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December 08, 2009
Two Navy SEALs Arraigned in Military Court
One of the SEALs is accused of punching the detainee after his September arrest, while the other is accused of lying to investigators. A third SEAL also accused of lying to investigators about the episode will be arraigned later.
All three men have men have received an outpouring of support from people who view them as heroes.
A Facebook page created to support the SEALs had more than 45,000 members as of Friday.
Support The Navy Seals who Captured Ahmed Hashim Abed....the Facebook page.
Two Navy SEALs Arraigned in Military Court, Accused in Mistreatment of Iraqi Suspect
NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va.
Two Navy SEALs accused in the mistreatment of an Iraqi suspect in the 2004 slayings of four U.S. contractors were arraigned in military court Monday, and one SEAL said he was gratified by support from the public and some members of Congress.
The judge scheduled courts-martial next month for Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe of Perrysburg, Ohio, and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas of Blue Island, Ill. A third SEAL will be arraigned later.
The SEALs have received an outpouring of public support on the Internet, and a California congressman has led a campaign urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates to intervene. About three dozen protesters, including the mother of one of the slain contractors, stood outside the Norfolk Naval Station gate Monday morning holding signs of support.
McCabe is accused of striking the detainee in the midsection, dereliction of duty for failing to safeguard the detainee, and lying to investigators. He deferred entering a plea until his Jan. 19 trial.
McCabe told reporters he was confident he would be exonerated.
"I feel very good about it," he said as he made his way through the crowd of supporters, shaking hands and thanking them. "The support is phenomenal. It makes us feel better, all these people being behind us."
Huertas pleaded not guilty to charges of dereliction of duty, lying to investigators and impeding an investigation. His trial was set for Jan. 11.
"He's been a hero — two tours of Iraq and one tour of Afghanistan — and now this is the thanks he gets," Huertas' civilian attorney, Monica Lombardi, told reporters after the arraignment.
Military attorneys were not available for comment.
McCabe and Huertas both deferred a decision on whether to be tried by a military judge or jury. Lombardi said they couldn't choose because they still have not received the prosecution's evidence.
The men could have accepted a nonjudicial reprimand but wanted to go to trial to clear their names, Lombardi said. A reprimand could have resulted in a loss of rank; if they are convicted at trial, they could get up to a year in jail, a bad conduct discharge, or a loss of rank or pay.
McCabe declined to talk to reporters about specifics of the case. His father, Marty McCabe of Las Vegas, said all his son did was his job.
"It just turns my stomach to have these people send him over there and put him in harm's way, and then they don't have his back when he gets home," Marty McCabe said.
Military officials have cautioned against a public rush to judgment, saying a true picture will emerge when all the evidence is heard. However, more than 45,000 people have signed onto a Facebook page supporting the SEALs, and U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., said in a letter to Gates last week that the prosecution was an overreaction by the military.
The charges stem from an alleged assault after the SEALs captured Ahmed Hashim Abed in early September. Abed is believed to be connected to the killings of four Blackwater security guards who were protecting a convoy when they were attacked by Iraqi insurgents. Their burned corpses were dragged through the city, and two of them were hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River.
Donna Zovko of Cleveland, whose son Jerry Zovko was among the slain contractors, said the prosecution of the SEALs who captured Abed was "very heartbreaking."
"For these young Navy SEALs, I am very thankful and hopeful that they will be OK," Zovko said.
Along with McCabe and Huertas, Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe of Yorktown, Va., is charged with dereliction of duty and making a false official statement. His arraignment has not been scheduled.
The SEALs, based at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Norfolk, are not in custody.
Wild Thing's comment........
The fact that this has even gone this far is an outrage, and we citizens need to pressure our lawmakers and breakers telling them that along with the ObaMoronic decision to try KSM and friends at Ground Zero this traitorous prosecution of these Navy SEALs won't fly with we already angry Americans.
Obama is the commander-in-chief. He could have stopped this travesty from happening. He is allowing SOCOM to betray our soldiers because he is the most anti-military President in history. By allowing the terrorists to have any standing and file a bogus complaint like this he is betraying these Navy SEALs.
These liberals are raping our soldiers. They are freaking tearing down our military limb from limb.
Posted by Wild Thing at December 8, 2009 01:48 AM
Comments
"McCabe is accused of striking the detainee in the midsection,"
I thought they said he had a fat lip. Kind of hard to do that with a punch in the midsection. And so what this murdering POS should have been shot on sight.
Posted by: Bob A at December 8, 2009 08:55 AM
Taking these three SEALs out of action is the same thing as if Abed had had three more American KIAs. America is following right down the same politically correct road that gutted Britain. Maybe they should have killed Abed, but he is a very valuable source of information. Of course any usable interrogation techniques are outlawed now, so I guess he just lost his "take him alive" value. Lawyers and radical activists control most of America now.
Posted by: TomR at December 8, 2009 10:52 AM
A sad situation in deed. Tragic is more likely.
It is my understanding that the Military Courts operate under a different set of procedural rules, than do the civil courts.
If this is correct, than the farther this travesty is allowed to go, than the more difficult it will be to offset.
As you say, if Our Gutless leader were to step in, it would be over in a "NewYork Minute"
Posted by: SEAN at December 8, 2009 11:03 AM
Glad to see that the US Pentagon is treating our US Navy SEALS like Nazis in Nuremburg (1946-1947)while dragging it's 'PC' heels on Soldier of Allah US Army Major Hassan's 13 murders and 30 attempted murder charges!
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at December 8, 2009 12:04 PM
Posted by: Jack at December 8, 2009 12:45 PM
Why aren't the Seals being tried in a Civilian Court. They can give that luxury to the Terrorists, why not our Servicemen. Because they know it would be tossed out as frivolous.
Posted by: Mark at December 8, 2009 03:59 PM
Thanks Jack, I will pass that around.
Posted by: Jim at December 8, 2009 04:31 PM
Jack, thank you.That is fantastic!!!
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 8, 2009 11:21 PM
Next time just drop a grenade down his pants, tell him to 'enjoy the virgins', and yell: "suicide bomber". The word TRAVESTY is not close to stong enough. They BETTER get off on this bullshit trumped up charge or there will be substantial, and measurable, backlash and it WILL affect the aggressiveness of our forces.
Posted by: pontiff alex at December 9, 2009 11:02 AM
Thanks Jack, that link is SAVED!!!
Posted by: pontiff alex at December 9, 2009 11:09 AM
