Army Reduces Soldier’s Sentence to 15 Years
by Bob McCartyOn Thursday, the Army Clemency and Parole Board reduced the sentence of Army Ranger 1st Lt. Michael Behenna from 20 to 15 years, according to a news release from Rep. Mary Fallin (R-Okla.).
Lieutenant Behenna, who is currently serving his sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., was convicted of unpremeditated murder in the shooting death of Ali Mansur, a known Al-Qaeda operative, while serving in Iraq.
Previous cases of similar or more aggravating circumstances, where the defendants were found guilty of premeditated murder, have resulted in less severe sentences, which prompted the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation to appeal to the board for a careful review of this case and relevant precedent.
A copy of the delegation’s Oct. 14, 2009 letter to the board can be found here.
For the complete story in one document, read “The Michael Behenna Story (pdf),” a 26-page document (PDF) by Carrie Fatigante.
To read other BMW posts about Lieutenant Behenna, click here.
For information directly from the Behenna family, visit www.DefendMichael.wordpress.com.
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121 Comments
His country betrayed him!…How sad!
He should've gotten a medal or something.
Let's bring our soldiers home and send Democrats to Iraq and Afghanistan instead.
On behalf of our military, he killed an enemy combatant. Isn't that what soldiers at war do?
Another slap in the face
"…..a known Al-Qaeda operative….."
Considering these people have turned out to be taxi drivers and shepherds in the past…..
Considering this is from the same entity that carried out Waco…..
Considering this is the same government that carried out the seige at Ruby Ridge….
Considering this is the same government that continues to protect Lon Horiuchi from prosecution….
Considering all the lies our government has told…..
…I can't just believe it when they say someone is an "Al Qaeda operative" or whatever is used to create some boogeyman enemy….especially when this is the same government that funded Al Qaeda.
I think the prosecution team that withheld evidence should have some battle gear strapped onto them and air dropped over a certain area in Pakistan.
Complete story link is broke. Getting 404
This Officer should have never been charged or convicted. Rather they should have given him the Meritorious Service Medal for shooting and killing Ali Mansur, a known Al-Qaeda operative.
He did what the Military is supposed to do, KILL the enemies of this country.
Don't reduce his sentence, pardon him, expunge the conviction, reinstate his commission, and pay him all his back pay, that would be a good expendature of our tax dollars.
When is America going to learn there is no way to fight a "Moral" war except to lose it. War is not moral. You fight to win and win quickly and you use everything at your disposal. If we had to fight WWII today, we would be fighting it for decades because it was immoral to drop the bomb. Fight your enemies to win or don't fight at all. It is not right to punish our soldiers for killing the enemy. As a Vietnam Vet, I support our troops and everything they do to defeat our enemies.
He's a hero in my mind. Hopefully he'll get pardoned after the 2012 election as a result of our efforts.
Why would you want to send them fresh recruits?
If we got all the info we ccould out of that freakin arab give the soldier a medal and make him potus. If we didn't get info then just make him potus. Put obdumbo in his cell that would be correct thing to do. So tired of extending anything other than hatred to the arab scum gracing the world. They have lost their right to live in my eyes.
Still proving yourself a fool eh? Why am I not surprised…
He hsould have been given a medal, to hell wiht those who imprisoned him!
FREE Michael Behenna!
This is the United States Army making the charge not the U.S. government, the BATF, or the FBI. I'll take their word for it over…Who is saying otherwise? rather than yourself?
"This is the United States Army making the charge not the U.S. government, the BATF, or the FBI."
They are all the US government.
Reinstate Lieutenant Behenna into the military and give him the rank of Major.
Thank you so much for posting this! I heard Michael's mom Vicky state that his words (as being taken away) were along the lines of "no one will know"…her main request was that we write to Michael and let him know that he's not forgotten. His mailing address is on the website defendmichael.com
You can also sign the petition (to Inhofe, Coburn, Fallen, Congress and Secy of Defense) here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/MBehenna/petition.h...
This is such an insult to a true hero – write your Senator, your Rep, the local news, and Write to Michael!
Free Michael…I am so glad my son is out of the Navy…the chain of command cares about its own arse and not the men and women serving at the lower levels. It is no surprise to me when you have a commander and chief with no spine. There is such a level of mistrust that all of they do is look out for themselves. The real people on the front lines can not do their jobs because of all the pc bullcrap…….rules of engagement………how about killin the bad guy….
HUSSEIN'S changes,burn AMERICANS…..wonder if war hero kerry snitched him out?
I feel for the guy, but it isn't like he killed someone in combat. He took a prisoner slated for release and executed him. Yes, Mansur was a scumbag and probably deserved to die, but that decision was not Behenna's to make. For all he knew, military intelligence could've ordered Mansur's release so they could follow him back to his pals and take them all out.
That said, a 15 year sentence is simply insane.
The US government may have donated to al-qaeda like the government of pakistan and the government of israel, however clearly the US government doesn't control any of these entities. Israel conducts an independent foreign policy and then forces the american zionist government to sponsor their policies. Pakistan is more of a Chinese puppet than an American puppet, as you can see from the current afpak stiuation. Al-qaeda operates totally independent of the government, it is not controlled by the US by any means, alq continuously defies the US and exacerbates the afpak situation. Al-qaeda is more of an ally of Pakistan (a chinese puppet) and an ally of even russia against the US. Russia has dealt with central asian muslims for centuries this is nothing new for them.
Qué dices, Cabrón?
Frankly sir or madam whatever the case may be, I think that YOU or someone you love should be facing the pagan hordes and more than likely never come back, that would at least make you an object of sympathy instead of turncoat, or more than likely a no coat. What is your real name Machmude?
I've always thought that, for those with functioning minds, that would be a reality check but, for a Democrat, it would just be a herd-culling exercise and that might not be all bad.
15 years at Leavenworth?
I think his picture should be on a box of Wheaties.
Correction: He killed an ILLEGAL combatant. One not covered or protected by the Geneva Convention.
I agree with RobertB. As someone who has served in Iraq and been responsible for securing detainee as well as defending the rights of Soldiers at Courts Martial he was properly convicted. Now, the prosecution who witheld evidence will have to face their own superiors, state bar ethics boards, and the possibility that the Army Court of Appeals or the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces will overturn his conviction and have a new trial. It is unconsionable to withold evidence, and the officers who tried him should not be let off scott free.
It is likely that this case will be overturned. It has not even gone to the appelate courts yet.
Yes, but time and time again we have heard that we are not at war with Islam. They are at war with us, but we are not at war with them. Sigh.
You got to be kiddin me Michael should be getting medals what have this country become…geez…
What is the point of being at war if you can not shoot your known enemy?Are there that many attorneys out of work?
THIS IS APPALLING!!! THIS YOUNG MAN IS NO MURDERER!!! HE'S A SOLDIER!!! THIS FIGHT ISN'T OVER BY A LONG SHOT – WE WON'T FORGET YOU MICHAEL!!! WE WILL KEEP PRESSING THE POWERS THAT BE ON THIS TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE!!!
FULL PARDON!!!
An American hero is imprisoned, while Obama and Rahm refuse to bring charges against known terrorists.
Outrageous.
Their actions are those of the traitors that Sol Alinsky dreamed of.
On Tuesday Jan. 26th, the question of Obama's eligibility to be president, and Comander in Chief of our military, will be ruled upon in California by a federal judge.
We can only hope that justice will prevail.
By the Way…what is our government doing about our captured young soldier, Bowe Berghdal?
Let him out, clear his record, give him a pension, and pin a medal on him, anything less is the counterfeit of justice.
Behenna is innocent. The prosecution withheld evidence that substantiated this soldiers story. This was determined by the prosecutions own expert who analized the evidence and stated that it had to be self defense. The scum military lawyers then decided to not call upon this witness nor did they share the findings with the defense team, which is a crime. Michael Savage had Behenna's mother on his show the other day….her telling of the events brought tears to my eye. This is much like the Haditha scam……..
That ain't gonna happen with the sewage that is running this country. The "Perfumed Princes" are in charge.
"Perfumed Princes". Learn the term, and curse them for what they've done to this country. They are every bit as foul as "Law Enforcement:.
Obamarx would rather we spent out tax dollars on attorneys for captured Al-Qae'da and other insurgents rather than on winning the war in the Middle East.
This really is WWIII.
More pressure on the fools who convicted this honorable soldier is the only way to get justice. Since the idiots who ramrodded this prosecution through have no values or moral compasses it's easier to force them to give up their positions. Michael Savage has taken up the cause and rightfully so. Behenna's mother is a US attorney, I think, and his father works for the CIA or the FBI. Americans who I'm sure had great pride in this country. They have spent all their money defending their son from the politically correct police. The shame of this government knows no bounds. Of course, Obama doesn't know a thing about it. Because he doesn't care. DUH!
Did you really review the facts of this case? …………………Hanzo
LOL! "Enemies" under the bed! Hey, numb-nuts, WE are invading THEIR country. They are the patriots and we are the invaders. If you are worried about being attacked by more immigrants then where is your ire for McCain/Bush and their allowing over 10 million illegal criminals to invade this country? Why would they do that after being (supposedly) attacked by immigrants? Doesn't add up. GLOBALISM is the goal and idiotic wars for Israel AND immigration BOTH serve THAT end. See, without understanding what is going on as I clearly do, you remain chasing shadows on the wall.
You aren't familiar with the case. He shot Mansur in self-defense. The prosecution's own witness, Dr. MacDonnell, the Director of the Laboratory for Forensic Science out of Corning, NY, said Behenna's testimony agreed with the forensics and would have been his testimony had the prosecution allowed him to testify. The prosecution not only didn't present Dr. MacDonnell's testimony, they specifically hid it from the defense.
Please read the court testimony and then the http://defendmichael.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/... letter from Dr. MacDonnell. It's really quite enlightening.
And make sure that Kerry Obama Reid and Pelosi are right out front, followed by all of the anti war and anti military people in this country. Let them fight for their freedom. All democrats should have to fight the fight that they don't have the guts for.
Well, unless you want to call wars of AGGRESSION (why do we call our military that does NOTHING but INVADE other countries "Defense"? How Orwellian!) "moral" then the way to fight a moral war would be a defensive one rather than murdering and terrorizing farmers and shepherds in countries that can't fight back, EH??
"As a Vietnam Vet, I support our troops and everything they do to defeat our enemies."
Must be quite a burden to carry that rationalization that those "gooks" were our enemies? They were going to attack us with rice – oh no! Sorry you got caught up in that and I'm sure your intentions were good but isn't it time to admit it was a scam? Know about how the Gulf of Tonkin incident was made up?
My husband did fight in WWII and lost a lot of his buddies. He is a Darby Ranger, so it is family that this injustice has been done to. The Ranger family is just that. FAMILY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did you review the FULL facts of this case? If not, I suggest you go back and review them before running your mouth. If you did then you are also a hopeless idiot. ……………Hanzo
Just go to michaelsavage.com or savagenation.com , should be there ……………….Hanzo
Here's the link.
.
Give Behenna a medal and set him free for keeping us free and safe.
.
Winning the war? How does that happen? The funny thing is you think you can defeat terrorism with terrorism.
How many terrorists did he inspire? He jeopardized our safety.
Elect a constitutional governor in Kansas and win his clemency. Go after the jurors.
To TheFonz:
I don’t often joust with a troll, but you have hit a nerve here. I’ve seen your posts, and I know what you are. I’m surprised Henry Winkler doesn’t sue you. As The Fonz, he was entertaining, and your angling for negative attention is simply pathetic.
The U.S. soldiers who fought the Vietnam war did so with one hand tied behind their backs. Few asked to be sent there. Probably most of them were drafted – a concept that might be foreign to you. They weren’t supported by this country in general or its politicians. In many cases, their guns were locked up, unavailable to them until the guy with the key arrived on the scene. (Assuming he did.)
Because defense by itself doesn't win wars. To truly win, we have to destroy their ability to attack us, or destroy the reason for attacking us. Negotiations (destroying the reason) didn't work, so we have to destroy their ability. If we only fight defensively, we'll never be safe. In a defensive war, the defense has to catch every single threat and win every single time. The offense only has to win once.
War isn't moral, but protecting innocent lives is. The US Government is charged with protecting the lives of its citizens, so it is the USA's moral imperative to protect our lives in the best way possible. When the fight was on, we had no terrorist attacks (or even close calls) on or over American soil. Since we've started going soft, the attacks keep coming.
What doesn't make sense?
Thank you for your service in a difficult time.
Go get'em Hanzo. I love the smell of roasted troll in the evening…
Simply sickening! Let's see this rectified as soon as possible!
Don't know about this guy, but this story's comments is awash in trolls.
Go get them, Hanzo! Ahhhh…I love the smell of roasted troll in the evening!
Sorry tex, getting a bit animated here. I'm very familiar with Lt.Behenna's case and these chowder heads aren't even bothering to aqcuaint themselves with the facts before casting judgement, especially a fine young man who was serving our country, makes me wanna' PUKE!! ……………..Hanzo
Heck, send them Pelosi, Reid and Fwank with Maobama in the lead they break the economy of each before you know it and then they'll make them all workers for the governement, make all the warlords Czars, war'll be over in no time!
This is BS! We have not yet begun to fight!
http://bit.ly/5N3Xuc
I will ALWAYS be a Troop and this just pisses me off to no end!
http://bit.ly/7Cna7k
Tell Michael Savage to not quit!
I believe it's called fighting fire with fire.
How would you defeat terrorism. With cigarettes and candy bars?
Kudos to Michael Savage. Why isn't this on Fox News? There should be a rallying cry and a call for monetary support just like that given to Scott Brown. This poor guy needs a proper defense and that starts with major publicity. The public would be outraged if they knew. Send this to Hannity, Greta, O'Reilly, Beck, Rush, Drudge, Levin and Hugh Hewitt. Let's get the word out.
Even if this guy did what they say he did, the worst he should have gotten was NJP. The "victim" WAS a known Al Qaeda operative. Isn't that what we're over there for, to hunt them down and kill them? If it were up to me, he'd be wearing a medal right now to go with his promotion!
Well stated Nathan. After reading these comments I was contemplating about something analogous to the war against terrorists and the closest I could come up with was the registered sex offenders living in our comunities. They are in fact terrorists that prey on innocents, and it seems that we treat both the sex offenders and terrorists(under this administration) in very similar ways.
Since 9/11 we've had success (up until the last months) protecting innocent lives on American soil. If only the same could be said about sex predators. The hard tactics against terrorism worked while the soft tactics employed against the sex predators have been a dismal failure.
Now it seems the anti-terrorism tactics are emulating failure but expecting a different result.
Well Said! I got your back if you need it.
according to souces in the WH……………obama was indignant that the Army dared to reduce the sentence
dems elected obozo warmonger
as they whine about victory in iraq
prosecutors were typical remfs
I think his picture should be on the congressional record for a medal
it that you ………… john mutha
or
john kerry
It wasn't or isn't up to our soldiers to determine why they were fighting the war – that's left to the politicians ace. . . and if you remember correctly we had a draft for the Vietnam war. It's quite obvious you haven't served time in the military much less laid your life on the line in the heat of battle. It wouldn't matter if they were sheep herders or farmers – when you have a non-uniformed enemy using every means to kill you as a soldier, to the ground soldier it's kill or be killed and everyone becomes suspect. And then we bring them back here and prosecute them? It's these same farmers, sheperds and village people you speek of that have allowed these terrorists to prosper in their own country. At home, liberals have no problem sucking the brain matter out of unborn children for the sake of a one night good time, yet despise a soldier who is armed, trained, and thrown into battle to kill the enemy and then prosecute him when he does just that.
Send lawyers too…
Gee, wonder if he got his Miranda rights read to him? Was he tried in civilian court? Maybe he should push for a new trial.
I thought that the CA Fed Court said that they had no Jurisdiction about the matter.
Thank You, I'm riding shotgun.
Talk about destroying the Moral of our Troops!
Fonz,
I see from your rating of -62 shows that you are just some air-headed libertard who sees the US as the great evil in the world, believes that communism / socialism is the way to live. Wrong on both counts, perhaps the biggest mistake the US made during WWII was pulling Stalin's chestnuts out of the fire, through the lend-lease of war materials, thereby preventing Hitler from defeating Russia.
The brave soldier should be getting the Bronze Star !!!! He killed the enemy. To put it in historical terms, this patriot killed a person akin to Heinrich Himmler, Che Gueverra, Chou En Lai, or (Insert your own third banana for a ideological killer here). Instead this hero is serving time. This whole PC thing is like a cancer, killing us from within. Well I hope the antigens (AKA Real Americans) wake up and stops it. A group that practices Jiha…errrr….dont want to insult…. killing people by man made disaster for some unknown reason while uttering the phrase "alla…errrrr….sate…nnn….some deity akbar declared war…errrr…. the commitment of giving us man made disasters.
Looks like a case of pandering by the Army to me. First Lieutenant Michael Behenna is reportedly amassing a small war chess for his legal defense with the help of Michael Savage.
Best idea I have heard in a while.
IF YOU SAW "BECK" FRIDAY NIGHT, YOU KNOW THAT OUR COUNTRY HAS ALWAYS BETRAYED IT'S CITIZENS!
BEING A VIETNAM VETERAN, I KNOW FIRST HAND!
Soldiers never had a fight a war with one eye on the enemy and the other on politicians and generals who are way too anxious to criticize them for pesonal gain. It's no wonder we can't kill a few thousand religious nuts living in caves.
Murder is murder, you can not hide behind a uniform. You do not shoot unarmed people who are not presenting a threat just because of who they are. Lots of morons on this board. I guess cops back here at home should just shoot people accused of heinous crimes to, then be presented medals by their community.
Don't let this idiot get to you. I'm with you though. I can only hope that when the next terrorist act occurs it will be him or his family that dies and not yours. I truly do hope this. I spent 7 1/2 yrs. deployed in these muslim third world crap holes and, there are very few muslims who could be killed and it considered a bad shoot! If they believe in the Koran then they are my enemy and the enemy of the U.S.A.. Don't believe me? Read the Koran yourself and see if it is a peaceful religion. I have made it a point to educate myself on it, so I can know my enemy better. I suggest the same for others. People can post whatever replies they want about me. I don't get rattled. I have been there and know what I'm talking about. I walk in total confidence concerning my beliefs and understanding.
Send the entire Congress to Iraq and Afghanistan, both parties suck….
Another step in the Communist controlled Whitehouse to destroy our military while mouthing that they support the troops. Applied psychology used at its worst..
According to The One, all we have to do is "share our values" with terrorists and they'll stop.
Obamarx is the most inept and naive President of the last century except for Carter.
Only one eye on the politicians? With the way Obamarx and Congress are behaving, soldiers need to have TWO eyes on the politicians.
It's Saul Alinsky, not "Sol."
We need to know the enemy.
That's probrably true!!…I never saw a President and
Congress with so much disdain for the American
public….So, why wouldn't they have that same disdain
for our sons & daughters who serve this country!!
Yes they have. It's just not mentioned much. The backstabbing by both the politicians and State Dept has long been a problem, it's just covered up by the press and suppressed by the military to avoid destroying morale.
This is so foolish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHy should he be in prison???? You mean in war he called a known Al-Qaeda operative.
He is an AMERICAN HERO!!!!!!!!!
Give him a medal
This is so insane. I hope FOX picks this up as well as some conservative politicians. I would love to see our Commander in cheif explain why he has not pardoned this soldier
You're wrong.
I was an Intelligence Analyst for the better part of my Army career. I served in Desert Storm and the initial phase of major combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
I grew increasingly frustrated with the PC influence on decision-making, especially at the Defense Intelligence Agency, where I was stationed for two years before I retired. A touchy-feely approach to the enemy has no place on the battlefield.
This whole idea of prosecuting Soldiers for killing the enemy is just plain bats**t crazy. What kind of war are we supposed to fight when our own troops are restricted by ROE that benefits the enemy and gets us killed?
I'd love to know what possessed the Intel personnel to free a muslim terrorist thug so he could pick up where he left off; killing U.S. Soldiers. Maybe they can explain that to the next of kin.
We need to stop taking prisoners.
No, he's worse. He's an anti-semitic white supremacist. He whinges constantly about the icky Jews and Israel and has lamented our involvement in WW2 because it prevented the establishment of a "white homeland" (nevermind that the Nazis were running around stomping on other white people's homelands.)
I have a better idea – let's round up all the gangs they show on History Channel's Gangland and send THEM over there. Might kill two birds with one stone. But then again, the gangs would probably side with Al Queda.
This man should be given the Medal of Honor! This action against our own is blatent transparency as to whose side our government is on! The saying goes "All's fair in love and war!" If what he did was necessary for OUR country, then he was right. We are watching the socialization of our country and I must add, the people who continually say that Obama is soooo intelligent don't know their ass from a hole in the ground! This man had to have the Saudi's pay for him to get into Harvard because I truly don't see how he got in because of his intellect! The man in incompetent to lead!!!!!
john mutha is happy
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