thedrifter
11-16-07, 05:02 AM
Charged Marine praised by fellow officers
By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
Lieutenant charged with failing to probe Haditha killings hailed for intelligence work in Iraq
CAMP PENDLETON ---- A Marine lieutenant charged with dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice in the killing of two dozen Iraqi civilians two years ago was described Thursday as an outstanding officer whose work in Iraq earned nominations for top military honors.
The Pentagon's "Counter-Intelligence Team of the Year" award was never granted to 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson and the intelligence team he led, however, because of the criminal charges that were filed against him in the aftermath of the civilian killings in the city of Haditha.
Grayson also was nominated for a Bronze Star by his battalion commander at Haditha, another award that was never processed because of the allegations that would arise out of the Nov. 19, 2005, slayings.
Disclosure of the two awards came during the second day of an investigative hearing for Grayson that will help determine if the charges against him are enough to warrant a court-martial. His case is the last to reach court out of the four Camp Pendleton Marines charged with wrongdoing at Haditha.
The hearing is taking place before Col. Michael Stahlman. He was a last-minute replacement for another officer, Lt. Col. Tracy Daly, who opened the hearing but was forced to step down after it was disclosed he is friends with a key prosecution witness.
Two intelligence officers called by the prosecution Thursday lavished praise on Grayson for his work.
Capt. Michael Dubrule, director of training at the Navy-Marine Corps Intelligence Center, said Grayson and his team were among the best at developing intelligence leads. He also said the 26-year-old Ohio native demonstrated outstanding initiative.
But Dubrule also said that photos taken of the slain Iraqis that were later ordered destroyed by Grayson should have been forwarded up the chain of command.
"The photos in and of themselves don't speak to a law of war violation, but I would certainly have approached a senior officer," Dubrule testified.
Under cross examination by Grayson's military attorney, Maj. William Santmyer, Dubrule said that if it was determined the photos had no value, Marine Corps policy called for their destruction.
Dubrule also said it was not Grayson's job to "be the moral authority for the battalion."
The other intelligence officer, Capt. Joseph Burke, said Grayson did a "fantastic" job at Haditha. If the commanders above him did not believe the killings warranted an investigation, then Grayson, who was not present at the site of the deaths and was not directly responsible for investigating possible war crimes, was not in a place to second-guess the findings of his superiors, Burke said.
The fact that several women and children were killed as the Marines searched for their attackers after the bombing "is one of the awful things that happens out there," Burke said.
Grayson is the lowest in rank of four officers charged with failing to investigate a possible war crime after a Camp Pendleton unit killed the Iraqi civilians following a roadside bombing.
The killings were initially ruled the result of combat action. It wasn't until several weeks later that the slayings would emerge as one of the largest such incidents of the war and lead to the largest prosecution of U.S. troops since the 2003 invasion.
Grayson is the lowest ranking of four officers originally charged with dereliction. The battalion commander who had nominated him for the Bronze Star, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, is scheduled to be arraigned in a base courtroom this morning on multiple counts of dereliction of duty.
Two other officers subsequently had their charges dismissed.
Two of four enlisted men charged with the actual deaths also have had charges dismissed. A third enlisted man, Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, has been ordered to trial on two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The squad leader in the killings, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, is awaiting word on whether he will be ordered to trial.
Grayson's hearing continues this morning and is expected to last through Saturday.
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
Ellie
By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
Lieutenant charged with failing to probe Haditha killings hailed for intelligence work in Iraq
CAMP PENDLETON ---- A Marine lieutenant charged with dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice in the killing of two dozen Iraqi civilians two years ago was described Thursday as an outstanding officer whose work in Iraq earned nominations for top military honors.
The Pentagon's "Counter-Intelligence Team of the Year" award was never granted to 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson and the intelligence team he led, however, because of the criminal charges that were filed against him in the aftermath of the civilian killings in the city of Haditha.
Grayson also was nominated for a Bronze Star by his battalion commander at Haditha, another award that was never processed because of the allegations that would arise out of the Nov. 19, 2005, slayings.
Disclosure of the two awards came during the second day of an investigative hearing for Grayson that will help determine if the charges against him are enough to warrant a court-martial. His case is the last to reach court out of the four Camp Pendleton Marines charged with wrongdoing at Haditha.
The hearing is taking place before Col. Michael Stahlman. He was a last-minute replacement for another officer, Lt. Col. Tracy Daly, who opened the hearing but was forced to step down after it was disclosed he is friends with a key prosecution witness.
Two intelligence officers called by the prosecution Thursday lavished praise on Grayson for his work.
Capt. Michael Dubrule, director of training at the Navy-Marine Corps Intelligence Center, said Grayson and his team were among the best at developing intelligence leads. He also said the 26-year-old Ohio native demonstrated outstanding initiative.
But Dubrule also said that photos taken of the slain Iraqis that were later ordered destroyed by Grayson should have been forwarded up the chain of command.
"The photos in and of themselves don't speak to a law of war violation, but I would certainly have approached a senior officer," Dubrule testified.
Under cross examination by Grayson's military attorney, Maj. William Santmyer, Dubrule said that if it was determined the photos had no value, Marine Corps policy called for their destruction.
Dubrule also said it was not Grayson's job to "be the moral authority for the battalion."
The other intelligence officer, Capt. Joseph Burke, said Grayson did a "fantastic" job at Haditha. If the commanders above him did not believe the killings warranted an investigation, then Grayson, who was not present at the site of the deaths and was not directly responsible for investigating possible war crimes, was not in a place to second-guess the findings of his superiors, Burke said.
The fact that several women and children were killed as the Marines searched for their attackers after the bombing "is one of the awful things that happens out there," Burke said.
Grayson is the lowest in rank of four officers charged with failing to investigate a possible war crime after a Camp Pendleton unit killed the Iraqi civilians following a roadside bombing.
The killings were initially ruled the result of combat action. It wasn't until several weeks later that the slayings would emerge as one of the largest such incidents of the war and lead to the largest prosecution of U.S. troops since the 2003 invasion.
Grayson is the lowest ranking of four officers originally charged with dereliction. The battalion commander who had nominated him for the Bronze Star, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, is scheduled to be arraigned in a base courtroom this morning on multiple counts of dereliction of duty.
Two other officers subsequently had their charges dismissed.
Two of four enlisted men charged with the actual deaths also have had charges dismissed. A third enlisted man, Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, has been ordered to trial on two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The squad leader in the killings, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, is awaiting word on whether he will be ordered to trial.
Grayson's hearing continues this morning and is expected to last through Saturday.
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
Ellie