Lt. General James N. Mattis, commander of Marine Forces Central Command, was recently forwarded a recommendation for a hearing regarding Lt. Col. Jeffery Chessani.
Chessani is currently under investigation for the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians.
Background on Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani
A former battalion commander and the highest-ranking officer to be charged with crimes associated with the war, Chessani, 43, claims he believes the deaths of the civilians involved combat and were not of malicious intent.
While Chessani was commander of the 3rd battalion, his troops were charged with shooting 24 civilians, including women and children.
Legal Repercussions
Chessani’s attorney claims that unless Mattis rejects the recommendation there will be no “aggressive military left to defend the life of our nation.”
However, prosecutors allege that Chessani did nothing to investigate the case involving his troops and failed to provide officials with detailed information regarding the incident.
Chessani’s lawyers have fought back to these allegations stating that if Chessani is sentenced to a court hearing, the morale of the Marines still in Iraq will be negatively affected.
(Source: The Denver Post)
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