Navy SEALS charged (cont.)

Two of the three Navy SEALs accused of assaulting a captured Iraqi terrorist have been arraigned in a military court. The third accused SEAL will be arraigned at a later date.

The judge has scheduled courts-martial next month for Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe of Perrysburg, Ohio, and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas of Blue Island, Ill.

Matthew McCabe, a Special Operations Petty Officer Second Class (SO-2), is facing three charges: dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee, making a false official statement, and assault. Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe, SO-2, is facing charges of dereliction of performance of duty and making a false official statement. Petty Officer Julio Huertas, SO-1, faces those same charges and an additional charge of impediment of an investigation.

The accuser, Ahmed Hashim Abed is the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. He partially alleges that as part of his capture the SEALs struck him in the midsection and also gave him a bloody lip.

To date the SEALs have received massive public support on the Internet (45,000 people have signed a Facebook page supporting the SEALs) and U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California has written Defense Secretary Robert Gates to intervene. Approximately three dozen protesters stood outside the Norfolk Naval Station gate Monday morning holding signs of support.

The SEALs could have accepted a nonjudicial reprimand for this alleged incident but a reprimand could have resulted in a loss of rank. If they are convicted at trial however, they could get up to a year in jail, a bad conduct discharge, or a loss of rank or pay.

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