Stark
12-16-2009, 05:30 AM
December 15, 2009
Virginian-Pilot
A second letter of support from members of Congress has gone out on behalf of three Navy SEALs charged with mistreating an Iraqi detainee.
The latest letter, written by U.S. Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., and signed by 40 of his Republican House colleagues, asks Army Maj. Gen. C.T. Cleveland, head of Special Operations Command Central, to drop all charges against the men.
"I find it infuriating and unconscionable that the three SEALs are now undergoing court martial as a result of those allegations," Burton said in an accompanying statement. "This sends a backwards message to our men and women in the military who are charged with carrying out dangerous missions and must often use aggressive force in dealing with al Qaeda and the Taliban."
Two North Carolina representatives, Howard Coble and Sue Myrick, signed the letter. No Virginians were among the signers.
A similar letter, written by U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and signed by 32 other members of Congress, was sent to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Two of the SEALs were arraigned last week at Norfolk Naval Station. Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe is charged with assault, dereliction of duty and making a false statement to an investigator. Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas is charged with dereliction of duty, making a false statement and impeding the investigation.
They are scheduled to be court-martialed next month.
The third SEAL, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe, is charged with dereliction of duty and making a false statement. He has not yet been arraigned.
All three are assigned to SEAL Team 10 at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story.
The detainee allegedly assaulted, Ahmed Hashim Abed, is thought to be linked to the 2004 convoy ambush in Fallujah, Iraq, in which four Blackwater contractors were killed, their bodies mutilated and hung from a bridge.
Virginian-Pilot
A second letter of support from members of Congress has gone out on behalf of three Navy SEALs charged with mistreating an Iraqi detainee.
The latest letter, written by U.S. Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., and signed by 40 of his Republican House colleagues, asks Army Maj. Gen. C.T. Cleveland, head of Special Operations Command Central, to drop all charges against the men.
"I find it infuriating and unconscionable that the three SEALs are now undergoing court martial as a result of those allegations," Burton said in an accompanying statement. "This sends a backwards message to our men and women in the military who are charged with carrying out dangerous missions and must often use aggressive force in dealing with al Qaeda and the Taliban."
Two North Carolina representatives, Howard Coble and Sue Myrick, signed the letter. No Virginians were among the signers.
A similar letter, written by U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and signed by 32 other members of Congress, was sent to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Two of the SEALs were arraigned last week at Norfolk Naval Station. Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe is charged with assault, dereliction of duty and making a false statement to an investigator. Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas is charged with dereliction of duty, making a false statement and impeding the investigation.
They are scheduled to be court-martialed next month.
The third SEAL, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe, is charged with dereliction of duty and making a false statement. He has not yet been arraigned.
All three are assigned to SEAL Team 10 at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story.
The detainee allegedly assaulted, Ahmed Hashim Abed, is thought to be linked to the 2004 convoy ambush in Fallujah, Iraq, in which four Blackwater contractors were killed, their bodies mutilated and hung from a bridge.