Free Republic

(CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.) - 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: Pendleton 8 Exposed - The Real Story, Part 1 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...

(CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.) - Two years ago the nation was shocked to hear of Marines coming home from the battlefield in shackles. This is not how we treat our heroes, not when they are highly decorated, highly trained, and even more experienced. It was preposterous, we said, to charge Marines with murder for shooting the enemy. Isn’t that what we train them to do? Marine Sergeant Hutchins"Yet that is exactly what we did–and the seven Marines, together with their Navy corpsman, became known as the Pendleton 8. For the last two years, these men have seen their families disintegrate, their...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A former Marine sergeant who headed a squad charged with murdering an Iraqi civilian in 2006 is being transferred from the Camp Pendleton brig to a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. The transfer of now-Pvt. Larry Hutchins III comes six weeks after his 15-year sentence for murder, conspiracy, larceny and false official statements was reduced to 11 years by a general overseeing the case. The imminent move was confirmed Thursday by Lt. Curtis Williamson, a public affairs officer with the 1st Marine Division, who said security policy prevented him from citing the exact day of the...

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...

Two years after killing the neighbor of a suspected insurgent in the Iraqi village of Hamdania, seven of the eight Camp Pendleton troops who were found guilty of crimes related to the incident walk free. Four are still in uniform, and one of that group is back serving in Iraq. For all but one of the men, it's been a long journey from the jail shackles and premeditated murder charges that once confronted the group whose supporters dubbed them the "Pendleton 8." The only man who remains jailed is former Sgt. Larry Hutchins III. Hutchins is serving a 15-year sentence...

EXCLUSIVE: Pendleton 8 Exposed, Part 5: Autopsy and Pathology Report April 12, 2008 · As promised, here are the first of many documents to come in the Pendleton 8 case. This is the autopsy of a dead Iraqi that even the report admits is only “believed to be� Awad. You’ll see handwritten notes throughout the report, and these are the notes of Sgt Larry Hutchins himself.What makes this document so incredible is that there is no proof that the man autopsied is even the man the Marines killed that night. In fact, there is some evidence to show that the...

The site of Freeper EUPHORIADEV was hacked. She has lost over 2 years worth of data. Euphoriadev was covering the Haditha and Hamdania incident extensively she has lost over 2 years worth of data we do NOT believe it is the people who are claiming the hack

HAMDANIA: The PENDLETON 8: OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS TELL A DIFFERENT STORY WHEN COMPARED TO THE MEDIA ACCOUNTS. WHY? (A) WHAT WERE THE CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING UP TO THE PATROL THAT NIGHT? WERE THEY COMMON EVENTS OR WAS THIS A SPECIAL PATROL TO SEARCH OUT A SPECIFIC PERSON AS THE OFFICIAL CHARGES CLAIMED? The government's case was that the patrol lead by Sgt Hutchin's, Plymouth, Massachusetts, was after a specific insurgent named Saleh Gowad, and when he was not found at the location of his house, a random house was chosen and an innocent man was taken and killed. Make sure that you...

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...

To All, After two years, the real story of the Pendleton 8 is finally coming out. A select few are in possession of the documents that show not only the actual events of that night in Hamdania, but the trail of corruption, incompetence, and blatant disregard for the lives of Marines under fire that resulted in unjust imprisonment and convictions or plea bargains for so many men. It's all on paper, it's all verified, and it's all coming out. The documents and the story they tell will be appearing on Euphoric Reality beginning today with the first installment: Part 1...

The letter below is from one of the Marines whose team I am on who have been involved with the Hamdania Incident, both in fundraising and exposure to the public of information that the media has refused to cover, and that includes all conservative media like FOX News, NEWSMAX, World Net Daily, Ollie North, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Howie Carr. Some of them can be forgiven due to the large amount of e-mails received daily, but others were given extensive telephone interviews, with details, and some of them outright refused to consider this as an issue because it would not...

There is a documentary being made on the abuses that the 7 Marines and 1 Navy Corpsman faced when accused of Murder in 2006, from an operation in Iraq. Below is a timeline of events and links to the documentary teasers.

CAMP PENDLETON - On the legal front, the last 12 months have been a trying time for the Marine Corps. While most troops went about the business of training and deploying to battlegrounds in Iraq and Afghanistan or spent months on expeditionary cruises, a series of hearings and trials involving men accused of committing murder or being derelict in duty in Iraq dominated much of the news coming out of Camp Pendleton, the service's premier West Coast base. It was also a year in which the service cracked down on drill instructors at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San...

A Marine dictum holds that when things go well, the squad leader deserves credit and when they go badly, he most assuredly will get the blame. Indeed, in the three major cases...the major defendant is the squad leader. Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich awaits a general's decision on whether he will be ordered to court martial for allegedly killing civilians in Haditha in 2005. Former Sgt. Jose Luis Nazario is facing trial in federal court in Riverside for allegedly killing prisoners in Fallouja in 2004. And Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins was...convicted by a Marine jury of killing an unarmed Iraqi in Hamandiya...

Monday, August 27, 2007 Betrayal: IVAW and the Haditha Marines - Part 3 in the Haditha Series We’ve gotten used to the media taking potshots at the military. It has become a regular day to day occurrence. Reports from Iraq reveal that our soldiers are too busy doing their jobs to pay much attention to the blathering from the armchair generals in the media - thank goodness. But when the knife in your back is thrown by your “brothers”, it has got to hurt. John Murtha, the ex-Marine, threw the first knife but he was certainly not the last. The...

NORTH COUNTY ---- Jury decisions and a powerful general's grants of clemency have signaled that Marines may be reluctant to jail service members accused of war crimes in Iraq. Few saw it coming when the military justice system granted freedom to most of the eight Camp Pendleton troops who admitted to kidnapping and killing an Iraqi man in Hamdania last year. Former Marine prosecutor Thad Coakley was among those caught off guard. "The sentences were well below what is expected for the guilty findings for a group that decide to kidnap and execute a guy," said Coakley, who has extensive...

They didn’t get the case right (Hutchins is squad leader for the Pendleton 8, not the Haditha Marines), but at this point, I’m just happy someone is finally paying attention at all. The Marine veterans discussed in this article are the ones I’ve been working with for the last year and a half both directly and indirectly. I’m glad the story is finally getting out. ~snip~ (The meat of the story is at the link. Heavy hors devours offered below.)

Pvt. Robert Pennington CAMP PENDLETON ---- The seventh of eight Marines jailed for the execution of an Iraqi man left the brig Friday afternoon, freed by a Camp Pendleton general. Pvt. Robert Pennington walked free after Lt. Gen. James Mattis granted him clemency, slashing the remaining seven years off Pennington's eight-year sentence. Pennington struck a lengthy plea deal earlier this year, admitting his role in a plot that left an Iraqi man dead on the side of a road in the rural village of Hamdania on April 26, 2006. His family said Friday they were overjoyed with the decision...

Aug-09-2007 05:40 Advocates Call Iraq Marine's Court Martial and Conviction Into Question Tim King Salem-News.comFormer Marines investigating the case say there is far more than meets the eye; the court martial is currently under appeal and review. Photo of Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins with his lawyerCourtesy: DoD (SALEM, Ore.) - A Marine convicted for murder in Iraq is receiving increasing public support by those who believe he is not guilty. Marine Sergeant Lawrence Hutchins has been sentenced to 15-years for the killings in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. Friends say Hutchins is innocent Advocates say a number of the government's...

Cpl Rob Pennington is now a free man. He recently took a plea bargain for a murder charge, testified against his fellow Marines, and is not free. Only Sgt Hutchin's is in Jail. 8 Men, all charged with Murder, Kidnapping, Assault, whatever...now one is left in jail, the rest are free. That doesn't happen if they had evidence.

PLYMOUTH (MA) - The parents of Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III met with the head of Marine Corps forces in the Middle East this week in the wake of their son’s conviction for killing an Iraqi civilian. Larry and Kathy Hutchins asked Lt. Gen James Mattis to look into inconsistencies that emerged during their son’s recent court martial and consider evidence that never made it to the trial. According to Tim Harrington, a friend of the Hutchins family, Mattis promised to review the record of the trial and determine if the Manomet native got a fair hearing. Larry and Kathy Hutchins...

CAMP PENDLETON – A general has cut short the sentences of two Marines imprisoned in the Hamdaniya murder case and might do the same for two others. Pvts. Tyler Jackson and Jerry Shumate Jr. were released Monday by order of Lt. Gen. James Mattis, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton. The base announced Mattis' decision Tuesday. Jackson and Shumate had been sentenced to 21 months in the brig as part of pretrial deals in which they pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice. They were demoted in rank – from corporal to private....

Marine gets 15 years for Hamdania killing By: TERI FIGUEROA -- staff writer Attorney says Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins will ask general for relief CAMP PENDLETON ---- The first Marine convicted of murdering an Iraqi in the war zone since the U.S. invasion sunk into his chair and put his head on the table Friday afternoon after he learned his fate: 15 years in prison. The punishment was a punch in the gut to Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins, as well as an about face from decisions made by other juries, who convicted his accused squad mates on lesser charges and set...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - In one Iraqi city U.S. Marines kidnapped and killed an Iraqi grandfather. In another, enraged forces killed 24 civilians, most in their homes, after the death of a popular American comrade. One Marine urinated on a corpse. Yet many Americans outraged three years ago by nonlethal U.S. abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison are tuning out deadlier acts, reflecting growing public fatigue with a messy war and hope that American involvement in an unending conflict will fade. This week, military courts in Camp Pendleton, California convicted the last of eight Americans charged in the 2006 killing...

PENDLETON 8 Marine freed after being convicted. CPL MAGINCALDA IS A FREE MAN, HE WAS GIVEN AN HONORABLE DISCHARGE, ALL PAY, ALL BACK PAY AND BENEFITS. more to follow

The family is devastated. Sht Hutchins is reuced in rank to private, sentenced to 15 years Leavenworth, forfiture of all pay and allowances, and upon release is dishonorably discharged.

FReep This Poll! Actual poll question: Do you support the murder conviction of squad leader Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins in the Hamdania case? Yes No, too strong No, too lenient Go to the North County Times/The Californian link provided on this FR post. Scroll down a bit and look for the poll on the right hand side. Vote your choice.

CAMP PENDLETON -- A jury on Thursday convicted a Marine sergeant of second-degree murder and conspiracy in the death of an Iraqi man on April 26, 2006. Squad leader Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins, who was accused of being the leader of a plot to snatch and kill an Iraqi man near the village of Hamdania, faces life in prison for the conspiracy charge. It was unclear Thursday afternoon whether there was a minimum sentence for the murder conviction. Hutchins was charged with premeditated murder, but the jury chose a lesser charge for which to find him guilty. He was acquitted of...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) -- A Marine was found guilty Wednesday of conspiracy to murder an Iraqi man, but acquitted of premeditated murder and kidnapping in a bungled attempt to kill a suspected insurgent last year. Cpl. Marshall Magincalda also was found guilty of larceny and housebreaking, and cleared of making a false official statement. He stood rigidly alongside his two attorneys as sighs and gasps filled the packed courtroom. A separate jury continued to deliberate in the case of his squad leader, Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III, who faces the same charges. Prosecutors said that during a nighttime patrol...

CAMP PENDLETON -- A corporal on trial for his role in kidnapping and killing an Iraqi man in April 2005 told his squad mates the plot was "a stupid idea," one of the man's squad mates testified Monday. "Magic said, 'I'm not gonna shoot nobody,'" Cpl. Trent Thomas said of his squad mate, Cpl. Marshall Magincalda, who goes by the nickname of Magic. Magincalda and his squad leader, Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins, are on trial in separate military courtrooms for their roles in the death of Hashim Ibrahim Awad in the rural Iraqi village of Hamdania on April 26, 2005 slaying....

CAMP PENDLETON — The war-crime hearings underway here have led to an unusual public airing of some of the Marine Corps' most tightly held combat secrets: the so-called rules of engagement that govern when Marines can use deadly force in Iraq. Testimony thus far suggests the rules are ambiguous and subjective, and leave many Marines feeling they are being hamstrung in their ability to protect themselves by killing or capturing the enemy. < snip > In the Haditha cases, where enlisted Marines killed numerous civilians during a raid, the hearing officer, Lt. Col. Paul Ware, has repeatedly expressed exasperation at...

2 of the Marines previously who had taken plea bargains in the Hamdania Case, (pendleton 8), testified yesterday, under oath, that they were coerced into making false statements under penalty of life in prison. LCpl Jodka, Pfc Jackson They were commanded by NCIS to make the self incrimnating statements as a part of their plea bargain, and they testified to this in the trial of Sgt Hutchins! This is HUGE, it proves they were set up from the start They testified that their orders were to capture or kill the insurgent, and when they did, the NCIS agent ORDERED them...

Conservative Christians and military veterans are part of an emerging group of Americans who say they are upset by the recent prosecutions of soldiers and Marines based in Iraq on war crimes charges, and are coming to their defense with words, Web sites and money.In the past year, more than a dozen Web sites have been developed to solicit donations to hire private lawyers for service members...charged with violent crimes for actions taken in the confusion of combat or counterinsurgency operations.Virtually all donations come with handwritten or e-mail messages full of encouragement for the troops in Iraq and laced with...

A military jury on Friday spared a Marine of prison time for kidnapping and conspiring to murder an Iraqi man who was killed as troops hunted in vain for a suspected insurgent. Cpl. Trent Thomas was sentenced to a bad-conduct discharge and reduced pay. A military jury of three officers and six enlisted Marines deliberated for less than an hour before returning their decision. Thomas, a 25-year-old father of two, faced a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. He was convicted Wednesday of kidnapping and conspiracy to murder an Iraqi man after a botched attempt to capture a...

CAMP PENDLETON — A Marine corporal, testifying Saturday at the murder trial of a buddy, said that Marines in his unit began routinely beating Iraqis after being ordered by officers to "crank up the violence level." Cpl. Saul H. Lopezromo said Marines in his platoon, including the defendant, Cpl. Trent D. Thomas, were angry when officers criticized them as not being as tough as other Marine platoons. "We're all hard-chargers, we're not there to mess around, so we took it as an insult," Lopezromo said. Within weeks of allegedly being scolded, seven Marines and a Navy corpsman went out late...

DON KOHLBAUER / Union-Tribune Marine Cpl. Trent D. Thomas (right) walks to the courtroom at Camp Pendleton earlier this week during his court-martial proceedings. He is accompanied by military defense counsel Maj. Dale Saran CAMP PENDLETON – The Iraqi that Marine Cpl. Trent Thomas helped to kidnap and kill is hardly the innocent victim that prosecutors have described, Thomas' attorneys said Friday. Marine investigators didn't even get the dead man's name right, Thomas' defense team said during the fifth day of his court-martial at Camp Pendleton. “We believe the person killed was extremely likely to be an insurgent,” attorney...

===== http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/7/13/132934.shtml?s=lh Gen. McInerney: Treatment of Haditha Commander 'Despicable' Phil Brennan, NewsMax.com Friday, July 13, 2007 Retired Air Force Gen. Thomas McInerney is outraged at the recommendation by an investigating officer that Marine Lt. Colonel Jeffrey Chessani face a court martial for his actions during the Nov. 19, 2005 incident in Haditha, Iraq that left 24 Iraqi civilians and insurgents dead. In an exclusive interview with NewsMax.com the general, who served 35 years in the United States Air Force as a pilot, commander, and Joint Force commander, called the court martial recommendation by Col. Christopher Conlin "despicable." Said McInerney, "I'm...

Marine Cpl. Trent Thomas The case against Cpl. Trent Thomas is the first to reach the full trial stage since he and seven other members of a Kilo Company platoon from Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment were charged in June 2006 with the killing of 52-year-old Hashim Awad. Thomas pleaded guilty in January to his role in Awad's death and said during an interview with CNN earlier this year that he took part in the plot. But three days into his sentencing hearing in early February, he withdrew the guilty plea, telling the court that he was...

As many of you know, Freepers have been involved in the legal defenses of the Marines in the Haditha case and the Hamdania case, otherwise known as THE PENDLETON 8. I have received some new information just now on a documentary that is being made on the Pendleton 8 Marines. We have tried to get the mainstream media to pay attention to us, and for over a year, NONE have taken the lead. Even last week, with the 2 minute reference made by Roger Hedgecock, the main stream of America has no idea what is going on. Here is the...

CAMP PENDLETON -- Both Marines are corporals. Both are fire-team leaders. And both are accused of playing key roles in a plot to kidnap and kill an Iraqi, and both men are heading to court-martial this summer. But while the jury for Cpl. Trent Thomas will hear that five of his co-defendants struck plea deals and got light jail sentences in exchange for their testimony, the jury for Cpl. Marshall Magincalda will not be allowed to hear that same information -- even though it appears that the prosecution cases rest heavily on the testimony of the convicted men. The reason?...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- Jurors will not learn about the short jail sentences handed to codefendants of a Camp Pendleton Marine corporal accused of a plot that led to the kidnapping and killing of an Iraqi man last year, a judge ruled Wednesday. The ruling from the military judge, Lt.Col. Eugene Robinson, was one of a few blows delivered to the defense in the case of Cpl. Marshall Magincalda, who is set to go to court-martial on June 11. The central California native is one of eight Camp Pendleton troops accused of snatching retired Iraqi police officer Hashim Ibrahim Awad from...

CAMP PENDLETON -- A Marine corporal accused of killing an Iraqi civilian was suffering from a mental disorder brought on by combat trauma from his three tours in Iraq, a psychiatrist testified Thursday. "I do believe he was experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder during that time," Navy Capt. Thomas Grieger said of Cpl. Trent Thomas during telephone testimony in a pretrial hearing for the corporal. But Grieger won't be allowed to testify on Thomas' behalf, a military judge ruled after the doctor testified, because Grieger is already working as an expert for Cpl. Marshall Magincalda, one of the Thomas' co-defendants. "I...

CAMP PENDLETON -- Prosecutors are withdrawing assault charges filed last year against a Marine officer who commanded a platoon charged in the killing of an Iraqi civilian.The two criminal charges against 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan will be withdrawn but he will be subject to a lesser, non-judicial administrative proceeding, said Lt. Col. Sean Gibson, a Marine Corps spokesman. That could result in an action such as a letter in his file or some other form of minor punishment.Prosecutors had accused Phan of choking two Iraqi detainees in the village of Hamdania, saying he placed an unloaded pistol against one's mouth...

Attorneys for the highest-ranking man charged with wrongdoing arising out of the slaying of 24 Iraqi civilians in 2005 are asking Navy Secretary Donald Winter to conduct an investigation of how his agents treated Marine witnesses and suspects. "There are disturbing reports that American servicemen were treated like POWs by their own government," said Richard Thompson, president of the Thomas More Law Center, a Michigan group defending Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani. "This entire investigation has been nothing but a political witch hunt instigated by insurgent propaganda operatives, anti-war media and anti-war politicians." Chessani is charged with dereliction of duty and...

On Wednesday night, at 10PM Eastern, 9 Central, there will be a live blogtalk internet broadcast with 3 of the families of the Marines accused in the Pendleton 8 (Hamdania) incident. This is of the highest importance due to today's and otherrecent revelations of NCIS corruption and intimidation of witnesses and falsification of evidence in court martials.

THIS IS MORE THAN A BLOG POST, THE PEOPLE FROM FR THAT HAVE BEEN DEALING DIRECTLY WITH THE HADITHA FAMILIES AND HAMDANIA FAMILIES IS BEING INTERVIEWED LIVE ON A BLOGGER RADIO STATION LIVE TONIGHT AT 10 PM

MANOMET - Kathleen and Lawrence Hutchins Jr. have reached that point in life when things are supposed to be a little easier. Marine Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III, 22, of Plymouth, shown leaving his arraignment hearing Dec. 7 with his wife, Reyna Hutchins, is charged with kidnapping and killing an Iraqi civilian last April 26 in Hamdania, Iraq. (Denis Poroy/Associated Press) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Behind them are decades of hard work. They raised two sons now in their 20s, paid off a mortgage, and after nearly 30 years of marriage still revel in one another's company. It is supposed to be a time...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A Marine officer who commanded a platoon charged with killing a civilian in Hamdania, Iraq, last year has been ordered to court-martial for the alleged assault of two other residents of the village. Lt. Gen. James Mattis, commander of the I Marine Expeditionary Force and all Marines serving in the Middle East, made the decision in the government's case against 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan last week, said Maj. Jeff Nyhart, a Marine Corps spokesman. It was announced Monday after Phan returned to Camp Pendleton following a leave and was served with the notice of court-martial, Nyhart said....

CAMP PENDLETON ---- Four Iraqis with whom Marine Corps officials were working to bring to Camp Pendleton to testify in the slaying of an Iraqi civilian last year are no longer willing to testify and will not be making the trip, a military judge was told Wednesday. Lt. Col. John Baker made the disclosure during arguments in advance of the scheduled April 23 trial of Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III. Hutchins' attorneys sought this week to suppress an implicating statement he had made to investigators, as well as to get government approval for a second trip to Iraq to interview witnesses....

CAMP PENDLETON -- A Marine sergeant accused of leading his platoon in the slaying of an Iraqi civilian last year allegedly told a government investigator he fired three bullets into the man's head immediately after conducting a "dead check" and discovering the man his squad had just shot multiple times was still alive. Naval Criminal Investigative Service Special Agent James Connolly testified Tuesday that Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III offered the information without any explanation beyond saying the victim was struggling to breathe when he fired the shots.Connolly's testimony came at the opening of a two-day motion hearing for Hutchins, who...