Ed wrote on Jul 20, 2007 12:08 AM:They say that "stuff" rolls downhill. This is a classic example of it. While there was bad behavior, I am sure many dead service personnel who gave it all up in Iraq would want leniency for this man.

It's time wrote on Jul 20, 2007 12:46 AM:to let him go home!!! Him and his family have suffered enough for this. May Gods grace see him through... My prayers tonight are for leniency. You're still a hero Trent- stay strong and stay proud. We still love you!!

Roy wrote on Jul 20, 2007 12:57 AM:Show him as much leniency as he showed his victims. His a Christian isn't he? An eye for an eye Trent. An eye for an eye.

Oh boo hoo wrote on Jul 20, 2007 8:21 AM:Let's shed a tear for poor Mr. Thomas. I guess it looks like he'll go back to noting plus as a convited felon:)

It's Maddening wrote on Jul 20, 2007 9:39 AM:21 years. I gave 21 years of my life--during all types of conflict engagment--and when I read this article......I have to admit, it shames me. There are no safely patrols in war and no teachers watching you walk down the hallways to make sure you do nothing wrong, there are no police. Yes, there are the laws of way and the rules of engagement and we are ALL well aware of them. But in this war of insurgency, where our enemy looks just like any other person on the street...frustration, anger, dispair, not the mention the FEAR that surrounds you....well, is has to have SOMETHING to do with what happens. Let this kid, this father, this husband go home. He's been shamed enough. May the grace of God's mercy (the only judgement that really counts), allow this man to be free. I would even allow him to stay a Marine. He is of value. See that top left ribbon he's wearing in the picture? It's a Purple Heart. He's given enough. Semper Fi.... Old Top

Chris wrote on Jul 20, 2007 9:49 AM:I think that Cpl. Trent Thomas should get the same leniency that he and his co-conspiritors gave that Iraqi.... The comments by Ed and It's time are disgusting. I wonder how they would feel if an occupation army was in this country and a group of them came into their homes and took a family member out and killed them. Not only that but then these soldiers would plant a weapon on the person they killed and lied about the incident. But Ed and It's time are indicative of the calous disreguard of the attrocities committed against other peoples by the United States.

It's old news now wrote on Jul 20, 2007 10:00 AM:This jerk gets no jail time.

Brit wrote on Jul 20, 2007 11:14 AM:If you're willing to believe NCIS, then this was a travesty and Cpl. Trent Thomas should have been incarcerated. Apparently the Court's Jury did not believe NCIS, or they would have done more than discharge him out of the Corps. These cases are all under "Undue Command Influence", and while I believe that some charges may be true, the lack of honesty by NCIS, the politicalization by Murtha and his ilk, and the blind acceptance of the lies of the insurgents and their enablers by the Media have precluded any of these trials or hearings to get to the truth.

jojo@msn.com wrote on Jul 20, 2007 11:19 AM:The sacrifices in war are always born by the servants of the master. Marines are professional killers, they are trained like guard dogs, it comes as no surprise that this behavior happens. To pillary this marine in a attempt to pretend that the actions of the invaders are justified. Guilty? Perhaps, but no more so than the fascist leaders that lied the country into this fiasco

The Pancake wrote on Jul 20, 2007 11:23 AM:Perhaps the Army will take him now.

John1 to boo hoo and Chris wrote on Jul 20, 2007 12:13 PM:Trent will go home to his family. They will surround him with love and acceptance and work to heal him of the wounds he suffered both physically and mentally serving our country. Thank goodness they will protect him from the likes of you.

John1 to The Pancake wrote on Jul 20, 2007 12:14 PM:The Army would be lucky to have Trent.

Oh boo hoo wrote on Jul 20, 2007 1:24 PM:I also need to laugh at the thought of him being "protected from the likes of me". A murderer needs protecton from someone with morals. I will laugh at that one over a few drinks tonight at happy hour. Thanks John for the comedy.

Coffeefiend wrote on Jul 20, 2007 2:31 PM:Thanks to all of you who are standing up for Trent, and my love and respect go out to him and his family. Unless you did three tours of combat duty, I'm sorry but you have no business to judge what these men did. If you like living in the US today as a free country, it's because men like Trent and the rest put on uniforms and walked into combat to keep it that way. War usually means we kill the enemy to preserve ourselves and these men carry the scars for life. (I know what I'm talking about, my uncle fought as a Marine at Guadalcanal). So enjoy your freedom and say thanks to these men who willingly went out to fight for you. Don't be so quick to condemn their actions, you were not there. This is not a war with clear lines and boundaries and for their actions (which according to previous stories here, these men carried out duties well above what was expected of their ranks) we bring them home to the civilian world and analyze their decisions under the microscope of the liberal media and the rules of the everyday civilian world. Support your warriors, they deserve better than this. I can't imagine what a nightmare it is to VOLUNTEER to go into harm's way and have "going home" turn out to be a jail cell, the maligning of your name and hell for you and your loved ones. All they wanted was to defend us and then come home and this is what they get. Please write to them and pray for them, they don't deserve what they have gotten.

Happy Hour wrote on Jul 20, 2007 2:33 PM:...but who will protect the people of St. Louis?

To Happy Hour wrote on Jul 20, 2007 2:51 PM:The Cardinals will protect them he he ha ha

J. wrote on Jul 20, 2007 4:54 PM:This is B.S! How can we win a war when we spend more time prosecuting our own people than killing the enemy. I say, the current ROE is a recipe for defeat. Let this Marine go home to loved ones who won't stab him in the back like his chain of command apparently did. And, I really don't care if you like my comments. Deal with it!

It's Time wrote on Jul 20, 2007 8:26 PM:It is time for all of our soldiers and marines to go home to thier loved ones. They are tired, moral is breaking down and have no clear mission. Our military needs highly trained Special Forces to fight terrorists, not a bunch of kids or National Guard. Lets start fighting the terrorists smartly, and stop fighting them they way they want us to.

oorah wrote on Jul 21, 2007 2:49 AM:To John1,J,Coffeefriend Thank you very much for the nice things you said about Cpl.Thomas and for supporting them and the others. one of the other started his trial Monday and next Tuesday the last of three will start his.These youn men appriciate the people that keep them in their thoughts and Prayer. Cpl Thomas is one of te nicest and carning people I have ever meet.I am so glad that he now is a FREE man and can spend time with his wife and Kids.I say;Thank you cpl;Thomas, for your service and all the sacrificies you and your loved one make each and every day inresponse to Roy,oh boo boo,Chris,Its hard to respond to you,The words that would describe ,NCT would not print.I'm glad people like you are few in mumbers.Cpl.Thomas is a Hero,something you have no idea of what it takes to be a Hero,Don't worry about it,you will never be one.Talk about shame,I am ashame that you represent your self as Americans...

AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Jul 21, 2007 11:31 AM:Oh boo hoo! If I were claiming to be such a moral person I think I'd leave out the part about having drinks at happy hour. Others who are "moral" might misconstrue.

Chris to J wrote on Jul 21, 2007 3:01 PM:Yes let's keep the killing going. If one of our troops wants to drag innocent people out of their houses and kill them then that is alright. Maybe we should go into Iran, Syria, lebanon, China, and what ever country we feel like because we need to keep the killing going on. I just love it when these Bush supporters who supported the war with it's shock and awe are now crying because the insurgents don't just commit suicide and stand out in a field and let us kill them. How dare they blend in with the population after all we Americans have shown how brave we are by sending in cruise missles from hundreds of miles away and drop bombs from miles in the sky in the middle of the night. So now we have these bush supporters crying because the insurgents don't play fair. whaaaa.

AW4cryinoutlod wrote on Jul 21, 2007 6:41 PM:To Chris: Wow! When were you in the courtroom? When did you hear PROOF that Awad was innocent? When did you hear anyone PROVE it was even Awad? Boy Howdy! You had a great idea. Maybe you could intercede and convince Bin- Laden to order the insurgents to stand out in a field and let us kill them. Think how many Americans you could save from torture and what follows, and from being maimed or killed. Oh! I forgot. You seem to care more about the insurgents than Americans. Each to his own, I guess.

OORAH wrote on Jul 22, 2007 12:32 PM:Best wishes to you all,whom have Been so nice to Cpl.Trent Thomas by welcoming him home with such nice thoughts.Thank you to all,who Prayed for him.WoW,he is a free man.Thank you John1,Marie,and AW4 and others for your continued support and trying to educate these RDDB,I don't think they have the brain copassity to understand,maye it is a waste of time??? Thank you AW4 for your thoughts and wisdom,You must be 180 years old to be at the level you are at. To Chris and the other member of the RDDB club, all I can say to you is try growning up. FREEDOM ISN'T FREE, BUT TRENT THOMAS IS FREE AND SOON HE WILL BE JOINED BY CPL.MAGINCALAD(Magic) and SGT.LAWRENCE HUTCHINS,THEN THE REMAINING MEMBERS OF THE PENDLETON 8 KEEP PRAYING FOLKS,YOUR PRATS REALLY WORK. SEMPER FIDELIS OORAH

Chris to AW4 and OORAH wrote on Jul 22, 2007 4:17 PM:I was respnding to J and his attitude was that we shouldn't even try military personel even if there is abundant evidence because we want these people to go out and keep killing the so-called enemy so if they just decide to drag someone out of the house and kill them that is fine. My response has nothing to do with Thomas's guilt or innocence but the prevailing attitude of people like J who say don't even bother trying our troops even tho there is evidence they committed a crime but of course you obviously don't get what J is saying or what my response is about. As far as OORAH is concerned I dare him to tell us what the slaughter in Iraq has to do with my freedom and his using the saying that freedom isn't free just proves that he gives no thought to what is going on. I guess growing up means just let someone else do your thinking for you because "we the people" are suppose to just follow our leaders and keep quiet. I will be waiting for OORAH to tell me what Iraq has to do with my freedom but I won't hold my breath.

AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Jul 22, 2007 8:26 PM:To Chris: Well; I was responding to your 9:49AM remarks about Thomas AND your comments to J. You need to rephrase your comments but, frankly, I think I understood very well what you meant. Nice try. As for OORAH; that was nice what he said wasn't it? I liked it.

J wrote on Jul 22, 2007 10:08 PM:Chris, You obviously didn't read the last sentence in my post. However, since you have thought it necessary to mention me twice in your posts, I thought I should respond directly to you. Firstly, I am well aware of the LOAC, the Geneva Convention, etc, as I, at one time, had to abide by them. My point was that our government is spending more energy on going after our own people than attacking the enemy. Since, you don't consider sick, throat-cutting religious fanatics an enemy, you may not see the logic of my statement. Further, the current rules of engagement in Iraq and our idealistic, but feckless "occupation" role are bad military strategy. But, since you are so confused about which side to support, you may be happy to see more US servicemen tried for the inevitable abuses that occur in any war, or so-called war, or stupidly-run occupation. I don't know if Cpl Thomas was justly convicted or not, but I do know that you r enthusiasm about his verdict tells me all I need to know about you.

AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Jul 23, 2007 10:57 AM:To Chris: Read J's comments at10:08PM. Now THAT'S what i'm talkin' about!!!

Chris to J and AW4 wrote on Jul 23, 2007 8:00 PM:This is Bull. First of all the Iraqis did nothing to us and I like how you talk about sick, throat cutting religious fanatics. What part of not having a problem with the Iraqis until we invaded Iraq don't you understand. I just love it how you condone going into a country and murdering hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and then just talk about how they are thoat cutting religious fanatics. We don't cut troats we just just create mass murder and then justify it by talking about those hundreds of thousands of Iraqis (as well as the four million desplaced) as being throat cutting religious fanatics. Once again we started the thing and now you condem the Iraqi people as throat cutting religous fanatics. It seems that AW4 buys into this bull but as I said let's just keep the killing going because after all Americans like you and AW4 sit over here while we rain death and destruction on a people who have done nothing to us until we went over there and stated our murdering ways. After all these Irais are all throat cutting religious fanatics.

J wrote on Jul 23, 2007 10:39 PM:Chris, I am going to exercise a little patience with you as you are obviously the end-product of our faulty public education system. Let me break it down for you "Barney-style": I never said that all Iraqis are throat-cutting religious extremists- just that most of the ones who are resisting us happen to be of that persuasion. Contrary, to the bilge that you have been by fed by the media, we are not responsible for the vast majority of deaths in Iraq. This dubious honor goes to the thousands of crazed foreign jihadis and Iraqi sectarian killers who now inhabit that country. The average Iraqi, in as much as there is an "average" anyone anywhere, wants the same sort of things everybody does. He wants to enjoy life, cares about his family, and perhaps aspires to have a few material goodies such as a wide-screen tv or perhaps a fancy new burqa for his second or third wife -nothing wrong with that. You regurgitate a lot anti-American propaganda and call it wisdom. If we were as heartless and unconcerned about civilians casualties as you suggest, all effective resistance would have ceased long ago. America has never lost a war under such circumstances. We only lose "wars" in which we attempt to assuage gentle souls such as yourself by second-guessing ourselves and placing restrictive rules of engagement upon or forces. For the record, I don't like the idea of "nation-building wars such as our current role in Iraq. We take a lot unnecessary casualties and prolong what would, under more forceful direction, be a shorter conflict. Lastly, you are badly uninformed about the reasons for the invasion of Iraq. WMD was not the only reason. The Iraqi government committed numerous violations of the cease-fire agreement from Gulf War 1 to include shooting at our plans, violations of agreed upon no-fly zones, supporting/training/safe-harboring international terrorists, and even attempting to assassinate former President Bush 1 - all of which indicate their hostile intentions and could justify a harsh response. Although, in my opinion, Iran has always constituted a more serious threat. No matter, for you, irrespective to the facts, it will always be "America bad" "Twisted, 7th century-trapped, sand mullahs goooood"

AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Jul 23, 2007 11:11 PM:To Chris: You don't pay attention. You seem to have just a little too much bitterness for Americans who defend the troops and too much concern for the insurgents. Go back and find where I used the words you try to portray me as having said. Nowhere did I ever say all Iraqis were throat cutting religious fanatics. Those are your words. I have said all along that our Marines, Hamdania and Haditha, were in towns run by insurgents. NOONE can tell who is an innocent Iraqi from an insurgent Chris. The worst I've said about the Iraqi people as a whole is that they are good at lying. Why not. They seem to have survived by doing so. It's been reported by the troops and our own government. I don't hate them and don't call them what you said. In case you missed it, and I have proof because I have it on tape Chris, which is more than NCIS is able to do when they interrogate someone. When we went into Baghdad the Iraqi people were happy and celebrated their freedom from Saddam. As days went by, insurgents came from outside Iraq to fight our troops. I watched them in their little beat to heck and back trucks with their ak-47s and their RPGs. THAT is when the whole thing went to hell in a handbasket, or whatever the saying is. Poor Mister Awad was part of a known insurgent tribe. Its members were insurgents. These are the people who complained to our military. Don't tell me that "I'm" the one buying anything. Our own military bought into the BS and took the word of known insurgents over that of their own Marines, and NCIS made a crime out of what happened. YOU nor anyone else knows for sure what happened, who "ordered" it or anything more than what you read in the media, which also bought into the BS and took the word of insurgents even though they admittedly, IN PRINT, said they could not confirm the testimony of the so-called witnesses. We are not the ones raining death and destruction and we have not killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Where in the world do guys like you get your stats? If you're going to accuse someone of something Chris, at least do more than NCIS or the prosecution was able to do and back it up! Prove it! What's the saying? Put up or shut up?

AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Jul 24, 2007 9:37 AM:To Chris: Read J's comments at 10:39PM. Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about...again!!!

Chris to J wrote on Jul 24, 2007 3:07 PM:Let's get one thing straight. I realize that Hussein might have killed some more people if we had not gone over there. But the fact is that you did not see the devestation that we now see in Iraq. No our troops did not do all the killing but as far as I am concerned the majority of Iraqis killing Iraqis is the result of our invasion and I resent it when people like you try to weasel out of it by blaming it all on the suicide bombers or other insurgents. Don't patronize me because I have been on top of this war from the begining and I even wrote a letter to the NCT and said that Colin Powel was full of it before the war. But the difference between me and you is that I question our government and have done a lot of research on the history of this country and I didn't get it from school which I think is a waste because they are run by the government for the government. The fact is that we put punative sanctions on a country(unilaterally) and then under false pretenses we invaded that country and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Now Iraq is trashed and hundreds of thousands if not millions are dead, wounded or grieving for their lost friends and family and I have to listen to what a bad person Hussien was. Four million have left their homes, almost 1 million in Syria and 1 million in Jordan and the rest internally. I am just finding it hard to be civil to you or AW4 because although you do find some fault with the criminals in government you basically stand by this country who's legacy is one of evil through out the world. ...

J wrote on Jul 25, 2007 9:09 PM:Chris, How old are you -- thirteen? You sure seem like it. Everything you say is either factually incorrect or fanciful inventions of your sadly underdeveloped mind. Point-for-point, I can refute each of your assertions because I have direct knowledge of the matters you cite, not spoon-fed Maoisms from some drug-addled, college professor or the ridiculous rantings and agitprop from leftist groups such as ANSWER, MOVE-ON.ORG, or ,dare I say it, a good portion of the Democratic Party. Stupid statement number one - "I realize that Hussein might have killed some more people if we had not gone over there." Sadaam and his henchmen were mass murders who used to throw people in wood chippers and off of buildings with Superman T-shirts on, not to mention the countless beheadings, forceable limb removals, and communal rape sessions of whole families. I know he did/condoned these things because he video-taped these activities for his own hellish amusement. I had the disgusting task of viewing these tapes as part of the search for war crimes evidence. Sadaam was not only a bad man. He and his psycho sons were evil to the core. Our invasion put an end to him and the Iraqi people are grateful for that, if for nothing else. Stupid statement number two - "... the majority of Iraqis killing Iraqis is the result of our invasion and I resent it when people like you try to weasel out of it by blaming it all on the suicide bombers or other insurgents." This is like blaming the allies for the Holocaust because the success of D-Day sped up German activity in its Concentration camps. There is a sickness in the Middle-East which long preceded our involvement. Shia-Sunni sectarian violence has been going on since Imam Ali was bumped off by a rival faction in the 9th century power struggle. You do not know the level of animosity between some members of these two camps. One considers the other heretics and worshipers of a false prophet while the other thinks think their antagonist to be a defiler of the true religion, a betrayal worthy of death. These two camps were killing each other before we arrived and they will probably be killing each other after we leave. It's basically up to them. We gave them their freedom. They either reform their sick belief system and form a civil society or continue shredding each other into tiny pieces. This is where I diverge with the neo-cons. And, just in case, if it's not clear by your own admission, suicide bombers, sadistic Al Qaeda wanna-bes and sectarian death-squads are responsible for their actions, just as the Nazis were responsible for theirs. Stupid statement three - "But the difference between me and you is that I question our government ..." I question my government also, but unlike you, .."this country who's legacy is one of evil through out the world.", I know that this country is a force for good in this world even if it chose an unwise course of action in Iraq. I have traveled all over the world, and there are few countries where their citizens enjoy even a fraction of the freedoms and prosperity that we do as Americans. The few that do, primarily owe their happiness to us for defending freedom in their name. Your ingratitude to the country that has nourished you and your general imbecility on all matters makes it rather hard to be civil to you. But, I guess I am hoping that you're just some confused kid who never had anyone sensible take the time to explain things to you... but, I digress...

Chris to J wrote on Jul 26, 2007 2:47 PM:Everything I said was true but true to form you start out by criticizing my age (I'm 65) and of course you go on labeling me by talking about spoon-fed Maoisms and some drug-addled college professor. I wonder how much is true what you say about how Hussien killed people. I remember that we were told that when the Iraqis invaded Kwait they took babies out of incubators and killed them. This was just a lie put out by I think by some relative of a Kwaiti official. I know you said that you viewed the tapes but I give you as much credibility as you give me. You say that you have direct knowledge of the matters I site. Bull. Then you dismiss the fact that Iraq for most Iraqis was peacfull until our invasion by trying to comapair the violence we unleashed with freeing people from concentration camps in WW11. What nonsense. But having had experience with people like you I know that you will say anything and distort anything with recless abandon. All you have to do is see what happens in this country when the power structure is disabled. As I have said I studied U.S. history and It is not just Iraq but our aggression started with the Indians, then we invaded mexico in 1846 and trashed the place so that we could get the southwest for a song. Then after the civil war we started the Spanish American war so we could conquer the Philippines, Hawii, Cuba and many others. Our involvment in the attrocities in central America are legend. I know that dealing with you is hopeless because you don't care what the U.S. does and don't care to know because all you want to do is stand by our country and you couldn't care less about the missery that we cause in the rest of the world by our continued interference in their affairs.

J wrote on Jul 26, 2007 9:23 PM:Chris, We have certainly strayed far from the original topic. I apologize for suggesting your were a teenager, although I find your asinine comments more reflective of misdirected youth than a mature, experienced person. I have always been taught to respect my elders, and, in fact, anyone else. So I will dispense with the sarcasm. I find it inconceivable that someone of your years could have the opinions that you do, but I doubt that I can convince you out of them. So what if I were to accept your premise, without context, that the US was a nation gorged on the blood and domination of others? I would look to some other nation for a good example? There are no other nations of consequence that you can point to. Every nation has a dark side to its history. In the balance of things, the US has done more good than harm. The United States is not perfect, it's just the best system of government ever devised by man. I will spare the supporting details because millions of wiling immigrants provide all the testimony one should ever need to draw the proper conclusion. I am a third generation American. My Grandfather came over hear with a dream, and for him, the dream came true. With hard work and determination, he found the success and prosperity that was permanently denied him in the land of his birth. He is what makes America great. You seem to have forgotten to research that part of American history. For this and so many other reasons, I love America and will defend her to the end. So, good luck to you. I hope that your bitterness towards our country will lessen with more introspection and the passage of time. - Semper Fi, to my former brothers-in-arms. May all our sacrifices and dedication be favored in the eyes of providence and someday be appreciated more fully by our fellow countrymen.

AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Jul 26, 2007 9:42 PM:To J: Hi! I'm waiting to see how long it takes you to get tired of Chris. I've been there, done that. Good Luck!

J wrote on Jul 27, 2007 5:03 AM:Hi Aw4, If you couldn't tell from my response, I have reached my limit with the last post. Normally, someone with Chris's attitude would incur my unending attention. I don't want his views to remain out there unopposed so they can possibly influence someone else, but finding out his age has been a body blow to my enthusiasm for it. I normally hold people his age in high esteem. I think about my grandparents and my parents and think how great they are, then I wonder how anyone his age can form such opinions. But no matter, it just goes to prove that age and wisdom don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. Thanks for your service to our country. I was over there a couple of times too, but I would rather not dwell on that. Thanks also for explaining the inside facts as they relate to NCIS. I figured that they were basing these charges on trumped up evidence provided by the enemy. I have a rather low opinion of NCIS having had to deal with them professionally in the past. As an investigative body, they are rather inept and careerist in orientation. I hope that the Marines facing prosecution find solace in the fact that many Americans know these charges are bogus, which returns me to my original post - We won the war already, but we are losing the occupation. The best people of gen x and y are being thrown into a meat grinder just to appease the gods of political correctness. Why do we fight a war to the then enemy's strength - strolling around in small squads or in small convoys just to be targets for an enemy who hides behind woman and children? We have bombers, artillery, and excellent marksmanship. We should cordon off trouble areas and proceed Fallujah-style if resistance continues. This is how the US waged successful war in the past. As you can tell, I am not a fan of the newly published fm on counter-insurgency and modern warfare. The more gentle tactics only work if our footprint is small and we use a well-establish indigenous force of locals to do the lion's-share of the fighting a la 2003 Afghanistan. In any event, our leadership has chosen the hard route in Iraq making huge mistakes at almost every stage in the process. The worst part about everything is that many more good Americans will be injured and killed when we could end this decisively by taking off the gloves. Good luck to you.

Chris to J and AW4 wrote on Jul 27, 2007 1:02 PM:I laid out the facts which you have not had the ability to refute. Understand one thing. I am furious at what we have done as a country and the gulibility of the American people. I do not defend the practices of the military, the attrocities of Hussein or anybody else. But true to form you cannot refute what I have said. Instead you just try to discredit me with a bunch of sarcastic remarks about my age, linking me to other brutal, lying dictators, ect. You also want to keep pointing the finger at the bad things other people do while totaly ignoring our criminal acts. The point is that I am tired of the lies, charater assasinations against those of us who care about other people in this world besides we Americans who think we walk on water. Going back to the original issue I believe that if there was a vidio tape of these Marines doing what they are charged with your attitude would be one of so what, who cares about one more dead Iraqi. However you Bush and military supporters don't have enough nerve to admit that and instead try to hide it by talking about how these poor Marines are being railroaded because of killing someone while they were being shot at. I have had enough of the lies and cover ups concerning what this country is really doing in the world and the arrogance of The American people in general. Stop pointing fingers at others and start looking at what we do and remember that many of these murderous tyrants were supported by the U.S. and that includes Saddam Hussein. But of course you don't care enough about reality to put in the scholarship like I have. It's just easier to blow smoke and try to intimidate others.

AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Jul 30, 2007 1:26 PM:To J: Hey! Sorry I haven't been able to respond to your kind words. I have been attending a trial for an HONORABLE, INNOCENT MARINE. Just too tired at end of the day to blog. I'm not seeing some of the positive things brought out at trial being reported. I'm not seeing any screw-ups by the prosecution being reported. I'm not seeing any screw-ups by NCIS reported. All I'm seeing are headlines where one Marine is always referred to as the mastermind of a murder plot. Geeeze! Is there NO one who can wait until all is said and done? I could build a house without use of a nailgun because, at this point, I could spit nails myself. Speaking of nails; you nailed it about NCIS. The prosecution has CREATED a Crime and these Marines are expendable in the scheme of things. And I'd best quit while I'm behind. I'm the one who should be thanking you for your service to this country, and I most certainly do. I am proud of all of you and will always honor you and what you do for us.

AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Jul 30, 2007 3:26 PM:To J: I forgot to clarify. If you're new to the blogs on this, you should know that I'm not a guy and not in the military; although, I consider it a compliment that you thought I was a Marine. Much better than if one were to think I was a politician. I think I'd have to hang my head in shame if I were a member of Congress at this point in our history. So, you were being thanked by one of many grateful Americans who can hold their heads high with pride because of Marines like you, the "innocent" Marines who are being persecuted, and others in our military.

AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Jul 30, 2007 3:55 PM:To Chris: Thought I'd chime in again. I was attending a trial for an INNOCENT Marine. Botttom line, after all your many words and lengthy histroy lessons, is that ANY American who does not give these Marines the chance to have their Constitutional right to defend themselves against 'wrongful' charges, before passing any kind of judgment, is playing into the enemy's strategy. It is a known fact Chris. With all of your historical expertise how could you have missed it? As for your comment, "who cares about one more dead Iraqi.": Excuse me but try "One more dead INSURGENT". How about more concern for one more dead American?

J wrote on Aug 1, 2007 5:31 PM:To AW4, Thanks for supporting the troops in deed and in words. However, I believe any words you direct at Chris are a waste of your valuable time and involve you in a fruitless attempt at dialog with a bitter, and unhappy person. Live your life and be happy. Life is too short to spend your time exchanging electronic barbs with someone too... intellectually brittle to understand them.

Contradiction wrote on Aug 1, 2007 6:58 PM:Coffeefiend, you wrote, "Unless you did three tours of combat duty, I'm sorry but you have no business to judge what these men did." Then, by that standard, we have no right to judge what the Iraqi insurgents, the members of Al Qaeda, or Hamas do, either, do we? I'm afraid that we do have that right.

To Oh Boo hoo: wrote on Aug 1, 2007 9:10 PM:Maybe your drinking is your problem. It must be leading you to beleive you have some morals. The way you speak about others, proves that you don't. The way you stand in judgement, proves you don't. Yeah, you just keep drinking and keep laughing. One day, you'll need some morals and they'll be as soused and washed up as you are!

B FITZ wrote on Apr 6, 2008 1:08 AM:THIS MARINE DID THREE TOURS OF THE WORST hell THAT YOU WILL EVER KNOW. IF YOU COULD WALK JUST ONE WEEK IN HIS BOOTS YOU WOULD KNOW THAT FREEDOM IS NOT FREE,AND TO STAND BY THIS YOUNG MAN. HE IS DOING A JOB THAT NOBODY ELSE HAD THE BALLS TO TAKE ON. SEMPER FI.