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THE LT. COL CHESSANI CASE:Good and Bad News

Gov Decides Not to Appeal Further in LtCol Chessani Case;

LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, USMC

Jeffrey Chessani had an exemplary record. He was on his third tour in Iraq as Battalion Commander
During his military career he has participated Operation Just Cause (1989 Invasion of Panama), the 1991 Gulf war and most recently the Iraq War (Operation Iraqi Freedom).

Here's the good news:

A government official has informed the Thomas More Law Center that the government will not seek to appeal the recent unanimous decision by the Navy Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals (NMCCA) in favor of LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, USMC.

The decision makes permanent the ruling by the trial court judge, Colonel Steven A. Folsom, USMC, dismissing the charges against LtCol Chessani, without prejudice, due to Unlawful Command Influence. The government could have sought an appeal to the civilian Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces (CAAF), and then to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Bad News:

LtCol Jeffrey Chessani will face a Military Board of Inquiry (BOI) before year's end to determine whether he should be demoted in rank This essentially an investigation or administrative fact finding procedure that has been around for a long, long time. The Marine Corps, except in the case of Marine Special Operations (Fox) Company, has not used this procedure since 1956.

We need to maintain the support for LtCol Jeff Chessani and his famiiy. Everyone needs to do whatever they can for this Marine, whether it is commenting on a blog, writing a letter, or reaching into our pockets to help with his defense fund. He needs to know there are a lot of people on his side that recognize his loyalty and dedication to his country..

WE MUST SUPPORT THIS GREAT HERO WHO HAS RISKED HIS LIFE FOR OUR FREEDOMS FOR 20 YEARS

The Board of Inquiry will take place at Camp Pendleton, California. Beginning the first of December it will last several weeks.

The Thomas More Law Center To Donate and read the Full Story about his case. PLEASE DO WHAT YOU CAN FOR THIS BRAVE MARINE, HIS WIFE AND SEVEN CHILDREN.

Posted by Linda Mae Croom (928) 768-3040 on 10/30/2009 01:19 AM

Comments (10)

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10 Comments on THE LT. COL CHESSANI CASE:Good and Bad News

OCT

Well what is he accused of doing Linda Mae?

Linda Mae - thanks for posting this, he, and his men, were cleared of all wrongdoing in the incident (although Congressmen Murtha convicted them without a trial). This political railroading needs to be derailed.

I donated to the Thomas More center on his behalf. Murtha is a complete fool.

Hi Linda. Just to throw in my .02 cents. I am all for supporting our brave men and women, but I am not ok with only half the story being told. We may never learn what actually happened, but there certainly seems to be evidence suggesting that our marines did engage in something other than protecting our freedoms or their own lives. Here are just a few tid bits, missing from the plea for help:

Immediately following the IED explosion, the taxi was stopped and its five Iraqi occupants were shot: "Sergeant Sanick De la Cruz, who received immunity in return for testimony, testified that he watched Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich shoot five Iraqis who were attempting to surrender. Cruz further testified that both he and Wuterich fired into the bodies of the five after they were dead, and that he had urinated on one of the dead Iraqis...No weapons were found in the white taxi"

Then, the fire power was pointed at the nearby houses. Here is a list of people who were killed:

Deaths & injuries of Iraqis in Haditha

House #1-7 killed, 2 injured (but survived), 2 escaped

1. Abdul Hamid Hassan Ali, 76-grandfather, father and husband. Died with nine rounds in the chest and abdomen.

2. Khamisa Tuma Ali, 66-wife of Abdul Hamid Hassan Ali

3. Rashid Abdul Hamid, 30.

4. Walid Abdul Hamid Hassan, 35.

5. Jahid Abdul Hamid Hassan, middle-aged man.

6. Asma Salman Rasif, 32.

7. Abdullah Walid, 4.

Injured: Iman, 8, and Abdul Rahman, 5.

Escaped: Daughter-in-law, Hiba, escaped with 2-month-old Asia

House #2-8 killed, 1 survivor: Shot at close range and attacked with grenades

8. Younis Salim Khafif, 43-husband of Aida Yasin Ahmed, father.

9. Aida Yasin Ahmed, 41-wife of Younis Salim Khafif, killed trying to shield her youngest daughter Aisha.

10. Muhammad Younis Salim, 8-son.

11. Noor Younis Salim, 14-daughter.

12. Sabaa Younis Salim, 10-daughter.

13. Zainab Younis Salim, 5-daughter.

14. Aisha Younis Salim, 3-daughter.

15. A 1-year-old girl staying with the family.

Survived: Safa Younis Salim, 13.

House #3-4 brothers killed

16. Jamal Ahmed, 41.

17. Marwan Ahmed, 28.

18. Qahtan Ahmed, 24.

19. Chasib Ahmed, 27.

Taxi-5 killed: Passengers were students at the Technical Institute in Saqlawiyah

20. Ahmed Khidher, taxi driver.

21. Akram Hamid Flayeh.

22. Khalid Ayada al-Zawi.

23. Wajdi Ayada al-Zawi.

24. Mohammed Battal Mahmoud.

Source: United for Peace and Justice^[19]

Inna,

Thank you so very much for your Update.

i spent three hours researching everything I could find before posting this and did not uncover what you have found..So i sincerely thank you for a deeper look at this..

Terry,

In order to keep my post from being way to long i simply included the link to address what he was accused of rather than state it all here.

I assumed all who are really interested in this content would further research the reason for this Marines's 4 year long dilema

Mike and Kevin,

Thanks for your comments...

I pray the right thing is done here....

My understanding is that if found Guilty by the B.O.I. he could be demoted and thereby stripped of his pension.... After 20 years of heroic service i pray he is not used by the military as a Scapegoat...... If he is found Guilty of Wrongdoing than all involved should ...

Inna,

i just went to your source and i am horrified by what i read..

While i will endlessly Support our troops Past, Present and Future and certainly would never judge any soldier in harm's way with a gun in his hand.....It does seem their could possibly be a Deep cover Up going on here......

I still find it very unfair to make a scapegoat out of one Marine.

I believe Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich has yet to be tried... I will read more about him and perhaps there will be another post about his situation....

Thanks again for the info.....

Just an added question to ALL...

This happened under the Bush administration...... Why was in not expedited in the Three years that administration could very well have convicted or exonerated these marines?

Just ONE MORE DIRTY LITTLE THING LEFT FOR THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION TO BE BLAMED FOR???

i have just been pointed to another post about LtCol Jeffrey Chessani and the "Right" is blaming Obama for this mess...NOW THAT IS REALLY CUCKooo as one conservative likes to say......

JUST SAYIN.......

Linda - I am by no means suggesting that Jeffrey Chessani needs to be hung out to dry, but I will say that I am apalled at our apparent disregard for civilian lives that are dragged into the wars we fight. Contrary to the initial report as submitted by Chessani, the civilians mostly died from head and chest wounds, i.e. they were shot at close range. To me, that means our soldiers knew they were shooting young kids and women.

I will not defend that, no matter what. I don't see how that makes us safer; only how it makes us more enemies.

Inna,

i too believe this marine should "not be hung out to dry"

But the deeper one goes the more contridictions there are................

Many news reports have contradicted Wuterich's version of events, claiming that the Marines entered several houses and deliberately killed civilians.

Besides photographic evidence of the killings provided by Iraqi journalism student Taher Thabet and testimony from a young Iraqi girl who survived by hiding described watching the Marines shoot her family members systematically.

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