More Marines, More Trials

"From a legal point of view, there is no difference in law between war and peace," he said.

That is the words of a lawyer weighing in with his 2¢ worth in a case involving a Marine, Jose Luis Nazario Jr., who is due to stand trial starting Tuesday for charges of involuntary manslaughter related to an incident that allegedly occurred in Fallujah in 2004.

This story has its genesis with another Marine who was applying for a job with the US Secret Service. That Marine was a former member of Narzario's squad, Ryan Weemer. In an interview for that job he was asked about any criminal acts he might have committed or witnessed. He volunteered that while participating in combat operations he witnessed Nazario killing 2 detained Iraqis. Weemer himself is facing a military court martial for involuntary manslaughter and dereliction of duty for the death of an Iraqi in Fallujah.

I became aware of this story a long time ago and I was outraged to hear that it was federal prosecutors who were pursuing the charges against Nazario and a judge granted their motion for a hearing.

This same judge has ordered other members of Nazario's squad to be held in jail on contempt charges for their refusal to testify against him.

As you can see Sgt Jermaine Nelson has been a central figure in this case even though the military had previously dropped charges against him.

I don't claim to know the facts of the case, I guess that is the purpose of the court case is, my point is there shouldn't be a court case to start with. Am I saying that we should allow our military members to commit atrocities in the conduct of military operations? No. What I am saying is we weren't there, and for a bunch of highly paid, stuffed shirt, pampered, ambulance chasing, latte drinking lawyers to try and exert some sort of moral superiority because they think their debates in a courtroom somehow equate to actual armed combat, is the most grave of disservice not only to the Marines wrapped up in all of this but the legal community as a whole but mostly to any American who has ever worn the uniform of this country and volunteered to place himself between us the very people who would cause the destruction of this country.

This case bears watching to see if it too winds up just like the case involving the Haditha Marines.

John Murtha could not be reached for comment in this case.