THIS PAGE
TO A FRIEND
Dear Friend,
For the past two and a half years Lt. Colonel Jeffrey Chessani, USMC, has been investigated and prosecuted for his involvement in the so-called "Haditha massacre" - a massacre that never happened.
This loyal Marine officer is now in the throes of a criminal trial as the result of a legitimate combat action taken by four of his Marines after being ambushed by insurgents in Haditha, Iraq, on November 19, 2005.
If convicted, he faces 2 ½ years imprisonment, dismissal from the Corps, and loss of all of his retirement pay.
LtCol Chessani served three combat tours in Iraq. He served in the First Persian Gulf War, and in Panama.
Once you know the facts about Haditha, I'm sure you'll agree he was betrayed by Congressman John Murtha (a former Marine himself) and by our own Government to appease the liberal media.
After all he has done for his Nation - for you and me - will you chip in $25 to help defend this Marine? If you can give more, please do.
He urgently needs your help - NOW.
Click here to donate to the LtCol Chessani Defense Fund.
Your donation is tax-deductible.
Here are the facts.
On November 19, 2005, at approximately 7:15 a.m., a Marine convoy was rolling through Haditha, Iraq - a terrorist stronghold. Suddenly, a roadside bomb went off destroying a Marine Humvee, killing one Marine, and seriously injuring two others.The Marines immediately received fire from the ambushing insurgents, who were shooting from nearby civilian-occupied homes.
A four-man fire team responded as trained; they cleared several houses occupied by the armed insurgents. In the ensuing room-by-room, house-by-house gun battle, 8 enemy insurgents were killed.
Tragically 15 civilians also died - in urban combat, where insurgents purposefully use civilians as human shields, civilian casualties are tragic, but not uncommon. In fact, sometimes the insurgents themselves kill civilians to achieve a propaganda victory by blaming the Americans.
LtCol Chessani was the Battalion Commander of these brave Marines - the 3rd Battalion ("The Thundering Third"), 1st Marines - one of the most decorated units in the history of the Marine Corps.
As the Battalion Commander, LtCol Chessani was responsible that morning for approximately 2,000 American and friendly Iraqi troops in an area of operations just about the size of South Carolina.
He immediately reported the deaths of the 15 civilian Iraqis to his superiors.Not one of LtCol Chessani's superiors hearing of the 15 civilian deaths ─ including top generals ─ considered it unusual. Not one ordered a further investigation.
However, several months later, an inflammatory Time news article " later proven to be false " accused the Marines of massacring innocent civilians. The article was planted by insurgent propaganda operatives who knew too well that the liberal anti-war media hungered for such stories. They were right.
Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha, the leading anti-war critic, saw his opportunity and jumped in. Murtha is head of the House military appropriations subcommittee , a position with tremendous power over the military. He echoed Time's story.
He appeared on several major television networks and publicly accused the young enlisted Marines of "cold blooded" murder and Marine officers of a "cover-up." He blamed it all on the stress of being in Iraq too long.
Incredibly, these accusations were made even before the investigation was completed.
You may recall that Murtha is the same person caught on tape negotiating bribes with Arab Sheiks during the FBI's 1980 Abscam investigation ' he was an un-indicted co-conspirator in that case.
It's clear -- the Government has turned the prosecution of LtCol Jeffrey Chessani into a never-ending persecution.The trumped-up charge: failing to properly report and investigate the November 19, 2005 incident.
The Government is doing everything it can to convict this innocent officer. The vast resources of the military are at its disposal.
So far, the Government has spent millions of our taxpayer dollars, and employed over 65 Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) agents ─ the largest investigation in that agency's history , all in an effort to convict LtCol Chessani.
Why is this happening?
The military doesn?t want a repeat of the public reaction and media firestorm over the fact that no officer was charged in the Abu Ghraib prison incident.
So civilians and top generals in the Pentagon selected LtCol Chessani to become their political scapegoat.
Even though a Military Judge dismissed his case in June 2008 on the grounds of Unlawful Command Influence, the Government immediately appealed.
They are embarrassed by the dismissal, and it's not in their budgetary interests to leave Congressman Murtha ' who made all the wild accusations about the Marines ' "swinging in the wind."
So regardless of the outcome of the appeal, we know the Government will re-file the charges under a different command structure. Thus, LtCol Chessani must not only fight in the military appeals courts, but also prepare for the trial.
I?m sure you realize that the impact of this case reaches far beyond the personal tragedy and injustice to Jeffrey Chessani and his family.
A Chessani conviction will drastically curtail the future ability of our combat troops to defend our Nation , and themselves.
Notice what Marine Lt. Dominic Corabi said about Haditha, in the court martial of one of his men (ultimately exonerated) for shooting an Iraqi civilian thought to be an insurgent:
"Enlisted Marines were worried that their combat decisions could be second-guessed and that like the Marines involved in the Haditha killings of 2005, they could find themselves facing criminal charges."
Your donation now (click here) sends a message to all of our combat troops that you will stand with them when they need your help.
Your donation helps keep America strong!
Lt. Colonel Paul Ware, USMC, an Investigating Officer who heard testimony in several cases involving the charged enlisted Marines blasted the credibility of the Government witnesses and expressed concern that the allegations were nothing but a tactic "to erode public support of the Marine Corps and mission in Iraq."
He went on to say:
"Even more dangerous is the potential that a Marine may hesitate at the critical moment when facing the enemy..."
Retired General Thomas McInerney, former Joint Force Commander and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, called the prosecutions of the Haditha Marines "despicable." He warned:
"We cannot fight a war like that... We're not taking care of our people."
Regardless of how you feel about the war, LtCol Chessani was in Iraq because his country sent him there. He defended us, now we must defend him.
Just to give you an idea what our Nation has lost by the prosecution of LtCol Chessani, and why he deserves your support, I want to give you a few excerpts from his official Combat Fitness Report.
This is a required annual evaluation of a Marine officer's performance prepared by his superiors. It covers the period of September 2005 to February 2006 ─ which includes the date of the incident for which LtCol Chessani is facing criminal charges:
- "Leads Marines from front in every operation. Demonstrates moral courage everyday. Doesn't hesitate to report bad news fast or contest unrealistic plans/poor concepts. Despite the complexity and size of his AO [area of operations], he always maintains a calm, cool demeanor."
- "Always seeks advantage over complex, diverse insurgent enemy. Truly one of the finer thinkers in this COIN [counterinsurgency] environment."
- "One of the top 3" infantry/cavalry battalion commanders "of 13 who have served with RCT '2 [the regiment] during OIF. A superb leader, who knows his men, knows the enemy, knows his business. Doesn't attract a lot of fanfare; just gets the job done to an exceedingly high standard."
- "Long ball hitter; recommend selection for promotion to Colonel and TLS [Top Level School]."
The Reviewing Officer, Major General Huck added his comments: "Top notch officer with outstanding potential. Promote and select for TLS [Top Level School]. Post TLS slate for Regimental command and subsequent joint tour. Unlimited potential and value to the Marine Corps. Capable of the most challenging assignments."
In addition to being one of our Nation's most effective combat commanders, LtCol Chessani is a committed Christian, husband and father of 6 young children, ages 10 and under.
He has been defending our Nation for twenty years... often away from his wife and children... so that we could be safely with ours.
So you see... one distorted magazine article and the shameful politics of a Congressman and the Pentagon have devastated the life and family of this patriotic Marine officer.
LtCol Chessani has willingly answered the call to serve his country. That's why he deserves the support of every Patriotic American today.
Sincerely yours,
Richard Thompson
President and Chief Counsel, Thomas More Law Center
P.S. Of all the political donations you will make this presidential election cycle, please set aside a small amount to help defend this loyal Marine. The successful defense of Jeffrey Chessani is vital to the security of America and to all our military personnel we place in harm?s way. It is urgent you donate now. Your donation is tax-deductible.
P.P.S. Share LtCol Chessani's story with others who will realize the gravity of this important case. Click here to forward this article to a friend now.
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For further information please refer to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
