thedrifter
11-28-07, 07:39 AM
Court of inquiry postponed again
JENNIFER HLAD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
A court of inquiry at Camp Lejeune called to examine a March incident involving Marines in Afghanistan has been delayed a second time.
The legal tribunal will look at exactly what happened March 4, when Army officials say a Marine special operations company opened fire along a crowded highway, killing as many as 19 people and injuring 50 others. Witnesses said the Marines fired indiscriminately and were not under attack.
Defense and government lawyers asked for the delay, said Lt. Col. Sean Gibson, a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Central Command.
"It takes time to put these things together," he said.
The court of inquiry was originally scheduled for early November, then was pushed back to early December. This time, no new date has been set, Gibson said.
Lt. Gen. James Mattis, then-commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command, called the inquiry to review the evidence concerning the incident.
A court of inquiry is an "administrative fact-finding process authorized under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to determine what happened and where responsibility may lay," according to a Marine Corps news release.
The panel is not a criminal proceeding.
The last time the Marine Corps used a court of inquiry was in 1956, to investigate the deaths of six Parris Island recruits.
This time, the court of inquiry will specifically look at the roles of Maj. Fred Galvin and Capt. Vincent Noble, though neither has been charged. Galvin was a company commander with the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion at the time, and Noble was the platoon commander.
At least three senior commissioned officers with combat experience will make up the panel. After they review the evidence, they will make a recommendation to Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland - current commander of Marine Corps Forces Central Command - who will determine whether to levy charges.
U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., has been critical of some Army officials' response to the incident. In a letter he wrote to then-Acting Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, Jones said Army Col. John Nicholson's statements to the press after the shooting were irresponsible and unfairly convicted the Marines involved before an investigation was complete.
After the shooting, Nicholson - a brigade commander in the Army's 10th Mountain Division - apologized for what he called the killing of "innocent Afghans at the hands of Americans," and said the military paid $2,000 condolence payments for each death. Marine Corps Commandant James Conway called the apology premature because the investigation was still under way.
In October, Jones asked Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to investigate the actions of Lt. Gen. Frank Kearney, who expelled the Marine special operations company from Afghanistan after the incident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8467. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.
Ellie
JENNIFER HLAD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
A court of inquiry at Camp Lejeune called to examine a March incident involving Marines in Afghanistan has been delayed a second time.
The legal tribunal will look at exactly what happened March 4, when Army officials say a Marine special operations company opened fire along a crowded highway, killing as many as 19 people and injuring 50 others. Witnesses said the Marines fired indiscriminately and were not under attack.
Defense and government lawyers asked for the delay, said Lt. Col. Sean Gibson, a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Central Command.
"It takes time to put these things together," he said.
The court of inquiry was originally scheduled for early November, then was pushed back to early December. This time, no new date has been set, Gibson said.
Lt. Gen. James Mattis, then-commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command, called the inquiry to review the evidence concerning the incident.
A court of inquiry is an "administrative fact-finding process authorized under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to determine what happened and where responsibility may lay," according to a Marine Corps news release.
The panel is not a criminal proceeding.
The last time the Marine Corps used a court of inquiry was in 1956, to investigate the deaths of six Parris Island recruits.
This time, the court of inquiry will specifically look at the roles of Maj. Fred Galvin and Capt. Vincent Noble, though neither has been charged. Galvin was a company commander with the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion at the time, and Noble was the platoon commander.
At least three senior commissioned officers with combat experience will make up the panel. After they review the evidence, they will make a recommendation to Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland - current commander of Marine Corps Forces Central Command - who will determine whether to levy charges.
U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., has been critical of some Army officials' response to the incident. In a letter he wrote to then-Acting Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, Jones said Army Col. John Nicholson's statements to the press after the shooting were irresponsible and unfairly convicted the Marines involved before an investigation was complete.
After the shooting, Nicholson - a brigade commander in the Army's 10th Mountain Division - apologized for what he called the killing of "innocent Afghans at the hands of Americans," and said the military paid $2,000 condolence payments for each death. Marine Corps Commandant James Conway called the apology premature because the investigation was still under way.
In October, Jones asked Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to investigate the actions of Lt. Gen. Frank Kearney, who expelled the Marine special operations company from Afghanistan after the incident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8467. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.
Ellie