Navy SEAL Jonathan Keefe, one of three SEALs who have been charged in relation to a complaint raised by suspected terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed, will be arraigned today in a military court on the Naval Base in Norfolk.
25-year-old Special Warfare Operator Second Class Jonathan Keefe, who hails from Yorktown, Virginia, is the last of 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 Keefe, the expectation is that he will enter a plea of “not guilty” during his arraignment.
Only Matthew McCabe is accused of actually assaulting the prisoner Abed, in addition to being accused of making a false statement and dereliction of duty. The charges against Jonathan Keefe consist of dereliction of duty and making a false official statement. Julio Huertas was also charged with dereliction of duty and making a false official statement, in addition to being accused of impeding an official investigation.
The court martial for Huertas has been set for January 11th, while that of Matthew McCabe has been set for January 19; this may indicate that Keefe will also have a court martial date in late January.
December 22nd, 2009 - 6:14 am
Our government is putting our country in a tailspin that will be difficult to pull out of. This is unbelievable.
December 22nd, 2009 - 6:28 pm
This is so incredible. Three heroic men who are skilled and valiant should be receiving medals and not government censure. This is demoralizing to the troops and to the American citizenry.
January 11th, 2010 - 12:28 pm
WOW, I mean all i can really say is WOW.
WOW.
January 12th, 2010 - 7:33 pm
i can say one helluva lot more than just “wow” but i’d probably be censored. where can i email these guys and thank them for their service? where can i email the assholes who decided to prosecute them and send them back to that hellhole? i’ve got plenty to say and NONE of the left wing asswipes are going to appreciate it. email addresses anyone????????????????
January 12th, 2010 - 7:36 pm
bite me – this is AMERICA – you can “moderate” my comments when i live in the hellhole of the mid east – but NOT here. i still have some first amendment rights and if that offends your oh so delicate sensibilities – take a hike or better yet – go ************************************ yourselves
January 21st, 2010 - 7:05 am
This is absolutely shameful and should never have gotten this far. These men are all heros. I wrote to both of my senators (Snowe and Collins) and my representative (Michaud) about a month ago and have not heard anything back, even though what I wrote was respectful yet pointed (just another sign how out of touch Congress is). I also tried calling the White House directly but could only get a voice mail. Their number(s) are (202) 456-1111/1414. Give em a call and give em hell! Whoever is pushing these charges is an un-American piece of ****!
Dan Riley
Beals Island, Maine
January 23rd, 2010 - 10:58 am
We’re talking about a punch to the stomach of an, “alleged” mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. Worst case is he got punched, not murdered and mutilated, and whether he got punched or not has yet to be proven.
As a Canadian citizen whose country also has troops on the ground, I find this inexcusable behaviour by the government’s who send these warriors into harm’s way to help rid the world of such trash. This is war. It’s necessary, ugly, and dangerous.
Remember we’re talking about a punch. REALLY! This is how the government is going to treat specially trained operators. Good move. Pretty soon you’ll have the troops wondering if its ok to engage the enemy.
The best for all concerned is to drop it, move on, and let these men continue the good fight. I can guarantee you the enemy wouldn’t be having this trial if the tables were turned. They’d have tortured, killed and displayed the body as a prize and congratulated the men. A punch, really?!!
March 27th, 2010 - 8:08 pm
[...] According to an article on Hampton Roads by Kate Wiltrout – who, by the way, we are certainly thankful to for consistently bringing to light updates regarding the case of the SEALs – there may be a small victory in the horizon for one of the SEALs – Petty Officer Second Class Jonathan Keefe. [...]