Free Republic

A retired Marine officer has denied charges that he spoke with Hutchins case convening authority Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland regarding the disposition of Sgt Larry Hutchins. In an email to me that was copied to several other parties, Major Herbert W. (Bill) Donahue, Jr., vehemently denied any involvement with Gen. Helland, and threatened legal action against me for “libel/slander and defamation of character.” Donahue did not stop there, however, and went on to accuse me of “impugning the integrity of several ethical attorneys,” among other things. The email basically degenerated into a personal attack, including several false accusations that are...

We pick up now where we left off in the timeline of events surrounding the incident that put far too many Marines in prison for killing the enemy. If you didn’t see Part 1 yesterday, you can find it here. January 18, 2007: Marine Pleads Guilty to Iraqi Kidnap, Murder “The Marine said ‘Someone’ fired a shot,” and then he and the others in the squad opened fire. Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III went up to the victim to make sure he was dead, [Cpl Trent] Thomas said. “Sgt. Hutchins shot Mr. Awad with a three-round burst to the head...

Pat Dollard is someone you should really know about. If you don’t already go there often, you should also check out his website, patdollard.com. He was a Hollywood producer who decided to go to Iraq, and in doing so, filmed some of the most intense, most real footage ever shot of the war. He embedded–at his own expense and his own physical risk–with the Marines, and over the next seven months, earned their trust and their love. He is a Marine…just ask the men whose stories he is telling. "Pat is a man who believes in something, which is more...

Decades ago, we expected total victory against the Germans and the Japanese. We demanded it, for we knew what anything less would bring to our homeland--and yes, it was our homeland, regardless of our place of birth. We were united, together in the absolute, unshakeable belief that freedom was worth blood, even our own lives. Many years later, the American Left called for the defeat and humiliation of our military, even going so far as to support the barbaric hordes of Islam in their quest to destroy America. The college-age hippies of 1969 were now parents and grandparents, with families...

Darryl Sharratt, father of Haditha Marine CPL Justin Sharratt, will be on a special edition of my show tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm Central time. We'll be talking more about the Haditha incident, the NCIS misconduct, and why it's so important for all of us to keep pressure on. Tune in, call in! 646-915-9926.

Tonight I will have Kristinn Taylor and Josh Sparling on the show to talk about antiwar protests, supporting the troops, and the HUGE counterprotest happening on March 17th in D.C. called Gathering of Eagles. Tune in at 10 PM Eastern, don't forget to call in and let Josh know we support him and his brothers! http://blogtalkradio.com/kitjarrell Call in at 646-915-9926!

You think you know the news about Pennington's plea deal...but you don't. There is much more. Tune in tonight when Tim Harrington (Freeper flightline) and I discuss the story behind the story. You think you're mad now? Wait until you hear this! 10 PM EST. Call in at 646-915-9926 --phone lines will be open and waiting!

Melanie Morgan, chairman of Move America Forward, and Catherine Moy, her co-author on the book American Mourning, will be on the show tonight to talk about the book, Cindy Sheehan, liberal protests, and what we can do to help. Feel free to call in and ask them a question at 646-915-9923. Tune in tonight at 9 pm Central! http://blogtalkradio.com/kitjarrell

In a dramatic new twist–and suddenly giving credence to those calling for investigations into government investigative misconduct–an NCIS agent admitted on the stand today that a fellow agent altered a statement taken during the investigation against Lt. Nathan Phan, who is currently in Article 32 phase for allegedly assaulting an Iraqi.

My guests tonight are Counselor Anita Gorecki, civilian attorney for SSG Ray Girouard, as well as Joy Oakes, Ray’s sister, and Nick, a soldier who served with Ray in Iraq. We’ll be discussing new information in the Iron Triangle “murder” case, including the recent knowledge that COL Michael Steele (of Black Hawk Down fame) was already reprimanded for the incident that Ray is facing life in prison for–and was facing the death penalty for. What’s more, the defense attorney for PFC Corey Clagett knew all about it. Are these military lawyers defending their clients or just hastening their trip to...

One of our soldiers emailed a retailer last week in West Allis, Wisconsin, inquiring whether they could ship floor mats to an APO address. The NCO wanted to buy better gear for his troops to sleep on. You won’t believe the company’s response. (Their email address is included below, if you’d like to let the company know what you think of their business.): From: SGT Jason Hess Sent: Tue Jan 16 3:25 Do you ship to APO address? I’m in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq and we are trying to order some mats but we are looking for...

Explosive new info in the Iron Triangle Case in the NYT this morning showing that not only did the Army already handle the four Iraqi deaths that the Rangers are charged with, they reprimanded the commander for them and ended his career. The commander, Col. Michael Steele, knowing he had already been punished for the incident, still allowed his men to be charged with murder and imprisoned. No charges have been filed against Colonel Steele in the Army’s continuing investigation. But two Defense Department officials said last week that Colonel Steele was formally reprimanded in the summer by Lt. Gen....

Pendleton 8 murder case could be affected The officer presiding over the Article 32 hearing of Marine Lt. Nathan Phan, accused of assaulting an Iraqi last spring, has “called a halt” to the hearing until three investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service can be brought to court and questioned by both sides of the courtroom about the possibility that they fabricated evidence in an effort to convict Phan on the assault charges. The accusations were made by defense attorney David Sheldon during testimony by witness LCPL Christopher Faulkner. Faulker told the court that a statement the law enforcement agency...

The Iron Triangle Case is heating up, and we have the info you won't find anywhere else. Not CNN, not the AP, no one. Three Airborne soldiers are charged with premeditated murder in the death of three Iraqis, and this case is incredible. No bodies, no evidence, and the statements of a pedophile as the accuser. And now, one man has taken a plea that reads more like a book being thrown at him after a jury trial. One of the attorneys have been arrested, and there's much more. After all of this, you haven't heard the story behind the...

Tonight’s show was, in a word, explosive. The topic of the evening was the Iron Triangle Case: Three members of the famed 101st Airborne Division, charged with premeditated murder in the deaths of three insurgents. The soldiers, including one Ranger with a list of accomplishments a mile long, face the death penalty if convicted. George Reilly, an advocate for accused troops and their families, was my guest. I also had Melanie Dianiska, mother of accused Army soldier PFC Corey Clagett, as well as Ron Bentley and Joy Oakes, family members of accused Ranger SSG Raymond Girouard. This is a must,...

A very troubling report has been published by Middle East Newsline: The Bush administration has blocked arms and technology transfers to Israel. Israeli and U.S. sources said the State Department has blocked the transfer of weapons and technology to the Jewish state over the last three months. The sources said the halt reflected deteriorating relations between the two countries since the end of the war in Lebanon in August 2006. “Nobody will say openly that there is a problem,” a government source said. “But there is a serious problem that reflects the marginalization of Israel in U.S. strategy.” The unofficial...

This article is gross. It is disgusting and revolting, but it is necessary. Don't walk away because you don't want to be offended. Have the guts to read it all the way through. Hopefully by the end you will understand why. I realize that I will offend people, but I think at this point, it needs to be done. A few years ago, I was part of a search and rescue mission for the Civil Air Patrol, searching for a downed pilot in the hills of northeastern South Dakota. After three days, we found him. It was beyond anything else...

The book we've all been waiting for, right? I was provided with the below exclusive tidbit today via email. Marine officer 2LT Ilario Pantano has written a book about the ordeal he went through earlier this year when he was charged with murder after shooting two insurgents in a combat zone. He was exonerated, of course, due in part to information published on Euphoric Reality that came out during the Article 32 hearing, but mainly due to the fact that he was completely innocent of the charges in the first place. As it's been all along, Euphoric Reality is the...

Since the case is now before the Supreme Court, it’s going to continue making news. What does it mean for the future? Hamdan is represented by LCDR Charles Swift, defense counsel for the military tribunals. In short, he is a special kind of f-tard, as you’ll see by reading the interview. David Remes whines that “friends of the military…fear that if the President is free to deny the protections of the Geneva Conventions to our enemies, our enemies will consider themselves free to deny those protections to our soldiers. They fear that the federal appeals court’s ruling “immediately and directly...

My co-blogger is reporting from the Astrodome today, where she’s volunteering and helping victims of Hurricane Katrina that have come in from New Orleans. She's calling in with reports, which I'm podcasting on the site. She has some special info about the elderly veterans that are without medication or medical attention. It brought tears to my eyes. Go listen to it. We’ll be bringing you more info by "nearly-live" (5 minute delay) podcast as the day goes on.