Allen West Writes Powerful Letter in Support of MARSOC 3 Presidential Pardon Petition

Dear Fellow American,

Are members of our military second-class citizens?

I hope you said “NO” to that.

Because, if you believe in equal justice for our military men and women, I need you to sign your urgent JUSTICE FOR THE MARSOC 3 petition today. The miscarriage of justice that’s being inflicted on the MARSOC 3 — right now — is intolerable. Gunnery Sergeant Josh Negron, Gunnery Sergeant Danny Draher, and Chief Petty Officer Eric Gilmet are being railroaded into unjust court-martials — despite doing the right thing when no one else would!

They’re making an example of them — that’s wrong! Let me share with you what happened.

First, Josh, Danny, and Eric are “RAIDERS,” members of the elite U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC). Their legacy is from the Marine Corps Raiders of WWII. They were deployed to Erbil, Iraq after serving honorably and courageously on multiple combat tours. On New Year’s Eve 2019, they received permission from their chain of command to leave their base and enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation. After their meal, they headed back to base, but stopped first at another establishment popular with U.S. contractors. Some of the regulars had been drinking for a while prior to the Raiders arriving. One of the contractors had way too much to drink, made it clear he felt he was not being treated with enough respect by the Raiders, and picked a fight with Eric.

Thankfully, there were cameras inside the establishment that show Eric maintaining his professionalism and not engaging with the contractor even when the contractor got in Eric’s face. The contractor’s drunken behavior got so out of hand that the establishment kicked him out. Instead of calling it a night, the inebriated contractor decided to wait with a large group of his friends for Eric to come out of the establishment so he could continue the fight.

There were also cameras outside the establishment which captured everything I’m about to relate to you. None of the facts are in doubt.

To defuse the situation and keep the peace, Danny tried to talk to the contractor and smooth things over. But the contractor didn’t want peace — he wanted a brawl. And the contractor attacked and struck Danny TWICE. Danny was caught off-guard by the attack. Fortunately, before the contractor could strike Danny a third time, Josh defended Danny, striking the contractor once — just once. The contractor fell to the ground and it was over.

The contractor’s “friends” abandoned the intoxicated contractor who was now passed-out in the street. Even though Danny, Josh, and Eric had been harassed and attacked by the contractor, they weren’t going to leave him in the street even though all his “friends” did. Eric, a highly trained paramedic, evaluated the contractor and made sure he was stable. Then the Raiders transported the contractor back to base to ensure his continued well-being.

The Raider’s #1 concern was, since the contractor had consumed so much alcohol prior to passing out, he might vomit and then accidentally inhale the vomit into his lungs. Because they didn’t want the contractor to choke to death, when they got back to base, they had another contractor maintain a visual watch on the passed-out contractor. Sadly, a few hours after the Raiders left the drunken contractor on base, he began to show signs of distress. As the senior corpsman/medic on base, Eric was notified and returned to render aid and get additional care. The contractor was evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany, but died four days later.

This was a tragic situation, but it’s not one the Raiders caused. If anything, they tried to make peace at every turn. But that’s not how their command saw it. Instead, they were charged with manslaughter, negligent homicide, obstruction of justice, and violation of orders.

This means that Danny, Josh, and Eric each face 25 years in prison for acting in self-defense against an aggressor.

Remember the key facts:

• The Raiders didn’t start the confrontation and attempted to diffuse the situation more than once;
• The Raiders were never the aggressors, but always acted in self-defense and with restraint (one punch);
• When the contractor’s “friends” abandoned him, the Raiders took charge of his care, brought him back to base, and saw that he was watched.

The Raiders did everything right.

But their command — ignoring the U.S. Constitution — began to take inappropriate actions to make them look guilty. The command removed Danny, Josh, and Eric from their jobs, revoked their security clearances, canceled their special-duty pay, and began a messaging campaign saying they were an example of “How Not to Act”…

…all before any charges were officially given!

While Danny, Josh, and Eric are waiting for their trial right now, the jury pool is being poisoned by their command. Everyone in the chain of command is getting the message that Danny, Josh, and Eric are to be PRESUMED GUILTY!

Our JUSTICE FOR THE MARSOC 3 campaign is our best chance to stop the railroading of Danny, Josh, and Eric.

As a combat veteran, who proudly wore our Nation’s uniform for 22 years, I feel we owe a debt of gratitude to men like Danny, Josh, and Eric who risked their lives for us. I hope you agree. Because I’m asking you to help them by supporting my friends at United American Patriots (UAP).

The team at UAP funds crucial legal assistance for Warriors who are unfairly railroaded by the military’s justice system.

UAP has been critical in helping a number of wrongfully accused Warriors receive justice, including 1LT Clint Lorance (Presidential Pardon), MAJ Matt Golsteyn (charges dropped by the President), 1LT Michael Behenna (Presidential Pardon), SGT Derrick Miller (parole), LT Jason Webb (charges dropped), among many others.

Factor out UAP’s help, and these patriots might not have received justice. And right now, UAP is actively helping 19 Warriors get the justice they deserve. Even though UAP fights for our Warriors’ Constitutional Rights, it doesn’t get a dime of taxpayer funding. Instead, they rely on patriotic Americans like you to support their work.

We need to raise $463,000 to help them get a fair trial. I’m not expecting you or anyone else to write a check for $463,000 right now. But I am counting on a gift of $32. Your generous support will help pay for much-needed legal services for innocent Warriors as well as UAP’s nationwide JUSTICE FOR THE MARSOC 3 petition campaign. If you’re especially blessed, and can make a larger donation of $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or more, you’d truly be going above and beyond the call of duty for our Warriors.

I don’t think our service members lose their constitutional rights when they put on their uniforms. If anything, we owe them greater constitutional protections for their service.

Please help me get justice for Danny, Josh, and Eric.

Sign your emergency JUSTICE FOR THE MARSOC 3 petition and pair it with an equally important gift of $32 or more.

P.S. Our service members don’t deserve to be railroaded by an out-of-control military justice system. Sign your JUSTICE FOR THE MARSOC 3 petition with your donation of $32 today. Thank you!

Editor’s note: This letter from LTC Allen West written in support of the MARSOC 3 was originally published by United American Patriots on October 14, 2020. The formatting has been altered for a better reading experience.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE