OUR JOURNEY—Not Quite Ended
September 27th, 2008 by Theresa Sharratt
When our son, L/Cpl Justin Sharratt, was exonerated of murder charges involving a firefight in Haditha,Iraq our family was finally able to sleep. We set out to piece together our lives and make some sense as to what happened to us. Bringing Justin home seemed to be the medication our family needed. With Gods help and the support of thousands we made it through this dark period in our lives. Our family can now enjoy today, look ahead to tomorrow and plan for the future.
Our family has tried to return to normal, but Haditha still haunts us. No matter how hard we try, no matter how much we want to forgive, there are questions we need answered.
We are not seeking revenge, we are not seeking retribution, we are asking for justice. We wanted to put Haditha behind us……..we just wanted to forget and finally end the journey. Justin still loves the United States Marine Corps. He is proud to have served this country. A Marine for life……
On 25 September 2008, through our attorney Noah Geary, Justin has filed a civil lawsuit in Federal Court naming John Murtha as defendant. We believe John Murtha has the answers to the majority of our questions. In a recent article on the Defend Our Marines website(www.defendourmarines.org) Retired LtCol Colby Vokey revealed his suspicions that a former NCIS agent on Murtha’s staff leaked classified information on Haditha to the media. How much did Murtha really know when he appeared on national television on 17 May 2006 when he called our son a “cold blooded murder?” Did his political ambitions influence his statements to the media about the events of Haditha? Did Murtha’s position as Chairman of the Sub-committee on Military Appropriations allow him to influence charging Our Haditha Marines? Did Murtha and SecNav Donald Winter participate in an Undue Command Influence scenario in regards to Haditha? And finally, can John Murtha be allowed to call United States Marines “cold blooded murderers”and not be held accountable for his slander and trashing the Constitutional rights of our son?
We are hoping a court of law will allow us to ask John Murtha these questions. Whatever the outcome of this lawsuit, our family has decided our journey cannot end until we try. I don’t know if these questions would even be allowed, but maybe, just maybe some of our questions will finally be answered.
God Bless Our Haditha Marines
Darryl, Theresa, Jaclyn, former L/Cpl Justin Sharratt
TJ Tahaui Says
I sincerely hope that L/Cpl Sharratt wins his lawsuit handsomely and makes the irresponsible Murtha pay for his hateful actions in the only way he knows how… in cold hard cash and lots of it, and in the loss of his job and reputation. I am not military, but had the opportunity to travel to Iraq in May of 2008 with a band that was perfoming on US bases in the region and have never felt more pasionate and patriotic in support of our great country and particularly for our dedicated service men and women who have sacrificed so much to serve their countries. I met so many wonderful soldiers from many countries who all served so faithfully. Murtha is despicable and the mainstream media virtually gave him full access to say whatever he wanted with no challenge. Shame on them as well. God Bless you Justin and I hope your attorney is a shark and will not give in one bit in negotiations. Many who have heard your story have your in their prayers and we hope you feel our support wherever you are.
Oct 15th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Dpuglas Merck Says
Thank You for Your Service and May God Bless You and Yours Thank You again
Nov 15th, 2008 at 2:21 am
amber Says
how can we donate to this cause?
Jun 10th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
amber Says
I ask the donation question because I am not sure if the donation place you currently have listed only involves defending your brother or if it includes legal action take by him against another party.
Jun 10th, 2009 at 6:26 pm