PFC COREY CLAGETT IS FIGHTING FOR HIS FREEDOM, HIS CAPTORS ARE OUR OWN MILITARY AND GOVERMENT. JOIN US AND HELP SET THIS SOLDIER FREE !!!!
Please Donate to Help with Corey's Defense at....
United American Patriots
7800 Airport Center Drive, Suite 401
Greensboro, NC 27409
(336)478-2346 ext. 211
(888) 442-1417 fax
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From the Desk of
Melanie Dianiska
Dear Friends,
Although we have never met, I would like to write to you about my son, Private First Class Corey Clagett.
You
may have heard about Corey in news. He
was serving in
When Corey was charged,
we were able to get a civilian lawyer to represent him free of charge, only to
have him abandon Corey just days before trial.
Represented by an inexperienced JAG lawyer, Prosecutors threatened Corey
with the death penalty. He agreed to
plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence.
Since that time, Corey
has been held in
I try to make people understand what is
happening and hoping they find compassion to help. I am 1,200 miles away from
my son and have not seen him since March 2007. I can’t touch or hug him and I
can’t cook his favorite meal, fajitas. He can’t change his clothes to what he
wants to wear or drive his truck. He can’t take a shower when he wants or eat
what he wants. Corey can only keep ten items in his cell at one time. That
means he can’t even hold on to letters to re-read or he won’t be allowed to
receive new ones.
What’s most depressing
is how unequal Corey’s treatment has been.
The soldier who ordered Corey and William Hunsaker to kill was released
from prison last year. Another soldier
who shot a mortally wounded detainee in the head served only 9 months and was
returned to active duty! He was just
promoted to Staff Sergeant and is deployed again to
The person truly responsible for putting
Corey in this situation was his commanding officer, Colonel Steele, who ordered
them to kill every man in the area. If
you want to see what kind of message Colonel Steele was giving to my son and
other soldiers, watch the video posted on YouTube of a speech that he gave to
the Brigade (including my son) before they deployed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxy-RsdawsM&feature=related). This was the man that told my son and his
fellow soldiers to kill all of them and specifically said that he didn’t want
any prisoners. After my son’s case was
over, the Army finally investigated Colonel Steele and issued him a
“reprimand.”
All the blame and harsh punishment in this
case was given to the lowest ranking soldiers while those truly responsible given
slaps on the wrists.
We have been fighting for almost four years
for Corey’s freedom. All of his appeals
have been exhausted. His only remaining
chance at freedom is with the Army Clemency and Parole Board. Unfortunately this is a very complicated and
expensive process and we just don’t have the money to fight with.
That is why I am so thankful that the United
American Patriots (UAP) is helping to fund Corey’s defense. Without them I would not have been able to
hire an attorney to continue to fight on Corey’s behalf.
A retired Marine by the name of Bill Donahue
founded UAP when he heard that innocent U.S. Marines and Army soldiers were
being scapegoated for their split-second actions in the heat of combat.
Major Donahue doesn’t even take one penny of
salary for his hard work. He views it as
a debt of honor to the young men like Corey who have risked their lives for
UAP has already paid $4714.79 from donors
like you towards Corey’s defense and has helped us retain Timothy Parlatore, a criminal
defense attorney from New York City and a former Naval Officer. He has agreed to defend Corey for a reduced
rate, but we need your help to be able to continue these efforts. That is why I am swallowing my pride to ask
you the hardest question of my life:
Would you consider sending your best
contribution possible to the United American Patriot’s Warrior Fund to help
them defend Corey and other soldiers like him?
I hope that when you look at this photo of
Corey, that you will see not only a patriotic and heroic soldier, but also the
little boy who I raised and sent off to the Army, trusting them to take care of
him, as I had. Corey’s father left us
when he was very young. I raised Corey
by myself.
Eleven years ago, I married my husband, who
Corey thinks of as his father. We always
taught him right from wrong, and he has never been in trouble before. Before he joined the Army, he used to work at
Happy Days, helping children suffering from cancer and competed in the Math and
Science Bowl.
When Corey graduated from U.S. Army Infantry
School, I sent him this poem by Marilyn McGee:
My Son
On the day you were born
My Heart was filled with pride,
An example I must be
For this young man by my side..
Not to walk before you,
Nor never lag behind,
And to let you know
You’re forever on my mind..
The years passed by too quickly,
For now you are a man,
Gone to serve your country,
For
Just when I was sure
I could never be more proud,
Watching you today,
I want to shout it loud…
“See that man there,
He is my son you see,
A finer man was never
As this young man to me.”
These words perfectly expressed how I felt
about Corey on that day and my feelings have only gotten stronger since. We have a real chance of winning his freedom,
but only with the generous help of people like you. Please help bring my son home.
Sincerely,
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I TRUSTED YOU
I FIGHT FOR YOU,
I DEFEND FOR YOU,
I PATROL THESE ROADS
ONLY TO GET HIT BY A 200 LB I.E.D
EVERY DAY I’M IN FIRE FIGHTS,
PLENTY OF DAYS WITH SLEEPLESS NIGHTS,
YOU SIT IN YOUR OFFICE
ALL DAY WRITING NOTES TO YOUR WIFE,
WHEN I’M HERE YOU WANT ME TO GIVE MY LIFE FOR YOU,
BUT IN THE END
YOU WANT TO TAKE MY LIFE FROM ME.
I TRUSTED YOU
Please Write to Corey
Written by: Corey Clagett 82477
PFC Corey Clagett 1300 N.Warehouse rd
101st Airborne Division Ft.Leavenworth,KS 66207
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EnF3InSvaQ
Wendy Gumpert
Director of Public Relations
7800 Airport Center Drive, Suite 401
Greensboro, NC 27409
(336)478-2346 ext. 211
(888) 442-1417 fax
www.unitedamericanpatriots.org
Please Donate to The American United Patriots on their Web-Site.. Because of them Corey now has an Attorney!!!
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Pfc Corey Clagett photo taken while in Ft.Leavenworth Prison 2009
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Urgent, I ask all my family and friends and all those who have supported PFC Corey Clagett to write to The Secretary of Defense before Corey’s up coming Hearing in April.
Several Congressmen and families have written to Mr. Gates concerning the recent case of 4 Navy Seals who are undergoing court-martial right now for punching some terrorists as they were arresting them. It is an outrage that these Seals will be court-martialed, but Corey's case is equally an outrage. The more that people write to Mr. Gates, the more likely he is to get involved, and especially if the letters come from numerous, different sources.
I think your letter should be short and to the point. The Army is fully aware of Colonel Steele's responsibility and that he created a toxic command climate. What they did to Corey was simply to make him a scapegoat to cover up Colonel Steele's mistakes. I suggest you be that blunt, because nobody can argue with that. There is too much evidence against Colonel Steele.
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Please send me a copy as well, many of you know I save and post them…..
Thank you for all your support,
Melanie Dianiska
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Listen on your computer to the Show that aired on
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Investigators Taint Evidence, Sending Innocent Soldier to Prison
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Hour 1: Guest - Stephan Mestrovick, Expert Witness.
this link will go directly to the program:
http://www.amatotalk.com/p
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Please Donate Here to Help with Travel to see Corey!!!!
___________________________________________________________________________ Corey Clagett is now serving an 18-year sentence at Ft. Leavenworth prison and spending 23 hours each day in solitary confinement for 35 months as of 01/2010. Corey Clagett was recruited, trained and taught to kill the enemy so that we may each enjoy our American way of life. Now it's time for America to pay its debt of gratitude and allow Corey Clagett to return to his family.
SIGN THIS PETITION !!! Free Pfc Corey Clagett http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/free-pfc-corey-clagett
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Why don’t more people help?
I’m trying to say is as much as I have been on the radio in Ca and T.V. in my
area or even using the internet to reach people you would think more of you
would try and do something to help, even if it’s writing a letter. Your letter
means so much to us. I know for Corey even more because that is all he has. Why
don't more people care? Out of all the people who listen about 20 really help.
That’s not good odds. A lot will call in and offer something, money, letters,
or help in some way, but they don’t follow through. Corey hears from about five
people ever so often, the most important thing is to keep his spirits up and to
be encouraged by others. He is so broken, others may not hear him, but I am his
mother and he opens his heart up to me. I feel his hurt, his pain, and his
anger. He should not be locked up; I feel I’m losing my son, the Corey I knew
before he joined. What do you tell your child who is in so much pain? It is
killing us. Some can cope in jail I guess, but not Corey. I try to make people
understand what is happening and hoping they find compassion to help. I am 1200
miles from my son. I have not seen him since March 2007. I can’t touch or hug
him; I can’t cook his favorite meal, fajitas. He can’t change his clothes to
what he wants to ware or drive his truck. He can’t take a shower when he wants
or choose what he wants to eat. Corey can’t keep more than ten items in his
cell at one time. That means he can’t hang on to something very long that gives
him comfort. He can’t keep his letters too re-read or he can’t have new ones.
That’s why it’s important to keep writing. Corey has nothing. He isn’t even
treated equal inside
Make Donations using pay-pal on www.coreyclagett.com or e-mail me at
cormel2002@yahoo.com
Thank you for listening to me,
Melanie Dianiska
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He will always be my TRUE AMERICAN.
Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com
A Letter in Corey’s Own Words
April 27, 2009
Dear Momma,
My problem is I hate what this place is making me change into. My anger is so bad now it’s hard for me to control. I just want to hit something. The staff here treats you like a piece of Sh…t, like you are beneath them. I get so mad sometimes I just want to cry. To be honest I’m crying now. I could deal with this if I had done something to be guilty for. I haven’t done anything wrong so I don’t understand. At one point I loved America, but now I truly hate it. I have lost my faith in the justice system and in man. I have done nothing wrong in my young life to deserve this. All because some young prosecutor wanted to look good. Now that prosecutor has cost me my life. Not just my present life, but also my future life. I have no more hope. I will be on parole until I am 40 years old!
It’s good to know people out there care and support me, but what good is it all when they forget about you the next day? Why would anyone care? I am not related to anyone.
One thing I do not understand is I Corey Clagett, a no body, I was willing to give my LIFE for the greater good of America!
You know what though? I am so glad I didn’t die because it would’ve been for nothing!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: Members of the U.S. Army Clemency Board
From: Rick Amato
Subject: Clemency for PFC Corey Clagett
Date: January 20, 2010
Dear Clemency Board Members,
As an American who is deeply concerned about the alarmingly high number of lower listed young soldiers accused of murder in the War on Terror, I am respectfully writing to appeal for clemency for Private First Class Corey Clagett.
I understand that PFC Clagett pled guilty to murder charges against him, even though he killed no one. His former attorney believes that he was given extremely poor legal advice from his JAG attorney (defending her first-ever murder trial) who told him that he might spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole if he did not plead guilty. There were three insurgents who were killed in this case, and two other defendants have taken full responsibility for the killing of all three. His JAG attorney was aware of their admission yet never informed PFC Clagett.. He had the right to be told of their taking full responsibility for all three deaths before being advised to plead guilty..
In similar cases, military members who killed the enemy outside of the rules of engagement have often been given sentences of months. I understand that one of the other two defendants in this case, who killed one insurgent, was given a sentence of six months. His commanding officer was given immunity. Although he never shot and killed anyone, PFC Clagett was given a sentence of eighteen years.
I have seen a video of commanding officer Michael Steele giving a pre-deployment pep talk in which he clearly and unmistakably states “kill all military aged males, bring nobody back alive, the enemy is breeding and multiplying, it is either you or them.”
The video was not entered into evidence at the original trial, despite the fact it is relevant to the state of mind of Corey Clagett.
A climate of political correctness has contributed in part to the high number of American soldiers accused of murder and forced into plea bargain deals. However the mood of the country is growing weary of this treatment and is beginning to change.
You as members of the board hold something precious in your hands. A young man’s life. You have the opportunity to do the right thing and give a young man his life back.
Please understand the case of PFC Corey Clagett is not going to disappear from the public eye until it is finally properly resolved. It will only grow stronger.
PFC Corey Clagett enlisted in the military at age 21 and risked his life for his country so that we may each enjoy our American way of life. Now it is time to do the right thing and grant PFC Clagett clemency so that he can return to his.
Sincerely,
Rick Amato
Radio Talk Show Host
Syndicated Columnist
Journalist
www.amatotalk.com
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To: Members of the U.S. Army Clemency Board
From: Dr. Stjepan G. Mestrovic, Professor of Sociology
Subject: Clemency for Corey Clagett
Date: 20 January 2010
At the
Please note that Mr. Jackson referred to common sense, and not the law. In the Operation Iron Triangle case, the “little people” were Corey Clagett and William Hunsaker, who are still imprisoned at DB. The man of “great power” was Colonel Michael D. Steele. Even though Colonel Steele refused to testify at their courts-martial, the Army already has enough common sense and well-documented evidence to know that Colonel Steele was ultimately responsible for what occurred at Operation Iron Triangle. This evidence includes the following:
First, on November 5, 2009, Colonel Nathaniel Johnson
testified at the ACPB hearing in
Second, Brigadier General Ricky Rife wrote an AR 15-6 investigation of the command climate created by Colonel Steele and also concluded that it was an “unforgiving” and “toxic” command climate. I spoke with General Rife over the phone, and again, am a witness to the existence and facts contained in this report.
Third, The Army War College uses portions of General Rife’s report, along with other documents, to teach its military leaders how not to be a leader like Colonel Steele. In other words, the Army routinely refers to Colonel Steele as a “toxic leader” and uses him as a cautionary tale. Where is the common sense in the Army knowing that Colonel Steele was responsible, in the sense of command responsibility and the well-known principle that toxic leadership leads to atrocities, while it continues to punish the “little people” who merely obeyed Colonel Steele’s unlawful orders?
Fourth, as you are well aware, the existing record of trial for the Article 32 hearing of the co-accused soldiers shows beyond any doubt that numerous soldiers testified, under oath, that Colonel Steele had issued the unlawful order to kill every military age Iraqi male on sight, and both he and First Sergeant Geressy instructed the soldiers that they did not want them to take prisoners. These orders violate the Geneva Conventions.
Please note that the law, in this case, has failed to follow
the
Prior to the
But unlike the Operation Iron Triangle cases, General Eisenhower and other generals and colonels admitted to themselves that “Patton’s conduct had been in violation of the Geneva Convention of 1929,” and that Patton was ultimately responsible for what his men did. Common sense and an American sense of justice—which does not reside only in the law, but in American culture as a whole—prevailed.
Ladies and gentlemen of the various boards that will
consider PFC Corey Clagett’s clemency and parole, I ask you to consider:
Colonel Johnson already made history by courageously and honorably testifying,
under oath, as to the toxic command climate in Colonel Steele’s brigade. Do not
let his historic testimony go to waste. Do not make Operation Iron Triangle an
incident that historians will one day cite as a shameful incident for the
leadership of the US Army, followed by the shameful scapegoating of low-ranking
soldiers for the evils set into motion by their commander. Follow the honorable
precedents already established by General Eisenhower in the Biscari massacre
case and the
Yours sincerely,
Stjepan G. Mestrovic, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
CC: Mr. Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense
Mr. John M.
McHugh, Secretary of the Army
[1] For documentation, see James J. Weingartner, “Massacre at Biscari: Patton and an American War Crime,” The Historian 51(1):24-39, 1989
Stjepan G. Mestrovic, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
He Dr. Mestrovic, who is a professor of sociology at
Dr. Mestrovic relies upon primary sources, sworn statements,
records of trial, and a host of official documents to show, beyond any doubt,
that the Army treated Corey and the other accused soldiers the same way that it
treats detainees at Abu Ghraib and
In addition, Dr. Mestrovic includes numerous documents and reports which demonstrate that evidence that was favorable to Corey and the co-accused soldiers was suppressed. For example, he includes the entire report by Major Sullivan, which concluded that no crimes were committed during Operation Iron Triangle and that no charges should be pressed against Corey or any other soldier. This report was not shown to the defense attorneys until after Corey and the other soldiers were court-martialed and sent to prison.
The Good Soldier on
Trial offers the most comprehensive and best-documented account of the
tragic mission that was Operation Iron Triangle, of the toxic command climate
that led to the tragedy, and of the egregious misconduct by the
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Army Clemency and Parole Board
c/o Corey Clagett 82477
Incarcerated since June of 2006, PFC Corey Clagett's current
prison service is now disproportionate to that served by others who allegedly
committed similar acts in following orders during the course of their service
defending our country while in
Below follow results of sentences served by others who allegedly
committed similar acts with regard to the circumstances of this sentence:
1.
PV
Clagett's immediate superior, SSG Raymond Girouard, the person who gave the
orders to shoot the al
Qaeda insurgents,
was released from prison in October of 2009.
2.
Specialist Juston Graber, whose alleged killing
of one of the three insurgents Clagett was sentenced for allegedly shooting,
received a reduced charge for his “mercy killing,” and a nine-month prison
sentence in exchange for his testifying against three other members of his
squad. Instead of receiving a
Dishonorable Discharge or a General Discharge from the US Army, Graber was
allowed to re-enlist and, following his return from his 3rd combat deployment,
Graber was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant (SSG) on October 1, 2009.
3.
1SG
Geressy, the officer who put the order for the killings in motion, under
Steele's ROE, by asking on his radio why there were prisoners and why had not
these insurgents been killed, received a Silver Star for “exposing himself to
direct enemy fire to instill confidence in his men” and “to destroy the
enemy.” Perhaps his men would have more
confidence if Geressy served a prison sentence in their stead for his orders to
“destroy the enemy.”
4. As a result of the cancellation
of Clagett’s trial, COL Michael Steele, who gave the ROE responsible for the
killing of the insurgents, never had to testify in court nor serve any time in
prison.
PV Clagett was an exemplary soldier, selected by his
superior officers to be part of the unit that participated in the Operation
Murray portion of Operation Iron Triangle.
He is likable and follows orders.
He shows remorse for his participation in the events that led to the
deaths of the Iraqi insurgents in May 2006.
He is a bright young man, a talented artist, who is interested in
studying business. He has much to give
to his community.
While in prison, however, he has been given such heavy doses
of mind-altering medications that his entire body has become numb for months at
a time; I spoke by telephone to him many times when he suffered from these
medications with numbness and incontrollable shaking that prevented him from
being able to write and to draw. In his
letters to me and to his family, his handwriting and his communications regressed
from neatly written with adult thinking to a childlike style with immature
expressions. Now that he has been taken
off these drugs, both his handwriting and his thinking are clear again. But, in his formal prison photograph, he is
pale, vitamin deficient, and the light has gone out of his eyes; his weight is
up from lack of physical activity and from medications that cause weight
gain. Staying in prison longer is
detrimental to both his mental and physical health.
This is a man who volunteered and valiantly fought for his
country. He had hopes of being a career
military man. He is one of your
best. He would have made an outstanding
officer. He has served long enough for a
crime unproven in court. For the many
reasons I have stated, I appeal to this Board for PV Clagett's Clemency. Let us balance the scales of justice. He should be immediately discharged. His name and his record should be
cleared. I ask you, Members of the
Clemency Board, to release from confinement PV Corey Clagett, who has served a greater sentence than
those responsible for ordering the killings and whose release would be
in the best interest of society, the services and this prisoner.
