Ryan G. Weemer is a Marine Veteran from Hindsboro, Illinois, who was tried in a military court for war crimes that were allegedly committed while he was on active duty during the Iraq War. Weemer was charged with the killing of unarmed Iraqi detainees in the city of Fallujah. His trial began on March 31, 2009, at Camp Pendleton in California. He was acquitted of all charges on April 9, 2009.[1]
Weemer attended Oakland High School in Oakland, Illinois, where he was captain of the school's football team and salutatorian of his class.[2] After graduation in 2001, he joined the United States Marine Corps, eventually rising to the rank of sergeant. During his time in the Marines, Weemer was a member of the 3rd Battalion 1st Marines and served in the Iraq War. In November 2004, he participated in a fierce battle in Fallujah, during which Weemer was wounded. He was subsequently awarded the Purple Heart and a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his valor under fire.[3] Weemer was honorably discharged from active service in 2006.
Subsequently, he applied for a job with the Secret Service and, during the interview process, Weemer mentioned the Fallujah killings. Because of this, he was recalled to active duty so that he could be made to stand trial in a military court-martial.
In court-martial proceedings at Camp Pendleton that opened on March 31, 2009, Sgt. Weemer was accused of unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty in the fatal shooting of four Iraqi prisoners during the November 2004 battle in Fallujah. Weemer's jury consisted of a panel of eight Marines, each of whom had served in either Iraq or Afghanistan. The jury deliberated for seven hours over two days, and Weemer was acquitted of all charges on April 9, 2009. Weemer, age 26, hugged and thanked his attorney Paul Hackett after the verdict as his wife, sister, and former high school teacher wept in the courtroom.
Two other members of Weemer's battalion, Sgt. Jose Nazario and Sgt. Jermaine Nelson, were also similarly charged for their roles in the Fallujah incident. Nazario was accused of charges that included his allegedly ordering Weemer and Nelson to kill prisoners.[4] Nazario was acquitted in August 2008.[5] In September 2009, Nelson pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty in exchange for an honorable discharge.[6] During Nazario's trial, both Weemer and Nelson refused to testify against their former squad leader. Both men were jailed for contempt of court.[7] After Nazario's acquittal, however, a federal judge dismissed the contempt charges against them.
After his trial ended, Weemer moved back to Kentucky with his wife. He worked for a non-profit organization as a primary counselor for chemically dependent and homeless veterans while completing his B.A. in psychology from the University of Louisville.[8][full citation needed] He moved to New York City in 2012 and accepted a position with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
Weemer's continuous commitment to veteran causes led him to start his own non-profit. In 2013, he co-founded War Writers' Campaign, an organization whose mission is to promote social change surrounding veteran's issues through written awareness.[9][full citation needed] Weemer is CEO as well as board member. In May 2016, Weemer received a Masters of Public Administration from Baruch College in New York City. He was awarded a 2016 Presidential Management Fellowship—a prestigious two-year training and development program with a United States government agency—and accepted a position with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.[10]
ryan, weemer, ryan, weemer, marine, veteran, from, hindsboro, illinois, tried, military, court, crimes, that, were, allegedly, committed, while, active, duty, during, iraq, weemer, charged, with, killing, unarmed, iraqi, detainees, city, fallujah, trial, began. Ryan G Weemer is a Marine Veteran from Hindsboro Illinois who was tried in a military court for war crimes that were allegedly committed while he was on active duty during the Iraq War Weemer was charged with the killing of unarmed Iraqi detainees in the city of Fallujah His trial began on March 31 2009 at Camp Pendleton in California He was acquitted of all charges on April 9 2009 1 Ryan G WeemerAllegianceUnited StatesService wbr branchUnited States Marine CorpsYears of service2001 2006RankSergeantUnit3rd Battalion 1st MarinesAwardsPurple HeartNavy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device Contents 1 Background 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksBackground editWeemer attended Oakland High School in Oakland Illinois where he was captain of the school s football team and salutatorian of his class 2 After graduation in 2001 he joined the United States Marine Corps eventually rising to the rank of sergeant During his time in the Marines Weemer was a member of the 3rd Battalion 1st Marines and served in the Iraq War In November 2004 he participated in a fierce battle in Fallujah during which Weemer was wounded He was subsequently awarded the Purple Heart and a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his valor under fire 3 Weemer was honorably discharged from active service in 2006 Subsequently he applied for a job with the Secret Service and during the interview process Weemer mentioned the Fallujah killings Because of this he was recalled to active duty so that he could be made to stand trial in a military court martial In court martial proceedings at Camp Pendleton that opened on March 31 2009 Sgt Weemer was accused of unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty in the fatal shooting of four Iraqi prisoners during the November 2004 battle in Fallujah Weemer s jury consisted of a panel of eight Marines each of whom had served in either Iraq or Afghanistan The jury deliberated for seven hours over two days and Weemer was acquitted of all charges on April 9 2009 Weemer age 26 hugged and thanked his attorney Paul Hackett after the verdict as his wife sister and former high school teacher wept in the courtroom Two other members of Weemer s battalion Sgt Jose Nazario and Sgt Jermaine Nelson were also similarly charged for their roles in the Fallujah incident Nazario was accused of charges that included his allegedly ordering Weemer and Nelson to kill prisoners 4 Nazario was acquitted in August 2008 5 In September 2009 Nelson pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty in exchange for an honorable discharge 6 During Nazario s trial both Weemer and Nelson refused to testify against their former squad leader Both men were jailed for contempt of court 7 After Nazario s acquittal however a federal judge dismissed the contempt charges against them After his trial ended Weemer moved back to Kentucky with his wife He worked for a non profit organization as a primary counselor for chemically dependent and homeless veterans while completing his B A in psychology from the University of Louisville 8 full citation needed He moved to New York City in 2012 and accepted a position with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Weemer s continuous commitment to veteran causes led him to start his own non profit In 2013 he co founded War Writers Campaign an organization whose mission is to promote social change surrounding veteran s issues through written awareness 9 full citation needed Weemer is CEO as well as board member In May 2016 Weemer received a Masters of Public Administration from Baruch College in New York City He was awarded a 2016 Presidential Management Fellowship a prestigious two year training and development program with a United States government agency and accepted a position with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services 10 See also edit nbsp Biography portalSecond Battle of FallujahReferences edit Marine Acquitted of Murder in Iraq Slaying Biography of Ryan Weemer Military Honors of Ryan Weemer Civil trial opens of US ex marine BBC August 20 2008 Jury Acquits Ex Marine in Iraqis Deaths Murder charges dismissed against Marine ABC7 Los Angeles abc7 com ABC7 Los Angeles California Judge Cites 2 Marines New York Times August 23 2008 iava org warwriterscampaign org https www pmf gov media 96099 2016 list of finalists web 02 24 16 pdf bare URL PDF External links editBiography of Ryan G Weemer Legally Speaking Law and the Fog of War Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ryan Weemer amp oldid 1144451458, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
