I received a preview copy of Honor and Betrayal in the mail today; it's by the co-author of Lone Survivor, Patrick Robinson,  and tells the story of the three Navy SEALS who captured terrorist Ahmad Hashim Abd al-Isawi.  He was the mastermind behind the 2004 murder and mutilation of the four Blackwater contractors in Fallujah.

The SEALS were charged with prisoner abuse after the terrorist claimed he had been hit in the mouth.  A court-martial ensued and the three were eventually exonerated but not without great personal cost.

I'll post a review when I'm finished reading;  the book is available now on Amazon.

I've already read the first few chapters and am hooked to the end; it's very good.  If you enjoyed reading Lone Survivor you will like this one.

A large crowd is expected for the funeral tomorrow of Navy SEAL Robert James Reeves at St. Marks Cathedral.  Via KTBS:

Streets adjacent to St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Shreveport will be closed to traffic before, during and after Saturday's memorial service for Navy SEAL Robert James Reeves, who was killed in Afghanistan.The memorial service begins at 11 a.m. St. Mark's is located at Fairfield Avenue and Kings Highway and streets around it will be closed from 9:30 a.m. to approximately 1 p.m. to accommodate people going to the cathedral.

Many streets around the church will be closed, and closed early, so if you're going, make plans accordingly.

The Patriot Guard will be there:

The PGR has been asked to stand a flag line before and after the memorial service honoring Chief Petty Officer Robert Reeves. The family will honor the wish of Chief Petty Officer Reeves and give him an at-sea burial, so this is the only service currently planned in Shreveport.

The streets around the church will be closed starting at 8:30 AM with only those attending the service allowed inside the blocked off area. Motorcycle parking will be along the street in front of the church on the Fairfield Ave side of the building. A PGR staging area will be located nearby.  

The students from Evangel placed 2200 flags along the outside of the cathedral.

At SIGIS, I've been wrestling with this.  I'll  be in the flag line.  I'm not going to muscle into the service because I think people that knew him or his family should have priority.  I'll be there to honor him and his service in the flag line.

SIGIS honors the service of all the SEALs in that tragic mission and I ask that wherever you are, you take a moment tomorrow to remember them as we in Shreveport take time to honor Chief Petty Officer Reeves.

Added:  The Times Photo Gallery of the service today.

Story here.

I got the news via Twitter.  I was about to go to sleep  and for some random reason I checked my Facebook and Twitter before turning out the light.  My Hot Air feed said Obama was going to give an unusual late night speech at 10:30 ET and speculation was rampant.

The news came out on Twitter long before Obama showed up for his press conference - the quirks of modern technology!

Huge props today to our American military and special forces!  Amazing that this scumbag was hiding in plain sight but now that's over.

As news unfolds today I'm sure the spontaneous celebrations all over the country, and world even, will continue.  I wish I could stay home and write about and record it all.

Statement from George W. Bush:

Earlier this evening, President Obama called to inform me that American forces killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al Qaeda network that attacked America on September 11, 2001.  I congratulated him and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission.  They have our everlasting gratitude.  This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001.  The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message:  No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.

In Philadelphia, the crowd erupted in spontaneous cheers during the Mets game.  I'll link to a video but I'm sure it will get taken down by MLB.  Terms of Service and all that.

News this morning is that bin Laden was buried at sea to avoid creating a shrine or pilgrimage location; Michael Yon calls it a big mistake until we see proof.  I'm sure there's proof.  It will come out.  There are pictures.

Thanks again to our American military, special forces, and especially those Navy Seals who carried out this operation.  It's a great day!

A few summers ago I read Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell and have referenced Luttrell and his book several times on this blog.  I was even lucky enough to have Mr. Luttrell autograph my copy for me!  If you've never read the book, you should.  It's riveting and well written. 

There's now a companion book, Seal of Honor, about the life of Lt. Michael P. Murphy, the Medal of Honor recipient Luttrell writes about in his book.  During a fire fight on an Afghanistan mountain, Murphy walked into a clearing so he could get a signal and radio for help.  He was killed as a result. 

I'm ordering this one today!

Some good news to start the day:

A U.S. military jury cleared a Navy SEAL Thursday of failing to prevent the beating of an Iraqi prisoner suspected of masterminding a 2004 attack that killed four American security contractors.

Although I AM curious why it took two hours to reach the verdict.

The Navy SEALs charged for giving a terrorist a fat lip face their arraignment today.

Here's a segment from Virginia's WTKR-TV News:



Here is one petition of support for the SEALs.

Yesterday I started hearing about the SEALs who have been charged for giving a murdering terrorist thug a fat lip. As I read the reports my first reaction was..."there's got to be more to this. This just can't be true as written!" A fat lip? C'mon!

I'm not finding anything else new this morning. It does, in fact, seem that three SEALs will go before a court marital in January to face charges and possibly be kicked out of the military. Incredible.

By now you've seen the report, but here's a snip, just in case, from Fox News:

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

The three, all members of the Navy’s elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral’s mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.

Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named “Objective Amber,” told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.

You remember the murder of those Blackwater guards? They were killed, burned, dragged through the streets and hung from a bridge while a mob danced around them and the press took pictures.

How long before Abed gets a trial in New York?

I'm reminded once again of Marcus Luttrell and the agonizing decision he and his fellow SEALs had to make on the side of that mountain in Afghanistan. Let the goatherds go, and risk being exposed, or kill them and risk being tried and convicted in the US media?

His buddy, Matthew Axelson said, " We're not murderers. No matter what we do. We're on active duty behind enemy lines, sent here by our senior commanders. We have a right to do everything we can to save our own lives. The military decision is obvious. To turn them loose would be wrong."

While the SEALs capturing this Abed were not necessarily facing the same life and death decision, they probably could have just as easily shot the guy and been done with it, but instead, like Luttrell and his team, decided to put their faith in the system.

Luttrell said in retrospect, after they decided to let the goatherds go, "It was the stupidest, most southern-fried, lamebrained decision I ever made in my life."

I wonder if that's what our SEALs are thinking now? That putting their faith in the system was not such a good idea. And how will this affect their decisions in the future? Why bring the guy in when all you're going to get is a court martial? The alternatives to that would be to kill him on scene and make the case that you were defending yourself, or let him go, avoid the hassle and let him live to terrorize another day.

I'm guessing it's the hypersensitivity to abuse after Abu Ghraib and Club Gitmo that makes a fat lip worth a court martial. If that is the case, we're in for a world of troubles. In a battle zone, soldiers should not have to worry about such things. These guys did their job. Period. PERIOD!

(More at Memeorandum)