Resolution honoring Navy SEALs lingers in subcommittee

SEAL on night ops. [Photo from official US Navy SEAL website]In December Rep. Ted Poe (R-Tex.) introduced H Res 977 and on January 21, 2010, the resolution was referred to the House subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities.

The official title of the resolution is lengthy: “Honoring Navy SEALs Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe, and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas for their heroic actions in the capture of Ahmed Hashim Abed, the mastermind behind one of the most notorious crimes against Americans in Iraq.”

The bill has 77 cosponsors. None in the Democrat majority on the subcommittee are cosponsors. With two exceptions, minority Republicans on the subcommittee are listed as cosponsors.

Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) also cosponsored the resolution; he has been a tireless advocate in asking  for charges to be dropped against the three SEALs who faced various charges after a sailor outside the Naval Special Warfare Community accused SO2 Matthew McCabe of assaulting Abed. In this case the alleged assault was a punch to the stomach although some accounts mention blood inside Abed’s lip.

No real injuries were sustained; the alleged terrorist is by all accounts in excellent health and likely being well-treated although if the circumstances were reversed, an American detainee would probably have been decapitated and his body desecrated. The enemy is not bound by conventional rules of warfare. Human rights groups as well as anti-war groups in the US apparently approve the techniques and approaches of this enemy.

I make that statement because I have not seen protests or threats of international court charges against The Taliban or al Qaeda. The anti-war group Code Pink at the moment seems to be focused on stalking conservative author Karl Rove.

This alleged assault occurred after the SEALs executed a perfectly orchestrated capture of Abed. The suspect was captured as he slept; no shots were fired.

The text of H Res 977 states:
“Honoring Navy SEALs Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe, and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas for their heroic actions in the capture of Ahmed Hashim Abed, the mastermind behind of one of the most notorious crimes against Americans in Iraq.

Whereas in 2004, four Americans working for a security company in Iraq were ambushed and killed;

Whereas their bodies were set on fire, mutilated, dragged through the streets, and hung from a bridge in Falluja, Iraq;

Whereas three United States Navy SEALs, Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe, and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas, successfully captured Ahmed Hashim Abed, the alleged mastermind behind the killings; and

Whereas Mr. Abed spearheaded a number of other insurgent attacks against members of the United States Armed Forces and murdered innocent Iraqi civilians: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe, and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas for their heroic actions in capturing one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq."

More than 119,000 people have joined the Facebook Group Support the Navy SEALs Who Captured Ahmed Hashim Abed. Thousands more have joined other support groups and a defense fund has been established by Maritime Tactical Security. MTS also provides ongoing information about the cases.

The US Report has followed the SEALs' story from the beginning. Recently a friend asked me, “How are you so sure these guys are innocent?”

My quick response was, “These men are SEALs.”

But her question deserved a longer response and I will provide that to my readers in my column on Friday. The column is inspired by David Lussier, creator of the Facebook Support group. My response really said it all, but I realize I need to put my statement in context. We hear the term SEALs often but it's useful to understand exactly what that term means.

Our dedication to this story was inspired by author Elizabeth Kilbride, the most tireless advocate for members of the military I’ve ever met. Kilbride and her publisher Fathers Press are donating $4 from each sale of Soul of American Warrior to the SEAL Defense Fund.

If you would like to help these SEALs, please contact your congressman and ask him or her to support H Res 977. You can also donate to the defense fund—America’s most elite warriors don’t enjoy the level of pay most politicians and political strategists receive.

No amount of money, however, can ease the anguish these three SEALs and their families are experiencing because of leftwing policy on war. (By Kay B. Day)