CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — The head of the Marine Corps' special operations command said its legacy was not damaged by a controversial incident years ago in Afghanistan that saw several troops accused of war crimes.
Maj. Gen. Joseph Osterman, commander of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, said he won't be issuing an official statement in response to the case. Several Marines — the unit, Marine Special Operations Company Foxtrot, was known as Task Force Violent — faced a drawn-out legal battle after they were accused of killing civilians in 2007. The incident happened in Bati Kot, a hostile village in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.
The Marines were acquitted of wrongdoing, with a general concluding they "acted appropriately" after their convoy was ambushed. But they have struggled to recover, saying their reputations and psychological well-being were damaged by the public scrutiny that accompanied high-profile court proceedings.
While the Marines still have critics who say the event and its aftermath tainted MARSOC's early reputation, Osterman said it's just "past history of many years ago."
"I don't see it as a blemish [on MARSOC's legacy] frankly," Osterman told Marine Corps Times during a recent interview at the command's headquarters here. "It was an event that occurred and it was investigated."
Rep. Walter Jones, a Republican congressman from North Carolina whose district includes Camp Lejeune, has called on top Marine Corps leaders to acknowledge the struggles these Marines continue to face and amend their service records. Jones came to the Marines' defense in 2007, after several senior military leaders made public statements implying their guilt before the case went to court.
This past winter, retired Marine Maj. Fred Galvin, the unit's former commander, went public with previously undisclosed details about their ordeal, first in a five-part series by Military Times and more recently in a piece published by the Los Angeles Times.
Retired Marine Lt. Col. Steve Morgan, one of three officers who oversaw the court that adjudicated the war-crimes allegations, also is urging senior leaders to restore honor "to the good men of Fox Company."
Osterman said he believes the record speaks for itself. He said he has read the stories regarding Galvin's recent efforts, but does not believe an official response is needed. Officials with Marine Corps headquarters and U.S. Special Operations Command also have followed recent media reports and determined no action is necessary, he said.
"It's all a matter of record with the investigation and the subsequent things that were done that way," Osterman said. "...It's all what's in the record. There's nothing else to add."
