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The anti-incumbent tide is so strong this electoral season it just might sweep out one of the most powerful bulls from the House of Representatives. Residents in Pennsylvania's 12 District have tolerated much controversy from Rep. John Murtha (Pa.) but his recent remarks about some Pennsylvanians being "racist" could end his 34-year Washington career. Murtha’s recent accusation that some voters in his state are “racist” has given his Republican opponent William Russell, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, some much-needed ammunition to unseat the incumbent. “There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area,” Murtha told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette....

Defend Our Marines main page THE MURTHA-RUSSELL DEBATETranscript by Rusty Howell THE MURTHA-RUSSELL DEBATE  | Uniontown, Pennsylvania | October 9, 2008 | pdf Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Uniontown in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District for the first and only scheduled debate between Congressman John Murtha, a Democrat; and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Bill Russell, a Republican. Both men are from Johnstown. I'm Brit Brokaw of the Uniontown Tribune and I will be moderating tonight's debate. I will be asking each one of these gentlemen the same questions so that they may express their views on issues...

When Pennsylvania Congressmen John Murtha charged eight Marines with “cold blooded murder” and “cover up” at Haditha more than two years ago, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld immediately formed a study group to counter the powerful Democrat’s accusations. The study group’s analysis of the political and legal situation was used to help decide what course of action to take against eight Marines accused of massacre and cover up by Murtha in the deaths of 24 Iraqis at Haditha, Iraq on November 19, 2005. The group was briefed by high ranking Marine Corps lawyers sent by Brigadier General Kevin Sandkuhler,...

Rep. Jack Murtha’s (D-Johnstown) opponent in this year’s congressional race -- Lt. Col. William Russell, a decorated Iraq war veteran who was in the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001 -- has just released an ad titled “In Cold Blood.” So far, it is one of the most powerful campaign spots to hit the airwaves in the down- ballot races this cycle in the Keystone State.

Defend Our Marines main page  Who’s Behind the Government’s Delay in Bringing the Haditha Case to a Close? Defend Our Marines | Rusty Howell and David Allender [pdf] September 11, 2008 -- It’s fitting that the last remaining defendant in the Haditha case is the squad leader, SSgt Frank Wuterich. Real leaders take responsibility, and SSgt Wuterich has taken full responsibility for the actions of his squad in Haditha. He has also expressed deep remorse for any civilians who were killed as a result of those actions. Over the past 18 months, Wuterich, still waiting to clear his name,...

August 04, 2008 Murtha's reckoning Thomas Lifson Rep. John Murtha's disgrace in denouncing the Marines of the Haditha incident is not going to fade away gently into the night. William Russell, has returned from a tour of duty in the military and is running against him. His campaign has produced this video featuring Darryl Sharratt, the father of one of the Marines accused by Murtha of being a "cold-blooded killer." His son Justin Sharratt has subsequently been fully vindicated, and all charges dropped. Darryl Sharratt's video does not have the produiction values of a normal campaign commercial, but in his...

The mockudrama "Battle for Haditha" is going to be making its US premeire in May. As part of the publicity blitz for the fictionalized version of the incident at Haditha, Eliot Ruiz, who portrays Cpl. Ramirez (aka Staff Sgt Frank Wuterich) is making the rounds in his hometown of Philly. It's disgusting that a worthless piece of fiction is presented as a "docudrama" of the events on November 19, 2005. But what is worse is former Marines portraying those whose honor and service were forever tarnished in the Murtha-inspired witch-hunt. "...When I first heard about Nick's film I wasn't sure...

Haditha Exposed- The “Shadow Conspiracy” Since 21 December 2006 seven Marines and their families have been persecuted by the United States government. The Thomas Moore Society has taken the first steps in exposing the “shadow regime” agenda to vilify Our Haditha Marines.” The battle for three of these Marines is not over. I shutter to think of the tactics which will now be employed against these brave and honorable men. I don’t know how far up the chain this conspiracy goes, but if you follow the money, it leads me to one place. Donald C. Winter is the 74th Secretary...

Nathaniel R. Helms, Contributing Editor at Defend Our Marines, will cover the upcoming Haditha Marine trials for NewsMax. “Nat Helms is without a doubt one of the most talented, thorough and hard working journalists working today,” Phil Brennan says. “We've been sharing information and working together for some time now, and I never cease to be astounded by the extent to which he'll go to pin down every detail of the story. He doesn't merely report, he educates. We've been something of an unofficial team for some time and now and as he heads out west to cover the Haditha...

Another perspective on Haditha By: THAD COAKLEY - Commentary Publication of Time magazine's "One Morning in Haditha" (March 2006) thrust an otherwise nondescript Euphrates River town into the American, then international, consciousness. Those who have served in combat, more specifically with Marine battalions in Haditha or elsewhere in the al-Anbar Province, knew immediately that the article was based on many assumptions clearly questionable absent further corroboration. Buried deep within the article was the significant caveat: "The available evidence does not provide conclusive proof the Marines deliberately killed innocents." But editorialized reporting of beliefs over facts gave the greater emphasis to...

Murtha's press conference on the Democrats' latest plan for surrender was interrupted by a reporter on the right side: Conservative writer Jeff Gannon, who was in the audience, challenged Murtha on another statement he had made, that Marines in Haditha had killed Iraqi civilians “in cold blood.” Charges have been dropped against several Marines, though others remain charged with murder. Gannon asked Murtha if he would apologize, and Murtha refused. “The trials are not over yet,” Murtha said, reddening slightly in the face. Also in response to Gannon, Murtha tersely deemed inappropriate the newspaper advertisement taken out by the liberal...

From A Haditha Marine Family- It’s Finally Over At 7:00 PST, 9 August 2007 Justin and his attorney met with a Marine Corps representative in an office at Camp Pendleton, CA. At this time, my son LCpl Justin Sharratt, was handed an official Marine Corps Disposition of Charges document declaring the charges stemming from the 19 November 2005 Haditha engagement have been officially dismissed. The last line of the two page Disposition Of Charges document ended with these words from the General, “And as you have always remained cloaked in the presumption of innocence, with this dismissal of charges, you...

Turning a Battle Into a War Crime May 16, 2007: One of the dirty little secrets about recent claims of massacres is that all too often, they really are not massacres. The latest case of this now appears to be Haditha, with testimony now emerging that shows that at least eight of the 24 "victims" were armed terrorists. If so, Haditha would have more in common with the 2002 battle of Jenin (also claimed to be a massacre) than it does with My Lai. The efforts to falsely claim a massacre occurred in Jenin are instructive. After the 2002 battle,...

HADITHA- EXONERATE OUR MARINES The Marines and families of the Haditha Marines- Our Marines- need this travesty to end. The higher echelon of the Corps, namely Lt Gen James Mattis, needs to put a swift end to this miscarriage of military justice. These seven brave Marines have endured enough. They were part of one of the finest infantry battalions in the Marine Corps, “The Thundering Third.” Two of its members have earned the Navy Cross. Dozens have been awarded Silver Stars and Bronze Stars for heroism. They are all heroes. Their return from Iraq in the spring of 2006 was...

I have finished listening to the audio commentary of Mrs. Kathy Hutchins and Mr. Terry Pendleton on Euphoric Reality. Kathy and Terry are the parents of Marines prosecuted in the Hamdania case. Their sons, along with 6 others have borne the brunt of the military justice system with devastating consequences. Incarcerated and shackled since their return from Iraq, these brave Marines were subjected to conditions far more severe than the Gitmo detainees. Where is the outcry from the media? Where is the outcry from the politicians? Where is the justice? As in Haditha, these Marines were subjected to horrendous questioning...

The case against the Haditha Marines unravels as murder charges are dropped against one and the court hearing of two others is postponed. Will we soon be hearing John Murtha's apology? The seemingly forgotten incident began as a Marine convoy of the Camp Pendleton-based Kilo Company, Third Battalion, First Marine Regiment, was passing through the town of Haditha in the contested Iraqi province of Anbar on Nov. 19, 2005. A roadside improvised explosive device (IED) went off, killing Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas, 20, of El Paso, Texas, who was on his second tour of duty. After the initial attack, the...

FALLUJAH BOOTS To Red Rover: Justin and I wear the same size shoes. When he returned from his first tour of Iraq, he gave me a pair of worn, ratty combat boots. No longer serviceable, they were the boots he wore in Fallujah. I can’t pretend to know what he went through while wearing those boots, but they are a gift from a Marine son. I wear them as often as I can. Every step I take in them reminds me of my son, my hero. To walk in the steps of my hero. Justin is not just my son,...

I am the father of L/Cpl Justin Sharratt. On August16th, 2003 the dreams of a little boy became reality. My son Justin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after high school graduation. Since the age of six, Justin dreamed of a military career. The combat boots, camouflage fatigues and helmet he wore as a child would soon become his uniform of the day as a United States Marine. To serve and protect the United States of America from all enemies both domestic and foreign; a duty he did not take lightly. Justin’s first combat tour of duty was the...