In early 2009, when U.S. Army Lieutenant Michael Behenna was sentenced to 25 years in prison for executing an Iraqi prisoner, his loved ones seemed sure he must have only acted in self defense. And now that they have gone on record accusing the U.S. government of withholding the evidence of a key witness, the family is starting an online petition for a new trial. With the short term goal being a request to Oklahoma Senators Inhofe and Coburn, as well as Congresswoman Mary Fallin, the family’s efforts have already generated almost 3,000 signatures to that online petition. So we think it’s worth a heads up to our Newsletter recipients. You can learn more, or even sign the petition, through the original story, which you can find by scrolling down to the headline updates, and looking for this headline at the page you’ll find by clicking on our name, www.CAMMMO.org

Any pundits who were touting the benefits of an “El Salvador model” in Iraq, back in 2004, have probably already taken steps to distance themselves from the results of such a strategy; now that the ill-planned execution of that strategy has developed into a battle cry from Iraqi civilians to deal with this “Dirty Brigade” and the lawless tactics they are accused of using to suppress opposition to the increasingly questionable Maliki regime. But Reuters reports that “the El Salvador model had influenced planning”, and is indeed behind this group, trained and equipped by the U.S. and clearly operating outside the international laws of warfare and regime building. Learn more, by scrolling down to the headline “Dirty Brigade Operating in Iraq” on the page you’ll be sent to by clicking on our name, www.CAMMMO.org

One of the twelve soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, who have faced or are facing murder related charges, will go on trial in October. These crimes, committed back on U.S. soil after the Brigade returned from overseas, have the Colorado community around Fort Carson terrified. And reports are now being made public which show serious failures in the mental health screening process of the U.S. Army. But the MySpace post from Iraq War veteran Jomar Falu-Vives, accused of opening fire with an AK-47 and killing a man and a woman posting a garage-sale sign last year, won’t be heard at his trial. The 24-year-old’s MySpace page read, “Reading is for the lame. Go shoot someone.” Read the original story at www.CAMMMO.org