Look at this man's eyes, and tell me--Would you want to be his enemy?
Posted on 01/27/2007 8:20:47 AM PST by pinkpanther111
By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer
NORTH COUNTY ---- Marine Corps officials confirmed Friday that Lt. Gen. James Mattis has called for an investigation into who leaked documents recently from a massive investigation of the 2005 deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, Iraq.
An attorney representing one of eight Camp Pendleton Marines charged in connection with the incident said Friday it was essential Mattis order the probe given the notoriety caused by a Jan. 6 Washington Post article. The newspaper cited interviews with eyewitnesses who allege four of the Marines had gunned down five men.
"A lot of people already think the Marines accused in this case are not going to get a fair shake," said Jack Zimmerman, an attorney representing Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a civilian agency under the control of the Department of the Navy, conducted the investigation.
Last month, charges ranging from unpremeditated murder to negligent homicide were filed against four enlisted Marines from Camp Pendleton in the case that generated worldwide outcry when first reported in March. Four officers have been charged with dereliction of duty and related offenses for the way they handled the initial investigation.
The eight men are with Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. The enlisted men are: Tatum, 25; Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, 26; Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz, 24; and Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, 22. The officers are: Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, 42; Capt. Randy Stone, 34; 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson, 25; and Capt. Lucas McConnell, 31.
The civilian deaths occurred Nov. 19, 2005. After a roadside bomb exploded beneath a Humvee and killed one of 13 Marines in a convoy, four Marines are alleged to have shot five men who drove by the scene. Members of the squad then stormed several nearby homes in search of insurgents, and by the time it was all over, 19 other civilians ---- including women and children ---- were dead.
On Friday, Zimmerman and Neal Puckett, who represents Wuterich, stated they had received copies of the letter from Mattis, who is commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command and Camp Pendleton's I Marine Expeditionary Force. Mattis is also the convening authority over the case.
Earlier this month, after stories began running in the Washington Post based on portions of the report, both attorneys sent letters to Mattis in which they called for him to initiate the investigation. Not doing so, they said, would pose a threat to their clients' ability to receive a fair trial.
On Friday, Puckett sent a prepared statement to the North County Times saying it was good to see that Mattis understands how important it is to investigate the leak.
"He (Mattis) wrote that he shares our concerns and that he has requested a Marine Corps Inspector General investigation into the source of the leak," Puckett stated.
The attorneys and Marine officials all declined to provide a copy of the letter to the North County Times.
However, Marine Corps spokesman Lt. Col. Sean Gibson did confirm that the letter had been sent and its general contents.
Contact staff writer William Finn Bennett at (760) 740-5426 or wbennett@nctimes.com.
And--HIS GUYS WOULD GO INTO HELL WITH/FOR HIM!
Post #12 is incredible!!
You think so?
Maybe Mattis was simply embarrassed into reluctantly ordering an investigation. (Took him long enough....) Now we shall see if this "investigation" turns into a coverup or just a regular old whitewash. For some reason, I am not real confident about anything anymore when it comes to military "justice" for our warriors.
But after today's spectacle of a MARINE being arrested for telling the truth on the witness stand, I'm not even sure what country I'm living in anymore.
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