Capt. Carl Bjork’s verdict—a study in trickle down policy from Washington

By Kay B. Day

Capt. Carl Bjork served with honor in Iraq.Capt. Carl Bjork came onto our radar at The US Report last year, after the government charged him with two counts of premeditated murder and other charges. The charges stemmed from accusations levied by a man named Col. Ibrahim Hamid Jaza, and a few of Hamid's fellow former Iraqi police who were detainees in prison.

The crimes allegedly occurred  in Hit during Bjork’s 2006-2007 deployment. It took the government almost three years to bring charges and then the government asked for delays.

Bjork’s trial was this week; his parents traveled to Iraq.

This week news of the verdicts trickled in—Bjork was acquitted on two charges of premeditated murder. Those charges could have led to life sentences.

Bjork, however, was convicted of two counts of  negligence in the deaths—those charges carried a max sentence of 3 years each. He was also convicted on the charge of reckless endangerment for allegedly setting a booby trap of a weapons cache, a charge that could carry a one-year sentence.

Having followed this case since its inception, I can honestly say I would not have convicted Bjork of anything.

In this morning’s email, Bjork’s sister Erica Bjork Manning responded to a message I’d sent her. I had closed  by telling her I prayed for her brother last night. And thousands of people at the Facebook support group for Bjork have done the same many times.

Erica said, “All of your prayers have born fruit.”

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Witness stories don’t add up in 3rd Navy SEAL trial as prosecution rests

By Kay B. Day

According to Fox News, the prosecution rested Wednesday afternoon in the trial of Petty Officer 2nd class Matthew McCabe in a Norfolk military court. I am certain God is tired of hearing me pray today because I have done a lot of talking about this with Him. I believe McCabe is innocent. He also passed an independently administered lie detector test. Three SEALs chose to go to court to defend their honor over allegations related to the treatment of an alleged terrorist detained in Iraq.

Two other SEALs charged in relation to McCabe’s case have been acquitted.

The whole case makes no sense. In the following accounts, I've bolded relevant passages.

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Digging deeper into coverage of the Navy SEALs trials

By Kay B. Day

After the second of three trials for Navy SEALs facing charges over an alleged Iraqi terrorist, the Associated Press ran a story similar to the first one covering the cases. The second story announced a 'not guilty' verdict for PO 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe.

After I read the first story about PO 1st Class Julio Huertas, I wrote about the extreme bias I perceived in the AP writer’s article about Huertas.

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Military jury clears Navy SEAL Huertas in trial at Camp Victory

Petty Officer 1st class Julio Huertas has been cleared of “willfully” failing to safeguard a detainee in a military trial held in Camp Victory located in Baghdad (Iraq). The verdict came on Thursday.

Huertas and two of his fellow SEALs faced an assortment of charges in a case that galvanized hundreds of thousands on Main Street and quite possibly antagonized some politicians.

Social media websites like Facebook as well as sites like Maritime Tactical Security and individual bloggers kept up with a case largely ignored by corporate media with the exception of Fox News. David Lussier, founder of the Facebook page Support the Navy SEALs who captured Ahmed Hashim Abed, kept supporters informed at every turn including developments from other support sites.

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SEAL’s book is a backgrounder on training, discipline

By Kay B. Day

Pt. I of 2

I came to the book ‘Lone Survivor’ by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson later than many—David Lussier listed it as a favorite book on his Facebook page. Lussier founded the group Support the Navy SEALs who Captured Ahmed Hashim Abed.

Lussier's recommendation spurred me to buy a copy.

The book became a bestseller for first time author Luttrell. Robinson is an acclaimed writer of fiction and nonfiction and had already racked up bestsellers.

I didn’t know much about the inner workings of the US Navy’s legendary fighting force. By the time I put the book down I’d learned enough to know that being a SEAL is beyond the reach of most of us.

There were 180 in Luttrell’s original group hoping to graduate; approximately 30 made the cut. [Pg. 155] I did know beforehand about the brutal training and exacting requirements. Luttrell gave my general perceptions the specifics I lacked.

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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.”

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Navy SEALs’ case stronger with immunity for witnesses and good results from lie detector

The Washington Times says the case is weakening against 3 Navy SEALS facing various charges over the detention of a suspected terrorist in Iraq. The Times said, “Maj. Gen. Charles Cleveland last week signed grants of immunity for five Navy colleagues of the accused.” The paper said some of those receiving immunity "are expected at trial to flatly contradict the prosecution's key witness..."

And The Times reported a surprise development in the SEALs' case at a fundraising rally in Scottsdale (Ariz.).  Petty Officer Matthew McCabe announced he had passed an “independent lie detector test on the question, ‘Did you strike Abed?’

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