Posted: March
19, 2009
11:58 pm Eastern
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Rep.
John Murtha, D-Pa. |
The U.S. Navy awarded
U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., its
Distinguished Public Service Award, triggering an Internet campaign to
have Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter withdraw it.
Murtha, who publicly accused U.S. Marines of
cold-blooded murder in a firefight in Haditha, Iraq, and was caught on
camera
in the Abscam scandal appearing to negotiate a bribe, was honored by
the Navy for his "selfless devotion to the Nation's Sailors and
Marines."
The award credits him with making sure the
military services "were provided the resources necessary to
effectively conduct the Global War on Terrorism."
"His courageous
leadership
vision, and loyalty to the men and women of
the Department of the Navy greatly contributed to their quality of life
and helped create the most modern and highly trained
fighting
force in
history," the honor said.
Through shocking behind-the-scenes
stories, Sen. Tom Coburn documents what you already suspect – elected
representatives put politics and their own reelection bids ahead of
principles. "Breach of Trust" names names from both parties.
It continued, "As Chairman of Subcommittee on
Defense of the House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Murtha's
tireless advocacy helped maintain the Navy and Marine Corps team at the
highest levels of combat readiness to meet the challenges of the 21st
century."
An online petition that appeared almost
immediately already has collected more than 17,600
signatures.
It was set up by Gabe Ledeen of VetsForFreedom.org.
"John Murtha deserves no such award. He has
routinely and deliberately undermined the United States military,
slandered servicemen serving in combat, and caused irreparable damage to
our international reputation," the petition says.
"While serving as a representative from
Pennsylvania, Murtha called Marines from 3d Battalion, 1st Marines 'cold
blooded killers' who 'murdered innocent civilians.' Before an
investigation into the Haditha incident was even conducted, Murtha went
on numerous television
news
programs and announced that the Marines 'went into houses and killed
women and children,'" the petition continues.
"He said, 'There's no question in my mind about
what happened here. There was no gunfire, they killed four people in a
taxi...24 people were killed.' When asked specifically if he claimed
that innocent civilians were intentionally executed by Marines, he said,
'That's exactly what happened.' Not content to slander those Marines
directly involved, he went on to claim that if these Marines were not
punished, 'other Marines would say well I'll do the same thing.' Murtha
then continued to use this incident to lobby for the immediate
withdrawal of troops from Iraq, citing it as evidence that our military
was incapable of winning the war," the petition said.
Eight Marines ultimately were charged in the
incident. But charges were dropped against six, and one was found
innocent in a court-martial. The last case has been delayed
indefinitely.
"Despite the facts, John Murtha refuses to
apologize to those he slandered," the petition said.
"We the undersigned are appalled that the
Secretary of the Navy would bestow the Department's highest award for a
non-employee to John Murtha after his vile and despicable attacks
against U.S. servicemen. This petition is a vehicle to express our
bitter disappointment at this betrayal of our combat veterans.
Congressman John Murtha should apologize for slandering the Marines of
3/1, and for undermining the efforts of those servicemen and women who
fought in Iraq. If he does not, the Secretary of the Navy should rescind
this award as a sign of his unwavering
support for those who served in
combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom," the petition says.
At
PajamasMedia.com, a commentator wrote:
"I don't think I've ever been number 4 on a petition before, but the
outrage was immediate."
The commentary said anyone who wasn't sure should
look up the
video
of Murtha in the Abscam sting.
Murtha also now is facing a lawsuit from one of
the Marines he accused of murder, and at
LittleGreenFootballs.com, a commentator
wrote: "Yes, that's the same John Murtha who accused the Haditha Marines
of being murderers without evidence, before their trial, then
refused to apologize when all charges against them were dropped."
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