Free our Marines wrote on Jun 8, 2006 5:00 AM:Free these Marines. Stop alooing the enemey's propagada to go after our own people. Who will volunteer to go to Iraq or join the military in general if this is what they can expect! We have played right into the hands of the enemey!

Free this Marine wrote on Jun 8, 2006 7:11 AM:This Marine is good guy and doesn't deserve this! He would be treated better if he were in Gitmo!

Free these Marine wrote on Jun 8, 2006 7:36 AM:These Marines did their job!

Use Some Sense wrote on Jun 8, 2006 9:43 AM:If we really are over there fighting for democracy and the rule of law - we should put the accused on trial and let justice take its course. If these Marines are guilty, contrary to the cheerleading above, they are not good guys. If, indeed, "doing their job" includes murdering civilians, then those giving the orders are murderers and should be held to account. Of course, these cheerleaders above would probably say putting Bush and Rumsfeld on trial would play "right into the hands of the enemey!"

Da Chief wrote on Jun 8, 2006 10:59 AM:Once again the Media is turning us into murderers. I speak for all forces. I'm over here in Iraq. I have been here going on 9 months and let me tell you these young Marines were put into some tough situations. I have done house to house and it takes a toll on you. I'm a point man and when you push back and wait for the push forward your heart starts beating fast you can hear your the air in your lungs. There is no time to think and if you your dead. Don't think for one minute that those villagers didn't know about the IED. We go into a village they will sell us out in a heart beat. Normally I will seek a villager wave a 10 spot and they will sing like canaries. Yes I'm writing from Iraq. Oceanside is my hometown born and raised. Look at Jodka, fresh out of boot camp. I have over 25 years and a seasoned vet of 2 deployments. I probably have more experience than those 8 Marines- the point being is that they were very young to go right into the zone. This is war not a game. I would not blink an eye to kill. When I crash through a door my objective is to kill- hello is anybody home doesn't work.

Da Chief wrote on Jun 8, 2006 11:03 AM:Once again the Media is turning us into murderers. I speak for all forces. I'm over here in Iraq. I have been here going on 9 months and let me tell you these young Marines were put into some tough situations. I have done house to house and it takes a toll on you. I'm a point man and when you push back and wait for the push forward your heart starts beating fast you can hear the air in your lungs. There is no time to think and if you do your dead. Don't think for one minute that those villagers didn't know about the IED. We go into a village they will sell us out in a heart beat. Normally I will seek a villager wave a 10 spot and they will sing like canaries. Yes I'm writing from Iraq. Oceanside is my hometown born and raised. Look at Jodka, fresh out of boot camp. I have over 25 years and a seasoned vet of 2 deployments. I probably have more experience than those 8 Marines- the point being is that they were very young to go right into the zone. This is war not a game. I would not blink an eye to kill. When I crash through a door my objective is to kill- hello is anybody home doesn't work.

Thoughts wrote on Jun 8, 2006 1:36 PM:1.So they all know where the IED's are and that makes it ok to take anyone who lives there out of his home and execute him? If that is the case why not pull our troops out of town and gas all the people in town? 2. Any thoughts about what happens to them if they help US troops? 3. Do you have no faith in the militaries system of justice? There will be no reporters passing judgement and no civilians passing judgement. It will be an entirely military trial. It will be an all military court panel.

Sean wrote on Jun 8, 2006 4:35 PM:If you’re not in the military, have had no military experience and expect never to in your life, please read the responses from those who are service members. This self righteous blog about justice, judgment and faith in the system some of you hide behind makes me sick. Don't be idiots. These guys hold a gun, not a cell phone for a living. Conversely, keep your negative comments reserved for our failed lawmaker population within the confines of your narrow minded soul. During the Vietnam War, 70% of Congress had military experience; today the number harbors around 20%. Free these boys! They do their job for our freedom and we challenge the way in which they provide it? Sweet dreams you liberal pukes!

American-Irish Resident wrote on Jun 8, 2006 4:40 PM:Thank you Chief. I was stationed in Mosul during the year of our Lord 2004. I understand all of your thoughts and thank you for writing to the NCTimes. I have had Democrats write to US news forums with wishes that I had been killed in northern Iraq simply because I support military personnel with my entire soul. Do these left wing liberal Demo-RATS want to put former President William Jefferson Clinton in prison for launching cruise missles into Baghdad? Civilians were killed by Clinton. Do not get me wrong as I supported President Clinton's missle launches.

Tax Payer wrote on Jun 8, 2006 4:42 PM:The media needs to stop flapping their mouths, and start defending the mission our service members are paying a very high price to do. I would much rather see innocent people get killed before one Marine gets killed for being too cautious. War sucks, and remember, the Iraqi people caused their own mess in the first place by not overthrowing Saddam themselves. Before any of you bleeding hearts get snippy about my comments, remember our own Revolutionary War and why ordinary citizens decided to take the law into their own hands!!!

John wrote on Jun 8, 2006 6:15 PM:"Use some sense" and "Thoughts"(probably the same person), maybe we should put the F-16 pilot that killed al-Jarqawi on trail too. Right meathead? They killed an innocent child in the bombing! Put them on trail too, right genius? You are pitiful. BTW, why in the hell did JJ's attorney leak his name and personal information?

Freedom wrote on Jun 8, 2006 6:22 PM:Let these marines go. We are fighting a war and we need them over there, not sitting in jail.

Desert Pete wrote on Jun 8, 2006 8:37 PM:Free the MARINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They did their job, now to placate the insurgent scum our Marines are being hung out to dry all to get good press coverage for King George II and the traitorous US Senators and Representatives!!! Who among the accusers has ever been shot at???? Semper Fidelis!!!! Desert Pete USMC 1984-1968 RVN 1967

Desert Pete wrote on Jun 8, 2006 8:39 PM:Where is our great president???? He is more concerned with illegal aliens than he is with our Marines. FREE THE MARINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Desertpete wrote on Jun 8, 2006 8:50 PM:FREE THE MARINES, FREE THE MARINES, FREE THE MARINES!!!!! I don't care about the political careers of our elected scum, the Marines are doing their dirty work!! Free the Marines!! Come on King George II, where are you?? Are you more concerned with illegal aliens and the scum in Guantanamo than you are with our Marines??? I don't care about our elected scum's political careers, I care about this country and in particular our military that is being sold out by Rumsfeld's imbedded crap reporters and PC up the wazoo!!! Defeat those who waffle on our military. Free the Marines you elected lackeys of King George. You are responsible to the people of your state and district and not to King George II. Semper Fidelis Desert Pete USMC 1964-1968 RVN 1967

desertpete wrote on Jun 8, 2006 8:56 PM:Free the Marines!!!!!!!

Thoughts wrote on Jun 8, 2006 9:02 PM:No I am not the same person as Use some Sense. I have a question. Do you think it is ok for a soldier to take an Iraqi out of his house and shoot him. I am not talking about a firefight. I am not talking about an air strike. I am not talking about artillery. I am talking about going into a house and talking a man out of that house and shooting him.

Jack wrote on Jun 9, 2006 7:47 AM:A great letter from the Marine from Encinitas. I always strove to make sure my men had proper frames of mind just like Jodka. It makes me feel gung-ho to know the Marine infantryman today is a carbon copy of the ones I worked with in the old days. Semper Fi Marines everywhere. Just do your duty.

esteban wrote on Jun 9, 2006 9:22 AM:Anyone who is against these Marines should be shot. War is the most disgusting thing on the planet. It ain't pretty, so don't condemn these Marines because of it's ugliness. Folks, people die in war...civilains too. How many died in WW2 in the same way?

Bruce wrote on Jun 9, 2006 12:00 PM:Thoughts said "I am talking about going into a house and taking a man out of that house and shooting him." No one is innocent or guilty in war. If every enemy that our brave men & women fight died, regardless of that number, it would NEVER make up for the life of 1 of our soldiers. If a million people died regardless of their supposed innocence or guilt by the hands of our soldiers, I support them. We are at WAR! Bad stuff happens, people die for stupid reasons, it sucks big time. That's why it's called war, not FUN! War is the last thing you get in to IF possible. We have been way too tolerant of this terrorism thing for WAY to long. War should bring about total capitulation against those you fight, or you just keep having what you see happening between Israel & Palestine, the terrorists and freedom loving people. Let our war machine do what it must as I have faith in them. I trust that our men and woman will do the right thing as much as they can and will always insure that they don't dishonor their mission, their country, or their uniform. Right or wrong, we're in this war and I back up our military folks, right or wrong, 100%!

Thoughts wrote on Jun 9, 2006 1:41 PM:I have to disagree Bruce. There is right and wrong in war. Right and wrong is the best reason to go to war. The fact that there have been so few incidents of this sort is a tribute to the goodness and honor of our troops. The fact that we take all wounded and give them the same medical treatment our boys get is yet another example of the goodness and honor of our troops. I salute that goodness and honor. I shed a tear everytime I hear taps because of the all the sacrafices of good and honorable people that it represents. I am so proud that we have enough patriots to allow us to have an all volunteer military. The fact that there is a good chance that they will end up in a situation like Iraq, where some suit like Rumsfeld will send just enough to get the job done when we should never go without sending everything we've got, and still they volunteer. I am proud that so many of our troops know the difference between murder and killing. I am disapointed by the number of posts that seem to fail to recognize this greatness, this honor.

Desert wrote on Jun 9, 2006 6:24 PM:Free the MARINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hold Bush, Rumsfeld and the silent representatives and senators responsible!!! Have they become lackeys to the press and the Iraqis??? FREE THE MARINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

desertpete wrote on Jun 9, 2006 6:33 PM:The consequences of war is that civilians are killed!!!! Since none of us know all the facts we should presume the Marines are innocent until proven guilty. These Marines were fighting for their lives!!!! Our politicos are fighting for their comfortable lifestyle guaranteed by reelection and a ride on Air Force One!!! Before our politicos and veterans in office whose only job was to be an attorney for the Air Force for 6 1/2 years continues flapping his jaw he should be assigned to a Marine rifle squad for a month in the Sunni Triangle!!!!! Shut up!!!!! Free the Marines!!!!!!!!

FreeMarines wrote on Jun 9, 2006 10:34 PM:Free the Marines. This is a war. Our enemy is laughing at us. I would imagine the Marines in prison as POW's of their own country would prefer to be putting their lives on the line again in Iraq right now and we sure could use hem. Pray for the Marines being held as POW's by our own government.

Thoughts wrote on Jun 10, 2006 6:21 AM:Never mind. The courts martial will follow the UCMJ and do what it should. Investigate and decide whether or not the law was broken.

PanchoVilla wrote on Jun 10, 2006 8:01 AM:The Problem is the enemy is the Iraqi people,ts true that most want peace(without Americans breathing down their back) but when 20% want war and have not been defeated on the battlefield(No Generals surrendering,no mile long ragged lines of POWs)Then what you have is what everyone dreaded,another repeat of Algeria,Vietnam,Chechnya,Russian Afghanistan.Those Soldiers of France and Russia fought and died bravely but the end story was always the same,troops desperately lashing out at civilian that were sheltering the terrorist enemy. Sadly American troops are repeating the folly of those past conflicts,learning absolutely nothing from the defeat in Vietnam.Mouthing the same jingoistic tired lines that leaders and civilians used during those doomed conflicts,blaming the media or peaceniks for the atrocities and crimes committed by troops under duress.You Can blame the American media or muzzle their reporting or threaten and bully those who question why but what Americans don't understand is its the Arab Islamic media that is really amping up the coverage and indoctrinating the next generation of Terrorist,Bush and his Generals have made Iraq into one vast new breeding ground of hate and despair,when once their were hundreds of Terrorist now their will be hundreds of thousands.Do you think the Marines want their own troops in the Brig?As long as the story is playing in the Arab press then cynically the Rumsfelds of the world will sacrifice a few Marines to keep the smoldering Arab world in their homes and not on the streets.

desertpete wrote on Jun 10, 2006 12:18 PM:Pancho Villa, you are correct; the Rumsfelds, Bushs and other politicos are always willing to sacrifice the hoi polloi of this country for their own political and professional gain. Semper Fidelis!

PanchoVilla wrote on Jun 10, 2006 10:48 PM:desertpete...the war was strategically brilliant,to control the last oil reserves,but like historic Leaders and Generals before ,hungry for fuel or raw materials... the map looks cleaner then the reality on the ground.So now its all mucked up,Enraged Marines wanting desperately to fight on a front line,wanting to raise a bloody flag on another Mount Suribachi...what they got instead are apologists for Soldiers policing a run down ratty Ghetto.

JusttheFacts wrote on Jun 12, 2006 1:24 PM:I agree that war is all hell. That is why I didn't want us to go in the first place. It definitely can mess a man up and cause them to do things that they would normally not do like murder 24 people in cold blood. One of the survivors of this massacre was a 12 year old girl who survived our Marines by playing dead while her relatives were shot in front of her by some of these Marines. I support our troops but I don't support giving them a pass to murder women and children and then cover it up.

Rosalind wrote on Jun 12, 2006 1:41 PM:JJ is a friend of my two sons. I've known him since he was in the first grade. They all graduated from the same high school. JJ has been to my home and involved in many activities with my sons. I've only known him to be a gentle and extremely intelligent young man. Murder? Never! Protecting himself and his fellow soldiers? Absolutely! This is war and he volunteered to protect us so that our American soil should be free of this warfare. I call him a hero and admire his courage to fight on my behalf. God bless you John. I have faith you will be vindicated and released. Your present treatment is a travesty of justice.

MARK wrote on Jun 12, 2006 2:31 PM:ALL YOUR LETTERS ARE GOOD,EXCEPT FOR A FEW THAT, WELL NEVER MIND. NOW ALL YOU WRITERS HAVE GOT TO SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO YOUR POLITICIANS OR WHATEVER THEY CALL THEMSELVES. IT IS ABSURD FOR THESE MARINES TO BE HELD IN THE BRIG FOR DOING THEIR JOB. TO DA CHIEF, THANKS. STAY POSITIVE. A WIDE MAJORITY APPLAUD WHAT YOU DO. KEEP ON KEEPING ON.

John wrote on Jun 14, 2006 11:34 AM:Pray for the Camp Pendleton 8. Not just to free them, but to fully restore them to their prior status as Marines.

Steve S. wrote on Aug 31, 2006 12:04 AM:Please let me know the web sites for the support of the 7 marines and one corpsman held in the Camp Pendleton Brig. Thnak You!

AW4CRYINOUTLOUD wrote on Sep 1, 2006 1:59 PM:To: Steve S. Hey Steve, I'm not sure but I don't think the site is allowed to give names of other sites. If you GOOGLE the names of the Marines and Navy Corpsman, or the Pendleton 8, you will find what you need. I know because I "googled" myself silly.

so dark, the con of man wrote on Nov 22, 2006 9:50 AM:geez i swear, do people just not care about others in different countries anymore? i mean put yourself in the iraqi position... you got soldiers constantly raiding your CIVILIAN towns, coming into your homes late into the night with screams and rifles pointing everywhere. then you got a couple of criminal soldiers who decide that they dont need direct orders or direct leadership anymore. so they decide to do whatever they want, whenever they want. the result is a murdered iraqi man lying in a ditch. this is where i would say God bless America to be sarcastic, but God left America a long time ago.

leslie wrote on Aug 10, 2007 12:06 PM:I think you all should FREE the Marines & Navy Corpsman. This is absolutely ridiculous!! We are so turned on by PUNISHING our own & protecting the ENEMIES in Iraq. Do you all forget what THEY are doing to OUR men & women over there. But yet you want to punish our Marines for eliminating 1 more Iraqi that could have/would have killed another one of our own. We are losing way too many troops & yet here are 8 more troops that we are losing so you might as well just add that to your number of fatalities. It is sickening that the President of the United States would actually & serioulsly charge these Marines. Maybe some of you cowards out there who have never been in the military or who have NEVER been to war should walk in these troops shoes & see what they endure on a daily basis. Maybe then you too would have done the same thing to save your own!