"So in the Libyan fable it is told
That once an eagle, stricken with a dart,
Said, when he saw the fashion of the shaft,
'With our own feathers, not by others' hands
Are we now smitten"

-Aeschylus

Kerry Does Much to Malign The Purple Heart's Significance

Rick Erickson
Men's News Daily - Guerneville, CA

Except Kerry-Edwards, no one denies that better men and women than Senator Kerry received Purple Hearts.

Hicks fair trial fears

Wodonga Border Mail - Albury, New South Wales, Australia

...concern rises over whether [Hicks will] get a fair trial.

G.I. Says Prisoner Humiliation Encouraged

The Associated Press | My Way News

"They said 'put the dogs on these prisoners, try to get more information from them, take their food away, their clothes - humiliate them,'"

Reporters Offered Look Inside Combatant Status Review Tribunals

Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service - DefenseLINK News

DoD is convening Combatant Status Review Tribunals within the Camp Delta prison complex to determine individually if detainees are properly classified as illegal combatants.

In-depth analysis...an important read!

Swift Boat Vets relive John Kerry's Genghis "Con"

Doug Schmitz
Michnews.com - Troy, MI

Sampling of vets bares a split vote

But many deplore Vietnam War focus

Lou Mitchell - Staff Reporter
Buffalo News - NY

"I'm just not going to vote," she said.

MILITARY VOTE 2004 ~ Opinion

Jane Lichtenberg
Indianapolis Star - IN

Americans overseas want their votes to count

Many voters, both Democrats and Republicans, consider the 2004 presidential election a referendum on Bush's Iraq war policy. No one has more of a stake in this than military personnel serving in Iraq.

Trial to begin for guardsman accused of trying to help al-Qaida

Melanthia Mitchell - AP Writer
The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Anderson's court martial is set to begin Monday at the Army's Fort Lewis. It is expected to last five days.

Editorial

Want a court-martial with that?

Dan Moffett - Editorial Writer
Palm Beach Post - FL

...investigators concluded that the interrogation techniques at Guantanamo were approved for use in the Iraqi prison by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top commander in Iraq.

Article 32 hearing set to resume Monday

Experts doubt developments in abuse scandal would help England

Allen G. Breed - AP Writer
The Associated Press | Charleston Daily Mail - Charleston, WV

England's attorneys say she is being made a scapegoat for systemic failures that stretch to the military's highest echelons.

The Draft...

Who can serve on the draft board? You

Percy Ednalino - Staff Writer
Visalia Times-Delta - CA

Those who want to serve on draft boards must fill out an application, which can be completed online at the, Selective Service's Web site.

MILITARY VOTE 2004

Campaigns raise profile of vets

Paul Carrier - Writer
Portland Press Herald

The nation remains at war and the death toll continues to mount, assuring that the military will hold center stage in this election year.

OUCH!! Air force general gets top pacific command!!

Inside the Ring

Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough
The Washington Times

Gen. Martin aced out at least one Navy admiral for the job, and the Navy is said to be upset that the key post went to an Air Force general and not an admiral.

Accused airman’s fellow translators not told about classified material

Halabi’s lawyer hopes testimony will debunk Air Force’s case

Nicole Gaudiano - Staff Writer
Marine Corps Times

Other witnesses on the list include two Guantanamo detainees — one being David Hicks, the accused Australian terrorist whose military tribunal trial is ongoing — and the wife of Army Chaplain (Capt.) James Yee, who had been accused of spying but was never charged with it.

A forgery? Say it ain't so!!

Kerry citation a 'total mystery' to ex-Navy chief

Thomas Lipscomb (chairman of the Center for the Digital Future in New York)
The Chicago Sun-Times

I never saw it. I never signed it. I never approved it. And the additional language it contains was not written by me..."

USS Germantown sailors in hot water

The Associated Press | San Francisco Chronicle - CA

The sailors from the amphibious dock landing ship Germantown faked marriages with civilians or presented false Mexican marriage certificates to obtain military housing allowances available only to married personnel, single parents with dependents, officers and senior enlisted personnel..."

Opinion

Kerry aided Communists

Kathleen Antrim
San Francisco Examiner

"Additionally, (meeting with the communists) as a commissioned officer of the Naval Reserve," Farrell said, "Senator Kerry violated Article 104 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice."

Question: Fair Trials?
Answer: NO!

Mixed media: Justice for all

Assorted News outlets | New Zealand Herald - Auckland

Pre-trial hearings at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, of prisoners taken in the US "war on terrorism" are "designed to convict..."

MILITARY VOTE 2004 - MISSOURI Veterans...

New Voting Option for Missouri Military Personnel

Kansas City infoZine - MO

Secretary of State Matt Blunt announced that Missourians serving in designated combat locations overseas will have the option of having their ballots scanned and e-mailed to the United States Department of Defense (USDoD) who will in turn fax them to the military voter's local election official.

Rumsfeld deflects blame on prison abuse scandal

Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services | Arizona Daily Sun

"If you're the secretary of defense and something happens in your area of responsibility, you simply have to accept that responsibility," he said. "What happened should not have happened."

Commander weighing courts-martial for three Fort Carson soldiers

The Associated Press | KLTV 7 Tyler-Longview-Jacksonville, TX

The soldiers are accused of making two Iraqis jump into the Tigris River after they were picked up for a curfew violations.

Defense raises issue in the death of Iraqi

Alex Roth - Staff Writer
The San Diego Union Tribune

Prosecutors have said the Marines singled out Hatab for harsh treatment because he was suspected of helping in the ambush of Army Private Jessica Lynch's convoy.

Guantanamo coverage to be restricted

US will impose curbs on media

Charlie Savage
The Boston Globe

Facing skepticism about whether the commissions will be just, the military has repeatedly cited the presence of observers to demonstrate a commitment to fairness.

Key hearing delayed for Robins airman charged with murder, attempted murder

Gene Rector - Staff Writer
Macon Telegraph - GA

The military system - governed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice - operates on a four-month time clock, which would normally call for a trial date in early November.

"So in the Libyan fable it is told
That once an eagle, stricken with a dart,
Said, when he saw the fashion of the shaft,
'With our own feathers, not by others' hands
Are we now smitten"

-Aeschylus

RADM Schachte went on to become, for a time, the Navy's Judge Advocate General

Admiral speaks out, disputes Kerry's account of 1st wound

Robert Novak
The Chicago Sun Times - Columnist

Schachte until now has refused to speak out publicly on this question and agreed to give only two interviews. One was a television interview with Lisa Meyers of NBC News, for broadcast Thursday night. The second was a print interview with me, for publication today.

Courtesy ORBUSMAX.com

Admiral comes forward to dispute Kerry medal

Insists he was in boat with future senator, wound self-inflicted, not from enemy fire

WorldNetDaily

Retired Rear Adm. William L. Schachte Jr. has come forward to dispute John Kerry's contention that his first Purple Heart resulted from enemy fire.

Editorial: Abu Ghraib/The big fish shouldn't get off

Minneapolis Star Tribune - MN

It is obscene that a handful of young men and women should now face courts-martial while the top civilian and military brass at the Pentagon get off scot-free.

But no generals face charges...

Report Is Likely to Prompt Criminal Charges

Adam Liptak
The New York Times

The next round of charges are likely to be filed against military intelligence soldiers.

Hold officials accountable

James Ross, Human Rights Watch
USA Today

Left unsaid is what should be done about the administration officials, lawyers and military officers who drafted the memos that overturned longstanding U.S. military rules and practice and created the environment in which abusing prisoners became permissible.

Prisoner-abuse report cites poor planning, leadership

Dave Moniz
USA Today

The report Wednesday by Army Maj. Gen. George Fay and Lt. Gen. Anthony Jones, and the release Tuesday of the independent Schlesinger commission's report on prison policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, offer the most detailed analyses so far of a scandal that has damaged America's reputation, tarnished the military's standing and ruined dozens of military careers.

MILITARY VOTE 2004 ~ Silencing their voices one vote at a time...

Election Day Comes Early

CBS News

...earlier this year, the Pentagon canceled Internet voting that would have involved as many as 100,000 military and overseas citizens from seven states in November.

JAG Hunter down here: Pentagon "cubicles" have had nearly four years to resolve the problem of providing soldiers and sailors in the field access to the voting booth.

Media-Ready Crib Sheet

Peter Kirsanow on John Kerry & Election 2004
National Review Online

7. You acknowledge meeting with representatives of North Vietnam and the Viet Cong in Paris in 1970. Afterward you urged Congress to accept the North Vietnamese proposals. Please explain how this wasn't a violation of the Logan Act and, if you were still in the Naval Reserves at that time, how it wasn't a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice prohibiting unauthorized communications with the enemy[?]

Opinion

Guantanamo abuses amount to war crimes

Sheryl McCarthy
Newsday

The legal abuses of Guantanamo Bay, like the physical and emotional abuses at Abu Ghraib, are war crimes that can't be written off as necessary to keep us safe.

Kerry faults leaders in prison abuse

Nedra Pickler
The Associated Press | Indianapolis Star - IN

"What is also normal is that you have accountability that runs through the civilian command, and it is absolutely left out of those reports. It's absent."

Fresh legal challenges at Guantanamo Bay

RTE Interactive - Ireland

These motions question the legality of the entire process

US admits 'bounty hunter' contact

Andrew North
BBC NEWS | South Asia

One name he mentioned was Heather Anderson, the Pentagon's Acting Director of Security, who answers to the chief official responsible for intelligence matters in the office of Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary.

Op-Ed

Holding the Pentagon Accountable: For Abu Ghraib

The New York Times Editorial Board

Another report, from a civilian panel picked by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, offers the dedicated reader a dotted line from President Bush's decision to declare Iraq a front in the war against terror, to government lawyers finding ways to circumvent the Geneva Conventions, to Mr. Rumsfeld's bungled planning of the occupation and understaffing of the ground forces in Iraq, to the hideous events at Abu Ghraib prison.

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba

Aussie detainee at Guantanamo pleads innocent to war crimes

The Associated Press | News 14 Carolina - Raleigh, NC

Hicks will be tried before a US military commission in January and could be sentenced to life in prison if he's convicted.

Investigators recommend criminal charges in Abu Ghraib prison scandal

Katherine McIntire Peters
GovExec.com

"Were there more? We don't know," said Kern. "Without records, it's hard to document." The investigators recommended that both the Defense Department inspector general and the CIA inspector general begin inquiries. In addition, Kern said "more than one other federal agency is potentially involved."

Case by case...

US Iraq Prison Abuse Incidents

The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Army investigation report into abuses by military intelligence personnel at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq describes 44 separate incidents of suspected mistreatment. They include these cases that were not previously detailed:

"A few of the abuses amounted to torture..."

Iraq Prison Probe Faults Intelligence Unit

John J. Lumpkin
The Associated Press | My Way News

Officers in charge of the prison were negligent in the training and management of their troops, and some may face criminal charges...

WIDESPREAD MISCONDUCT!!

General Says U.S. Forces Tortured Iraqis in Jail

Will Dunham
Reuters

There were a few instances where torture was being used," Army Maj. Gen. George Fay told a Pentagon briefing on his investigation with Lt. Gen. Anthony Jones into the role of military intelligence personnel in the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, on the outskirts of Baghdad.

Osan AFB, South Korea

Osan airman gets jail time, BCD for child porn

Franklin Fisher
Pacific edition | Stars & Stripes

The court-martial of Senior Airman Chad A. Hackfort, 25, of Osan’s 51st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, lasted about three hours before Air Force Col. Steven A. Hatfield, chief military judge of the Pacific Circuit from Yokota Air Base, Japan.

Blame extends to top for faulty war execution

Peter Grier and Faye Bowers - Staff Writers
The Christian Science Monitor

The issue has returned to headlines this week due to several factors: In Germany, court proceedings against some of the lower-level soldiers charged with abuse have reached turning points, and in Washington, two panels charged with investigating Abu Ghraib have made their findings public.

Australian Detainee's Hearing Begins

Paisley Dodds
The Associated Press | My Way News

David Hicks, 29, arrived at the preliminary hearing wearing a dark gray suit and tie, and sat expressionless as charges were read to him, including conspiracy to commit war crimes, as well as aiding the enemy and attempted murder for allegedly firing at U.S. or coalition forces.

Intel Unit Members Faulted in Iraq Abuse

John J. Lumpkin
The Associated Press | My Way News

"We discovered serious misconduct and a loss of moral values," said Gen. Paul Kern, the head of the investigation, while briefing reporters at the Pentagon. Kern and other officials on Wednesday detailed the results of the investigation, commonly called the Fay report, after one of the chief investigators.

“From the bottom of the chain of command all the way to the top, there needs to be accountability."

Kerry Calls for Rumsfeld to Quit

Press Association News | Scotsman.com News (Scottish news direct from Scotland)

“It’s not just the little person at the bottom who ought to pay the price of responsibility,” Kerry said at a Philadelphia union hall. “The buck doesn’t stop at the Pentagon.”

Trial starts for Marine in jail death of an Iraqi

Alex Roth
San Diego Union Tribune

It is the only known case in which Marines have been court-martialed in the death of a prisoner during the war in Iraq. Two other Marines face hearings in the case next month.

Reinstating the draft

Officials in Washington dismiss talk but concerns about conscription remain

Janice Gallagher
Kentucky Post - Covington, KY

The United States hasn't had a draft since 1973, when it was abolished during the latter months of the Vietnam War.

Remember...Military bad...Democrats good!

Teens get training for conscientious objector status

In event of draft, they'll be ready

Samara Kalk Derby
The Capital Times - Madison, WI

Many of those at the event watched "Blood Makes the Grass Grow: Conscientious Objectors and the Gulf War," a 45-minute documentary about four men and two women who were among the 2,500 United States soldiers who attempted to become conscientious objectors during that 1991 war.

Schandenfreude?

European Press Review: Trouble for Schröder and Rumsfeld

Deutsche Welle - Germany

Germany's domestic woes and the shortcomings of American military justice and are two of the topics taken up by leading European editorialists on Wednesday.

The message: Military bad...Democrats good!! "Threatening" a draft!

Mailing uses military draft to lure voters

The Associated Press | Richmond Times Dispatch - Richmond, VA

A state Democratic Party effort to sign up new voters mixes images of a military draft notice with a voter registration form, calling on people to make a choice.

MILITARY VOTE 2004: Silencing their voices...one vote at a time!

King: State law prohibits military from getting ballots over Web

WKRN - Nashville, TN

Alabama soldiers won't be able to use an Internet-based system to obtain absentee ballots for this fall's election.

Judge Nixes Rumsfeld Query in Abuse Case

David Rising
The Associated Press | My Way News

The U.S. military judge hearing charges of prisoner abuse at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison rejected a request Tuesday for Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld to submit to an interview, but said he would reconsider if the defense could show a Rumsfeld link to the case.

Judge orders Afghan abuse suspect's release

Kevin Maurer
Fayetteville Online - Fayetteville NC

Passaro, 38, was part of a paramilitary team of CIA operatives and Special Forces soldiers who captured and questioned members of al-Qaida and the Taliban. He is accused of beating a prisoner with a flashlight while working in Afghanistan. The prisoner died.

Bin Laden Driver Charged at Guantanamo

Paisley Dodds
The Associated Press | My Way News

Osama bin Laden's chauffeur was formally charged Tuesday at the first U.S. military tribunal to convene since World War II, and the defendant's lawyer quickly challenged the process as unfair and questioned the panel's impartiality.

Abu Ghraib Report Faults Top Officials

Robert Burns
The Associated Press | My Way News

...senior commanders and top-level Pentagon officials including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld can be faulted for failed leadership and oversight...

Court-martial panel quizzed in alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoner

Alex Roth - Staff Writer
San Diego Union Tribune

The questions came yesterday as the judge and lawyers began picking a panel to hear evidence against Sgt. Gary Pittman, 40, a reservist charged with assault and dereliction of duty in the death of an Iraqi prisoner at Camp Whitehorse, a Marine-operated jail near Nasiriyah.

Intelligence figures likely to be charged

Noelle Knox
USA Today

Military intelligence played a part in the humiliation and illegal treatment of prisoners, according to a sworn statement by Sgt. Javal Davis, another soldier charged with abuse at Abu Ghraib.

First US war trial since World War II tests limits of fairness in terror cases

Warren Richey - Staff Writer
Christian Science Monitor

...critics counter that the commission process is headed for a showdown over key procedural issues that could quickly undermine any appearance of fairness.

Pentagon Panel Names Sanchez, Karpinski, Pappas in Abuse Report

Jon Steinman
Bloomberg

"There is both institutional and personal responsibility at higher levels.''

Military law specialist not surprised with findings of Schlesinger report

WBNS-10TV Columbus, Ohio

Eugene Fidell (fy-DEL'), a Washington lawyer who specializes in military law, says the farther away you get from what he calls "the spot where the rubber meets the road," the harder it is to invoke the criminal sanctions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Commentary

Military ignores justice again

The Denver Post - CO

Retired Rear Adm. Donald Guter, the Navy's former top lawyer, said criminal actions deserve criminal punishments, not administrative discipline. "There's something wrong," he said. "If this is a pattern, it should get another look, not just by the media but by (Congress)."

Muslim fragger's trial near

Political hearing promised for Hasan Akbar

From Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin
WorldNetDaily - OR

...the trial will be about more than just Akbar's guilt or innocence – it also will be a political trial to determine whether the Army, despite its long tradition of religious tolerance, failed Akbar long before prosecutors say he lashed out against his comrades in arms.

Pentagon leadership failures contributed to detainee abuse, panel finds

Agence France Presse | Channelnewsasia.com - Singapore

Sanchez visited the prison outside Baghdad several times when abuses were occuring between October and December of last year, and the panel also said the jail was visited by a member of the White House's National Security Council who was not identified.

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez also named

Rumsfeld Indirectly to Blame for Abu Ghraib -Panel

Charles Aldinger and Philip Blenkinsop
Reuters

As insurgencies (in Iraq) increased, the need for actionable intelligence increased. These techniques were approved by Donald Rumsfeld..."

Tersely: The answer is emphatically NO!

Guantanamo hearings start today

Toni Loci
USA Today

Can the military conduct "full and fair" trials for foreign terrorism suspects, as Bush promised?

JAG Hunter bullet: Fitting then, a kangaroo kourts-martial forum

Guantánamo hearings begin

Bin Laden driver is first to face war crimes charges

Julian Borger in Washington
Guardian Unlimited - UK

David Hicks, a former Australian kangaroo hunter turned Islamic jihadist, will face war crimes and attempted murder charges tomorrow, followed by Ali Hamza al-Bahlul, a Yemeni poet, and a Sudanese accountant, Ibrahim al-Qosi.

Vets4Bush.com

Old JAG Hunter refrains...1) those so far accused took their orders from the top, and, 2) these trials must be held in the homeland!!

U.S. Soldier Wants Abuse Trial Moved from Baghdad

Philip Blenkinsop
Reuters | My Way News

Davis's lawyers are set to bring a motion compelling Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to testify.

Sergeant will plead guilty to abusing Iraqis in Abu Ghraib

David Dishneau in Hagerstown, Maryland
Guardian Unlimited - UK

Staff Sgt Ivan "Chip" Frederick, 37, of the Maryland-based 372nd Military Police Company, said in a statement issued by his lawyer: "I will be pleading guilty to certain charges because I have concluded that what I did was a violation of law."

GI Jenkins May Appear Before U.S. Military Soon

Reuters

A U.S. Army sergeant accused of deserting to North Korea nearly 40 years ago and now in hospital in Japan may appear before the U.S. military for a plea bargain soon...

Old Leavenworth prison to be demolished

Jim Tice
Marine Corps Times

The stone and steel colossus that has been the symbol of U.S. military justice for 127 years is coming down in a cloud of dust and broken rock at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Demolition began Aug. 16 on the Civil War era confinement facility commonly called the “Castle.”

Mannheim, Germany

US military judge threatens to suspend Iraq prison abuse hearing

Agence France Presse | Channel News Asia - Singapore

A military judge threatened to suspend the court martial of a US soldier accused of cruelty to Iraqi prisoners if government investigators are not quick to conclude reports into the abuses.

US military justice on trial when Hicks enters court

Marian Wilkinson, Herald Correspondent in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

There is the appearance of justice...

Judge: Abuse photos stay as evidence

Army Reserve sergeant said to be negotiating plea bargain

Chris Burns
CNN

...an unreleased military report by U.S. Maj. Gen. George Fay is expected to implicate others.

Q&A: Iraq abuse trials

The US military is taking action against a number of US soldiers suspected of abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib jail outside Baghdad.

Seven soldiers from 372nd Military Police Company have been charged. One has already faced a court martial.

BBC News Online looks at the major issues involved in the scandal.

BBC NEWS

Courtesy of: ORBUSMAX.COM

"Did Navy Lt. Kerry violate The UCMJ?"

Steve Gilbert
The American Thinker

So Lt. Kerry was in the Naval Reserves during the time he was meeting with the enemy. Did his reported activity not violate the [UCMJ]? If not, why not?

Article 138 Complaint

Rod Powers
usmilitary.about.com

Article 138 is one of the most powerful rights under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), but it is one of the rights least known and least used by military personnel.

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba

Guantanamo on heightened alert for terror hearings

AFP | Channel News Asia - Singapore

Despite mounting legal challenges to the process in civilian courts, the US authorities refused to accept the criticism.

Yongsan Garrison, South Korea

Sergeant found guilty of assault on Korean

Jeremy Kirk
Pacific edition | Stars & Stripes

A 10-member special court-martial panel found an Army sergeant guilty of assault Friday, sentencing him to reduction in rank and 30 days’ confinement.

MILITARY VOTE 2004

Officials push to ensure all military votes count

Kirsti Marohn and Michelle Tan
St. Cloud Times - MN

They want to avoid a repeat of the 2000 election fiasco, when almost 30 percent of military voters who requested ballots didn't get them in time and election officials rejected hundreds of military ballots because they lacked postmarks or signatures.

Aviano AFB, Italy

3 Aviano airmen sentenced for cocaine use

Kent Harris
European edition - Stars & Stripes

The cases result from a four-month investigation conducted by members of the Office of Special Investigations detachment in Aviano and the 31st Security Forces Squadron that ended in an on-base raid in December. At the time, base officials said a dozen airmen were being detained in connection with illegal drug use.

The draft, Vietnam and now Iraq?

Elizabeth Kenny
Portsmouth Herald - NH

Before the war in Iraq began, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., crafted a bill that called for a revision to the Selective Service law, which would include men and women, from all backgrounds, ages 18 to 26 years old.

U.S. prepares for Guantanamo arraignments

Paisley Dodds - AP Writer
The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

These Guantanamo prisoners will be the first suspected terrorists arraigned in preliminary hearings this week before their cases go to military commissions, or trials, in an unprecedented judicial process that foreign governments, lawyers and human rights groups have criticized.

Contact The JAG Hunter

Courts-martial at Camp Pendleton

Prisoner abuse trial to begin this week

Darrin Mortenson - Staff Writer
North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County News

...at least two Marines face courts-martial at Camp Pendleton for prisoner abuse charges related to Hatab's death. Another officer was recently charged and is awaiting hearings to decide whether he, too, will stand trial.

Hicks' hearing set for next week

The Associated Press | The Age - Melbourne,Victoria, Australia

US Navy Lieutenant Commander Philip Sundel, a lawyer for al Bahlul of Yemen, who is to appear on Thursday, said because of government red tape, he hasn't been able to meet with his client in four months and isn't prepared for the preliminary hearing.

Critics slam rules for Guantanamo trials

AFP | ABC Online - Australia

"...This is a new trial system no one has ever operated in. Nobody knows how this is going to work."

U.S. OKs 10 Guantanamo Prisoners' Status

The Associated Press | My Way News

The review tribunals are separate from military commissions, where some prisoners will be tried on war crimes conspiracy and other charges.

Sanchez recounts meeting Saddam

Sig Christenson - Military Writer
San Antonio Express - TX

Sanchez has to watch what he says about Abu Ghraib, because of the potential for unduly interfering with the military justice system, but he nonetheless spoke at length about the matter in a recent interview.

Marine reservist set to testify in court-martial of a comrade

Alex Roth - Staff Writer
San Diego Union Tribune

...the Whitehorse trial promises to paint a less-than-flattering portrait of Marine conduct at the jail, in part because of the expected testimony of Roy.

Naval Station Everett, WA sailor accomplice to local arson

Attorneys: Owner set store's fire to collect insurance

Christopher Schwarzen and Jennifer Sullivan
The Seattle Times

The man, a sailor stationed at Naval Station Everett, returned to the base, charging papers claim.

More Marines face charges in probe of area break-ins

Roselee Papandrea
The Daily News - Jacksonville, NC

Jacksonville police filed more charges against several Camp Lejeune Marines allegedly involved in a string of break-ins in Jacksonville as well as Onslow and Craven counties.

Medal or meddle?

Inside Politics

Jennifer Harper
The Washington Times

"...unresolved allegations against Kerry include: false official reports and statements; dishonorable conduct; aiding the enemy; dereliction of duty; misuse and abuse of U.S. government equipment and property; war crimes; and multiple violations of U.S. Navy regulations and directives, the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the U.S. Code."

US army medics accused of prisoner abuse

Xinhuanet - China

Miles gathered evidence from US congressional hearings, sworn statements of detainees and soldiers, medical journal accounts and press reports to build a picture of physician complicity.

MILITARY VOTE 2004

National Guard members to vote by fax

Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post - Palm Beach, FL

National Guard members who vote in the 10 Florida counties ravaged by Hurricane Charley will be able to cast their ballots by fax machine under an “elections emergency” declared Thursday by Gov. Jeb Bush.

Hicks: fears of rough justice

Caroline Overington and Penelope Debelle
The Age - Melbourne,Victoria, Australia

[Hicks] is one of 585 detainees held virtually incommunicado at the US military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since the war on terror began in late 2001, and one of four ordered to stand trial before US military commissions, the first of which will convene in Cuba on Wednesday.

U.S.: Military Commissions Lack Fair Trial Protections

Human Rights Watch - USA

1978 censure of RADM Roy F. Hoffmann for illegal command influence

Friendly Fire: The Birth of an Anti-Kerry Ad

Kate Zernike and Jim Rutenberg
The New York Times | Spartanburg Herald Journal - Spartanburg, SC

Shortly after leaving the Navy in 1978, [RADM Hoffmann] was issued a letter of censure for exercising undue influence on cases in the military justice system.

Scandal and cover-up spread as plague

JAIL ABUSE: DOCS ACCUSED

Sky News - UK

University of Minnesota professor Steven Miles says some doctors falsified death certificates to cover up killings and hid evidence of beatings.

Control of information is DoD's most powerful weapon

Fort Carson Iraq deaths investigated

Tom Roeder
Colorado Springs Gazette - CO

The Army refused to release records on the death of Sgt. Michael E. Dooley of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, saying that “disciplinary action” is pending in the case.

Man charged with murder of fellow SEAL back on duty

Kate Wiltrout
Virginian Pilot - Norfolk, VA

“He has returned to duty in a capacity at the command that allows him to be present for his civilian trial...”

Judge orders release of records of prisoner abuses

Guantanamo Bay prisoner goes before military review tribunal

The Associated Press | eTaiwanNews.com

A U.S. judge, meanwhile, issued an order Wednesday for the government to honor a Freedom of Information Act request for records on the abuse of prisoners held overseas by the United States, including at Abu Ghraib in Iraq and Guantanamo...

Contact The JAG Hunter

Blame for Abu Ghraib scandal starts at the top

The Washington Post - PittsburghLIVE.com

No Army officers, however, are expected to face criminal charges.

ORBUSMAX

Soldiers For The Truth

Officer is accused in death of Iraqi

Alex Roth
San Diego Union Tribune

The memos by Bybee – now a federal appeals court judge – were written in 2002, but caused enormous controversy when they became public earlier this year.

Guantanamo military hearings to open next week

Guy Taylor
The Washington Times

The first military commissions since the end of World War II are set to open next week for four terror suspects held at the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Pentagon said yesterday.

Ellsworth AFB

Ellsworth Airmen receive Article 15 punishment

Black Hills Bandit

Report on Iraq abuse cites interrogators, clears leaders

Dave Moniz and Tom Squitieri
USA Today

The report does not implicate any soldier above the rank of colonel or senior Pentagon civilians in the abuses...

Military Commissions to Begin at Guantanamo

Kathleen T. Rhem
DefenseLINK News

...President Bush has designated that 15 individuals be tried for war crimes by a military commission. Prosecutors have prepared cases against four of them.

DoD Transcript

Defense Department Briefing on Military Commission Hearings

Presenter: John Altenburg, Jr.
Appointing Authority for the Office of Military Commissions

More U.S. Troops Implicated in Abu Ghraib Abuse

Charles Aldinger
Reuters

...most of the troops implicated in the intelligence probe, launched by Army Maj. Gen. George Fay in April, were from the U.S. 205th Military Intelligence Brigade that was assigned to Abu Ghraib when the abuses occurred.

U.S. General Violated Rules with 'Satan' Speeches

Andrea Shalal-Esa
Reuters | My Way News

...Boykin did make "good faith efforts" to consult legal advisers about his speaking activities and that should be considered when the Army Secretary assessed the seriousness of the violations.

Pentagon cover-up...Major General Miller is a liar and must himself be brought to trial.

General defends advice

Jackie Spinner
The Washington Post | Concord Monitor Online

Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, whose proposals were criticized in a report on mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, said in an interview this weekend that abuses were caused by "a small number of leadership and small number of soldiers who violated regulations and procedures and committed criminal acts."

Soldier gets year in prison for AWOL

European edition - Stars & Stripes

Spc. Marcus A. Powell, 23, of the 94th Engineer Battalion, pleaded guilty to three counts of absence without leave and one of misappropriation of a car, said Maj. Todd Federici, the chief of criminal law.

Galloway Calls Profiling Deaths in Iraq the 'Hardest Thing' He's Ever Written

Charles Geraci
Editor & Publisher

"This package is completely without politics..."

MILITARY VOTE 2004

Pacific voting assistance officers help make confusing process a little easier

Jennifer Svan
Pacific Stars & Stripes

Brooks — who described himself as a Democrat voting Republican this time — is charged up.

MILITARY VOTE 2004

Overseas military voters may be key to presidential race

Patrick Dickson
Pacific Stars & Stripes

If you do the numbers, folks, you’ll see that the overseas military vote could decide the whole shootin’ match.

JAG Hunter here: Neither do American servicemen enjoy any legal rights.

U.S. seeks to monitor detainee-lawyer meetings at Gitmo

Toni Loci
USA Today

In legal papers, the Bush administration has argued that the detainees have no legal rights, especially the right to counsel.

Men linked to string of break-ins

Roselee Papandrea
The Daily News, Jacksonville, NC

Jacksonville police arrested William O. Coerbell, 21, a Marine attached to 2nd Marine Air Wing at New River Air Station, Monday in connection with the break-ins.

Lawyer to monitor US military hearing for Australian terror suspect

Agence France Presse | Channel News Asia - Singapore

High profile barrister Lex Lasry will observe but not participate in the initial hearing against Hicks who has been held at a US military base in Cuba since being captured fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan in December 2001.

Opinion

Pentagon should halt pillage in Iraq

Newsday - Long Island, NY

As detailed in the reporting of Newsday's Ray Sanchez, Iraqi civilians allege - and human rights advocates have confirmed their charges - that U.S. forces searching for insurgents and terrorists raid homes and steal cash and other valuables.

Convicted soldier back home

Cathy Dyson
The Free Lance-Star - Fredericksburg, VA

At Pavlik's court martial last week, he was acquitted of the robbery charge. He was found guilty of lying, dismissed from the Army and sentenced to one-month confinement.

YES!! AN ACQUITTAL!!!

Schofield soldier acquitted overseas

Staff Sgt. William Pace is deemed not guilty of dereliction of duty

Gregg K. Kakesako
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - HI

"They don't like that he requested to step down, but that doesn't make it criminal..."

‘Reality Check’

Family of Whistleblower in Prisoner Abuse Scandal Is Shunned by Neighbors, Friends

ABC News

People were, they were mean, saying he was a walking dead man, he was walking around with a bull's-eye on his head.

Serving time in a military prison in Kuwait

Colonel begins 90-day jail sentence in sex case

The Associated Press | KGBT 4 - TV Harlingen, TX

He also pleaded guilty to fraternization with enlisted soldiers, adultery, having sexual relations with a subordinate and one count of disobeying an order from a superior officer.

Operation Support Our Troops!

Reservists Say War Makes Them Lose Jobs

Larry Margasak
The Associated Press | My Way News

Increasing numbers of National Guard and Reserve troops who have returned from war in Iraq and Afghanistan are encountering new battles with their civilian employers at home. Jobs were eliminated, benefits reduced and promotions forgotten.

MILITARY VOTE 2004

Military is urging soldiers to vote

Henry Cuningham - Military editor
Fayetteville Online - Fayetteville, NC

''Something that caused a lot of concern to a lot of military people is this perception that there was an attempt not to count absentee votes..."

Security breach

Audit faults how Navy keeps track of computers on ships

Eric Rosenberg
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Washington Bureau

A Naval Audit Service investigation of 10 Atlantic Fleet ships and two aviation squadrons concluded that the records were so poor they could not be verified in audits.

JAG Hunter here: A "chilling" metaphor for today's all volunteer armed force!

Navy 'sailor of the year' charged in ice case

Curtis Lum
The Honolulu Advertiser

A Pearl Harbor petty officer who was named her unit's sailor of the year in 2003 has been charged with manufacturing, distributing and using methamphetamine at her Navy home.

Commentary

Jessica Lynch, Col. West, And Common Sense

Trevor Bothwell
American Daily - Stow, OH

It is an odd phenomenon that a nation immersed in a war for civilization itself is inspired more by the capture of a soldier than by a soldier who prevents capture by enemy forces.

Maj. Schmidt, con't

Inside the Ring

Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough
The Washington Times

The civilian attorney for Maj. Harry Schmidt has filed a complaint with the Air Force's judge advocate general, accusing the pilot's prosecutors of "apparent intentional misconduct."

ORBUSMAX!

Health of alleged US Army deserter Jenkins trumps court-martial: Powell

AFP | Channel News Asia - Singapore

On Thursday, the Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun quoted unnamed sources as saying Jenkins would attend a preliminary hearing at a US military base in Tokyo this week ahead of a court-martial.

MILITARY VOTE 2004

Bond urges solutions to military voting problems

Missouri Primary Results in Troops' Disenfranchisement

Bond Urges Pentagon to Investigate and Act to Prevent Repeat

Joplin Independent - Joplin, MO

Recent GAO and DoD Inspector General reports outlining both mail delivery problems and problems in the military's voter assistance program show that these issues have not been addressed since 2000.

Four Guantanamo Prisoners Ruled 'Enemy Combatants'

Charles Aldinger
Reuters

Twenty-one of the prisoners at the U.S. Navy Base in Guantanamo Bay have so far received hearings in a process begun two weeks ago, but the results of 17 have not yet been reviewed by a Navy admiral to determine each detainee's status, Navy Secretary Gordon England told reporters.

False official statement...

Army lieutenant found guilty in court-martial

Mark Hicks
Clarksville Leaf Chronicle - Clarksville, TN

An Army lieutenant was found guilty of providing a false official statement by a court martial jury that deliberated to about midnight Thursday.

MCRD Parris Island

Marine Corps recruits found hiding in marsh

Michael Kerr, Special to The Packet
Hilton Head Island Packet - Hilton Head Island, SC

...Four Marine Corps recruits ran away from Parris Island under cover of darkness early Wednesday and spent more than 17 hours hiding out in the marsh before being picked up by an off-duty drill instructor

MILITARY VOTE 2004: Silencing their voices one vote at a time...

40% military absentee ballots uncounted in 2002. And it can happen again in 2004!!

Broken Promises

Amelia Gruber and Chris Strohm
GovExec.com

"The potential for failure is significant and unfortunately very real."

MILITARY VOTE 2004

Pentagon pushes to safeguard troop votes

Lisa Hoffman
Scripps Howard News Service

...one longtime watchdog of military voting procedures says the improvements, welcome though they are, still leave ballots at the mercy of the military mail system and the vagaries of handwritten votes.

Carter: The 'I followed orders' defense

Likely defense in Abu Ghraib abuse trial

Phillip Carter
FindLaw | CNN.com

This didn't take long...

Lieutenant gets split verdict in court-martial

WKYT - Lexington, KY

A jury deliberated nearly six hours Thursday night before finding him not guilty of accessory after the fact to robbery and guilty of making a false official statement.

JAG Hunter here: Admirals and generals remain immune from prosecution. If only our front line troops were so bullet proof!!

Army to call for censure of Abu Ghraib troops

Tom Bowman
Baltimore Sun - MD | Boston Globe - MA

A long-awaited report on the role of the Army's military intelligence troops in the abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison will recommend that more than two dozen soldiers be disciplined, but no one above the colonel who commanded them...

Fort Lewis, WA: The court-martial of Spc. Ryan G. Anderson

Trial set for 30 August

Court-martial is set in al-Qaida-linked case

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

The Army announced yesterday that Spc. Ryan G. Anderson, 26, entered an innocent plea Monday and elected to have his court-martial heard by a panel of commissioned officers.

Army sergeant court-martialed after declaring himself incapable of doing his job

Jon R. Anderson
European edition Stars & Stripes

What Pace’s trial did reveal, however, is the difficulty soldiers can face when they aren’t comfortable performing their jobs. In a service where pilots can turn in their wings and officers can resign their commissions, Pace’s trial raises questions about when it’s appropriate for a leader to say he’s no longer fit to lead — and whom he should say it to.

Bring this trial to CAMP PENDLETON, CA!

JAG Hunter bullet: Command racketeering allows military governors to routinely stack juries. It will be no different in this case. In fact, rigging courts-martial to the detriment of an accused is adopted DoD policy. Marine Major Paulus will not receive a fair trial should this prosecution go that far. Bring this trial to U.S. soil so we all can watch.

Marine to be tried by jury in Iraq prison death case

Darrin Mortenson - Staff Writer
North County Times - Escondido, CA

[Maj.] Paulus is charged with dereliction of duty, two counts of maltreatment and aggravated assault and battery in the death of 52-year-old Nagem Sadoon Hatab, who was found dead at the Camp Whitehorse detention facility outside Nasiriyah, Iraq, in June 2003.

Soldier's carjacking court-martial begins

The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Pavlik's civilian attorney, Frank Spinner, said the officer was just sticking up for his soldiers, and that he later tried to turn the stolen vehicle in to the Army. Spinner said it was refused.

Lieutenant’s Court Martial Begins

NewsChannel5.com - Nashville, TN

First Lt. Bradley Pavlik is charged with one count of accessory after the fact of robbery, Two counts of violating a lawful order, and one count of conduct unbecoming an officer.

Camp Zama, Japan

Zama soldier gets four years

Pacific Stars & Stripes

Pfc. Radamus F. Crowell pleaded guilty to two specifications of carnal knowledge, one specification of sodomy and two of adultery, court records show.

ORBUSMAX

HughHewitt.com

Kerry's SWIFT meltdown

Hugh Hewitt
WorldNetDaily.com

...if John Kerry can be conclusively demonstrated to have lied about aspects of his Vietnam service, the media has to ask what else has he been lying about.

Terror suspect tribunals to take longer than planned, military says

The Associated Press | USA Today

...complexities — having to work with interpreters, explaining the process to the prisoners, helping the men prepare their statements — might push hearings into 2005.

Superior Orders: Will the Defense Work for PFC Lynndie England, Who Is Accused of Abusing Abu Ghraib Prisoners?

Phillip Carter
Findlaw.com - Mountain View, CA

...even if England can prove she acted under orders, she also has to prove that she didn't - and an ordinary person wouldn't have - known those orders were unlawful. But that will be very hard to prove here.

MILITARY VOTE 2004 ~ Silencing their voices...one vote at a time!

Ballots fail to reach all troops in Iraq

David A. Lieb
The Associated Press | News-Leader.com - Springfield, MO

Some Missouri soldiers stationed in Iraq were unable to vote in last week's elections because of trouble getting absentee ballots.

JAG Hunter bullet: Senator McCain is covering-up, as well with other Arizona lawmakers, the outrage that is the court-martial of Army Pvt. Corey J. Cox. McCain is no friend to POWs, or Veterans.

Why McCain defends Kerry

Joseph Farah - Between the Lines
WorldNetDaily

More than any other two men in America, McCain and Kerry orchestrated the cover-up of what became of our Vietnam POWs and MIAs.

Navy Man Arrested in Beating Death

The Associated Press | KHNL-TV/KHBC/KOGG - Honolulu, HI

Police say the attack occurred at about 2:30 a-m inside a Pearl City condominium complex after the neighbor, a 46-year-old man, complained that the Navy man was making too much noise.

JAG Hunter teaching moment: Make it the Marine's Story...

The soldier's story

Gary Younge and Nayla Assaf
Guardian Unlimited - UK

Did this young Lebanese-American marine really fall in love with a local woman while in Iraq, resulting in his kidnap by rebels and near-execution? Or did he simply desert - and fake the whole business? Gary Younge and Nayla Assaf investigate the puzzling tale of Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun.

MILITARY VOTE 2004

Some military voters had trouble getting ballots

The Associated Press | KTVO - Kirksville, MO

State Representative Jim Avery, who is stationed in Iraq as an Army engineer, says none of the roughly 20 people in his unit got absentee ballots in time to vote. It's unclear if the military voting troubles were widespread or isolated.

Guantanamo Trials 'Could Begin Next Month'

The Scotsman - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Retired military lawyer John Altenberg, responsible for appointing commission members and approving charges, expects the trials to begin soon after the preliminary hearings.

ORBUSMAX

Sgt. Samuel Provance

The Iraq prisoner abuse scandal widens

Michael Berglin
ABC News | PRAVDA - Russia

A witness who told ABCNEWS he believed the military was covering up the extent of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison was today stripped of his security clearance and told he may face prosecution because his comments were "not in the national interest."

Inmate speaks at Guantanamo Bay tribunal

Stevenson Jacobs - AP Writer
The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The review tribunals are meant to decide whether detainees should be released or remain in custody as "enemy combatants," which gives them fewer legal protections.

Opinion


Liberal MP Peter King: Bad guys also have rights, PM

The Australian - Australia

Ad-hockery in the trial of accused terrorists will undermine the legitimacy of the process.

JAG Hunter teaching moment: Fake, phony confessions are more easily come by through forgery. Rear Admiral John Bitoff, and former JAGs Kevin Anderson and Tim Zeller (along with fellow travelers) need to hold a seminar for the folks running detainee ops.

Tunisian tells Guantanamo tribunal his confession forced by torture

Borneo Bulletin - Borneo, Brunei Darussalam

...a military officer who presents information to the presiding panel, said that at the tribunal, the man said he had been tortured in Afghanistan...

Stop the militarization of law enforcement

Tallahassee Democrat
Letters to the editor

As indicated by the Aug. 1 photo of the Leon County sheriff's storm troopers, the ominous militarization of law enforcement continues unabated. That doesn't bode well for any of us. Ronald Reagan's former Attorney General Ed Meese warned against this long ago.

Government at all levels, especially federal, has gotten way too big and powerful under the pretext of fighting terrorism. But instead this emerging police state is controlling we the people as subjects. The primary and supreme laws that should be enforced, but aren't, are in the American Constitution, which prevails over and supersedes any and all other laws.

We need less big brother government, which is all the Democrats/Republicans have to offer. Vote Constitution or Libertarian Party in November for real change and truly limited government!

Tom Roberts

Commentary ~ Chaplain Yee

Chaplain due honorable exit

Editorial Board
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Seattle, WA

...it's appropriate that the Pentagon's inspector general launch an investigation into his treatment, as several members of Congress have asked.

US faces battle over Guantanamo detainees

Agence France Presse | Channel News Asia - Singapore

The United States is struggling to convince governments, lawyers and human rights activists that everything at its Guantanamo 'war on terror' detention camp is above board.

Military police officer says intelligence officials abused prisoners

The Associated Press | Lex 18 - Lexington, KY

All those charged in the abuse are military police. No intelligence personnel have been charged.

Guantanamo inmate alleges torture

Reuters | The Age - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Some prisoners released from Guantanamo have said they were beaten and abused at the base in Cuba, allegations the military denies.

US `cannot negotiate' about Jenkins

AFP | Taipei Times

PLEA BARGAIN: The US said it cannot make any deals over the case against the alleged deserter, and that it would seek custody of him `at an appropriate time'

Officer's court martial slated for Tuesday

From staff reports
Hopkinsville Kentucky New Era - Hopkinsville, KY

[The charges are:]

-- One count of accessory after the fact of robbery (Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 78),

-- Two counts of violating a lawful general order (UCMJ Article 92),

-- One count of making a false official statement (UCMJ Article 107),

-- One count of conduct unbecoming an officer (UCMJ Article 133) and

-- One count of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline (UCMJ Article 134).

Fort Lewis, WA - Spc. Ryan Anderson

Soldier's lawyers get court martial hearing delayed

The Olympian - Olympia, WA

Anderson, 26, is a member of the Washington National Guard charged with trying to pass military intelligence to al-Qaida.

101st officer's court-martial Tuesday

Lieutenant charged in Iraq sheik carjacking case

Thomya Hogan
Clarksville Leaf Chronicle - Clarksville, TN

A Fort Campbell lieutenant will be court-martialed Tuesday on charges he helped to cover up crimes in Iraq.

Inside the Ring

Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough
The Washington Times

Maj. Schmidt's appeal...

Commentary: Bush’s good days in court

David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey
The Union Leader - Manchester, NH

...when all these cases are read together — the Guantanamo Bay case, along with the court’s decisions in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld and Rumsfeld v. Padilla (both involving American citizens held in the United States as captured enemy combatants) — they mark a significant reaffirmation of the President’s constitutional authority as commander in chief in time of war.

Navy Secretary says he's speeding up then hesitates with"...but..."

US eyes speeding up Guantanamo tribunals

AFP | The Age - Melbourne, Victoria - Australia

Navy Secretary Gordon England warned this week the completion of the hearings could be delayed because of work collecting and translating information.

Reservist Says Intelligence Led Iraq Abuse

David Dishneau
the Associated Press | My Way News

An Army reservist who saw naked detainees being humiliated at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq says military intelligence officials led and directed the abuse.

Ft. Bragg, NC

Accused fragger’s court-martial could be delayed again

Jane McHugh - Staff Writer
Marine Corps Times

The court-martial could be delayed again for Sgt. Hasan Akbar, the combat engineer with the 101st Airborne Division accused of killing two and injuring 14 service members on the eve of the invasion of Iraq.

U.S. Military Intelligence Took Part In Abu Ghraib Abuse: Agent

CNN | Tehran Times - Iran

"You aren't going to tell anyone, are you?" Rivera answered, "No, I'm not. You've got nothing to worry about."

The Benfold Incident

Briton accused of hold classified Navy documents, aiding Taliban

Matt Apuzzo
The Associated Press | Marine Corps Times

In one e-mail, the sailor praised those who attacked the Cole, according to the affidavit. Authorities have not named the man or accused him of providing the document to Ahmad.

The Benfold incident?

British man in court on U.S. extradition warrant claiming terror links; allegedly had Navy documents

Matt Apuzzo
The Associated Press | The Boston Globe

Ahmad was allegedly communicating with a U.S. Navy enlistee on the USS Benfold who was sympathetic to the jihad cause...

MILITARY VOTE 2004

Pentagon institutes changes to avoid repeat of 2000 voting woes

The Associated Press | WQAD - Moline, IL

Charles Abell..., the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, says the ballots have been re-designed to allow members of the military to sign and date the back. All postings, on land and sea, now have cancellation capability, which means they can postmark and date the ballots.

"Full and fair trials..."

Justice Williams prepares for role in Guantanamo Bay tribunal

Brooke Donald - AP Writer
The Associated Press | Kent County Daily Times - West Warwick, RI

The military has said commissions would offer full and fair trials.

E-mail from Maj. Harry Schmidt's parents...

Please consider passing and posting, lets see if the P-D prints it. Thanks Harry and Joan

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, please print our thank you in the letters to the editor)

We want to thank the Post-Dispatch staff for meeting with us Wed. and discussing our concerns about a news article, "Pilots loses appeal in fatal friendly fire," by Harry Levins.
The Post-Dispatch addressed our concerns, researched further, received a fax from Mr. Gittins with four sworn declarations from Maj. Harry Schmidt, Mr. Charles Gittins, Lt. Col. Clayton Moushon (AF) and Maj. James E. Key III.(AF) Their sworn declarations attested to the salute and proper courtesies.

Again, thank you Post-Dispatch for clearing this up for your readers with your article, "Officer disputes that he refused to salute" by Harry Levins, Aug 06.

Harry and Joan Schmidt, proud parents of Maj. Schmidt

Q&A: Guantanamo hearings

BBC News Online examines the two different legal processes getting under way at the US Guantanamo Bay detention centre on Cuba.

BBC News - UK

The Enemy within!

Briton Held on U.S. Terror Charge Refuses Extradition

Bloomberg

An e-mail to Ahmad in July 2001 from an unidentified U.S. Navy sailor on active duty showed [the sailor] was "sympathetic to the jihad movement..."

Whistleblower recounts dilemma in turning over Abu Ghraib photos

Accused soldier's lawyer wants generals to testify

CNN

"It violated everything I personally believed in and everything I had been taught about war. It was more of a moral call than anything..."

MILITARY VOTE 2004

Military's ballots uncounted again?

Official warns Bush deadlines for troops need to be extended

WorldNetDaily

In what could be a repeat of the 2000 election, thousands of votes from U.S. troops overseas could go uncounted unless deadlines for their acceptance are extended.

Investigators outline case against accused Abu Ghraib abuser

Jane McHugh - Staff Writer
Air Force Times

England is charged with 20 criminal specifications ranging from assaulting detainees, committing indecent acts with them, committing indecent acts with fellow soldiers, and creating sexually explicit pictures of herself.

First Observers Attend Guantanamo Bay Status Hearings, AFP Says

Agence France-Presse | Bloomberg

Reporters watched the hearings for the first time yesterday, as two Afghans denied fighting against Americans in Afghanistan during the 2001 conflict to oust the Taliban...

The Tipton Three

Guantanamo abuse may constitute war crimes: Red Cross

The Guardian - London | Taipei Times

The organization, which maintains a rigidly neutral stance in public, took the unusual step of voicing its concerns in uncompromising language after the former detainees, known as the Tipton Three, revealed that they had been beaten, shackled, photographed naked and in one incident questioned at gunpoint while in US custody.

Soldier seeking delay in Kuwait grenade attack trial

The Associated Press | Wilmington Morning Star - Wilmington, NC

The case marks the first time since the Vietnam War that an Army soldier has been prosecuted for the murder or attempted murder of another soldier during wartime.

Navy Captain Found Guilty of Wearing Unearned Medals

Sandra Jontz
Stars and Stripes European Edition | Military.com

Capt. Roger D. Edwards was found guilty during a court-martial held at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., and sentenced to 115 days in the brig, forfeiture of $2,500 pay a month for three months, and a letter of reprimand to be put in his personnel file, said base spokesman Capt. Jeffrey Landis.

Journalists Allowed in Selected Tribunals

Ian James - AP Writer
The Associated Press | Guardian Unlimited, UK

Reporters remain banned from reporting the identities of the prisoners, and the military maintains it is not obliged to make information public because the hearings are administrative and not legal.

Sailor Accused Of Using Internet To Set Up Sex Meeting

WDIV - Detroit, MI

JAG Hunter here: Spell check for Mr. Metcalf: It's court-martial. Then this - we must pay the fine for Air Force Major Harry Schmidt as well. And there must be a call to expunge both officer record's of the Article 15 punishments they wrongfully received. Both men must both be made whole.

Let’s Pick Up The Tab

Geoff Metcalf
American Daily - Stow, OH

The Lt. Col. Allen B. West story created an excrement storm when word got out the Army might court marshal him.

AWOL Soldier Appears In Court

Boston Channel.com - Boston, MA

A Rhode Island soldier accused of deserting the Army faced a judge Thursday after being arrested following a car accident in Bellingham, Mass

Nonjudical Punishment - HILL AFB, UT

Capt. Helen Grimm, JAG office
Hilltop Times

An airman first class from the 388th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron violated Article 121 of the UCMJ by stealing a cell phone. For this misconduct, he received a suspended reduction to the grade of airman, seven days restriction, and 10 days extra duty.

Pentagon to review Yee inquiry

Michael Barber - Reporter
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Seattle, WA

The investigation by Defense Department Inspector General Joseph Schmitz was started after a June 4 letter from Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., whose district encompasses Fort Lewis, and Reps. James Honda, D-Calif., Ike Skelton, D-Mo., and Vic Snyder, D-Ark.

American Bar Association summer meeting begins tomorrow in Atlanta, GA

Lawyers group considers taking a stand on use of force in interrogations

The Associated Press | WHO-TV - Des Moines, IA

The resolution says the use of torture or degrading treatment on prisoners captured in Afghanistan and Iraq "has brought shame on the nation."

MILITARY VOTE 2004

Official here warns military ballots could go uncounted

Erica Werner
Chicago Sun Times - Chicago, IL

Thousands of votes from U.S. troops overseas could go uncounted again in November without emergency legislation extending deadlines for the ballots, a Chicago election official warned President Bush in a letter Tuesday.

Lawyers Call for Torture Memo Probe

United Press International | KTOK-AM - Oklahoma City

In a statement issued by the lobbying group Alliance for Justice, a dozen former federal judges and seven past presidents of the American Bar Association criticized the lawyers who drew up the memos for the Justice and Defense Departments and the White House.

GUANTANAMO HEARINGS FAIR – NAVY CHIEF

The Scotsman - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

“It is very professional. It is very rigorous. I believe it is very fair,” England said after watching a hearing where a detainee was present.

Witness: England Identified As Abuser

Estes Thompson
The Associated Press | My Way News

Defense lawyers have said England was following orders when she was photographed mocking the detainees and that the U.S. government has made her a scapegoat.

JAG Hunter bullet: Harry Levins, editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, is a recent graduate of the Jayson Blair / New York Times School of Journalism.

E-mail from parents Harry and Joan Schmidt

Both Harry and I went down to the Post-Dispatch and talked with Arnie Robbins, managing Editor, FAX 314 340 3095, 800 355 0820 ext 8130 e-mail arobbins@post-dispatch.com, Tim Poos, National Editor, fax 314 340 3050, 800 365 0820 ext 8298, tpoos@post-dispatch.com and Harry Levins about the two articles that Harry wrote for today's newspaper

Harry and I are concerned with the part of the article that deals with Maj. Schmidt not saluting. Please read Gittins reply below. Our concern was that [Levins] didn't confirm with anyone on the [Major's] side only with the AF side and questioned why it was written...our opinion is it was written to demean our son.

The other article "Board could recommend stripping of [Major's] wings" is also false. Maj. Schmidt is not going to loose his wings. Harry Levins responsible reporting? No! No other paper in the world printed anything about Maj. Schmidt not saluting. You opinions to the Post-Dispatch and you sending this e-mail to your e-mail friends would be valued in your support. Below is the letter from Charles Gittins to the editor of the Post-Dispatch.

Joan and Harry, proud parents of Maj. Harry Schmidt


Counselor Gittins letter to Editor Levins

Sir:

I understand you are Harry Levins editor.

The article that alleges that Harry Schmidt didn't salute is in error. Had Mr. Levins not relied on a single source and contacted at least one other person who was present in the room, we could have prevented him from printing an egregiously false allegation -- that Harry Schmidt did not render a salute upon entering the office of general Carlson.

Mr. Levins' decision to rely on single source reporting is reckless, particularly where he called me and failed to mention this allegation in any way. Had he offered me the opportunity to address it, I would have disabused him of the notion that Major Schmidt would fail to follow such elementary military procedure.

Indeed, I would have told Mr. Levins, had he just asked, that just moments before Harry went into the General's office, I joked to Maj. Schmidt that the Air Force, with little in the way of a military tradition of its own, didn't know any better than to salute indoors and without a cover (hat). We who spring from the naval service do not normally salute indoors unless we are on duty (wearing a cover and under arms), so the procedure was notable for its lack of military protocol and I made note of a general returning Harry's salute in his office without his hat on. While he was standing there saluting, I also noted that General Carlson didn't wear military issue shoes -- he had on some Rockports or other similar shoes with squishy soles, rather than leather military style shoes. I thought it pretty humorous that the general not only was saluting without a hat on indoors but was wearing "comfy" shoes.

Charles W. Gittins