thedrifter
06-26-06, 03:25 AM
Lt. Gen. John Sattler called 'calm, unflappable'
By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON ----- The man calling the shots on legal proceedings that will determine the fate of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman charged with murder, Lt. Gen. John Sattler faces a huge responsibility ---- one that he will fulfill fairly and honorably, a retired Marine general who knows him said Friday.
Sattler is the commanding general of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command. He has been slotted as the convening authority or top official in the case surrounding the eight enlisted servicemen from Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.
"He's a very solid guy, extremely level-headed, calm and unflappable," said former Maj. Gen. C.W. "Claude" Reinke, who retired in 1998 as commanding general at Camp Pendleton and now is publisher of The Californian in Temecula, an edition of the North County Times.
The men are accused of kidnapping 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad from his home in the village of Hamdania, Iraq, on April 26. They are alleged to have killed the man, then staged a crime scene with a shovel and an automatic weapon to make it appear that Awad was an insurgent planting a roadside bomb.
Charged are Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III, 22; Cpl. Trent D. Thomas, 24; Hospitalman 3rd Class Melson J. Bacos, 20; Pfc. John Jodka III, 20; and Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda, 23; Lance Cpl. Tyler A. Jackson, 22; Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr., 20; and Lance Cpl. Robert B. Pennington, 21.
On Sunday military officials announced two more servicemembers face charges in relation to the incident: Spc. Nathan B. Lynn was charged with one count of voluntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting and killing the man, and he and Sgt. Milton Ortiz Jr. were charged with one count of obstructing justice for allegedly conspiring with another soldier to put an AK-47 near the body to make it look as though he was an insurgent. The two soldiers are both of the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry (Mechanized) of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
"You're dealing with Marines' lives and careers and their families' lives and you want to be careful that you don't make any rash decisions," said Reinke, who during his career also served in a judicial capacity similar to what Sattler now faces. "You make decisions based on facts and don't rush into anything."
The accused are more likely to get a fair trial in the military court than they would in a civilian court, Reinke contended.
"Members of a military court are highly educated and tend to make decisions based on the facts," he said. "You're not going to get some really goofy judgment out of them."
Sattler served as commander of the I Marine Expeditionary Force in 2004 and '05 in Iraq.
If the men are court-martialed, found guilty and sentenced, Sattler could reduce the charges or the sentences.
Sattler received his commission after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in 1971.
After serving as a rifle platoon commander in Okinawa in 1972, he returned to the United States the following year and graduated with honors from the Amphibious Warfare School in 1977. He later returned to Okinawa where he served as a battalion operations officer.
He graduated with honors from Marine Corps Command and Staff College in 1986, and returned to Okinawa, where he served as executive officer with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines.
After several other postings, he attended the National Defense University, in Washington, and graduated with distinction in 1991.
His next assignment was as the Marine Corps Congressional liaison officer to the U.S. House of Representatives for the next four years. Reinke said it was during that time that he first got to know Sattler.
"The Marine Corps has a long history of assigning our best, most astute people to those positions and most go on to (high-level) command," Reinke said.
The Marine Corps doesn't assign anybody to that job "who can't handle themselves in very difficult circumstances," Reinke said.
The seven Marines and the Navy corpsman have hired private attorneys. Those attorneys and family members of the accused all assert that the men are innocent.
The charges in no way indicate guilt, and only after a preliminary hearing ---- known as an Article 32 ---- will a decision be made on whether they will face a court martial.
After carefully reviewing the results of the Article 32 hearing, Sattler will be the one to make a decision on whether to take the case to trial and whether it will be tried as a death penalty case.
In August 1995, he took command of 2nd Marine Regiment. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1997 and assumed duties as assistant division commander, 2nd Marine Division on the day of his promotion.
In 2001, he became commanding general of 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
In November 2002, he assumed duties as commander for the Combined Joint Task Force ---- Horn of Africa.
In 2003, he assumed the position of director of operations, U.S. Central Command. He was promoted to his current rank and assumed command of I Marine Expeditionary Force in September 2005, and on Aug. 3, 2005, Sattler assumed the duties as commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command.
Two other key figures in the Hamdania proceedings are Lt. Col. Paul Pugliese who will preside over the Article 32 hearing. Pugliese is a Marine Corps reservist who has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Reno.
He has prosecuted cases in Reno such as a neo-Nazi leader who sent threatening e-mails to newspaper employees and government workers, a man who used the Internet to entice a minor to engage in sex, and the case of a man who sent threatening e-mails to an Islamic advocacy group.
The man serving as the lead prosecutor is Marine Lt. Col. Sean Sullivan. Victor Kelley, an attorney for Cpl. Trent Thomas, said Sullivan appears to be "a straight-shooter."
Staff writer David Sterrett and the Associated Press contributed to this article.
Contact staff writer William Finn Bennett at (760) 740-5426 or wbennett@nctimes.com. To comment, go to nctimes.com.
Ellie
By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON ----- The man calling the shots on legal proceedings that will determine the fate of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman charged with murder, Lt. Gen. John Sattler faces a huge responsibility ---- one that he will fulfill fairly and honorably, a retired Marine general who knows him said Friday.
Sattler is the commanding general of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command. He has been slotted as the convening authority or top official in the case surrounding the eight enlisted servicemen from Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.
"He's a very solid guy, extremely level-headed, calm and unflappable," said former Maj. Gen. C.W. "Claude" Reinke, who retired in 1998 as commanding general at Camp Pendleton and now is publisher of The Californian in Temecula, an edition of the North County Times.
The men are accused of kidnapping 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad from his home in the village of Hamdania, Iraq, on April 26. They are alleged to have killed the man, then staged a crime scene with a shovel and an automatic weapon to make it appear that Awad was an insurgent planting a roadside bomb.
Charged are Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III, 22; Cpl. Trent D. Thomas, 24; Hospitalman 3rd Class Melson J. Bacos, 20; Pfc. John Jodka III, 20; and Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda, 23; Lance Cpl. Tyler A. Jackson, 22; Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr., 20; and Lance Cpl. Robert B. Pennington, 21.
On Sunday military officials announced two more servicemembers face charges in relation to the incident: Spc. Nathan B. Lynn was charged with one count of voluntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting and killing the man, and he and Sgt. Milton Ortiz Jr. were charged with one count of obstructing justice for allegedly conspiring with another soldier to put an AK-47 near the body to make it look as though he was an insurgent. The two soldiers are both of the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry (Mechanized) of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
"You're dealing with Marines' lives and careers and their families' lives and you want to be careful that you don't make any rash decisions," said Reinke, who during his career also served in a judicial capacity similar to what Sattler now faces. "You make decisions based on facts and don't rush into anything."
The accused are more likely to get a fair trial in the military court than they would in a civilian court, Reinke contended.
"Members of a military court are highly educated and tend to make decisions based on the facts," he said. "You're not going to get some really goofy judgment out of them."
Sattler served as commander of the I Marine Expeditionary Force in 2004 and '05 in Iraq.
If the men are court-martialed, found guilty and sentenced, Sattler could reduce the charges or the sentences.
Sattler received his commission after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in 1971.
After serving as a rifle platoon commander in Okinawa in 1972, he returned to the United States the following year and graduated with honors from the Amphibious Warfare School in 1977. He later returned to Okinawa where he served as a battalion operations officer.
He graduated with honors from Marine Corps Command and Staff College in 1986, and returned to Okinawa, where he served as executive officer with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines.
After several other postings, he attended the National Defense University, in Washington, and graduated with distinction in 1991.
His next assignment was as the Marine Corps Congressional liaison officer to the U.S. House of Representatives for the next four years. Reinke said it was during that time that he first got to know Sattler.
"The Marine Corps has a long history of assigning our best, most astute people to those positions and most go on to (high-level) command," Reinke said.
The Marine Corps doesn't assign anybody to that job "who can't handle themselves in very difficult circumstances," Reinke said.
The seven Marines and the Navy corpsman have hired private attorneys. Those attorneys and family members of the accused all assert that the men are innocent.
The charges in no way indicate guilt, and only after a preliminary hearing ---- known as an Article 32 ---- will a decision be made on whether they will face a court martial.
After carefully reviewing the results of the Article 32 hearing, Sattler will be the one to make a decision on whether to take the case to trial and whether it will be tried as a death penalty case.
In August 1995, he took command of 2nd Marine Regiment. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1997 and assumed duties as assistant division commander, 2nd Marine Division on the day of his promotion.
In 2001, he became commanding general of 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
In November 2002, he assumed duties as commander for the Combined Joint Task Force ---- Horn of Africa.
In 2003, he assumed the position of director of operations, U.S. Central Command. He was promoted to his current rank and assumed command of I Marine Expeditionary Force in September 2005, and on Aug. 3, 2005, Sattler assumed the duties as commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command.
Two other key figures in the Hamdania proceedings are Lt. Col. Paul Pugliese who will preside over the Article 32 hearing. Pugliese is a Marine Corps reservist who has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Reno.
He has prosecuted cases in Reno such as a neo-Nazi leader who sent threatening e-mails to newspaper employees and government workers, a man who used the Internet to entice a minor to engage in sex, and the case of a man who sent threatening e-mails to an Islamic advocacy group.
The man serving as the lead prosecutor is Marine Lt. Col. Sean Sullivan. Victor Kelley, an attorney for Cpl. Trent Thomas, said Sullivan appears to be "a straight-shooter."
Staff writer David Sterrett and the Associated Press contributed to this article.
Contact staff writer William Finn Bennett at (760) 740-5426 or wbennett@nctimes.com. To comment, go to nctimes.com.
Ellie