Ernie Pyle
Ernie Pyle's timeless wartime columns ...
Thursday, June 15th, 2006, approximately 1900 hours (EST):
Ring tone: Dial 760.725.5044 (Media Relations at Camp Pendleton, California).
Camp Pendleton (CP): Hello, this is Camp Pendleton media relations.
Captain’s Journal (CJ): To whom am I speaking?
CP: This is Staff Sgt. Jesse Lora.
CJ: I am a Marine father and a concerned U.S. citizen. Are the eight Marines involved with the alleged Hamdaniya incident in the brig at Camp Pendleton?
CP: Are you media, sir?
CJ: I am a Marine father and a concerned U.S. citizen. Are the eight Marines involved with the alleged Hamdaniya incident in the brig?
CP: There are seven Marines and one Navy Corpsman.
CJ: In the brig?
CP: Yes sir.
CJ: Have they been charged?
CP: No sir.
CJ: Why are they in the brig if they have not been charged?
CP: Sir, the decision has been made that there is reason to believe that there has been court martial offense and so they are in the brig.
CJ: But there is an investigation underway. How would you know if a court martial offense has occurred if the investigation has not yet been completed? Isn’t it the very information you need to rely upon to make such a decision?
CP: Sir, the senior staff has made the decision …
CJ: [interrupting] … who? Who has made this decision?
CP: Sir, the commanding officer has made the decision.
CJ: How did he make it?
CP: Sir, he has reason to believe …
CJ: [interrupting] … but if the investigation has not been completed yet, how could he have made the decision — he needs the investigative results in order to make the decision.
CP: Sir, the commanding officer has reason to believe that a court martial offense has occurred.
CJ: Uh huh. Okay then (Editorial Remark: At this point it was obvious that the company line was well-rehearsed and we were getting nowhere with this line of questioning).
CJ: Well, I still don’t see why they are in the brig if they have not been charged? Are they in shackles?
CP: Sir, they are able to get out, to have family visits on the weekends, and they are only in leg irons, not shackles, when they are out.
CJ: I understand that this is one hour per day that they are out.
CP: Sir, they are out during meals and other times.
CJ: (Editorial Remark: Meals? Are they shackled during meals? What kind of idiots do we have running the brigs?): I still don’t see why they are locked up if they have not been charged?
CP: Sir, I assure you that they are being treated with the utmost of respect. The hand cuffs and leg irons are for our’s and their protection.
CJ: (Editorial Remark: If there is reason to believe that they have committed a court martial offense, why would you treat them with the utmost of respect? Leg irons for their protection? What kind of idiots do we have running the brigs? What kind of idiot does Staff Sgt. Lora take me for?): Okay. Tell me this. Is this a show for the media? Is this all a big show?
CP: Sir I could not comment on that.
CJ: Okay, thanks for the time. But I still don’t understand why they are in the brig without charges being filed.
On June 21, 2006 at 9:17 pm, Sandra & Dennis Leslie said:
We were outside Camp Pendleton on Saturday, June 17, with more than 300 people in support of the eight Marines. The media have ignored this. What will it take to bring this travesty to the attention of the disinterested public?
On June 26, 2006 at 9:20 pm, Steve Greenspan said:
Is there a defense fund set up for our brave Marines?
How do we contribute to it?
I truly feel for them and their families. I thought that there is a presumption of innocence unless proven otherwise.
Thank you for following up on this story.
On July 14, 2006 at 2:33 pm, Mark said:
It just keeps getting worse. They military seems to have taken away a lesson from the Lt Pantano fiasco. Not to be more careful about making charges, leaking to Congressman Murtha, or doing shoddy investigations, but to hinder and prevent an adequate defence.
here’s a very disturbing article:
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/07/12/military/8_01_327_11_06.txt
and it just gets worse:
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/07/13/news/top_stories/21_30_467_12_06.txt