closing the prison at Leavenworth. I lived in Lansing for a few years as a kid and went to college in Atchison. Keep me posted on that also if you would!! thanks!
It's Basic Military Science 101 that deserters must be strictly punished. Otherwise, if leniency is shown, you are asking for a plague of desertions.
=====
As a veteran myself, I can ask the question, WHO IS RUNNING THIS WAR?? THE MILITARY...OR P.C. SENSITIVE WASHINGTON PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS?? This scumbag should have received the full wartime penalty for desertion. Period.
Thanks for the post---if you have a ping list for this, put me on it!
We ought to catch him, try him, then shoot him.
Unless he really was kidnapped again... (</sarc)
Not a problem, I know I appreciate when following a story to be pinged as well.
We moved to Ft Leavenworth last year, and they had already started bringing down the old prison. It is a majestic building and gives one the feeling of history as you see it's vast pillars and guard watches. I suppose it ended up costing more to keep up then building a new facility. When the new one was finished they did not take all the prisoners, the worse of the worse are housed in the Leavenworth federal Big House.
The guys have it good, I mean, they did not build their own facility, builders did. Now they sit around and some make the flag boxes but aside from that, it is like a college campus.
Will try and take some photo's once the snow/ice melts and will post them.
Third and LAST STEP! haha.
Some Leatherneck will get him in his sights, bet on it. Then, BLAM!
"I was kidnapped".
So was Patty Hearst. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: They should have shot him when they had the chance: Desertion, Treason and Espionage. Case closed.
Bravo, bravo, EagleUSA. There is nothing else that can be said.
But, it is all about the PC way to handle things. I mean, first we did not want to confine him, he had gone on leave before and returned, why would he not this time? OH I KNOW, he was not again under investigation and now the CID folks had more evidence. But, oh yeah lets let him go home. UNREAL!
There is so much wrong with this case one cannot know where to begin.
I do say, lets have him profiled on Walsh's show, I mean he is all over cable news, what the difference? Who cares what France things, who cares that he is Muslim beliefs?
He needs his face plastered everywhere and I hope more pay attention then those he slipped by when he fled the country.
Those who authorized his leave ought to be busted to E-1 and kicked out of the service, Bad Conduct.
Isn't desertion in time of war punishable by firing squad? How could this man be free to wander wherever he pleases? He should be dead by now, with mercy he should at least be confined to a cell.
Unfortunately, the PC sensitive Washington professional politicians. If they ever catch this guy, watch how fast the race card is played, and it will be successful. I know it sucks, but that is PC reality.
His FAMILY was surprised?
Hell,I wasn't even surprised!
They were "surprised" that he didn't leave the country earlier!
You Know the FBI is all over The Family Right Now........
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