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With 15 miles (25km) of pristine, undeveloped beachfront property in southern California, it is difficult to imagine wanting to live anywhere else. But for many of the marines at Camp Pendleton, one place beckons above all others. "Afghanistan," says Lance Cpl Alejandra Esqueda, when asked where she would like to be deployed next. "I actually look forward to it. I'm hopefully going to Afghanistan to finish what we got to do there… I've already been to Iraq. Afghanistan is the new place to be." Thirst for action Lance Cpl Esqueda is one of hundreds of marines on the beach preparing...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The government has dropped a murder charge against a Marine who pleaded guilty Tuesday to dereliction of duty for killing an unarmed Iraqi detainee during a battle to recapture the city of Fallujah. If convicted of murder, Sgt. Jermaine Nelson could have faced a maximum sentence of life in prison and a dishonorable discharge. Instead, he now faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a bad conduct discharge – one grade less than dishonorable. Defense attorney Joseph Low told reporters the plea agreement says Nelson will not serve any prison time and will...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- The murder and dereliction of duty trial for the last of three defendants charged with killing an unarmed detainee during a 2004 battle for what was then the insurgent-held Iraqi city of Fallujah gets under way Tuesday in a base courtroom. Sgt. Jermaine Nelson is accused of killing an unnamed detainee he and members of his Camp Pendleton squad captured in the opening hours of the battle that began on Nov. 9, 2004. Two co-defendants, former Marine sergeants Ryan Weemer and Jose L. Nazario Jr., were acquitted in separate trials for the same alleged offense. (snip) Nazario,...

SAN DIEGO - The Pentagon released the name Wednesday of a 30-year-old Camp Pendleton-based Marine Corps officer killed in combat in Afghanistan. Capt. Joshua Meadows of Bastrop, Texas, died in Farah Province on Saturday, according to the Department of Defense. Meadows was a member of 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.

A military appeals court has ruled against CBS in a battle over unaired portions of a "60 Minutes" interview with a key figure in the 2005 slaying of 24 Iraqis in the city of Haditha. The U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Appeals rejected the network's claim of reporter privilege in its battle with Marine Corps prosecutors who want access to the outtakes of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich's interview. Wuterich is charged with nine counts of voluntary manslaughter and related offenses in the incident that was triggered by a roadside bombing that killed one Marine and injured two others. His case...

The Marine Corps has decided not to seek to reinstate criminal charges against a former battalion commander at Camp Pendleton for a 2005 incident in which his troops killed 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq. Chessani Instead, the Marine Corps will convene a Board of Inquiry to hear testimony and recommend whether Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani should be demoted to major for purposes of retirement. Even if such a recommendation is made and then accepted by the Secretary of the Navy, Chessani's retirement pay would still be based on being a lieutenant colonel. The Marine Corps had sought to try Chessani...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- While artillery men generally consider blowing things up a slice of heaven, the loud booms emanating from Camp Pendleton day and night of late has left many outside the gates saying they are experiencing a slice of hell. "I don't object to noise during normal hours and I don't mind it up until about 10 p.m., but they need to have a little consideration for people who need peace and quiet so they can sleep," said Allen Mortend, a longtime Oceanside resident who lives just outside the base gates. Base officials say they have received dozens of...

EXCLUSIVE: Anguish continues for parents of convicted Marine Larry and Kathi Hutchins are still in a nightmarish world that began in 2006 when they learned their son and his squad of Camp Pendleton Marines were charged with kidnapping and killing an Iraqi civilian. "It's been hard because we haven't been able to protect our child," Kathi Hutchins said during an interview just outside the military base's gates Friday. "But we'll be there forever for him." On Tuesday, former Sgt. and now Pvt. Larry Hutchins III is due back inside a Camp Pendleton courtroom for the first time since he was...

Animal-rights activists plan to protest today against Camp Pendleton's use of live pigs in medical training for troops that they argue is antiquated and cruel but officials call life-saving. The demonstration comes on the heels of published reports that the base last week trained Marines at an avocado ranch in northeastern San Diego County owned by a retired Marine who is also an Escondido police officer. During the training, according to news accounts, 2- to 3-month-old pigs ranging from 140 to 200 pounds were sedated before instructors used scalpels to inflict wounds and then watched as Marines worked to keep...

A group of retired Marines is rallying behind Sgt. Jermaine Nelson, the last of three Marines to face trial in the killing of unarmed prisoners during a battle in Fallouja, Iraq, in November 2004. Two other defendants have been found innocent: former Sgt. Jose Nazario in federal court in August, and Sgt. Ryan Weemer in a court-martial at Camp Pendleton in April. Nelson's case is set for a pretrial hearing Monday at Camp Pendleton. He stands accused of unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty. Calls for the charges to be dropped have come from retired Col. G.I. Wilson; William McNulty...

Marine free after conviction tossed out Rape charge led to decade in prison By Rick Rogers (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer 2:00 a.m. March 14, 2009 Brian Foster After spending a decade behind bars, a former Camp Pendleton Marine is now a free man because a military appeals court ruled that “a muddled, hearsay-based case” caused his spousal-rape conviction. But anyone who thinks Brian Foster is bitter would be wrong. As Foster left the prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., on Feb. 20, he picked up his sergeant stripes and spoke candidly with his superiors. “I told (them) I was happy to...

A military jury on Thursday acquitted a Marine sergeant on charges of murdering an unarmed detainee during battle in Fallujah, Iraq.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – A military jury has acquitted an Illinois Marine sergeant on charges of murdering an unarmed detainee during battle in Fallujah, Iraq. The jury of eight Marines who served in Iraq or Afghanistan also acquitted Sgt. Ryan Weemer on Thursday of dereliction of duty in the November 2004 death.

Gunny G Inquiry: Re POTUS Richard M. Nixon At Pendleton Parade Ground - Fallen Through The Cracks of History? Re Overjoyed troops swarm Obama as he makes first presidential visit to Baghdad http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2224637/posts ***** Re POTUS Richard M. Nixon At Pendleton Parade Ground - Fallen Through The Cracks of History? Well….let me just say I have some doubts as to the above “Baghdad” headline… But it does serve to remind me of April 30, 1971–I think that date is correct, and the occasion was probably the return of the 1st Marine Division to Camp Pendleton, California from the RVN. Does...

CAMP PENDLETON ----- Eight Marine Corps officers are weighing the fate of a sergeant accused of killing an Iraqi insurgent prisoner of war in what a prosecutor acknowledged is a "tough case." The panel is deciding whether 26-year-old Sgt. Ryan Weemer committed murder, as the prosecution alleges, or acted in self-defense, as the Illinois native's attorney contends. At minimum, prosecutor Capt. Nicholas Gannon told jurors Wednesday that Weemer is guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the 2004 incident that occurred in the opening hours of an intense, door-to-door fight for the Anbar province city of Fallujah.

CAMP PENDLETON ---- After failing to convict the first of three men to face trial in the alleged slaying of four insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004, authorities will try again next week when Sgt. Ryan Weemer goes on trial. Weemer, the man at the center of the case, faces charges of unpremeditated murder and failing to adhere to the military's rules governing the treatment of captured enemy combatants. He has pleaded not guilty. Weemer was part of a squad from the base's 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment that is alleged to have encountered four suspected insurgents during the search...

After spending a decade behind bars, a former Camp Pendleton Marine is now a free man because a military appeals court ruled that “a muddled, hearsay-based case” caused his spousal-rape conviction. But anyone who thinks Brian Foster is bitter would be wrong. As Foster left the prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., on Feb. 20, he picked up his sergeant stripes and spoke candidly with his superiors. “I told (them) I was happy to be back in the Marine Corps and that I'll go anywhere and do anything the Marine Corps wants me to,” Foster, 35, said during a phone interview...

Finding supports rights of press over prosecutor's desire for all of '60 Minutes' Wuterich interview CAMP PENDLETON ---- CBS prevailed Thursday in a battle with Marine prosecutors who wanted all the network's unaired tapes from an interview with the key figure in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in 2005. A military judge granted the network's request to deny a subpoena seeking all the outtakes from a "60 Minutes" interview with Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich first broadcast in 2007. The judge, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meeks, ruled that forcing the network to hand over that material would place the network in...

Pentagon officials looking at possible relocation sites for Guantanamo detainees toured California’s Camp Pendleton brig on Dec. 11, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Tuesday. Republican congressman Duncan Hunter told the paper that Marine commanders told him about the Dec. 11 inspection. The freshman congressman, who served combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan before leaving the Marine Corps in December 2007, has introduced a bill to bar the transfer of terrorism suspects from Guantanamo to San Diego County. "To find out about the visit [to Camp Pendleton] from the Marine Corps and not the Department of Defense tells me they are...

The U.S. military has prepared a list of U.S. military bases that could be used to house as many as 250 detainees currently being held at the U.S. Naval base in Guantanamo Bay, military officials tell ABCNews.com. The list -- which includes Camp Pendleton in California, Fort Leavenworth in Kansas; the Marine Air Station in Miramar, California; and the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig in South Carolina -- has been circulated in a classified brief to members of Congress and was prepared by the Pentagon's Joint Staff. President-elect Barack Obama is expected to order that the Guantanamo Bay detainee facility be...

Camp Pendleton is apparently on the list of potential new homes for Guantanamo Bay detainees if and when President-elect Barack Obama makes good on his campaign promise to close the terrorist detention center. The Associated Press is reporting that Obama will issue an executive order during his first week in office. As soon as he signs it the new administration will have to figure out what to do with the 250 al Qaeda and Taliban combatants. And three House members from San Diego put Defense Secretary Bob Gates on notice this week that they don’t want to see Pendleton as...

Vice President Dick Cheney will drop in today at Camp Pendleton for a visit with servicemen and women before speaking at a fundraiser for Republican Congressman Ken Calvert in San Clemente. "The vice president will attend a briefing with military officials at Camp Pendleton," said the Office of the Vice President. He will not be making any remarks to the media during the visit. Democrats, meanwhile, are planning a protest march in San Clemente, where later in the day Cheney will help raise money for Calvert, R-Corona, who is running for re-election in November. While the Office of the Vice...

(Published July 10, 2008) CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Marine Sgt. Ryan Weemer hoped his battle experience in Fallujah and other Iraqi hot zones would pave the way to a job in the Secret Service. Instead, the 25-year-old is among three Marines charged with murdering unarmed captives in November 2004, during some of the heaviest house-to-house fighting of the Iraq war. ADVERTISEMENT Cracking the Code of Sexual Chemistry and Attraction Still Time to Slim Down for Summer More Scholarships for Working Moms Going Back to College Weemer is due in a Camp Pendleton courtroom Thursday for a daylong preliminary hearing, known...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- The killing of four unarmed detainees during a battle for Fallujah nearly four years ago is the focus of a hearing this week for a Marine sergeant charged with one of the slayings. Sgt. Ryan Weemer is accused of murder and six counts of dereliction of duty in the incident that authorities say took place during the height of fighting for what was then an insurgent stronghold in Iraq's Anbar province. The hearing, scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Thursday, is the latest chapter in a series of cases involving Camp Pendleton troops charged with unlawful killings...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A Marine sniper has been charged with two counts of voluntary manslaughter in the June 2007 deaths of two civilians in Iraq. The sniper, Sgt. John Winnick II, faces additional accusations of aggravated assault against two other civilians and failing to adhere to the military's rules of engagement. The charges represent the fifth case involving alleged unlawful killings in Iraq to have been brought against Camp Pendleton Marines since the U.S. invasion in March 2003. A hearing for Winnick will take place at Camp Pendleton this summer to determine if the charges against him should stand. The...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- After spending more than a week in jail for refusing to answer a grand jury's questions, a Marine accused of killing a suspected insurgent detainee in the Iraqi city of Fallujah in 2004 was arraigned in a base courtroom Wednesday morning. Sgt. Jermaine Nelson said during the 25-minute hearing that he would enter a plea to charges of murder and dereliction of duty at a later date. Nelson said little else during the session conducted by Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meeks, the military judge now assigned to the case. Nelson and two others, former Marine Jose L. Nazario...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- Military prosecutors will call on Marine Gen. James Mattis to testify Monday about whether a lower-ranking officer improperly influenced his decision to file criminal charges against a Marine tied to the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, a civilian defense attorney said Friday. Mattis is in charge of U.S. Joint Forces Command, and also is the supreme allied commander in charge of military modernization for NATO. It is rare for a four-star general to testify in a court-martial or pretrial proceedings. Lt. Col. Sean Gibson, a Marine Corps spokesman for the Haditha trials, would not confirm...

ANN ARBOR, MI – Military prosecutors are expected to call as their witness General James N. Mattis, a highly respected Marine officer and one of only a handful of four-star Marine generals, to testify in the court-martial hearing against LtCol Jeffrey Chessani on June 2, 2008, at Camp Pendleton, California. http://www.thomasmore.org/qry/page.taf?id=63

Charges dropped; lance corporal also granted full immunityCAMP PENDLETON – The Marine Corps yesterday dismissed all charges against a lance corporal who took part in the killing of 24 civilians more than two years ago in Haditha, Iraq. Stephen Tatum had been charged with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. The dropping of those charges occurred during a hearing at Camp Pendleton, shortly before jury selection was to begin in Tatum's court-martial. The government also granted full immunity to Tatum, perhaps to encourage him to testify against his squad leader, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich. In recent weeks, it has...

Two Indian soldiers have gone missing from a military base in California where they were participating in joint training exercises with US troops, the State Department said Friday. "We can confirm reports that two Indian soldiers disappeared from Camp Pendleton during a training assignment," the State Department said in a statement. India's consulate in San Francisco requested assistance from the US Office of Foreign Missions in Los Angeles to help track down the pair. "We are working with the Department of Defense, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies, to provide the Indian government with all the help...

Haditha Charges Against Tatum Dropped Friday, March 28, 2008 12:36 PM By: Nat Helms CAMP PENDLETON -- Charges against Lance Corporal Stephen B. Tatum, 26, for his alleged involvement in the death of Iraqi civillians in Haditha, Iraq on Nov. 19, 2005, were dismissed today. Charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and aggravated assault were referred to general court marshal Oct. 19, 2007 Marine Corps Spokesman Lt. Col. Sean Gibson said the charge were dismissed to “continue to pursue the truth-seeking process into the Haditha incident.” There will be a further explanation forthcoming from military officials. © 2008 Newsmax. All...

Charges against a US Marine allegedly involved in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha were dropped on Friday ahead of his trial, the military said in a statement. A court martial for lance corporal Stephen Tatum had been due to start on Friday on charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault. However in a statement released from the Marines Camp Pendleton base outside San Diego, the military said the charges had been dismissed "in order to continue to pursue the truth seeking process into the Haditha incident." It was not immediately clear if...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The Marine Corps dropped its case and gave full immunity Friday to a serviceman who was accused of involuntary manslaughter in a squad's killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005. The case against Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, 26, of Edmond, Okla., was dropped as jury selection was about to begin for his court-martial. The government has been seeking Tatum's testimony against the squad leader, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich of Meriden, Conn. In addition to two counts of involuntary manslaughter, Tatum had been charged with reckless endangerment and aggravated assault. Tatum's attorney, Jack Zimmerman, said there...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The Marine Corps is dropping all charges against a lance corporal who was accused of involuntary manslaughter in a squad's killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005. The Marines dropped the case against 26-year-old Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum today as jury selection was about to begin for his court-martial at Camp Pendleton. He had also been charged with reckless endangerment and aggravated assault. The case against Tatum stemmed from a squad's assault in response to a roadside bombing of a convoy that killed one Marine and wounded two others. The government says a sergeant and...

CAMP PENDLETON -- A court hearing is scheduled to begin Friday in the case of three Marines charged with killing prisoners during the 2004 battle for Fallujah, Iraq. Sgt. Jermaine Nelson is accused of murder and dereliction of duty for his alleged role in the incident, which took place on Nov. 9, 2004, according to Marine Corps officials. Prosecutors say that Nelson and two other members of his squad shot four unarmed prisoners captured during a fight to wrest the city from insurgent control. Attorneys representing the accused troops contend there is no evidence beyond a statement from one of...

SAN DIEGO -- A Camp Pendleton Marine has been charged with murder and dereliction of duty for his alleged role three years ago in the killing of a detainee in Fallujah, Iraq. Sgt. Ryan Weemer on Tuesday became the third person charged in the case that centers on allegations that a Marine squad shot a group of unarmed captives during heavy fighting in November 2004. The case came to light when the 25-year-old Weemer applied for a job with the Secret Service. Investigators claim Weemer described the killing during a polygraph test that included a question about whether he had...

Cpl. Eric A. Otero, a squad leader with Company B, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, hugs his daughter Kiali, 3, after returning Feb. 12 from a seven-month deployment. MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Feb. 21, 2008) -- Wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, and other friends were among the excited greeters waiting for the return of Marines from 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Feb. 12 at the battalion’s home at 53 Area, Camp Horno. Flags waved and children played on the parade deck behind the headquarters building for 1/1 – the “First of the First� – who were drawing to...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Feb. 20, 2008 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stopped in here yesterday to see how the Marines Corps treats its wounded warriors. U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with Marine Cpl. Giovanni Morales, a resident at the Wounded Warrior Battalion West at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Feb. 19, 2008. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen visited the Wounded Warrior Battalion West facilities and spoke to wounded Marines in the program. The battalion...

Marine Cpl. Sean Stokes was almost pathologically reluctant to accept praise, even though his courage on the battlefield saved fellow Marines' lives and was chronicled in a book. He might have been embarrassed, then, by a ceremony at Camp Pendleton Wednesday awarding him the third-highest award for combat valor. But Stokes wasn't there to receive his Silver Star, awarded for his actions during the battle of Fallujah in 2004. The Northern California native was killed last summer during his third tour of duty in Iraq, two weeks after learning he would receive the medal. Stokes, who died at age 23,...

Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies militaryand the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Camp Pendleton History Marine Corps Air Station Please remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.

CAMP PENDLETON - A military hearing officer said Saturday he has serious doubts over the validity of criminal charges filed against a Marine lieutenant in the aftermath of the slaying of 24 Iraqi civilians two years ago. The hearing officer, Col. Robert Stahlman, said that if 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson was guilty of dereliction of duty for not ordering an investigation into the slayings, numerous other members of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment command staff should have been similarly charged. "I would have expected everyone in that battalion would have been charged and obviously that didn't happen," Stahlman said....

Marine Corps' Middle East commander getting new job and fourth star CAMP PENDLETON -- The Defense Department formally announced Tuesday that Camp Pendleton's Lt. Gen. James Mattis has been nominated by President Bush for a fourth star and appointment to the Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Va. Mattis has led the base's 25,000-member I Marine Expeditionary Force and served as commander of Marine Corps forces throughout the Middle East since August of last year. He also served as the convening authority over war crime cases involving Marines in Iraq, a duty that he will pass to his successor. The U.S....

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A murder charge against a Marine sergeant accused of killing a captured man in Iraq in 2004 has been dropped. The Marine Corps announced this morning that an unpremeditated murder charge filed last month against Sgt. Jermaine A. Nelson has been dropped but could be refiled. Lt. Gen. James Mattis, head of Marine Corps Forces in the Middle East, ordered the dismissal pending his review of a probe into the alleged killing of four detainees during a battle in Fallujah on Nov. 9, 2004, according to a statement issued this morning at Camp Pendleton. "Mattis dismissed the...

All passengers on an American Airlines overnight flight to Chicago were ordered off a plane after complaints about a group of Arabic-speaking Iraqi men who were on their way home to Detroit. The incident forced passengers to stay overnight. The six Iraqi passengers had been training U.S. Marines at Camp Pendleton and worked for Defense Training Systems, a unit of the Alaska-based International Logistics Services Corp., said Dave Stephens, the company's chief executive officer. "They did nothing wrong," Stephens said Wednesday. A company press release called it "an unfortunate situation for all flight passengers."

CAMP PENDLETON ---- The Marine Corps announced Monday it has charged a sergeant with unpremeditated murder for the killing of an Iraqi detainee in Fallujah in 2004. Sgt. Jermaine A. Nelson is the second person charged in the case in which four detainees were killed. The incident was first reported in the North County Times in late June. A Marine Corps spokesman stressed that Nelson is considered innocent until findings show otherwise, adding that leadership at Camp Pendleton is committed to fully investigating alleged acts of wrongdoing in Iraq. "Our message is to tell the citizens of the United States...

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 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 — 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...

Marine Col. Patrick Malay listens Monday to cultural instructor Joe Harris, who teaches Iraqi culture to Marines on Camp Pendleton.CAMP PENDLETON ---- Shake hands only with your right hand. Never set down your cup of coffee unless you want to insult your host. Shame and honor are very important to Iraqi Bedouin culture. Tribalism is the bedrock of Iraq, but jobs and security can transcend blood ties. Those were just a few of the messages that Marines from Camp Pendleton's 5th Marine Regiment started hearing Monday in a weeklong session of Iraqi cultural training. The training is aimed at making...

Haditha Hero- L/Cpl Stephen Tatum I know these men. Wuterich, Tatum, Chessani, Stone, Grayson and McConnell. When I look into the eyes of my son, L/Cpl Justin Sharratt, I see them. They tell me, sleep well tonight Mr. Sharratt, we will keep you safe. It is the duty entrusted to us, a duty in which we will not falter. They don’t want medals, they don’t want gold. They need our support. On Monday 16 July 2007, L/Cpl Stephen Tatum will face an Article 32 hearing questioning his actions in Haditha, Iraq. Stephen and his family will face his accusers, the...