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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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April 6th,
2009 - Weemer Testimony Ends with Appearance by Marine Hero |
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Weemer Testimony Ends with Appearance
by Marine Hero Jurors to hear closing arguments and begin deliberations on Wednesday By Mark Walker North County Times April 6, 2009 Camp Pendleton - A Marine
Corps hero showered praise Monday on a comrade who is on trial for killing an
unarmed prisoner of war. Navy Cross recipient Sgt.
Maj. Brad Kasal said the accused Marine, Sgt. Ryan Weemer, was a skilled
warrior who always displayed "excellent" military characteristics. Kasal was given the Navy
Cross, the second-highest award a Marine can receive, for saving fellow
Marines despite suffering severe wounds during the "Hell House"
battle in Fallujah, Iraq, on Nov. 13, 2004. Both Kasal, now head of a
five-state recruiting region based in Des Moines, Iowa, and Weemer were
injured that day. It was four days before that
battle that Weemer and two other men from Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 1st
Marine Regiment are accused of executing four unarmed prisoners captured
inside a home during the opening hours of the battle for Fallujah. Weemer, 26, is charged with
one count of unpremeditated murder and four counts of dereliction of duty for
reportedly ignoring the military's rules for safeguarding enemy detainees. He
has pleaded not guilty. Kasal told the eight Marine
officers composing Weemer's jury that the enemy in Fallujah was nothing like
the Marines had been told to expect before they left Camp Pendleton a few
months earlier. In Fallujah, he said, they confronted insurgents who faked
surrender, were high on cocaine and other drugs and often hid weapons beneath
their clothing. "It was a whole
different story," Kasal said on the sixth and final day of testimony.
"We were facing fanatics who had one goal, and that was to kill us.
Every step of the way was a house-to-house, room-to-room battle." One of only two defense
witnesses to testify, Kasal said Monday was the first time he had seen Weemer
since both were injured. Weemer was shot three times
in the leg, while Kasal was shot seven times and hit with 43 pieces of
shrapnel. A now-famous picture shows Kasal being carried out of the house
with a bloody leg and a pistol in his hand. But Kasal wasn't there when
prosecutors say Weemer and two other members of his Kilo Company squad
executed four suspected insurgents. Prosecutors contend Weemer killed one of
those men, whose names have never been determined and whose bodies have never
been found, as retribution for his best friend being killed by an insurgent's
bullet earlier that day. Defense attorneys argue that
Weemer shot in self-defense when the man reached for his 9mm pistol. They
also contend Weemer's squad leader that day, Sgt. Jose L. Nazario Jr.,
directed the killings after being instructed by a superior to "take
care" of the prisoners. The defense further argues
that Weemer, then a corporal and rifle team leader, fought Nazario over that
directive and would not have shot anyone without cause. Nazario was acquitted last
year for his role in the incident. A third man, Sgt. Jermaine Nelson, faces
trial at Camp Pendleton later this year. Kasal wasn't the only witness
to lavish praise on Weemer Monday. "If I had to deploy
today, I would take Sgt. Weemer back with me in a heartbeat," Sgt. Maj.
Alan Miller of Murrieta, a 1st sergeant at Fallujah who served with Weemer,
told the court. Weemer has sat quietly
throughout the trial. His wife, sister and a former English teacher have
attended each day, sitting behind him. Weemer did not testify, but
has acknowledged the shooting in two taped interviews with investigators. In
one of those tapes, he maintained he did nothing wrong in Fallujah. Two of
the men with him that day have testified that Weemer told them he shot the
man when the prisoner "lunged" for his pistol. If convicted, Weemer could
be sentenced to life in prison. Under the military justice system, two-thirds
of the eight jurors must agree in order to convict. If that happens, the jury
will decide his punishment. External link: http://www.northcountytimes.com/articles/2009/04/06/military/z18d64cf90f3c3db588257590006bef8c.txt |