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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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April 26th,
2007 - Lawyer: Haditha Officer Up for Medal |
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Lawyer: Haditha Officer Up
for Medal By Thomas Watkins Associated Press April 26, 2007; 12:53 AM San Diego - Even as the
government was investigating whether a Marine officer failed to probe the
death of 24 Iraqi civilians, he was being recommended for a Bronze Star medal
partly for his actions the day of the killings, his attorney said Wednesday. First Lt. Andrew A. Grayson,
of Springboro, Ohio, was in a team of intelligence operatives that inspected
the scene of the Nov. 19, 2005, attack in Haditha. The killings were carried
out by a Marine squad in the aftermath of a roadside bomb explosion that left
one Marine dead. Grayson was charged in
December with willfully failing to report and investigate a possible
violation of the law of war, making a false official statement and telling
his sergeant to delete photographs of the dead. Attorney Joseph Casas said
Grayson, 25, is innocent. The medal recommendation was
written in February 2006, about the same time government agents were probing
the deaths, Casas said. The Bronze Star is the
fourth-highest award given for combat action. Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Sean
Gibson, contacted after business hours, said he could not immediately confirm
whether Grayson had been recommended for a medal. Casas said the nomination
praised the Marine for learning of two other roadside bombs in Haditha from
Iraqis he questioned in the wake of the attacks. He was also cited for
obtaining information that led to the capture of two men who detonated the
bomb that sparked the violence. The medal nomination also
cites other instances in which Grayson obtained information that may have
saved American lives from August to December 2005, Casas said. "I think it is
indicative of the type of Marine he is and the unblemished career Lt. Grayson
has led and of his good military character," said Casas, who believes
the recommendation is still under consideration. Three enlisted Marines are
accused of unpremeditated murder in the Haditha killings. Four officers,
including Grayson, are charged with failing to investigate or report the
deaths. The enlisted men have maintained their innocence, saying they believed
they were under attack and followed proper procedures to defend themselves,
while the officers say they reported events up the chain of command. Grayson's preliminary
hearing is set for June 18 at Camp Pendleton. © 2007 The Associated Press External link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/26/AR2007042600148.html |