I recently sent a very long email to CNN’s Abbie Boudreau and her producer Scott Zamost.  See the new article by Abbie Boudreau, below:

http://siu.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/06/imprisoned-soldiers-wife-pleas-for-justice/

-Thank you, please feel free to leave comments below her article.

(Thank you to Mrs. Green for the link to this.)

http://www.vancouversun.com/Lawyer+slams+soldier+version+Afghanistan+shooting/2920259/story.html

EXCERPT BELOW:

“A shooter who was providing support to the operation identified the individual and assessed that he was a threat, and shot the individual,” he wrote.

“The actions of the shooter were an appropriate application of the rules of engagement and saved the lives of a number of Canadian Forces members that night.”

Natynczyk said the suspect was armed and not a detainee.

For those wondering about who the (retired) Major General (U.S. Army) is, that wrote the article posted recently on this website for me, here is a bit more:

PAUL E. VALLELY, Major General, U.S. Army (Ret.) is a military analyst for FOX News Channel and is a guest on many nationally syndicated radio talk shows. He is also a guest lecturer on the War on Terror. He has co-authored “ENDGAME: The Blueprint for Victory in the War on Terror” & “War Footing: 10 Steps America Must Take to Prevail in the War for the Free World.”

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/endgame/

See recent post on DEFEND JOHN HATLEY, for his article he wrote for me in regards to John Hatley.  I am so thankful to him for his interest and efforts in our situation.

-Thank you

Due to the new “change” to yet another flawed policy, “The 96th Hour Rule” investigated recently by CNN’s Special Investigative Unit, Abbie Boudreau…………..which is also posted on this John Hatley website in POSTS, I thought I’d add this article (research) written by Lieutenant Colonel Bob Weimann (retired) U.S. Marine Corps.

LTC Weimann also researched our case and that can be found at the top header of this website as well.

CAPT ROGER HILL CASE:  

Mister Secretary, it’s time to end

the double standard

Below is an excerpt of the case of Captain Hill:

“The time is ripe for a public debate on the double standards that tie our hands in combat while making it easier for the enemy to cut them off.” — Captain Roger Hill, former commanding officer, Dog Company, 1^st Battalion, 506^th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division

See complete article below:

http://warchronicle.com/DefendOurTroops/BobWeimann/OpenLetterSecArmy.htm

A contact of mine, who is a (retired) LT. COLONEL USMC, researched some items of interest for me, out of his own initiative mind you.  What he has uncovered is that “there is no policy” in Iraq in regards to detainees, called the “detainee catch & release”, but that it is a term coined by ground troops as such, because it is what it is.

Below, see the excerpt from the research that my contact, this LT. COLONEL sent me.  Read it and I guarantee that you will be shocked.

Excerpt:

[In Iraq, the US military command never had an effective detainee policy or apparatus that adequately protected our service men and woman.  The effectiveness of the Iraq detainee policy is broadcast in the name given to it by the troops as the “catch and release” program.  “We catch’em, then they release them; so we can catch’em again and they release them again.” When I review these Soldiers case, I become convince that their intent was not murder but actually an effort to save the lives of their fellow Soldiers.]

Below is one more excerpt:

[This was an extended deployment of 14 months. The company was taking casualties (KIAs) from snipers. With no effective way to neutralize these four Iraqi males caught with two sniper rifles (and other weapons and explosives), these Soldiers were forced into the self defense mode. By capturing these Iraqi snipers, they had effectively identified themselves as the snipers next targets. Insurgent snipers protect themselves with secrecy that no longer existed and these snipers had just met face-to-face additional priority targets.  If something did not change, the best these soldiers were going to do was spend the remainder of their deployment feeling a set of cross hairs on the back of their necks.  The worst scenario would be these soldiers being reported to their families as KIAs.]

[-end of excerpts]

So on that note, please see the following article:

General Petraeus Says Training of Afghan Security Forces is Being Overhauled

Robert Raffaele | Washington17 March 2010

The commander who oversees U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan says the training of Afghan security forces is being “overhauled.” General David Petraeus told U.S. lawmakers the changes are based on lessons learned in Iraq.

He also spoke about a move involving U.S. Special Operations forces in Afghanistan. Training procedures for Afghan police and security forces are being overhauled, said General Petraeus, to avoid some of the mistakes made in Iraq.

He said US trainers in Afghanistan must learn from what was a “flawed” strategy in Iraq. “You know, we should recruit, train, and then assign police. Not recruit, assign, and try to get them back to training. Again, that was a flawed approach and we have to take the time to do that..”

Petraeus said to members of the House Armed Services Committee pay raises and bonuses have helped improve results among Afghan recruits. But he said it’s too soon to tell if Afghan troops will be ready to assume control as U.S. forces leave. In another development, General Stanley McChrystal, the Commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, has brought most American special operations forces under his control for the first time.

Petraeus denied media reports linking the decision to concerns that special operation forces were not doing enough to limit civilian casualties. Petraeus said he ordered the move for other reasons. “The reason it was done was to help General McChrystal achieve greater unity of effort among all of his forces. And again, that’s why this applied to more than just Special Operations forces,” he said. Petraeus said various marine, air force, and army units already have been moved under McChrystal’s command, for the same reason. General McChrystal has made reducing civilian deaths a top priority in a bid to win the loyalty of Afghan civilians. In at least two incidents in February, NATO airstrikes missed their targets, killing nearly 40 civilians in southern Afghanistan. Immediately after one of the strikes, General McChrystal apologized on TV to the Afghan people. In recent months, NATO has limited air strikes and tightened rules of engagement on the battlefield.

Find this article at: http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/asia/General-Petraeus-Says-Training-of-Afghan-Security-Forces-is-Being-Overhauled-88285687.html

*Just added at 10: 42 pm, Tues night March 16th by Mrs. Hatley, see below…

//There is now a video posted that you do not want to miss, posted at the link below as well.  Hear what Eric Holder said and what Senator Lindsey Graham says in response and also in response to the 96th hour rule.//

It is the same link as below, but looks like new content was added, only to the top portion.  Here is the added part that is new and that was not part of the CNN coverage on air:  Updated at the timezone of EST, CNN Global HQS is located in Atlanta, Ga.

Excerpt:

[Update: 9:27 p.m.] Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said, “This is a new authority that was requested by General Petraeus and approved by Secretary Gates but we don’t anticipate it becoming our new standard operating procedure.

“Most combatants we pick up on the battlefield will still be turned over to Afghan authorities within 96 hours; however, there may be some who require more time in our custody (up to 2 weeks) in order to determine precisely who they are, what they’re up to and how much of a danger they pose.”

http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/16/u-s-changing-controversial-rule-for-holding-detainees-2/?hpt=T1

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Below is the first posting on cnn.com of this airing……………

March 16th, 2010 04:33 PM ET  / aired on CNN’s Wolf Blitzer’s “The Situation Room”

U.S. changing controversial rule for holding detainees WASHINGTON

- A controversial policy that gives U.S. forces in Afghanistan four days to question detainees is being changed to give soldiers more time to interrogate the captives, Gen. David Petraeus said Tuesday. Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee that American troops will now be able to hold detainees for up to 14 days before either releasing them or turning them over to the Afghan government. In some cases, longer detention will be an option, he said.

Roger Hill (right), former Army captain, received a general discharge for his role in the questioning of 12 detainees.

Currently, U.S. troops have 96 hours to question people picked up in the field before they must either release them or hand them over to Afghan authorities. The rule is designed to give the Afghan government control over detainees and avoid abuses.

A CNN investigation in February found that one out of every four detainees has been released since NATO began keeping statistics, and soldiers complained the policy could put them in danger. Petraeus said in January the 96-hour rule was a “big concern.” He said the change has been approved by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a critic of the policy, said he believes troops in the field “will appreciate that.” “I’m glad you’ve been given some relief, because the old rule just didn’t make a lot of sense,” said Graham, R-South Carolina. “And I think the new way forward does make sense.”

The 96-hour policy has been in effect since December 2005. NATO does not track what happens to the detainees once they are let go. Nearly half of all U.S. troops in Afghanistan operate under NATO rules and fight as the International Security Assistance Force.

CNN confirmed Tuesday that the remainder are also being put under NATO, meaning the new 14-day policy will apply to everyone. The decision to place the troops under NATO, which is led by an American supreme commander, “is for the purpose of unity of effort,” NATO spokesman James Appathurai said. “That decision has been taken in principle, but the mechanics of it need to be worked out.” Asked about the United States changing the 96-hour rule, Appathurai said, “We don’t have concerns about it. We understand the operational imperative behind it, but of course, it’s also true we have to invest more as a group of nations in ensuring the Afghans handle detainees in an appropriate way.” U.S. Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, an International Security Assistance Force spokesman, confirmed about 30,000 troops are being transitioned to the assistance force and all will operate under the new rule.

Petraeus said in January that particularly when it comes to high-value targets, “96 hours is not enough if you are going to ensure that they stay behind bars.” “There has to be a process by which the individuals that need to be detained are detained, or that if they’re handed off to Afghan officials, that there’s confidence in the system working,” he said.

Graham, an Air Force reserve colonel who visited Afghanistan last year, said in December the rule puts soldiers in danger. “The one story I hear told over and over and over again, ‘Sen. Graham, this policy makes no sense. It is putting our folks at risk for no higher purpose. It needs to change,’” Graham said. “So the level of frustration is now turning to anger, and quite frankly, here’s what’s going to start happening – we’re going to take less prisoners. They’re going to start shooting these folks.”

CNN began examining the 96-hour rule with the case of Roger Hill, a former Army captain who received a general discharge for his role in the questioning of 12 detainees. Those men, including one who was his trusted interpreter, had worked on his base in Afghanistan. Hill was the U.S. commander in Wardak Province, in eastern Afghanistan, for much of 2008, and said he feared the enemy was tracking his every move. He suspected an inside threat. “Out of a 90-man company, we had 30 wounded, to include two killed in action,” he said. He said his headquarters sent a team to the base to detect possible spies. The team screened cell phone activity to find out which Afghan civilians working on the base were really working for the Taliban – and his interpreter was one of them. Angry and frustrated that the interpreter might be the one sabotaging missions, Hill detained all 12 men in a small building on the base. That’s when the 96-hour rule went into effect. Hill said the rule does not work, and many times dangerous suspects are released because there’s not enough time to gather evidence.

As the clock ticked toward the 96-hour NATO deadline, Hill made a decision that would cost him his military career. “I decided that I needed to break protocol and interrogate them myself,” he said. “I took three gentlemen outside, sat them down, walked away, and fired my weapon into the ground three times, hoping that the men inside, left to their own imagination, would think that they really needed to talk.” Hill walked back inside. “And sure enough, some of the detainees started to talk,” he said. What the detainees told him was enough to persuade the Afghans to take all 12 men into custody, including Hill’s interpreter. Hill said he felt he had made the correct decision to protect his soldiers, but the Army charged him with detainee abuse, leading to his discharge from the military.

The 12 men were released, despite the confession, according to Army investigators. No one knows where they are now and what’s they’re doing.

Posted by: By Abbie Boudreau and Scott Zamost, CNN Special Investigations Unit Filed under: Daily Developments • Troops

* * Below is the first coverage Abbie Boudreau covered on this 96 Hour Rule in Feb:  Has Captain Hill interview on it…….

http://www.support-ourtroops.com/2010/02/cnns-investigation-of-96-hour-rule.html

(If YOU are a new visitor to this website and this situation and perhaps not supportive of our troops and perhaps a bit quick to judge others, please read this post, because it is meant for YOU)

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I felt compelled.  I sat here thinking of Captain Palermo.  I sat here thinking of the VBIED that killed him.  I sat here thinking of SPC Guerrero, one of my husband’s soldiers who was killed by an IED.  I sat here thinking back to that day and of the details I carry around in my head and will forever, of what an IED is capable of doing to a young man, an American soldier……….. 

General Quantock tap danced around in that CNN coverage on Anderson Cooper…..

CNN’s Investigative reporting uncovered that in the Iraq War, 87,000 Iraqi’s were detained, but 77,000 were released, all for so-called lack of evidence?

Call them detainees.  Call them insurgents.  Call them enemy combatants.  Go ahead and you could probably call them, because most of them were released anyway, to kill again, to be second chancers at killing or maiming American soldiers.

When my husband’s first soldier was killed on Feb 27th, 2007, it by a sniper.   (I wear his fallen soldier bracelet, since my husband cannot, because my husband John Hatley now sits in prison for 40 years.)  He wore it every day.

So based on the facts and based on the testimony (descriptive and revealing letters from soldiers) and what soldiers still tell me to this day, this soldier’s life could have very well been taken by a second chancer.

Why doesn’t anyone question that?  Perhaps these facts need to get out more.  I’m trying the best I can, as are some others.

What about our 3rd soldier KIA?

What about our 4th soldier KIA?

What about our 5th soldier KIA?

What about our 6th soldier……………..also KIA?

It is incredibly fustrating for me and I wasn’t even there, to know that it was quite possible that a second chancer could have been responsible for more deaths of soldiers than the public may care to know or perhaps, the U.S. military or our government.

I mean, it makes sense, doesn’t it?

Read the letters from soldiers found at the top of the home page of this website.

See for yourself the fustrations with the DHAA’s.

See for yourself the flawed Intelligence provided to our combat troops.

See for yourselves……………………..the words that were painstakingly written by actual combat soldiers who where there in the middle of hell and ask yourself, “What would I do?”

What would you do?

Think about it.

Think about the gore, the very, very ugly and horrific side of war that perhaps you know for a fact that most don’t realize goes on………………………………………..there, in the middle of hell.

Think about a few of your own family members.  Visualize them in your mind and how they look healthy and alive.

Google if you must, what exactly just one IED does to a human being.

Do it.  Perhaps look at an image off of Google images.  Can you stomach a mere photo?

Google if you must, what exactly just one VBIED does to a human being.  Matter of fact, here’s one for you.  Don’t worry.  It’s from a distance, just the explosion….  (TURN YOUR SOUND SETTING AS HIGH AS IT WILL GO.)

http://shock.military.com/Shock/videos.do?displayContent=212029&ESRC=marine-a.nl

Now imagine your family members being in the location of the IED or the VBIED. 

Now, once you do that, imagine on top of all that, YOU are:  mentally exhausted, physically exhausted, carrying ammo, wearing heavy Kevlar armor and helmet, missing your wife, your kids, your dog back at home or the birth of your new baby, tired beyond belief because you’ve only gotten 4 hours sleep which was interrupted by the sounds of war around you, tired and wounded emotionally and psychologically because you’ve recently seen another family member killed by an IED or a VBIED or a sniper’s bullet(s) or an AK47…..your deployment getting extended and then extended again and then again….and you battling the intense heat of Iraq at 104 degrees at times…….horrific memories and visuals that must be compartmentalized into your brain so you can prepare for the next mission, the next patrol in 20 minutes?

Infantry soldiers treat eachother like “family”.

Imagine…………………

Think about it.

Infantrymen DO THE FIGHTING……………………….while the rest of the Army supports………………them.

Think about it.

They are to be respected and reveered for what they do for us and their country and for future generations that can sit back and read about them.

I am just a military wife, but I too carry the scars are war from what I experienced on the homefront. 

Military wives do this…………..they carry memories and experiences……………….  They don’t just sit on the homefront making welcome home posters.  They serve their country too.

Military wives are exceptional, for they must endure the limits of what most cannot and won’t.

A. Co. 1-18 soldiers and family members were FAMILY and still are to John Hatley and I.

Think about that word, “family”.

Comaraderie…………family…………………band of brothers………………………..

Yes.  It is possible to slightly touch upon what an infantry soldier goes through in war and all of the above, was slight. 

Now, go live your lives well and celebrate being American only on the 4th of July with some fireworks purchased at your local fireworks stands.  Go get your Latte’ at Starbucks. 

Be a patriot perhaps once a year.  I truley hope I am not describing “you”.

In WWII…………………………………………………..America was brimming with Patriots.  Everyone knew what was going on and everyone knew that our soldiers overseas suffered, but perhaps not all of the details, but they knew some and rallied behind their boys.

Where is the rallying now?

Where are the Patriots in America anymore?

So if you don’t know what to think about our case regarding (former) Infantry First Sergeant John Hatley, now’s the time to delve a bit deeper and actually read up on who he is, the “slights” on what he’s been through and where he is now, after serving his country for 20 years, having inadvertently becoming a LEGEND in…………

……..A. Co. 1-18….WOLPACK!

~IN OMNIA PARATUS~

You have my gratitude,

Mrs. Kim Hatley

Proud 6 year Army Veteran and

Proud Mother to a son serving in the US Marines and

Proud Wife to John Hatley who served his country for half his life and now sits in prison for the rest of his life.

-

You do not want to miss this site.  Major General Vallely responded quickly to an email I sent him today, Thursday evening, March 11, 2010.  Once you see his website and it’s purpose, “Stand Up America”, you too will want to place it on your favorites.

ATTENTION:   Americans and Patriots!

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STAND UP AMERICA

*

http://standupamericaus.com/new-national-security-and-military-strategy:26640

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

 “Thank you sir, for your time in composing this very powerful article for our situation. 

We are forever grateful for your time, effort and interest in our case.” ~Mrs. Hatley

[Posted here on Friday, March 12, 2010 at 7:20 p.m. CST] 

America – Stand by our Warriors

By

Paul Vallely

Men have fought wars throughout the annals of history. Americans have known wars since the birth of the nation with aspirations that set our people apart from all others. These lofty aspirations have tested our people in wars to preserve our freedom with decades of domestic strife to make good our claims to the cause of human freedom. Within the brief span of two centuries, Americans have fought wars to fulfill a destiny defined by our Founding Fathers. Each conflict has tested our courage while shaping our identity which stands apart from the Western Civilization that is our heritage. The struggle to endure and preserve our ideals – the love of freedom and the dedication to self-government – has made us unique and has made America an example that inspires mankind.

Today, we find ourselves in a difficult and new kind of war. It is a war that we did not start nor can we end without destroying those who have declared war upon us. Unique to our experience, we find ourselves attacked by assailants who wear no uniform and claim allegiance to no sovereign state and follow a barbaric radical ideology. The assailants aspire to world domination and wage war to destroy the very aspirations of freedom and democracy. The jihadis and their cells conceal themselves within civil populations that provide human shields to these radical zealots that follow a barbaric ideology that takes no prisoners. Their mode of conflict strikes at the values we hold sacred, while they use our aspirations and self-restraint to conceal and protect their assassins. It is a war that tests our men and women in combat more severely than any conflict we have waged before. We have attempted to keep the faith and honor our traditions as well as our noble culture of freedom. In this time of bitter war, the Armed Forces impose strict rules of engagement upon our soldiers as they confront the barbarism of the radical jihadists who exercise absolutely no restraint. No crime is too heinous and no act of treachery too despicable to deter their quest of victory and ultimately world conquest (The Caliphate).

In former times, our soldiers have fought on even terms against foes who in many ways shared our commitment to international law and the Geneva Conventions. Such conflict recognized basic human rights and sought to punish those who violated the “Law of Land Warfare”. Such conflicts saw humane treatment of prisoners as the rule and atrocities were the exception. Yet in the bitterest struggles of World War II, the “greatest generation” resorted to retaliation for unprovoked air attacks upon British civilians that resulted in massive bombing attacks of civilian targets in the Third Reich.

Were we to use such tactics today to obliterate the sanctuaries of the enemies, as we did in World War II, the cry of the international media and the United Nations would be filled with outrage at the American combatants? And the United Nations, which we formed at the end of World War II to preserve peace, would side with our enemies openly declaring the American combatants as war criminals. It is fair to say that we live with double standards today that are ignored by the international media and nation-states that support global jihad. Americans are trained and expected to conduct themselves with the utmost restraint complying with the most humane rules of engagement, standards of conduct that are simply ignored by jihadis. Are we asking too much of our troops? The answer is YES! They must fight the enemy with great restraint and even the appearances of transgression of the rules of engagement by Americans are punished most severely by our own senior military leaders and courts-martial. The current Navy SEALS courts-martial is a prime example.

Another case of restrictive rules of engagement occurred in Afghanistan that resulted in a threatened courts-martial and follow on action of asking him to leave the Army. They decided to downgrade everything to an Article 15 and allowed him to resign his commission He was one of our finest young warriors who discovered that their Afghan comrades were enemy agents providing valuable intelligence to the enemy. The results of the enemy agents sequestered in the base of an American company resulted in a series of ambushes that killed and wounded numerous soldiers of the 101^st Air Assault Division. The Company Commander, Captain Roger Hill, detained the suspected agents and requested they be evacuated by his higher headquarters which request was denied. Given the limited time detainees are allowed to be held without charges and the lack of support from his superiors, Captain Hill and his subordinates interrogated the detainees. While no detainee was physically injured during the interrogations, Captain Hill was charged with violation of the rules of engagement for making verbal threats during his interrogations.

Another case is that of Marine Sgt (now Private) Larry Hutchins, now serving 11 years in Leavenworth for following orders on a covert “Snatch and Kill” operation in Iraq. When intelligence provides information on civilians who are complicit in setting IED’s the best way to avoid collateral damage is to “surgically” remove them. The problem then arises when other civilians file charges and our Government plays the politically correct game of hanging our own out to dry.

- Master John Hatley is another example:  

U.S. Army Master Sergeant John E. Hatley was sentenced (initially) to Life in prison for the alleged killing of four unidentified insurgents. 

OIF-06-08 to Iraq was his 3rd deployment.  John was only 6 months shy of retiring, having served his country for almost 20 years with an exemplary military track record and was highly decorated. MSG Hatley as well as SFC Joseph Mayo and Sgt. Michael Leahy Jr. are confined  together at the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas……….Their web sites follow.

MSG John Hatley – http://www.defendjohnhatley.com

SFC Joseph P. Mayo – http://www.defendjosephmayo.com

SGT Michael P. Leahy Jr. – http://www.supportsgtleahy.com

Given the uneven playing field upon which our the jihadis are waging war and the barbaric IED attacks our soldiers are subjected to, it is time for a public debate regarding the double standards that bind our hands in battle. Any actions we take will not impose any restraint upon the enemy.

The bottom line is we must support our valiant American fighting men and women. They are fighting under the most difficult conditions and they are being second guessed by military lawyers (JAGs) and bureaucrats holding down desk jobs secure in the rear areas. Our generation will never succeed in protecting our sacred freedoms unless we are prepared to back our men and women on the battlefield. Stand behind our men in battle or kiss our democracy and freedoms goodbye. We must do all we can as to restore the honorable status of our Warriors. 

Our Armed Forces deserve better. The President needs to pardon our Warriors NOW.

Paul E. Vallely is a MG, US Army Retired and Chairman of Stand Up America, USA

The Netherlands is pulling out of Afghanistan.

*Excerpt below from article written by John Work for David Horowitz’s “Front Page Magazine”: 

[Dutch Prime Minister Jan Balkenende recently threw in the towel when the debate against the opposing Labour Party over whether to leave Dutch troops in Afghanistan or to bring them home came to an impasse. Today, The Los Angeles Times’ take on this decision to retreat is largely aimed at how this will affect President Obama’s standing in the World. The Times’ editorial is another example of the left-leaning American Media Corps providing sympathy, armor and cover for Obama, directing attention away from the larger issue at hand: What is there to gain for The United States by staying in Afghanistan?]

TO READ FULL STORY:

 http://www.newsrealblog.com/2010/02/25/dutch-to-leave-afghanistan-la-times-editorial-frets-over-obamas-prestige/

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New York Times article / same topic:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/opinion/25thur3.html

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A CALL FOR ACTION

 THAT THEY ALSO INVESTIGATE THE FAULTY IRAQ CATCH AND RELEASE. YOU COULD ALSO MAKE MENTION OF THE FLAWED CATCH AND RELEASE POLICY IN IRAQ AND ASK FOR HEARINGS ABOUT THE 77,000 OF 87,000 RELEASED.

(This news was shown at the bottom of the television screen on CNN today, but I am searching for a link to provide here for more confirmation of this.)