Posted on 11/08/2007 6:43:16 PM PST by RedRover
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Nov. 8, 2007) – An Article 32 investigation hearing for First Lieutenant Andrew A. Grayson will be held Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. here.
Grayson is charged with several violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for actions he allegedly took following the death of Iraq civilians in Haditha, Iraq on Nov. 19, 2005.
He was charged Dec. 21, 2006 with dereliction of duty, false official statement and obstruction of justice.
The Investigating Officer is Lt. Col. Tracy Daly, a Marine Judge Advocate, or military attorney.
Following the Article 32 investigation hearing, Daly will forward his report and recommendation for disposition of the case to the Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command who is the consolidated disposition authority for cases related to the Haditha incident.
The Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command has a range of options from dismissing the case to referring it to a general court-martial.
The charges are accusations against the individual and the accused is presumed innocent. The Marine Corps is committed to a fair proceeding in compliance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
It is anticipated the proceedings will take one week and will not be broadcast into the Camp Pendleton Media Center.
Seating in the courtroom for media and the public will be limited. A pool may be established for the media.
Of related interest, see A tribute to First Lieutenant Andrew Grayson [from a Haditha Marine uncle]
LtCol Jeffrey Chessani will be arraigned next week as well. According to lawyers for LtCol Chessani, the battalion commander's court martial has been scheduled for April 28th. Rumor has it that LCpl Tatum's court martial will also take place in April.
Isn’t Tatum due to ETS soon?
We will be praying RedRover.
thanks for the heads up
We know that's a lie. They're spending millions to convict SOMEBODY for the sake of politics.
Let’s back-up and re-group.
Granted, there are way too many US military general officers who are more political than we’d like to see, but the majority of the other Haditha Marines have been aquitted or are in the process of being aquitted.
When the UCMJ, although imperfect, is followed out to its legal ends, I see aquittal for this brave hero too!!
Thanks for the heads up, Red. Hoping for the best for 1st Lt. Grayson.
Thanks for the heads up on all of them, Red. Hopefully this will be a slam dunk recommendation for dismissal of charges for Lt. Grayson.
LtCol Sean Gibson at Pendleton just sent an e-mail regarding legal costs alone...
We come up with a figure of about $3M. This covers the cost in Fiscal Years 06 and 07 of travel for MARCENT Staff, costs associated with interpreters/translators/expert witnesses, and costs of administrative materials (copiers, paper and the like).
Not included in this figure are the salaries of reserve officers brought aboard for both the prosecution and defense teams as they would normally serve their reserve duty somewhere regardless.
It's also worth noting that the government is responsible for costs associated with both the (outside of civilian attorney fees) prosecution AND defense in these cases.
On top of that three million (to date), you'd have to add the cost of the three investigations. The Watt Investigation was DoD, the Bargewell Investigation was Army, and, of course, the NCIS is out of the SECNAV's office. Neither the DoD, Army, nor SECNAV will ever tell anyone how much was spent. So the grand total is really anyone's guess. I'm inclined to mistrust the earlier estimates that were reported but have no real idea of what the total would be.
Quick -- Somebody tell John "They killed innocent civilians in cold blood" al-Murthawi!
Thanks for the ping, Red.
You’re welcome, Justa! Great to see you as always!
I don't think his 1st leaks were from the finished (as if) NCIS IEDrama report, so who has the the distinction of being 1st leaker?
(This has drug out so long, I'm starting to lose track).
On top of that three million (to date), you'd have to add the cost of the three investigations.
I would reeeeeally like to know the total cost to destroy our fine Marines. ;*(
What a crock of sh#t. First of all, if you survive combat and make it home the first thing you DON'T want to do is spend it in the brig.
Secondly, an Article 32 isn't just a bunch of guys bullsh#tting about an after action report. Your life is on the line and Leavenworth beckons.
Thirdly and most importantly, Lawyers are prosecuting warriors on the "feelings" of reporters, politicians, back stabbing staff officers and people like yourself that think that courtrooms are no big deal.
These guys are Marines. Not a pre law pussy or over educated bureaucrat looking for an indoor gig sucking at the taxpayers trough.
In all honesty I'd make sure that not a single camera made it around my unit and that reporters were shunned. I ran with a rough bunch doing some TDY in the Philippines, Indonesian and the Americas. Nobody that has seen war or killing especially of your brothers even thinks about ROE at the time. Only of surviving and getting the job done.
This is such a load that I can't even stand to read some of this stuff.
Do you really think that this is no big deal for this man? That the UCMJ will imperfectly come up with a just solution. Doesn't it seem odd that the main defendants in these show trials are Marines and Navy Operators that are in the boonies or at the front line putting the lead down and killing the bad guys. This is an organized way to demoralize our warriors and put doubt in the minds of troops at crucial points of time...like in the middle of a firefight.
I think that's why that SEAL didn't eliminate the two herders that cost his team their lives and those of the men sent to save them. He was as brave as they come, but there is not one person I've ever met on any continent worth any one of my men. Never, ever, nobody. It doesn't even matter if I liked all the turds in my unit....they were still my turds and I know that they would do the same for me.
Amen.
Give no ground. Wrong is wrong and this wont be right until the POS Times journo and his editorial staff are dropped through a trap door to dangle and dance.
What a travesty! The Haditha uproar began only because of an inflammatory story in Time magazine and headline grabbing assertions by John Murtha that there “was no firefight” and that the marines went on a killing rampage after one of their comrades was killed in a car bomb detonation (in what turned out to be the bigging of an ambush). Murtha and the other scumbags behind this lynching were NOT AWARE that a Predator surveillance drone had been sent to the area. Consequently, investigators were presented with video and photographic proof of an ambush and a firefight that completely disproved the accusations made by Murtha and Time. They thought they finally had their Mi Lai to crow about.
The most serious charges were dropped early in the investigation to the acute embarrassment of Murtha and Time. Now the politicians and bureaucrats have to come to their rescue by nailing some of these marines on technicalities.
The only people who belong in jail are Murtha and the people involved in leaking phony “evidence” to Time magazine, which I hope ends up being owned by the marines whose reputations were injured.
” ....but the majority of the other Haditha Marines have been aquitted or are in the process of being aquitted.
When the UCMJ, although imperfect, is followed out to its legal ends, I see aquittal for this brave hero too!!”
They had better acquit them, with no reservations. The problem now is that powerful people want to SAVE FACE by nailing “just a few” marines on “reduced charges”, or technicalities, or whatever the hell they can get on them. If, after this media feeding frenzy, any of these marines are harmed the implication will be that they are “nobodies” and it’s the reputations of people like Murtha (or Jane Fonda, or John Kerry) that count. THERE CAN BE NO COMPROMISE IN THIS!
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