Navy SEALs Found Not Guilty of Assaulting a Suspected Terrorist

[jmig]

Navy SEALs Found Not Guilty of Assaulting a Suspected Terrorist

This is news. However, if it goes political it will be closed. I will say that my opinion is that I am glad they were found not guilty. I always felt that the Navy was bending to pressure in even charging them.

I don't know and I could be wrong. Just the same, I am glad they were innocent.

The article is about the third SEAL. The other two were found not guilty earlier.


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/06/navy-seal-guilty-assaulting-suspected-terrorist/

 

[Ken Stallings]

Ultimately, for me this came down to common sense.

In World War II, if we had court martialed every dog face who slugged a POW in the solar plexus, we'd have court martialled at least 20% of our entire standing military!

Common sense must stand resolute in these matters. Even IF the SEAL had slugged the prisoner in the abs, it would not have warranted the Navy's PC-obsessed effort.

The bottom line for me is that someone who orders civilians to be gunned down, orders their bodies burned, and then orders the burned to a crisp corpses to be hung from a public road bridge, has zero credibility to bring any complaint forward.

Ken

 

[Toastmaker]

Splendid ! Charges never should have been brought to begin with.


(in before the bang. . he he)

 

[Snuffy]

:USA-flag:

Never should have made it that far ... lets hope its over with now.

View attachment 7053

 

[tigisfat]

I'm sorry this poor gentleman ever had to go through this.

 

[PRB]

Good news. Agree with all the above comments.

 

[Ken Stallings]

:USA-flag:

Never should have made it that far ... lets hope its over with now.

View attachment 7053

Any disciplinary action relative this complaint is officially over and very likely truly over. Any commander who would desire now to take any administrative action against these three would run very serious risk of Article 32 investigation against them. Frankly, I also suspect his SEAL leadership were angered about the Navy bringing the charges forward in the first place. I'm very confident these three will be returned to duty soon as possible.

Ken

 

[Astoroth]

:salute:About damn time!

These guys lay their lives on the line every day they are out in the field, and to face BS charges like that is just absurd.

 

[gigabyte]

:salute:About damn time!

These guys lay their lives on the line every day they are out in the field, and to face BS charges like that is just absurd.

It tool far too long IMHO, beside the fact that it never should of happened at all...

I do agree 100% on your statement about laying their lives on the line, all service men and women do that when ever they are in an active duty operation and this is no way to thank them - Political Correctness is out of control!

 

[kilo delta]

The bottom line for me is that someone who orders civilians to be gunned down, orders their bodies burned, and then orders the burned to a crisp corpses to be hung from a public road bridge, has zero credibility to bring any complaint forward.

Ken

Good to see common sense prevailed. Just one point though, and not to be pedantic, but I believe that the US personnel that were killed were mercenaries working for Blackwater and were not civilians per say.

 

[txnetcop]

Never should have been tried but glad the system works! YOU DO KNOW John you are just asking for it with this thread, it's good thing you are the moderator on Newshawks LOL
Ted
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[cheezyflier]

tom clancy where are you?!!!??

 

[Ken Stallings]

Good to see common sense prevailed. Just one point though, and not to be pedantic, but I believe that the US personnel that were killed were mercenaries working for Blackwater and were not civilians per say.

They were Blackwater employees, but not all of those were armed security guards. I recall these were contractors working civilian projects. That makes them unarmed civilians. Just because you take a job in another country, you don't surrender your civilian status.

Ken

 

[N2056]

I really try to stay out of the controversial threads, but I am compelled to respond to this one.

"In World War II, if we had court martialed every dog face who slugged a POW in the solar plexus, we'd have court martialled at least 20% of our entire standing military!"

Ken's reply regarding what could have been during WW2 is spot-on. Frankly I feel that 90% of the reason we are still involved in two drag-out conflicts is because we are so devoted to "political correctness".

It's a War! How hard is that to get? Gee...I'm sorry one of our guys punched you in the gut. That mentality would have got us a win during the big wars!

I'm sorry, but after spending 10 years in uniform this sort of thing just makes me sick. It should have never happened.

 

[deathfromafar]

Good to see common sense prevailed. Just one point though, and not to be pedantic, but I believe that the US personnel that were killed were mercenaries working for Blackwater and were not civilians per say.

All 4 of the Blackwater Employees killed were former US Military Members and by contract were workers of the US Dept of State as Protective Security Personnel who were conducting Forward Observation of the area they were in when they got hit. All were armed but they were ambushed.

These people and the rest of the Employees of the company formerly known as Blackwater are not mercenaries which is a term very loosely and incorrectly thrown about. They are/were US Government Civilian Contractors and their total numbers of armed personnel are normally no greater than 500 at any given time. There is a lot of horrific disinformation to outright lies floating about cyberspace about Security & Support Contracting. The US and many other NATO Governments have been using such Contractors for over 50 years now and in some cases much longer.

Glad to know these SEAL's were cleared and that some decency and spine are still left in our Military's Chain of Command.

 

[TeaSea]

Amen DFA!

About time the truth came out....mercenaries?? I don't think so. They were contracted to the U.S. State Department as security personnel. They could just have easily been janitors. They don't meet the definition of regular combatants.

They were civilians.

You cannot, on the one hand, hold contracted security personnel to the law of land warfare and yet claim they have no protections under those same rules on the other.

 

[deathfromafar]

Amen DFA!

About time the truth came out....mercenaries?? I don't think so. They were contracted to the U.S. State Department as security personnel. They could just have easily been janitors. They don't meet the definition of regular combatants.

They were civilians.

You cannot, on the one hand, hold contracted security personnel to the law of land warfare and yet claim they have no protections under those same rules on the other.

I am Blackwater Alumni, been to a few places few can pronounce the name of. The company and it's employees have received a lot of bad press and it's seems they are the target of an unrelenting group of self appointed do-gooders and prosecutors. Although there were strict ROE's placed on these types of personnel(not just Blackwater but also TC, and numerous other companies holding DOS Contracts), these folks often got caught between a rock and a hard place being engaged by insurgents and even uniformed Iraqi Army. In such a case, they have the right to engage, hold/defend, respond to assist. Sadly, you hear little or nothing about how many lives these guys have saved both VIP, Military and Civilians. All we hear about is Nisoor Square Incident which was a total lie. No one ever hears the fact that the FBI and Independent Ballistic Laboratories could not match any of the Bullets the Iraqi Government supplied that they claimed came from the victims bodies with the Blackwater Guards Rifles. The Convoy was attacked and they returned fire but the civilians were not killed by Blackwater Personnel. That's the main reason the case fell apart and will never be reinstated. Like this case against the SEAL's which should never have been brought in the first place. Now that the smoke has cleared and the mirrors broken, let the truth shine a little.

 

[OBIO]

I can not express my views on this subject in this thread...the thread would get locked, buried, burnt, paved over, have a Walmart built on top of it and I would not only be banned, but most likely duct taped to the next heavy lift rocket system heading into space. Nor can I express my views on the War on Terror (or much else related to world politics)...see above list of ramifications as they would apply equally. I did send a PM to a member who has been attacked on more than one occasion and gave him a brief run down on my views on the War on Terror and other things....felt good to share my views on these subjects with someone without fear of being booted out of my sim home.

But I will say: I am glad to hear that the Navy Seals were all cleared, that they will soon be back with their units doing what they were trained to do.

OBIO

 

[djscoo]

The guy who brought charges against the SEALs is a thug and a murderer, but that doesn't mean he has no rights. I'm glad that the trial was held, and it is good to hear that the SEALs were found not guilty. When you refuse to give any credit to the word of your prisoners, you are setting the system up for abuse.


I have a question about this though:

Petty Officer 3rd Class Kevin Demartino, who claims he saw McCabe punch the prisoner in the stomach.

Demartino did not immediately report the alleged assault to his superiors and admits to dereliction of duty. The defense suggested that since Demartino initially said nothing, then later described seeing McCabe punch Abed, he’s an unreliable witness.

I wanna know what happens to this Demartino fellow? He testified that he saw McCabe punch Abed, then McCabe is acquitted.

 

[tigisfat]

I am Blackwater Alumni, been to a few places few can pronounce the name of. The company and it's employees have received a lot of bad press and it's seems they are the target of an unrelenting group of self appointed do-gooders and prosecutors. Although there were strict ROE's placed on these types of personnel(not just Blackwater but also TC, and numerous other companies holding DOS Contracts), these folks often got caught between a rock and a hard place being engaged by insurgents and even uniformed Iraqi Army. In such a case, they have the right to engage, hold/defend, respond to assist. Sadly, you hear little or nothing about how many lives these guys have saved both VIP, Military and Civilians. All we hear about is Nisoor Square Incident which was a total lie. No one ever hears the fact that the FBI and Independent Ballistic Laboratories could not match any of the Bullets the Iraqi Government supplied that they claimed came from the victims bodies with the Blackwater Guards Rifles. The Convoy was attacked and they returned fire but the civilians were not killed by Blackwater Personnel. That's the main reason the case fell apart and will never be reinstated. Like this case against the SEAL's which should never have been brought in the first place. Now that the smoke has cleared and the mirrors broken, let the truth shine a little.

Yeah, noone talks about how responsible Blackwater actually is, and the ACTUAL ratio of coming under vs returning/initiating fire would shock people. Blackwater troops were getting shot at constantly and maintaining their cool. Blackwater was a victim of crooked politics. No WMDs? There never were? Give me a break. A few years back we shipped yellowcake to Canada, and Saddam killed 100's of thousands of Marsh Arabs and Kurds. There are entire tribes with unique dialects and ways of life that are gone forever because of Saddam.