Dismissal recomended for Haditha lawyer

AP/NY Times:

An investigating officer has recommended dismissing charges against a Marine lawyer accused of failing to probe the killings of 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha, the defense attorney said Saturday.

Capt. Randy W. Stone, 34, was charged with failing to report and investigate the deaths of the men, women and children in a deadly sweep on a chaotic day of battle in the village.

His attorney, Charles Gittins, said investigating officer Maj. Thomas McCann concluded in a report to the commanding general overseeing the case that Stone should not face court-martial and the matter should be handled administratively.

At Stone's preliminary hearing last month at Camp Pendleton, he argued that he never ordered an investigation into the killings because he believed the deaths resulted from lawful combat.

''I have never lied and have worked at all times to assist as best I could to shed light on what I knew and when I knew it,'' Stone, from Dunkirk, Md., said at his hearing.

The investigator's recommendation is nonbinding. A final decision will be made by Lt. Gen. James Mattis, the commanding general overseeing the case.

...

I think the charges against Stone were always pretty weak. His knowledge was no greater than the commanding general who was never charged with anything. A recommendation on battalion commander Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani is still pending. The Times reports, "Chessani, whose wife is expecting a sixth child in December, stood in desert fatigues and with his hands clasped behind his back. He said the day he was relieved of his command was 'the single most devastating day' of his life." Unfortunately tougher days may be ahead for him and his family. Whatever the outcome, I suspect his Marine Corps career is over.