Navy spouse arrested in Okinawa

CINC Bush losing support of the military

HAMDANIA MARINES...And then there were five.

Military.com

MILITARY REPORT for 30 October 2006

Servicemembers' right to vote comes with rules

Political activity rules are listed in Air Force Instruction 51-902, Political Activities by Members of the U.S. Air Force. Violators of this instruction can be punished under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and receive up to two years confinement and a dishonorable discharge...

From the blogosphere

CINC Bush moves towards martial law

(Caution: nudity)

Active duty G.I.s being recruited to lobby Congress against the war

MAJOR JILL METZGER

Cadet acquitted in court-martial

JAGTOID: The word "jury" appears neither in the UCMJ nor in the Military Commissions Act 2006.

Check The JAGMIRE for more postings.

Posted by "Mike N." this morning at CAAFlog: UCMJ Amendment and the Parker v. Levy Rationale

(NOTE TO READERS: INTEGRATED LINKS ARE INCLUDED BY THE JAG HUNTER)

Just a thought for discussion, does the new UCMJ amendment making civilian prosecutions permissible during all contingency operations undermine the Supreme Court's rationale in PARKER v. LEVY for a different standard for accused's rights ? If you take a look at a list of contingency operations since the Vietnam War (available on the Air Force SOC website http://www2.afsoc.af.mil/library/afsocheritage/), it makes you wonder. Under the new amendment a civilian working with the military could have been prosecuted for offenses committed during operations to recover the body of Sec. of Commerce Ron Brown or aiding Bangladeshis during typhon relief. These operations are operations that may have been carried out by non-military relief agencies under different circumstances. However, the President at the time chose to employ the military because of its capabilities. Does the Supreme Court's calculus change with these possibilities?

Contingency Operations of the United States since Vietnam
*Indicates Special Operations Involvement

*1975......................S.S. Mayaguez and Kong Tang Island
*1975......................Evacuation of Cambodia, Operation EAGLE PULL
*1975......................Evacuation of South Vietnam, Operation FREQUENT WIND
1976........................Lebanon
1978........................Zaire Airlift
*1980......................Iranian Hostage Rescue, Operation EAGLE CLAW
*1981......................Army General Dozier kidnapping in Italy
*1983......................Grenada Island (Caribbean) Hostage Rescue, Operation URGENT FURY
*1983......................Honduras (Central America), Operation BIG PINE
*1983-90 ................El Salvador (Central America), Operation BILD KIRK and others
*1984......................El Salvador, President Duarte’s daughter kidnapping
*1985......................TWA Flight 847
*1985......................Achille Lauro, ship highjacking in the Mediterranean Sea
*1986......................Libya (Africa) bombing, Operation EL DORADO CANYON
*1986......................Bombing of Pan Am Flight 73 over Scotland
*1987-88 ................Persian Gulf, Earnest Will, Prime Chance I
*1988......................Honduras, Operation GOLDEN PHEASANT
*1989......................Afghanistan (Middle East), Operation SAFE PASSAGE
*1989......................El Salvador, Operation POPULAR TREE
*1989......................Philippines Coup attempt against President Aquino
*1989......................Panama (Central America), Operation JUST CAUSE
*1990......................Panama, Operation PROMOTE LIBERTY
*1990......................Liberia (Africa) U.S. Embassy evacuation
*1990-91 ................Saudi Arabia/Kuwait/Iraq, Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM
*1991......................Somalia (Africa), Operation EASTERN EXIT
*1991-Present ........Turkey/Iraq, Operation PROVIDE COMFORT , II, III, Northern Watch
*1991......................Bangladesh (Southeast Asia), typhoon, Operation SEA ANGEL
*1991......................Saudi Arabia, Operation DESERT CALM
*1991-Present ........Kuwait, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH
*1992-1994 ............Italy/Yugoslavia, Operation PROVIDE PROMISE
*1992......................Somalia, Operation RESTORE HOPE
*1993......................Somalia, Operation CONTINUE HOPE I-II
*1993......................Yugoslavia, Operation DENY FLIGHT
*1994......................Haiti (Caribbean), Operations RESTORE DEMOCRACY & UPHOLD DEMOCRACY
*1994......................Rwanda (Africa), Operation SUPPORT HOPE
*1995......................Somalia, Operation UNITED SHIELD
*1995......................Italy/Yugoslavia/Bosnia, Operation DELIBERATE FORCE
*1995......................Followed DELIBERATE FORCE, became Operation JOINT ENDEAVOR for one year
*1996......................Dubrovnik, Croatia, search and rescue support for Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown T-43 crash
*1996......................Embassy evacuation, Liberia (Africa), Operation ASSURED RESPONSE
*1997......................Embassy evacuation, Albania (Europe), Operation SILVER WAKE
*1997......................Civilian evacuation, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo (Africa)
*1999......................Operation ALLIED FORCE (Serbia/Kosovo)
*2000......................Operation ATLAS RESPONSE, Mozambique flood relief
*2001-Present ........Operation ENDURING FREEDOM/GWOT
*2003-Present ........Operation IRAQI FREEDOM

Defense Department Briefing With SECDEF Rumsfeld - Transcript

HAMDANIA MARINES

Encinitas Marine pleads guilty in Hamdania killing

In pleading guilty to the conspiracy to obstruct justice charge, Jodka admitted he willingly took part in the agreement that Hutchins laid out for the men as they gathered in a palm grove at about 7 p.m. on the evening of April 25. Awad was killed at around 1:30 a.m. on April 26.

2.2% Military Pay Raise Effective January 2007 -- new pay charts published.

CINC Bush: Hold everyone to account

"People do have to take responsibility for the decisions they make in life. I take responsibility for the decisions I make," Commander in Chief Bush said

UCMJ AMENDED PROVIDING FOR "MAJOR EXPANSION OF COURT-MARTIAL JURISDICTION" OVER DEFENSE CONTRATORS!

Marine Corps Colonel Dwight Sullivan reports at CAAFlog a major change to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) extending military jurisdiction over a great number of civilians not previously covered including defense industry contractors.

The new law "tweaks" the UCMJ by allowing for military prosecutions of civilians accompanying the armed forces during periods of "contingency operations," in addition to times of declared war. Col. Sullivan writes, "We have been engaged in a great many more contingency operations" than declared wars. Sullivan continues, "It will be interesting to see whether -- and, if so, how -- the military takes advantage of this major expansion of court-martial jurisdiction."

This could mean for instance the next time a nuclear missile accident--BROKEN ARROW-- occurs, civilian contractors and dockside workers could face court-martial next to military personnel depending upon the circumstances as determined by military governors.

Embedded reporters and journalists are now under UCMJ jurisdiction while operating with U.S. forces during contingency operations (see listing above).

Counselor Eugene Fidell, president and director of the National Institute of Military Justice, is concerned that "If the armed forces were ever to use this new provision to court-martial a civilian," there would be situations making U.S. Supreme Court review impossible.

The term "contingency operation" applies to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and to Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq.

Col. Sullivan is a six year ACLU veteran and current chief defense counsel for the Pentagon's military tribunals.

Language amending the UCMJ is found in the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007. The legislation passed in the House of Representatives by a roll call vote (396 Ayes, 31 Nays, 5 Present/Not Voting). Representative Duncan Hunter (R- 52nd CA) sponsored the House version. Representative Ike Skelton (D-4th MO) co-sponsored the bill. Among those voting "yes" were Rep. Norm Dicks (D-6th WA known as Washington state's third senator) and Rep. Mike Turner (R-3rd OH) writing here.

The measure carried in the Senate by Unamimous Consent. A record of each senator's position was not kept.

No congressional hearings were conducted to consider amendment of the UCMJ prior to passage.

Commander in Chief George Bush signed into law the 2007 Defense Act during a small gathering in the Oval Offfice 17 October.

Passage of this legislation represents the most expansive extension of attainder power over U.S. citizens since the Civil War as reported here and at The JAGMIRE yesterday. With the potential explosion in work load service TJAGs are justified in recruiting more attorneys, requesting increased dollars for operating budgets, and requests they be elevated to 3-star rank.

The JAG Hunter 2006©

Hamdan Navy lawyer denied promotion, will leave US military

First Marine to plead guilty in Iraqi murder case

Jodka was charged with murder, kidnapping, conspiracy, assault and housebreaking. Casas has declined to discuss details of any plea agreement. Sentencing has been scheduled for Nov. 15.

PUNISHMENT WITHOUT LAW!

Pentagon pursues more 'proactive' liaison role on Hill

In a move aimed at improving the way the Defense Department articulates its agenda to an increasingly skeptical Congress, Pentagon leaders have directed their legislative affairs office to be more proactive and aggressive in its communications with lawmakers.

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Cadet on trial was focus of 2nd rape inquiry

Lawmakers: DOD needs tougher prostitution enforcement -- no numbers available since 2005 ban

Human trafficking training mandatory for overseas troops

Press conference scheduled for Wednesday

ActiveDuty Troops Launch Campaign to Press Congress

Under the Military Whistle-Blower Protection Act (DOD directive 7050.6), active-duty military, National Guard and Reservists can file and send a protected communication to a Member of Congress regarding any subject without reprisal.

Blue Star Chronicles -- Camp Pendleton 8 Updates

What's read and white and paid for by U.S

"...we're breaking all the first principles of democracy when we're doing it."

October could be deadliest month for U.S. military in Iraq

To date, 2,791 U.S. soldiers have been killed in action.

Military Report

Medco to Pay U.S. $155 Million to Settle False Claims Act Cases

Ex-Hollinger Director, Richard Perle, Won't Face Charges

Pentagon Official Sentenced in Arms Sale

Gonzales takes defense of Military Commissions Act to JAG conference

Therapist's records sought in Air Force Academy court-martial

"Amazing Race" Star's Military Assault

HAMDANIA MARINES

Marine set to plead in April death of Iraqi man

“These are young Marines who have been in prison since early May,” Jerry Shumate Sr. said. “There's been a lot of pressure brought to bear on these guys. . . . But we want the whole truth to come out. We want to go forward.”

No Word on Missing Army Soldier in Iraq

The missing soldier's name and other personal details have not been officially released, although American troops who raided Baghdad's al- Furat TV on Monday said they were looking for an abducted American officer of Iraqi descent who went to join family members in Karradah.

Officer's Abu Ghraib hearing ends Court-martial ruling expected by early November

JAG Hunter: The headline should read, a "recommendation" expected by November. The commander in chief will make the discretionary decision whether to proceed to court-martial.

Here endth the lesson.

Defense fund for GIs raises $13K: Proceeds will help Plymouth Marine, others

‘‘We all have to make sure servicemen in Iraq ... are afforded the same rights and defenses as everyone else,’’ said Joseph Flaherty, a lawyer, retired State Police lieutenant and Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam who attended the fundraiser.

JAG Hunter here: Lemme think...where have I read these words before?

TimesDispatch.com | Sailor pleads guilty in Marine's slaying

The sentencing phase was to begin today with jury selection...

JAG Hunter here: There are no juries in the military discipline system. None!

Here endth the lesson

WorldNetDaily: Documents reveal 'shadow government'

Bureaucrats from agencies throughout the Bush administration are meeting regularly with their counterpart bureaucrats in the Canadian and Mexican governments to engage in a broad rewriting of U.S. administrative law and regulations into a new trilateral North American configuration, Corsi contends.

WorldNetDaily: Snow says question on officers' prison time 'nonsensical'

In a move that still confuses Ramos and Compean, the U.S. government filed charges against them after giving full immunity to Aldrete-Davila and paying for his medical treatment at an El Paso hospital.

JAG Hunter here: Have you noticed, or is it just me? The U.S. government has turned against its citizens. Most notably citizens trying to defend the nation.

Attorneys, Marines still awaiting word on Haditha case; Camp Pendleton unit remains under scrutiny in deaths of 24 civilians last November -- North County Times

As the Haditha case simmers with no clear idea of how or when it will be resolved, military prosecutors continue to press the unrelated case of seven Camp Pendleton Marines and a Navy corpsman charged in the death of a man in the Iraqi village of Hamdania.

Battle over tactics raged at GITMO.

Prepared Remarks of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales at the JAG Corps Leadership Summit

The successful implementation of this Act is one of the most important challenges we will face together going forward.

JAG Hunter here: Challenging because the Military Commissions Act represents an "extraordinary rendition" of juries. It is the exercise of punishment without law: Attainder.

Here endth the lesson. The JAG Hunter 2006©

Army brass asks for $25 BILLION more!

WTKR.com - Sailor Could Plead Guilty To Murder To Avoid Death Penalty

Air Force Academy grounds

Rocky Mountain News: Three high-school cheerleaders arrested in prank

The Air Force Academy's 10th Security Forces Squadron made the arrests and took the girls to jail...

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Rocky Mountain News: Court-martial Tuesday for cadet in rape case

Townhall.com -- Uneasy for a reason -- By Michael Barone

From the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union up until the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, we were on a holiday from history.

JAG Hunter here: That level of mortal combat that when concluded a nation or its government or both fall dead next to its soldiers may come to America once again. History informs us to be prepared for it.

There may come a time when we must employ the Articles of WAR as they are meant to operate. We will be forced to close our courts on that day if that day ever arrives.

That day, however, is not today.

And the operation of the Articles of WAR in time of peace is an illicit act of attainder. We are commanded by the Constitution to use our courts when they are open.

Today, the courts are functioning. I predict they'll be open tomorrow.

Here endth the lesson. The JAG Hunter 2006©

It's the Constitution, Stupid

In recent years President Bush's lawyers have been playing fast and loose with the Constitution. They have invented a new doctrine, called the 'unitary executive' that, combined with the President's role as Commander in Chief, vastly diminishes the relative authority of both the legislative and judicial branches of the federal government.

JAG Hunter here: It's called ATTAINDER! And it's a criminal act.

Terror bill can't mask terrible record on Iraq

If the administration had adopted rules similar to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which protects a defendant's rights and assures fair tribunals, trials could have been completed long ago.

JAG Hunter here: Wrong!

America's Articles of War (renamed the UCMJ in 1951) do not protect defendant rights. They do allow for direct action by the state against an accused without jury or judicial review.

Legislation of the Military Commissions Act 2006 and greatly expanded military powers under the UCMJ, with their subsequent enactment by the commander in chief, are illicit acts called attainder only making matters worse. More to follow on the subject of attainder.

Correcting one reporter at a time.

Here endth the lesson. The JAG Hunter 2006©

Planted Propaganda - washingtonpost.com

The government shouldn't be in the business of covertly peddling propaganda -- especially in a war based on the notion of seeking to export democratic values such as, say, a free press.

WorldNetDaily: New Army regs accused of tipping hand to enemy

The rationale is that the Army and the DoD (Department of Defense) want no bad press and doesn't want anybody in the world to think we are doing anything "sneaky."

ARTICLE 15

Stars & Stripes -- Airman is line Europe violator nabbed by prostitution bans

Why the NCIS, not the FBI? Newport News is a commercial firm.

Naval Shipyard kickback suit settled for $4.2M

He was the original whistle-blower, gathering evidence of the scheme three years ago and reporting it to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Why is the Army's Criminal Investigative Division working with civilian community law enforcement?

Alaska : Fort Wainwright soldier shot -- CID on the case

FindLaw's Writ -- Cassel: The Cases of Lynne Stewart, Clive Stafford Smith, and Navy JAG Lawyer Charles Swift Government Retaliation Against Attorneys for Terrorism Suspects

...people who stand up for their own rights and the rights of others face not open and transparent prosecution in federal court--like Stewart--but arrest, trial, and imprisonment by the President of the United States.

Lawyer: Plea Deal in Iraqi Murder Case - Forbes.com

Jodka will plead guilty to assault and obstruction of justice, his father, John Jodka, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Lawyer: Marine makes plea deal in Iraqi murder case - CNN.com

Pfc. John J. Jodka, 20, of Encinitas, California, would be the first Marine to plead guilty in the case, in which six other Marines and one Navy corpsman were also charged with murder.

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN !

COMPANION JAG BLOG: The JAGMIRE

Tougher stance on crimes of US troops? | csmonitor.com

There's nothing improper in that, [Attorney Eugene Fidell] adds. "The military justice system ... recognizes the rights of victims in the administration of justice," he says. "Nor is there anything illicit in acknowledging that the Iraqi population has an interest in seeing justice done."

JAG Hunter here: Counselor Eugene Fidell heads up an outfit called the National Institute of Military Justice (NIMJ) linked in the sidebar. I find his comments baffling as he suggests serviceman's "rights" are recongized in the courts-martial system.

Counselor Fidell is flatly, demonstrably wrong. Fidell is but one reason The JAG Hunter is around.

Knowing what I do about how this process really works, I have to question his thinking. And dropping the NIMJ link is under serious consideration. Stay tuned.

Here endth the lesson.

FBI raids homes of lawmaker's daughter

The 10-term congressman from the Philadelphia suburbs, who is vice chairman of the House Armed Services committee, is locked in a tight race with Democrat Joe Sestak, a retired Navy vice admiral.

Who Is 'Any Person' in Tribunal Law?

If the Times is correct that "this law does not apply to American citizens," why does it contain language referring to "any person" and then adding in an adjacent context a reference to people acting "in breach of an allegiance or duty to the United States"?

HAMDANIA MARINES

Navy Times - Attorney questions corpsman’s testimony

[Defense attorney] Brannon declined to discuss details of the government’s evidence against Hutchins and would not comment specifically about Bacos’ accusations.

Consortiumnews.com -- Militaary Commissions Act 2006 | Who is "Any Person?"

Federal Times -- Pentagon officials may make it easier to deploy civilians

Pentagon review says military propaganda program in Iraq was within the law -- International Herald Tribune

A classified Defense Department inspector general's report said regulations were followed when the military paid to have favorable stories about coalition forces planted in Iraqi newspapers, according to the unclassified executive summary obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.

JURIST -- Courts-martial ordered for 3 more Marines in Hamdania killing

California state Superior Court

SignOnSanDiego.com -- Judge orders probation for Marine who beat son

AP Wire -- Former Missouri state senator convicted in court martial

BelvoirEagle.com | Local Legal Support (JAG) Reserve unit deploys in support of OIF

VOA News - New US Military Chief for Latin, South America Takes Office

Admiral James Stavridis is the first naval officer ever to take charge of U.S. military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, traditionally the domain of ground forces.

Kevin Anderson sighting: Bremerton woman gets 13 years for Meth Dealing

kitsapsun.com: Code 911

Her sentencing, before Judge Leila Mills, wasn’t held until Sept. 29, said Kitsap County Deputy Prosecutor Andy Anderson.

JAG Hunter here: As a community service I should like to remind JAG Hunter readers that Kitsap County Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Anderson is an outlaw, a known and reported criminal (see sidebar, scroll down). If Kevin Anderson was the prosecutor in this case, it can be appealed, and should be. 13 years is a long time, and Anderson is known for rigging hearings.

Here endth the lesson.

ARMY -- SAMARRA (9 May 2006)

Four more soldiers face courts-martial for murder making it 15 the total number of servicemen who face murder related charges, while a 16th is already punished by a GCM.

The Monroe County Advocate -- Soldier will not face death penalty By Tommy Millsaps

During an Article 32 hearing in August, the military equivalent of a grand jury hearing, a military investigator had recommended the death penalty if the four men were found guilty.

JAG Hunter here: Article 32 hearings, under America's Articles of War, are unexampled in the civilian criminal system. AW 32 hearings are not a grand juries, nor do they act like a grand juries. Laconically, there're not juries at all.

Correcting one reporter at a time.

Here endth the lesson.

Plea expected in Indy Marine's killing -- IndyStar.com / Navy Times By William H. McMichael

A sailor accused of killing an Indianapolis Marine corporal is expected to plead guilty at his Oct. 23 general court-martial in an effort to avoid the death penalty, the sailor's civilian defense attorney said.

JAG Hunter here: Hello Bill.

Navy SEAL Dies Saving Comrades

MARINES -- HAMDANIA (26 April 2006)

Three more Hamdania defendants to face trial -- North County Times

On Monday, the last of the Article 32 hearings in the case was conducted. In court that day was the troops' platoon leader, Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III, whose attorneys agreed to let a Marine Reserve colonel rely on written Naval Criminal Investigative Service reports in deciding what should happen with their client. The hearing officer's report will go to Mattis next week.

Congress to courts: Get out of the war on terror

OpinionJournal - Featured Article

The new law is, above all, a stinging rebuke to the Supreme Court.

GI BILL not measuring up

COMBAT TO CLASSROOM

...the Defense Department has taken the lead in resisting changes to the GI Bill, arguing that the bill is serving its purposes...

FindLaw's Writ - Cassel: The Cases of Lynne Stewart, Clive Stafford Smith, and Navy JAG Lawyer Charles Swift Government Retaliation Against Attorneys for Terrorism Suspects

Two weeks after the Supreme Court ruling, Swift's status in the Navy came up for review. Pursuant to an 'up or out' policy, Swift either would be promoted or have to leave the Navy. Although Swift was hailed by his direct supervisor as being among the finest lawyers in uniform, he was denied promotion, and now must leave the Navy.

Media Matters - Wash. Post, NY Times, Reuters provided uninformative coverage of detainee bill signing

8 Army Soldiers MAHMOUDIYA (12 March 2006)
3 Marines HAMDANIA (26 April 2006)

11 face courts-martial linked to deaths in Iraq - The Washington Times

MARINES -- HAMDANIA (26 April 2006)

SignOnSanDiego.com -- Three more Marines to face courts-martial

ARMY -- MAHMOUDIYA (12 March 2006)

Four U.S. soldiers charged with rape and murder - CNN.com

US military too strong to lose Iraq war: Rummy

U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq Hit 2,785 - washingtonpost.com

FOXNews.com - President Bush Signs Military Commissions Act Into Law

Detainees to get military trials

The Unlearned Lessons of Abu Ghraib - washingtonpost.com

...we also found disturbing conduct by military and civilian interrogators.

ARMY -- MAHMOUDIYA (12 March 2006)

Army Times - Two accused of killing Iraqis could face death penalty

The decision to send the four soldiers to courts-martial was made by Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Turner, commander of the 101st .

ARMY -- ABU GHRAIB

Ex-commander talks at Abu Ghraib hearing

An Army Reserve officer accused of ignoring abuses of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison was a daily visitor to the 'hard site,' where some detainees were stripped naked as an interrogation technique, a former military police commander testified Wednesday.

MARINES -- HAMDANIA (26 April 2006)

Corporal Trent D. Thomas
Lance Corporal Robert B. Pennington
Lance Corporal Tyler A. Jackson

Marine Corps Times - Mattis forwards three Hamdaniya cases to trial

Three infantrymen with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, who waived their rights to preliminary hearings will be tried at general courts-martial on charges that they kidnapped and murdered an Iraqi man in Hamdaniya in April, Marine officials said Wednesday.

ARMY -- MAHMOUDIYA

Troops to face courts-martial on charges

Their unit suffered months of bombings and shootings that felled dozens of comrades. Defense attorneys have argued that soldiers of every rank were emotionally ragged and strained.

Stars & Stripes: Anthrax shots remain voluntary in South Korea, for now

Bush Sets Defense As Space Priority - washingtonpost.com

Tuesday Night Fights: Bill O’Reilly vs. ‘Tough on Terrorism’ Charlie Rangel -- NewsBusters.org

Now let me ask you a question. You are a military guy. You did fight in war. And do you trust the military to give these detainees a fair trial? Do you trust the military to do that?

JAG Hunter here: Ah...the correct answer to O'Reilly's question Congressman Rangel...is NO!

"Force shaping"

Stars & Stripes: Air Force offers early outs in effort to trim forces

HAMDANIA MARINES

10News.com - Military Trial Prompts Trip To Iraq

The upcoming trip will also offer attorneys representing Marines facing charges in the death of Hashim Ibrahim Awad a chance to interview Iraqis who could emerge as important witnesses, the North County Times reported.

JAG Hunter here: 'Bout time. Seems this process is a bit twisted. First the verdict...then the trial.

Beyond boundaries NCIS working local community law enforcement. All involved are civilians.

Four charged with providing contraband -- PensacolaNewsJournal.com

They are accused of doing this with inmates who worked on their shifts at the Pensacola Naval Air Station.

JAG Hunter here: What are innmates doing on a military reservation?

Interest capped on military payday advances - Tennessean.com

WSJ -- OpinionJournal - Leisure & Arts -- There's an artist in that foxhole

The military uses artists in a variety of roles.

Abu Ghraib toga key to officer's defense

[Colonel] Pappas has not been criminally charged. He was reprimanded and fined $8,000 for once approving the use of dogs during an interrogation without higher approval.

Concord Monitor Online - Trial begins for Abu Ghraib officer

[Lt. Col.] Jordan, who is subject to a possible 41 years in prison, faced his accusers in Fort Meade, Md., in a hearing to determine whether the charges are sufficient for a general court martial.

JAG Hunter here: Lt. Col. Jordan was able to face his accusers during the Article 32, as compared to the Marines at Camp Pendleton who've been obstructed from facing their accusers.

Also this -- An Article 32 disciplinary hearing is not a trial, nor is it part of a trial.

Here endth the lesson.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

Mother of Marine Says Iraqi Murder Case Taking Mental Toll

Lance Cpl. Robert B. Pennington, 22, has become withdrawn, paranoid and depressed since he was placed in custody in May, Deanne Pennington [pictured inside] said.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

HeraldNet: Court-martial for Marine

A Mukilteo Marine charged with kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi civilian will proceed straight to court-martial. He was scheduled for a hearing Monday but waived that right.

United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Feres Doctrine hearing and testimony

The US Navy: What is Admiral' Mast - Captain's Mast

CAMP PENDLETON 7

Accused Plymouth Marine awaits ruling: Judge delays proceedings until he reviews evidence

No witnesses testified yesterday at the hearing...

JAG Hunter here: Guess I don't need to mention the accusers haven't shown up yet either.

CAMP PENDLETON 7 -- COMPARE AND CONTRAST -- THEN START ASKING QUESTIONS!

QUESTION #1: WHO ARE THOSE GUYS?


In case you missed it...

The 50th Anniversary of the Case of Milo Radulovich, Victim of McCarthyism

The little picture had shown the big picture of a nation ignoring individual liberties...

JAG Hunter here: Who are the people who accuse the Marines being sequestered at Camp Pendleton?

Where are those people? What connection or relationship do they have to the dead man? Are they connected in any way to the dead man? How do we know? What do the accusers say happened? How am I to know the accusers? Are they credible? What do the accusers look like, what do they sound like. How am I to know them? How old are they? How tall? Where are they pictured? Do they suffer any infirmities? Can they see? Hear? Speak audibly (cause so far...I haven't heard a word from them). What are their backgrounds? Education if any? How many accuses are there, and how do they know what they report about the conduct of Marines last April? How do we know the accusers are not lying? Did the accusers all see the same thing? Are their facts reasonably consistent and reliable? Where were the accusers when this event took place? Nearby? 10 feet? 100 feet? 1,000 feet? Do any of the accusers wear glasses? What time of day did this occur? What was the weather like? Visibility? Were the accusers under fire at the time, or before? If so, who was shooting at them? And why? Were the Marines under fire, or had they been? Do we know who was shooting at the Marines if they'd been engaged. Were their accusers shooting at them, at any time? What do the accusers have to gain by seeing the Marines off to a military gulag?

Have special agents from the NCIS interrogated any of the accusers in the same fashion they've interrogated our Marines? Or at all? Doncha know those agents operate without boundaries and can do anything they choose. Especially in a foreign country, with nobody watching. Have NCIS agents been able to take money away from the families of the accusers, as money has been taken away from our troops and their families. Have any of the accusers been tosseed in a Camp Pendleton cave and told they're not comin' out until the right words are spoken? And maybe not even then.

What do we know by way of answer to any of these questions from what's been disclosed by the accusers in a hearing room? Under oath? What of anything the accusers say has been said under oath? And by the way...an oath to who? Or what? In obedience to whose standard of law? Their understanding of law? What punishment or consequence do the accusers account if they are lying? And how do we know they are telling the truth?

MORE TO THE POINT: What have we learned from what defense attorneys have been able to freely discover? From answers to questions defense teams have been able to press against the accusers in the hearing room? IN PUBLIC!

And who out there is asking these questions?

Why can't we ask these questions? Why are Marine Corps officers obstructing those who are trying to ask these questions?

You wanna support the troops. Start asking questions and demanding credible answers delivered in public! Ask questions relentlessly, insistently, every day, every hour, every minute of every hour. Never stop. And demand public response!

That's how you support the troops!

Here endth the lesson. The JAG Hunter 2006©

An important commentary

CBS Motivates Terrorists by Grant Holcomb

Free speech is a privilege we must protect at all cost. However, what was presented this evening was not free speech.

Roll up that sleeve soldier! -- Pentagon resumes controversial anthrax vaccination program

Lt. Watada

Japanese-Americans split over officer's Iraq refusal

"Our attorney says it's about 100-percent certain that there will be a court martial," Watada told The Rafu Shimbo.

JAG Hunter here: Hey lieutenant...YA THINK? MAYBE? Lemme share. Your going to be court-martialed. I'm 100% sure your going to a GCM, and soon.

Stars & Stripes: "Army says soldier's appearance in campaign ad was wrong, but not a crime "

Major Jill Metzger update

Kidnapped in Kyrgyzstan? Evidence casts doubt - Newsday.com:

Metzger's family said she was not available for comment. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations in Maryland, which is working on the case with the FBI, also declined to give details.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

Squad leader in military murder case appears in base court -- North County Times

Military authorities allege Awad was seized from his home, bound and gagged and marched to a hole that members of the squad had prepared to make it appear he was an insurgent planting a roadside bomb.

JAG Hunter here: Where are the accusers? Who are the accusers? What do the accusers allege?

CAMP PENDLETON 7

Keeping Marine in Brig Is Cruel, His Parents Say - Los Angeles Times

"Life in the brig is total hell for these guys,"Deanna Pennington said. 'They've not been convicted of anything, and they're being treated like serial killers."

Accusers in the hearing room...what a country!

Colonel's role at Abu Ghraib is scrutinized - baltimoresun.com

Jordan, who could be sentenced to 41 years in prison if found guilty on all charges, faced his accusers here in a hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to warrant a general court-martial.

LA Daily News - Recruiters compete to lure people

WSJ OpinionJournal - Featured Article

In an age when courts routinely impose five-year prison terms for drug offenders, and life sentences on former CEOs, 28 months may not seem an appropriate sentence for a terrorist accomplice, especially when the government sought 30 years.

ABU GHRAIB -- The blame goes higher up the chain of command than this Lt. Col.

General Says Abu Ghraib Officer Lied - Forbes.com

He said Jordan "told us a story that was deceptive and it was misleading, and he tried to avoid responsibility for his role at Abu Ghraib. "

CAMP PENDLETON 7

CONTRIBUTIONS GLADLY ACCEPTED

Freepress Political Blog Aggregator - Innocent 8: Still Innocent (Donations re-opened)

AFCOM? AFRIKACorps?

New U.S regional command standing up

US to establish a joint military command in Africa -- African News Dimension

American military command in Europe General William Ward revealed yesterday about the commitment of Washington to establish a joint military command, instead of being dispersed in three separate bases, to fight terrorism in Africa.

Make sure to pre-flight your cars, all military spouses. Cause the SUPREMES say it's o.k. for the NCIS, AFOSI, or the CID to rig your vehicles with a tracking device with the permission of military brass.

I feel safe...how 'bout you?

San Angelo Standard-Times

Prosecutors argued in a response that Supreme Court precedent and the permission of a military superior protect the action.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

JURIST -- Marine sergeant faces Article 32 hearing for Hamdania killing

A military judge is reviewing unspecified documentary evidence and testimony of Hutchins' squad members to determine if he will order a general court-martial

JAG Hunter here: This report is wrong.

To repeat from an earlier posting, Article 32 hearing officers do not order military personnel to courts-martial.

They make recommendations to the convening authority (who represents the commander in chief -- chief executive).

There is only one person in the U.S. who is authorized to punish American military men. Just one.

Here endth the lesson.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

AP Wire -- Mother of Marine says Iraqi murder case taking mental toll

"Everything is done to create a level of total paranoia," she said.

Defense Department makes anthrax shots mandatory--again--in Central Command and South Korea

Stars & Stripes

First it was required, then it was optional, and now it’s required again — for some.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

SignOnSanDiego.com -- Neither side calls witnesses in trial over Iraqi civilian's slaying

“If you can walk away from the possibility of life in prison, that is a powerful inducement” to not tell the truth, he said.

JAG Hunter here: No witnesses. No accusers (see post immediaty below). No physical evidence. No testimonal evidence saving that of HM3 Bacos who's words are correctly called into question.

AND A MARINE CORPS GAG ORDER IN PLACE BARRING THE PEOPLE NEAREST TO THIS NIGHTMARE FROM OPENING DOORS AND WINDOWS INTRODUCING DAYLIGHT.

THIS IS SO WRONG!

AND SO FAR, THERE'S BEEN NO WAY TO SAY NO!

ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION PEOPLE?

Here endth the lesson.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

Marine squad leader appears in U.S. military court in Iraqi death case - iht,america,US Marines Iraq Shooting - International Herald Tribune

During previous proceedings, prosecutors said much of the information comes from statements given by the seven Marines and a Navy corpsman assigned to the squad.

JAG Hunter here: Where is the accuser? Who are the accusers? Doncha think we ought to know who the accusers are by now? Do you wonder, maybe, that the accusers should have been present in the hearing room during HM3 Bacos' general court-martial? You know, to give testimony. To be present so as to be confronted?

It is possible to consider that the only information we're getting is being beaten out of the Marines who're cloistered. Out of sight of the public arena.

Can you imagine what details of these proceedings might emerge should the gag order, put in place by Marine Corps brass, be lifted?

Pay attention people.

I'll add to this in an essay to be published this week.

Here endth the lesson.

ABLE DANGER FALLOUT?

Philadelphia Inquirer -- FBI raids four homes, two offices in Weldon probe

AIR FORCE -- ENGLAND

The Student Operated Press -- Captain/pilot gets 17 1/2 years for drug smuggling

KFMB San Diego, Californi -- Alleged Hamdania Ringleader In Court

A military judge will decide whether or not Sgt. Hutchins will be court-martialed.

JAG Hunter here: No. This report is wrong!

Military judges do no decide whether cases are advanced to courts-martial.

The task of an Article 32 hearing officer is to make a recommendation to the convening authourity. The convening authority, in this case "mad dog" Marine Lieutenant General (3-star) Mattis, acting on behalf of our chief executive (the commander in chief), will decide if a court-martial will be opened (convened).

Here endth the lesson.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

The Evening Bulletin - Murtha Still Spinning His Wheels

The elder Pennington told the Johnstown audience the imprisoned marines and the navy corpsman were being grilled separately every day by military investigators hoping for confessions or deals.

MILITARY COMMISSIONAL ACT (MCA)

Will the Supreme Court shackle new tribunal law? -- csmonitor.com

Mr. Bush's authorization of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 will trigger a barrage of challenges asking judges to strike down the law as illegal, unconstitutional, or both.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

NBCSanDiego.com - Family of Marine Accused Of Murder Speaks Out

[Lance Corporal Robert] Pennington's family said that he will never make a plea deal, because he did not commit a crime.

(Note: Several "history-links" are available inside at the end of this report)

Army Times - The spec ops stretch

Critics – and there are plenty of them – blame civilians in the office of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for foisting the expansion plan on the special operations community with minimal input from the special ops troops who will have to implement it.

GITMO GAG ORDER...ANOTHER MARINE CORPS GAG ORDER!

Shut up or else, military tells Guantanamo lawyers...

[Marine Corps]Colonel Vokey declined to comment. "I can't even talk about it," he said when reached by telephone.

JAG Hunter here: Senior Marine Corps have placed gag orders on people involved in the defense of the seven Marines held at Camp Pendleton, and now on defense attorneys assigned to protect those detained at GITMO.

Sounds to me like a job for blogosphere keyboard commandos! Significant focus must be placed upon finding and reporting that specirfic information Marine Corps governors are trying to conceal. After that, a severe inspection and report of Marine Corps offficer motives must be clicked out to American citizens everywhere.

Contact The JAG Hunter (JAGHUNTER@silverlink.net)

TEXAS -- AIR FORCE: Jury selection begins in murder of Staff Sergeant Michael Severance

San Angelo Standard-Times

The Air Force granted permission for a tracking device to be placed on the vehicles for 30 days beginning Feb. 22.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

AP Wire -- Hearing in Cal for Marine accused of murdering Iraqi civilian

Through his lawyer, [Sgt.] Hutchins has denied any wrongdoing.

C4ISRJournal.com - Air Force studies blog-mining for intel

...the U.S. Air Force is studying how it can exploit these online communities to gather valuable information for commanders.

TEXAS

May the good Lord grant fair winds and following seas...

Temple soldier dies from injuries suffered in Iraq

Pfc. Thomas J. Hewitt died Friday at Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center from injuries suffered Sept. 26, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad.

Losses of war keenly felt across Ark-La-Tex
Latest deaths add to La.'s growing list of casualties

The Shreveport Times

In his last blog entry, dated Sept. 17, he wrote "we as Marines know why we signed up, that for our jobs as 0311s, infantryman, that harm will always be in our way. That's why I think and yea, pray for all my loved ones every day. Because they're my reason. Whoever reads this, take care, be safe, be easy, for you Marines be and stay hard. Peace Out!!!!"

Army Times - Early outs available to some lieutenants -- but not JAG lieutenants

The program is not open to members of the special branches — Army Medical Department, Judge Advocate General’s Corps and Chaplain Corps — nor officers who are deployed for Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, or those assigned to life-cycle units or units under stop-loss restrictions.

JAG Hunter here: Reducing JAG force levels works against efforts ongoing to elevate the TJAGs from all services to three-star rank.

Lawyers: Paralegal, military attorney ordered to stop speaking to press about alleged Guantanamo abuse - International Herald Tribune

A paralegal and a military lawyer who brought forward allegations about prisoner abuse at the Guantanamo Bay detention center have been ordered not to speak with the press about their accusations, lawyers who work with the pair said.

JAG Hunter here: As a student of trend analysis, you'll indulge my observation that regarding the gag order issued in the cases proceeding against the Marines at Camp Pendleton, and the gag order reported here, I spot a dangerous and sinister trend building within the United States Marine Corps.

Recruiters and JAGs...not a good mix

Bangor man wants to retract guilty plea in BB shooting spree : The Morning Call Online

Lawyer says deal made to avoid jail by serving in Army fell through.

Important read...lots of factoids.

Long live the Pentagon -- EnergyBulletin.net

Consider the following points:

1. The DoD is the only department that has departments within it: The Departments of the Navy, the Air Force, and the Army.

2...read on

Marine Corps Times - Lost laptop contains 2,400 Pendleton Marines’ info

The Seattle Times -- Military says attacks on Iraqis, U.S. troops up 43% in Baghdad

Abu Ghraib: Colonel Jordan's Article 32 scheduled for Monday

The Washington Times

[Col. Jordan] is the highest-ranking officer at Abu Ghraib to face criminal charges for the abuses in 2003 at Abu Ghraib, which included sexual humiliation and physical abuse of Iraqi detainees.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

San Diego 10News.com - Marine Accused In Iraqi's Death To Remain In Brig

An Article 32 hearing is scheduled Monday for [Sgt.] Hutchins.

MILITARY VOTE 2006

New Military Voting Process Lacks Security, Critics Say

David Wagner, a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, said submitting ballots via e-mail or fax presents myriad security problems.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

Accused Marine denied bail - World - theage.com.au

At the hearing, the military judge, Marine Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meeks, denied a defense motion to release Shumate from a military prison, saying "my concern in this particular case is flight."

JAGTOID: This Reuters report, picked up by other media outlets, is wrong. Bail is not an option in the U.S. military discipline system. Decisions to release prisoners are made at the discretion of senior military governors.

U.S. careless with citizens' information - The Washington Times

"In many cases, agencies do not know what information they have, who has access to the information, and what devices containing information have been lost, stolen or misplaced."

England: Air Force captain/pilot faces court-martial

Stars & Stripes

The trial of Capt. Charles L. Chandler, a pilot with the 494th Fighter Squadron, will have the unusual Saturday start time because of the judge’s schedule, a base spokesman said.

CAMP PENDLETON 7 -- Lcpl. Jerry Shumate from Matlock, Wa.

Marine trial set in death of Iraqi grandfather | US News | Reuters.com

At the hearing, the military judge, Marine Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meeks, denied a defense motion to release Shumate from a military prison, saying "my concern in this particular case is flight."

Air National Guard captain, pilot sentenced in U.S. District Court...

U.S. military pilot sentenced in Ecstasy case - International Herald Tribune

Rodriguez, 36, and Master Sgt. John Fong, 37, of the U.S. Air National Guard had pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, admitting their roles in the April 2005 flight. Fong is awaiting sentencing.

JAG Hunter here: U.S District Courts are supposed to be used in this fashion when open. Courts-martial are appropriate only when federal courts are closed.

CAMP PENDLETON 7

SignOnSanDiego.com -- Family asks for Marine son to be freed pending court martial

Shumate's mother, Diann, told Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meeks that the people of Matlock, Wash., support their native son, a former high school quarterback in the small town.

CAMP PENDLETON 7 -- Lcpl. Jerry E. Shumate, Jr.

Marine Corps Times - Trial set for Marine in Hamdaniya case

Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr., an infantryman with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, was arraigned this morning in a Pendleton courtroom. He is charged with premeditated murder, conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, housebreaking and larceny in the April 25 death of Hashim Ibrahim Awad.

ABC News: Coroner: U.S. Forces Killed TV Reporter

U.S. authorities didn't allow servicemen to testify at the inquest. Several submitted anonymous statements that the coroner ruled inadmissible.

TALON

Error gets anti-war group on terror watch

The Talon report obtained by the ACLU labels the group`s peaceful protest of military recruitment during last year`s Fort Lauderdale Air & Sea Show "subversive."

THREAT AND LOCAL OBSERVATION NOTICE (TALON)

Peace Activists Beware: Homeland Security May Be Reading Your E-Mail, and Passing it on to the Pentagon | The Progressive

All three Talon documents state at the top: “This information is being provided only to alert commanders and staff to potential terrorist activity or apprise them of other force protection issues.”

JAG Hunter PSA: In case you're wondering, federal military police agencies listed over to the right, in the sidebar, are by the nature of their "force protection" mission" full participants--within each of their local communities--in TALON activities. Your freedoms are being insidiously sacrificed in the name of safety. You know the quote.

Book Review: John Grisham's The Innocent Man

CAMP PENDLETON 7

NOT FREE TO LEAVE...

Judge says statements of man accused in Temecula murder can't be used - The Californian / North County Times

Clark ruled that all of Rivers' statements to detectives at the NCIS offices, on the drive back to the Southwest Sheriff's Station in French Valley, at a polygraph examination in San Bernardino, and during questioning at the station after the polygraph test will not be heard as evidence in the trial.

JAG Hunter here: Comparing and contrasting how a constitutional civilian court and trial system handles a case charging Navy Chief Petty Officer Philip Charles Rivers with murder to how the military establishment--employing unconstitutional courts-martial-- is handling the murder charges against the "CAMP PENDLETON 7," is the strongest indictment of the military discipline process so far found printed publicly. It's certainly another indictment of "beyond boundaries (bb's)" Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) federal agents. There are laws prohibiting federal military police agencies from invading local, civilian community police investigations. I would like to see, to set an example, both the civilian and military law enforcement officials regarding their investigation of CPO Rivers face charges themselves for the laws they've trepassed upon in there illicit collusion.

Oh...by the way...let me suggest all NCIS work product tossed out, declared worthless in the case of the CAMP PENDLETON 7, for the same reason Superior Judge Judith Clark uses. That's another way of saying toss out the only evidence, the manufactured evidence NCIS agents like Jim Connolly piled up against these fine Marines and allow the Marines to go free, returned to duty.

Here endth the lesson. The JAG Hunter 2006©

Townhall.com -- It's about time Americans found out what Sandy Berger stuffed in his pants -- By Lorie Byrd

The theft and destruction of classified national security documents by former National Security Advisor Samuel “Sandy” Berger is a topic that never received the attention it should have.

Don Guter's teach-in

Chicago Reader: Hot Type

The question Swift didn't allow himself to ask has apparently been answered. About two weeks after the Supreme Court ruled in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld he was passed over for promotion.

JAG Hunter here: Don Guter is an outlaw. His concerns over protecting terrorists over that regarding the treatment of our Marines at Camp Pendleton, as but a single example, is outrageous, and consistent.

Doonesbury creator starts military blog

[Garry Trudeau] wrote that he hopes to let readers see "the unclassified details of deployment - the everyday, the extraordinary, the wonderful, the messed-up, the absurd."

Size of the military establishment

Hubbert's Defense Department | EnergyBulletin.net | Peak Oil News Clearinghouse

Of the total U.S. government liquid fuel use, about 97% of that is consumed by the Department of Defense, making that agency the world's single largest fuel-burning entity.

Secrecy News -- more links inside...

The U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's "Operational Law Handbook" (pdf) has recently been updated (August 2006). The Handbook "provides references and describes tactics and techniques for the practice of operational law....[and is intended to] help judge advocates recognize, analyze, and resolve the problems they will encounter in the operational context."

U.S. CAAF Daily Journal for October 2006

abc11tv.com: N.C. a Hotbed for Military Recruiting

CAMP PENDLETON 7

Worth repeating...

By Joseph Farah -- WorldNetDaily: Free the Pendleton 8!

I'm ashamed of America today.

JAG Hunter here: Me too!

FrontPage magazine.com -- They Dare Call It Treason (Finally) by Henry Mark Holzer

If the United States gets its hands on Adam Gadahn –American spokesman for terrorists, accomplice to mass murderers, traitor to the United States – he will either be convicted by a jury of Americans, or, like that spoiled brat Taliban John Walker, make a plea bargain so as to avoid risking the much deserved death penalty.

JAG Hunter here: The operative word in this selected quote is "JURY." There are no juries in the U.S. military discipline system. As constitutional law Professor Holzer states clearly, even America's worst, most dangerous enemies, are protected against direct action by the state by juries, a protection no American soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, reservist, or guardsman enjoys under the our Articles of War (renamed the Uniform Code of Military Justice in 1951).

Here endth the lesson. The JAG Hunter 2006©

JAGTOID The JAG Hunter 2006©

About the AFOS: Sen. Arlen Specter is a former AFOSI member

Memory flogger...

Marine Corps Times - Corps sacks three commanders (late entry)

Three officers — including an infantry battalion commander and two of his company commanders — were fired April 7 for “lack of confidence,” a Corps spokesman said.

"Atlanta-bases Insurance Services Firm to Pay $1.36 Million..."

News and Press Release Distribution

This investigation was a joint effort by the Offices of the Inspectors General of the Department of Labor, the United States Postal Service, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Media Matters - Journal editorial claimed military met recruitment goals because "troops believe in mission," ignored lower aptitude requirements for new soldiers

...the [WSJ] editorial omitted the fact that the Army 'beat its goal of 80,000 recruits,' by 'recruit[ing] more than 2,600 soldiers under new lower aptitude standards this year,' according to an October 10 Associated Press report.

JAG Hunter here: Concur.

Local Military Recruiting Hits All-Time High

Lt. Chris Stone, Michigan National Guard: "I think there are a lot of reasons, we have some great cash bonus and recruiters, but that will not increase the numbers alone."

JAG Hunter memo to Lt. Stone: Correction -- cash money pay outs will, by themselves, increase recruiting numbers. Here's a factoid as true as recruiting during conflicts is hard: Enlistment rates rise as the amount of the cash bonus goes up. More money, more recruits. From this little piece of common sense was coined (pun intended) the phrase, "Soldiers of Fortune."