HUMAN EVENTS PETITION TO FREE THE SEALs
Hon. Robert M. Gates
Secretary of Defense
Current Petition Signature Count: 132,334
The Pentagon
Washington, DC
Dear Secretary Gates:
We, the editors and staff of HUMAN EVENTS, and the
many Americans who have attached their signatures to
this petition, hereby request your personal intervention
to dismiss the charges against Navy SEAL operators SO2
Jonathan Keefe, SO1 Julio Huertas and SO2 Matthew McCabe.
These three men are charged with abusing a terrorist
they captured in a daring nighttime raid on or about
1 September 2009. On that night, they -- as part
of a platoon from SEAL Team 10 -- captured and
detained Ahmed Hashim Abed, one of the most barbaric
and dangerous terrorists in Iraq. The terrorist --
in a move that is literally right out of the al-Queda
training manual -- complained of abuse, apparently
alleging he was struck in the stomach.
We had hoped that the SEALs’ commanders would
dispose of this matter at the lowest level -- with
a scolding and perhaps a few hundred pushups -- for
anyone actually guilty of inflicting an inconvenience
on this bloody-handed barbarian. But on 29 September
2009, Gen. David H. Petraeus signed a letter authorizing
MGen. Charles T. Cleveland to dispose of the allegations
of misconduct. In that letter, Gen. Petraeus said that
MGen. Cleveland could, "...dispose of these
matters in any manner you deem appropriate. This includes
the authority to convene courts-martial at any level
up to and including General Courts-Martial and to refer
charges concerning these individuals to any court-martial."
The three now face special courts-martial next month.
We believe their commanders -- including General
Petraeus -- have failed you, the SEALs and the American
people by not preventing the matter from going this
far.
You are the person next in line above General Petraeus
in the chain of command. You can, legally under the
Uniform Code of Military Justice, intervene to dismiss
the charges against the three SEALs and direct that
they be restored to duty.
We respectfully request that you do so forthwith. For
this matter to continue -- and to place the honor
and fighting future of these three men at stake --
is manifestly a gross injustice.
Respectfully submitted,
Current Petition Signature Count:
132,334
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