Hi everyone
I’m thrilled to be blogging here with Jessica today and so glad to welcome her home from Iraq. I’m also a woman on a mission.
First, I want to wish you all Merry Christmas and happy holidays and to thank you all for being such loyal readers and spreading the word about my books! So Merry Christmas!! And thanks! You all are the best and I hope this coming year brings all things wonderful and good your way!
My second reason is just as heartfelt and very important. I want to remind you all that we sleep in peace on the home front at night due to the brave and valiant efforts of our military who defend our freedom against terrorism every day.
That said, I want to call your attention to the plight of the 3 Navy SEALS who will soon be on trial for doing their job and defending our country during the capture of a known terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed.
Abed is the accused brains behind the grisly ambush of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah in 2004. The contractors were protecting a convoy when they were attacked by Iraqi insurgents. Their bodies were burned inside their vehicle, dragged through the streets by a chanting mob, then hanged from a Euphrates River bridge. The cruel episode was photographed and posted online as a warning to the Big Bad West.
Abed has cried foul, accusing the SEALS of abuse during his capture. The trumped-up charges against them range from dereliction of duty, making a false official statement, hitting a detainee, and lying to investigators.
Subsequently, on December 7th, two of the SEALs were arraigned in military court: Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, 24 and Petty Officer 1st class Julio Huertas, 28. The arraignment for Petty Officer 2nd class Jonathan Keefe, 25, has not yet been scheduled. All three SEALS were offered a simple reprimand if they admitted wrongdoing, but they rejected it, placing their faith and careers on exoneration at trial. If convicted, however, they face loss of rank, up to a year’s confinement and partial forfeiture of pay, and a bad conduct discharge.
The SEALS have received an outpouring of public support on the Internet, and a California congressman has led a campaign urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates to intervene. Dozens of protesters, including the mother of one of the slain contractors, stood outside the Norfolk Naval Station gate Monday morning, Dec 7, during their arraignment, holding signs of support.
One SEAL said he was gratified by support from the public and some of the members of congress who have been leading a campaign urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates to intervene.
“He’s been a hero — two tours of Iraq and one tour of Afghanistan — and now this is the thanks he gets,” Huertas’ civilian attorney, Monica Lombardi, told reporters after the arraignment.
I happen to agree. They are all heroes. I have written my Congressman and Senators about this deplorable situation. I’m urging you to do the same. I love my country. I’m proud to be an American but I take passionate issue with the way our government is handling of this situation.
Let’s all show these brave men that we support them. You can find your legislator’s addresses by simply googling their names then going to their web page and contacting them there.
Here’s my letter for reference. Feel free to use it as a guide and let your legislators know that you feel the same way!
Dear Senator Grassley:
My purpose for writing is to offer my support for the 3 Navy SEALS, Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, Petty Officer 1st class Julio Huertas, and Petty Officer 2nd class Jonathan Keefe, who will soon be on trial for actions related to the capture of alleged terrorist, Ahmed Hashim Abed, the accused brains behind the grisly ambush of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah in 2004.
How sad it is that these heroes are being held accountable for actions they took in defense of our country and our freedom. If you have any influence at all over this travesty of a military trial, I urge you to intervene and request that all charges be dropped immediately.Thank you for taking the time to listen to my request and for all the work you do representing our interests.
Sincerely
Cindy Gerard
There you have it. I sincerely hope you will be able to find the time to speak out on behalf of these heroes!
Thanks!!! Have a wonderful year!
Best,
Cindy
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God Bless you, Cindy. This whole thing has left me sick, sad, and outraged. I have the utmost respect for our troops, and to think they could be put through this for KEEPING US SAFE is the truest crime imaginable.
I’ll share your blog, and while I’ve already written letters, I’ll write some more.
My utmost respect, admiration and gratitude to all our soldiers and their families.
Lori Foster
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Thanks, Lori for lending your voice – I figured you’d already be on top of this.
)
It’s just such a sad commentary on the current PC vernacular that overshadows reason.
My prayers with all of our military.
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I agree wholeheartedly with Cindy Gerard’s comments on this ugly incident. SHAME on our leaders when a whiny, lying terrorist gets to trump three good men. What has happened to our desire to right the uber wrong that’s being done to us since 9/11/01. I was there that day and watched it all “safely” from across the river. The stink never goes away. When will our leaders allow the SEALs and others like them to do what they are trained to do – fight a war that, if we don’t win, will most likely finish us and all the ideals we say we cherish. It’s not about religion, it’s about jealously, hatred and greed. If just the women of the U.S. will take a look at how the enemies’ women are treated and contact our leaders with their comments, it should go a long way to shaking up the Washington elite. YOUR VOTE COUNTS.
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Susan – Go sister girlfriend!! Very well stated!
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Cindy,
I sent a letter shortly after seeing the story on the net. How sad! God Bless Our Troops.
Ida
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Good on ya, Ida! I feel like a slug for taking so long to act.
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Letter written and sent! It is amazing to me what we ask of our soldiers and how little we do to honor them. Yet these very same soldiers realizing that our government will more than likely stab them in the back versus support them, go back and fight for our rights and freedoms again and again.
Thank you for posting this on your blog and thank you Lori for putting it on facebook. You know I will pass the word!
Kelley
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Hey Kelley.
for those of you not familiar with Kelley, she is an ANGEL to our troops, going far above and beyond the call sending care packages and letters and NEVER letting our fighting men and women feel forgotten.
I posted on Facebook too so hopefully this post will cause a resurgence for those nice folks, like me, who are just a little late to the party!
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Thank you, Cindy, for so passionately and eloquently voicing what so many Americans feel about this issue. Upon first seeing this in the news, my feelings quickly ran the gamut from aghast, to appalled, to angry – all of them weighted down with confusion. We invest millions of dollars in our elite forces, and rest secure in the fact that we have warriors on our side to do for us what most of us cannot do for ourselves – men like McCabe, Huertas, and Keefe – and then we level legal charges at them when they successfully accomplish an incredibly dangerous mission? For reasons that seem absurd at best, and dangerously mis-motivated at worst? Like you, and so many other people I have spoken with, I have written my senator and requested that justice, not political correctness, be served in this matter.
Another big thank you to Susan for defining the stakes on the table here. And AS ALWAYS!!, my profound and heartfelt gratitude to all of our military forces. Thank you for your service.
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Well said, Tara! We need to support the heroes among us not denigrate them in the name of political correctness. I know you’d be on board! Thanks
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Cindy, I have to say, with 2 toddlers, I don’t watch the news or read the paper like I should. I’m so glad you brought this to the attention of so many people (some like myself) who had no clue the extent of this trial.
I will most certainly write a letter. It is truly a shame our heroes need defending when they were only doing their job and keeping us safe. Had they not, then they would’ve been blasted for not doing enough for their country. For all they do, they get little to no recognition…or in this case, a slap in the face. It is beyond shameful and heartless.
I pray for these poor men and their families and hope the courts see they are the reason we still live in the greatest nation.
Thanks again, Cindy!
Jules
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Hey Jules
Thanks for posting and for taking action. We owe it to these guys to show our support!
Take care
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With a son and son-in-law in the military, back and forth between countries, in and out of war zones, it just astonishes me that the men and women of our military, and their families, now have to worry about stuff like this. My husband is also retired military, and with all of the issues we dealt with over the years, low pay, sometimes low quality housing, crowded military schools, thank goodness being prosecuted for doing his job never came up. It’s just ludicrous.
Georgia
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Georgia – first – Bless you and thank you for your family and all the other military families who walk the walk and give so much so we can sleep easier at night. I applaud you and admire you. It’s gotta be tough to be a mom of a soldier.
And yes, this is very very sad.
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April 24rd update.
Woo Hoo!!!
2 SEALs exonerate of any wrong doing and one trial to go.
So happy that justice is being done – still saddened that they were ever forced to endure trial for doing their job!!