December 7, 2009 did not simply mark the 68th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, where the United States both lost and bore heroes; it was also the day that 2 Navy SEALs accused of mistreating a suspect in the brutal killing of 4 Blackwater contractors were arraigned in military court.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas appeared before military court in Norfolk, Virginia. Outside the Norfolk Naval Station gate, several protesters held signs of support for the Navy SEALs. Donna Zovko, mother of slain contractor Jerry Zovko, was able to make the trip to Norfolk from Cleveland; she was said to be among the crowd who gathered to give support to the SEALs.
McCabe, who is the SEAL accused of actually striking suspect Ahmed Hashim Abed in the midsection, was able to talk to reporters. They are well aware of the outrage that resulted out of their being charged, calling the outpouring of support for their predicament “phenomenal”. We are undoubtedly among those who are pleased that we are able to do something to boost the morale of the SEALs in our own little way. From the Internet to the halls of Congress, there is support for McCabe, Huertas and Keefe.
Huertas has already entered a plea of not guilty, and his trial has been set for January 11, 2010. McCabe’s trial has been set for January 19, and he has opted to defer entering his plea until then.
The third SEAL implicated in the assault charges, Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe, does not yet have a schedule for arraignment. They have all opted for a trial instead of a non-judicial reprimand, which would have resulted in a loss of rank, because they wanted their names cleared, according to Julio Huertas’ lawyer Monica Lombardi.
Military attorneys did not comment on the arraignment, although officials have said that people should not resort to “rush judgment” and that a true picture will emerge when all the evidence is heard. We will certainly be waiting for the evidence that prosecutors are talking about.
December 8th, 2009 - 8:54 am
[...] USNavySeals.com – “Accused Navy SEALs Appeared Before Military Court”: http://blog.usnavyseals.com/2009/12/accused-navy-seals-appeared-before-military-court.html [...]
December 8th, 2009 - 8:57 am
AND this is why WE don’t want anymore troops to go out of this country… Our country has been sold to the devils for the price of oil.
December 8th, 2009 - 8:59 am
Our guys get hit immediately while the “FT. BRAGG” masacre perpertrator gets “compassionate review”… Where are you OBAMA?
December 8th, 2009 - 9:24 am
This is a total disgrace. The US trains these men for specific missions and when they do what they are supposed to do they get in trouble for it. The terrorist seems to have more rights than a US citizen. What is wrong with this picture? If the US can not support our troops then pull them out.
December 8th, 2009 - 10:20 am
Those SEAL’s have my full support! Freaking bureaucracy and political bullsh*t keeps getting in the way of our troops doing their JOBS! I echo previously submitted sentiments – the Ft Hood murderer Hasan gets “compassionate review” and this is what we do to true heroes!? WHAT THE F***!?!
If you can’t stand in front of our troops then by god STAND IN FRONT OF THEM!
GO SEALS!!!
December 8th, 2009 - 12:51 pm
Thanks to all of you for your genuine support and compassion for our brothers in arms. It is truly appreciated. I am prior military, and like many of you reading these postings, I am very aware of what these brothers go through to protect this wonderful country of ours…..and how they live eveyday so that we may sit here on our computers. It is truly a travesty that Ahmed Hashim Abed can orchestrate the killing of hundreds of our young military men and women, but when our trained warriors refrain from taking matters into their own hands and eliminating him, they perform as they were trained ,and they are thanked for their efforts by being put on trial for it. Yes we are all human and make mistakes, but these men practice this scenario over and over, and over again, with many varriables added, as to reach the objective without mistakes ! If this terrorist ass was indeed struck by these operators, then they were defending themselves, and he deserved his busted lip, and more. This has me so outraged. We need to stand behind our warriors. Never leave a teammate behind. We can’t leave them ! They risk their lives for us, we need to reciprocate!
Love you Guys !
Vito
December 9th, 2009 - 3:04 am
[...] of the Navy SEALs who are being accused of maltreating a prisoner have been arraigned, but court records of the case against them has not yet been made available to the [...]
December 11th, 2009 - 7:37 am
My own outrage is sufficiently equal to what I’m reading. I’d advise everyone to reflect this very same outrage in Congressional emails to their “elected legislators” and let them know how we feel when brave men are brought to trial for fighting in our behalf.
As a Navy veteran, this sickens me all the more.
December 19th, 2009 - 5:02 pm
[...] looms in the horizon. Just as people stood outside the Norfolk Naval Base during the December 7 arraignment of McCabe and Huertas – among them Donna Zovko, mother of slain Blackwater contractor Jerry Zovko [...]
December 22nd, 2009 - 12:47 am
[...] the Navy SEALs to be arraigned. The other two SEALs, SO2 Matthew McCabe and SO1 Julio Huertas, were arraigned last December 7. Huertas entered his plea during his arraignment, while McCabe deferred. As for [...]
December 23rd, 2009 - 1:22 am
[...] arraignment for Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class (SEAL) Jonathan Keefe, the last of the three SEALs who were slapped with charges based on a complaint by suspected terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed to be [...]
January 8th, 2010 - 12:46 pm
Support! Contribute to the SEALs defense fund and get a cool shirt. http://forgedclothing.com/mens/9000BR.html
“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”
-George Orwell
January 9th, 2010 - 5:10 am
[...] the request of prosecutors is upheld, then the trials of Navy SEALs Matthew McCabe and Julio Huertas, which are scheduled for this month, will be pushed back. Their [...]
March 4th, 2010 - 8:32 am
This entire situation would be remidied in the future, by using your side arm. The enemie has been instructed to claim that they were ‘abused”, such a scam. They werewanted for the murder of 4 Americans, in my day, they would not have made it to a cell. Road kill. God bless our troops, many vets are watching. This case is very important, are our young warriors to do thier jobs?? The majority says yes. Those that intend harm against America should be given no slack.
March 21st, 2010 - 6:52 am
This case makes me cry! When did we start believing the enemy and take their word over our service men/women? How can our country accuse these Navy Seals & other service people who put their lives on the line every minute of the day for their country? Instead of getting metals as they should – they get taken to court! It is time WE THE PEOPLE take back our country and support our service men & women. With what our service people were/are doing in Iraq and other parts of the world, they were on their way to becoming the “2nd GREATEST GENERATION OF ALL TIME! Since I was one of the Greatest Generation of all time, I was happy to see these brave men/women get their due BUT ‘the few idiots of our time’ are keeping our nation down which is a crime!
Let’s see that these men get their deserved metals and THAT ALL CHARGES AGAINST THEM BE DROPPED!!!
Cree Forman