‘Gangs and the Military: Gangsters, Bikers, and Terrorists with Military Training’ by Carter F. Smith (2017)
“An internal report, obtained by Military.com through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows that gang members were tied to dozens of Army felony law enforcement reports and more than 100 criminal investigations in fiscal 2018, the latest year for which data is available. While these reports and investigations make up less than 1% of all Army law enforcement incidents, the new report shows that the little-discussed problem of military gang activity continues to be a headache for base commanders and other service leaders.”
Full Episode: Defense attorneys, Chris Tritico and Stephen Jones, detail their time representing Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh in his capital murder trial and their efforts to spare him the death penalty. -In Defense Of, Oxygen (S1, E1)
Date: April 19, 1995 Victims: Oklahoma City bombing left 168 people dead and hundreds more injured Offender: Timothy McVeigh, Army veteran Location: Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Circumstances: Accused Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was the most hated man in Ok City, he was demonized by the public and in the media, Stephen Jones and Chris Tritico were assigned as his defense attorneys, 25 young children died in the explosion and this weighed heavily on the defense attorneys, there was a lot of pressure defending McVeigh in a capital murder case because he was facing the death penalty, McVeigh was in federal prison in Englewood, Colorado while awaiting trial, TM was coherent and aware of his surroundings and circumstances, he wasn’t the crazy person the attorneys were expecting, he was charged in federal court for a weapons of mass destruction charge and multiple first degree murder charges, TM would not even look at an insanity defense, he initially wanted to plead guilty but the law did not allow it, TM was the boy next door although his parents had a difficult marriage, TM hated bullies because he was bullied in school, after high school, he joined the military, won the Army commendation medal, the bronze star, he was on the General’s staff, he got orders for special operations school but he was out of shape, he quit after three days and this ended his military career, that began the spiral in TM’s life, he started going around the country selling guns at gun shows, he was concerned about the federal government taking over their lives, when the 51 day Waco siege occurred in February 1993, he really became concerned about federal government overreach, TM said he went there and saw the government throw fire incendiary devices into the house and burned it down, he thought the government committed outrageous crimes against the Branch Davidian compound, this act set in motion the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City because that office planned the majority of the siege on Waco, one hour after the bombing, Tim was stopped for not having a license plate, the police officer wrote him a ticket, he found a weapon, TM was placed in jail, meanwhile an investigator found a VIN on a part from the Ryder truck and they traced it back to the rental agency, they created a police sketch based on the description of the man who rented the Ryder truck, someone recognized the sketch at a hotel and it traced back to Timothy McVeigh, he was arrested for the Oklahoma City bombing, President Bill Clinton announced the feds would seek the death penalty, the government had to prove these crimes beyond a reasonable doubt in order to execute him, defense couldn’t use the ‘necessity defense’ because TM murdered children, the government claimed only TM was involved, eventually Army veteran Terry Nichols was arrested for conspiracy in the Ok City bombing, he was in the same platoon in the Army as TM, it added a new person in the conspiracy, the defense used the arrest of Terry Nichols to prove that Terry was involved in the bombing and TM was not but Terry constructed a series of events that gave him an alibi on the day of the bombing, TM’s consistent theme was he did not want anyone else blamed for the bombing, he admitted to how he constructed the bomb and he wanted to take sole responsibility for the act, but the attorneys did not believe that he acted alone, they suspected Terry Nichols and others were involved, TM decided he wanted to go out as the mastermind, then someone stole some documents from one of the attorneys and leaked them to the media, the media printed that TM wanted people to die to pay for the oppression of the government and get their attention, Dallas Morning News broke the story, they learned a defense team member was the one who leaked the documents, he didn’t do it for money, he thought TM’s attorneys would get him off the charges, TM lost trust in his attorneys three weeks before the trial, he refused to meet with the attorneys initially but he agreed to meet with Chris Tritico only, the attorneys were concerned that 6 weeks wasn’t enough time to prepare for a death penalty trial, during trial, one of the witnesses saw someone get out of the Ryder truck and it wasn’t TM, almost immediately after this, the bomb went off, the defense used forensics to show there was no forensic evidence tying TM to the bomb or bombing, their job was to create reasonable doubt, there was an extra leg found and the body had not been identified, this could be the man the witness observed, an existence of another man would lend to the conspiracy theory therefore that’s an argument that TM should not be given the death sentence because he may be needed for future testimony, government presented a good and effective case by calling on survivors of those who died in the bombing, after the trial started, the attorneys got to know TM well, he was a very smart individual, they felt had TM never met Terry Nichols and lost his military career, none of this would have happened, TM had way more depth to him than anyone ever really knew, it was hard to imagine he killed 168 people after the attorneys formed a friendship with him, regardless they were going to work hard to represent TM with vigor, closing arguments was a big deal for these defense attorneys and they felt a lot of pressure because TM’s life was on the line, the jury deliberated for 2 1/2 days, after the guilty verdict, one of TM’s attorneys was asked to help stop the execution because the federal government withheld 100 boxes of evidence, McVeigh was waiting in a federal prison in Indiana, Tim chose to stop the appeals because he did not want to live the life he was living in super max anymore even if they could have reduced his death sentence, TM was silent until the end Disposition: Timothy McVeigh was found guilty on all 11 federal counts including conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, use of a weapon of mass destruction by explosive, and all the first degree murder counts; McVeigh was sentenced to death by lethal injection; McVeigh was executed on June 11, 2001
Notable Quotes: “To be a criminal defense lawyer, you have to adopt a philosophy that the justice of a society is measured by how it treats it’s worst people, not it’s best.” -Stephen Jones, Timothy McVeigh’s attorney
Source: ‘In Defense of: Timothy McVeigh’ Oxygen
Timothy McVeigh, US Army veteran (Photo: Reddit)
Oxygen:
Timothy McVeigh killed 168 people after bombing a federal building in Oklahoma City. -In Defense Of, Oxygen (S1, E1)
Defense lawyer Chris Tritico recalls his visit to a federal prison in Colorado that put him face to face with Oklahoma City Bomber Timothy McVeigh. -In Defense Of, Oxygen (S1, E1)
A stolen interview with Timothy McVeigh shocks both the public and his own defense team. -In Defense Of, Oxygen (S1, E1)
McVeigh’s attorneys remember the gut-wrenching testimonies of those who lost loved ones in the Oklahoma City Bombing. -In Defense Of, Oxygen (S1, E1)
Chris Tritico’s family remembers the difficulties they faced throughout Timothy McVeigh’s trial. -In Defense Of, Oxygen (S1, E1)
“When someone is facing the loss of their life, you have to put everything you have into that.” -In Defense Of, Oxygen (S1, E1)
Chris forgot to examine his zipper while cross-examining witnesses. -In Defense Of, Oxygen (S1, E1)
Stephen Jones reveals a conversation with client Timothy McVeigh that he has never repeated until now. -In Defense Of, Oxygen (S1, E1)
Chris Tritico does not support crime; he supports the constitution. -In Defense Of, Oxygen (S1, E1)
During the Branch Davidian trial Dan Cogdell received a letter of support from Timothy McVeigh, a man who would later be known as the Oklahoma City Bomber. -In Defense Of, Oxygen
In the News:
In one of the most chilling interviews on the broadcast, Ed Bradley talked to McVeigh a year before his execution. -60 Minutes
Oklahoma City Bomber Timothy McVeigh Sentenced to Death. -AP Archive
McVeigh’s father reaction to judge decision. -AP Archive
Interview with McVeigh’s lawyer after last meal. -AP Archive
Documentary:
Timothy McVeigh. We’ve been told so much about him, the Oklahoma City bombing, and what it meant for America. But what if it’s all a lie? -Corbett Report
From the Author:The book documents the long history of gang members (street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and domestic terrorist – extremists) with military training in parallel with the history of the United States. Gang members have served in the military in each of the wartime eras and they continue to serve today. Some are trying to use the military to get out of the gang life – many are not. The criminals not only tarnish the reputation of the military, they increase the dangerousness of our communities.
Description:Over the past several decades, there has been a continuous and growing focus on street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and domestic terrorist and extremist groups. Many of these groups have members with military training, and some actively recruit from current and former military veterans and retirees. That military experience adds to the dangerousness of veteran gang members, as well as those groups they associate with.
In the News:
Gangs in the Military (Fort Hood). -Carter F. Smith (April 18, 2011)
“An internal report, obtained by Military.com through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows that gang members were tied to dozens of Army felony law enforcement reports and more than 100 criminal investigations in fiscal 2018, the latest year for which data is available. While these reports and investigations make up less than 1% of all Army law enforcement incidents, the new report shows that the little-discussed problem of military gang activity continues to be a headache for base commanders and other service leaders.” –Army Street Gang Activity is Increasing, Internal Report Report Shows, Military.com (August 17, 2020)
James Fields Jr., 20, from Ohio, was charged with second-degree murder after killing Heather Heyer, 32, and critically injuring several others when he drove his vehicle into a crowd of protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia. The protestors that he harmed were counter protesting a “white nationalist” protest. According to police records, Fields was previously accused of beating his mother and threatening her with a knife. James Fields Jr. served in the active duty Army for about four months from August to December 2015. He was discharged after failing out of basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia. Fields was denied bail. On June 28, 2019, a federal judge sentenced James Fields Jr. to life in prison for 29 hate crimes. On July 15, 2019, Fields Jr. was sentenced to life in prison plus 419 years and $480,000 in fines by the State of Virginia for the Charlottesville car attack.
“He was, however, released from active duty due to a failure to meet training standards in December of 2015,” Army Lt. Col. LTC Paul Haverstick, a Pentagon spokesman, said. “As a result he was never awarded a military occupational skill nor was he assigned to a unit outside of basic training.” –Fox News
In the News:
James Alex Fields Jr. is behind bars after he allegedly plowed his car into a crowd of people protesting against a white nationalist rally in Virginia. -ABC News (August 13, 2017)
James Fields, the white nationalist who killed Heather Heyer by ramming his car into a crowd of protesters at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia has been sentenced to life in prison. -NowThis News (June 28, 2019)
An avowed white supremacist who plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing a young woman, apologized to his victims Friday before being sentenced to life in prison on hate crime charges. -Bloomberg TicToc (June 28, 2019)
The man who deliberately drove through a crowd of people in Charlottesville, Virginia, has received another life sentence. Dozens were wounded and one person was killed. -CBS News (July 15, 2019)
“On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh, a former soldier deeply influenced by the literature and ideas of the radical right, parked a Ryder truck with a five-ton fertilizer bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City. Moments later, 168 people were killed and 675 were injured in the blast. Oklahoma City traces the events — including the deadly encounters between American citizens and law enforcement at Ruby Ridge and Waco — that led McVeigh to commit the worst act of domestic terrorism in American history. With a virulent strain of anti-government anger still with us, the film is both a cautionary tale and an extremely timely warning.” -Oklahoma City, American Experience PBS
Premiering at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to American Experience PBS on February 7, 2017 at 9/8c. -American Experience, PBS
After the Oklahoma City Bombing, Clinton’s ability to reach Americans on a personal level did much to help the nation’s grief. “It’s kind of a throwaway line now, I feel your pain, but he literally could,” says Robert McNeely. “I mean he could take people and just hug them and connect to them in a way and really listen to them.” -American Experience, PBS
Oklahoma City explores how a series of deadly encounters between American citizens and federal law enforcement—including the standoffs at Ruby Ridge and Waco—led to the bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City in April 1995, the worst act of domestic terrorism in American history. -American Experience, PBS
At the time of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was home to several government agencies — and a daycare. -American Experience, PBS
During the stand-off between federal agents and the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas in 1993, people gathered on a hill roughly three miles away to see what was happening at the compound. One of those drawn to Waco was a 24-year-old Army veteran named Timothy McVeigh. -American Experience, PBS
Filmmaker Barak Goodman and editor Don Kleszy discuss their newest documentary, “Oklahoma City” and how it led to the creation of another one-hour film about Ruby Ridge. -American Experience, PBS
The 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing was the largest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. A new documentary on the PBS series American Experience takes a fresh look at the events and motivations that led to the attack by Timothy McVeigh, and finds resonance for today. -PBS NewsHour
At the 20th anniversary, we look back at the Oklahoma City bombing. Public television station OETA shares reflections from survivors and victims’ families, and Judy Woodruff talks to former Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, former Director of Homeland Security of Oklahoma Kerry Pettingill and Barry Grissom, U.S. attorney for the district of Kansas, for lessons learned from the attack. -PBS NewsHour
On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh, a former soldier deeply influenced by the literature and ideas of the radical right, parked a Ryder truck with a five-ton fertilizer bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City. Moments later, 168 people were killed and 675 were injured in the blast. OKLAHOMA CITY traces the events — including the deadly encounters between American citizens and law enforcement at Ruby Ridge and Waco — that led McVeigh to commit the worst act of domestic terrorism in American history. With a virulent strain of anti-government anger still with us, the film is both a cautionary tale and an extremely timely warning. -YouTube Movies
Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Lewellen, 27, of Lawrence, Kansas died of wounds sustained when his team’s convoy came under fire entering a military base in Jafr, Jordan on November 4, 2016. Staff Sgt. Lewellen was on a training mission in Jordan on behalf of the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Green Beret’s Staff Sgt. Kevin McEnroe and Staff Sgt. James Moriarty also lost their lives in the deadly attack. The Department of Defense reports that the incident is under investigation. Initial reports indicate that Jordan accused US Army soldiers of sparking the incident but the US disputes those allegations and stated the attacks appear to be deliberate.
In the News:
Newly released video shows a deadly shooting in which a Jordanian solider killed 3 U.S. Army Green Berets who were serving as military trainers in Jordan. CBSN’s Anne Marie-Green has the story. -CBS News (July 25, 2017)
Army Staff Sgt. James Moriarty, 27, of Kerrville, Texas died of wounds sustained when his team’s convoy came under fire entering a military base in Jafr, Jordan on November 4, 2016. Staff Sgt. Moriarty was on a training mission in Jordan on behalf of the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Green Beret’s Staff Sgt. Kevin McEnroe and Staff Sgt. Matthew Lewellen also lost their lives in the deadly attack. The Department of Defense reports that the incident is under investigation. Initial reports indicate that Jordan accused US Army soldiers of sparking the incident but the US disputes those allegations and stated the attacks appear to be deliberate.
In the News:
Newly released video shows a deadly shooting in which a Jordanian solider killed 3 U.S. Army Green Berets who were serving as military trainers in Jordan. CBSN’s Anne Marie-Green has the story. -CBS News (July 25, 2017)
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin McEnroe, 30, of Tucson, Arizona died of wounds sustained when his team’s convoy came under fire entering a military base in Jafr, Jordan on November 4, 2016. Staff Sgt. McEnroe was on a training mission in Jordan on behalf of the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Green Beret’s Staff Sgt. Matthew Lewellen and Staff Sgt. James Moriarty also lost their lives in the deadly attack. The Department of Defense reports that the incident is under investigation. Initial reports indicate that Jordan accused US Army soldiers of sparking the incident but the US disputes those allegations and stated the attacks appear to be deliberate.
In the News:
The Department of Defense has confirmed that one of three U.S. soldiers that died on November 4, 2016 in Jafr, Jordan was 30-year-old Army Staff Sergeant Kevin J. McEnroe of Tucson, Arizona. -KGUN9 (November 6, 2016)
Newly released video shows a deadly shooting in which a Jordanian solider killed 3 U.S. Army Green Berets who were serving as military trainers in Jordan. CBSN’s Anne Marie-Green has the story. -CBS News (July 25, 2017)
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — The U.S. government spent nearly $5 million to court-martial and convict an Army psychiatrist in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage, according to records reviewed by a North Texas television station.
The biggest pre-trial expense in Maj. Nidal Hasan’s trial was more than $1 million for transportation for witnesses, jurors and attorneys, according to Army records obtained by KXAS-TV of Fort Worth and Dallas. About $90,000 was spent to house the witnesses.
Army Major Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death by a military court for killing thirteen people and wounding 30 others at Fort Hood, Texas on November 5, 2009. Major Hasan was a military officer employed as a psychiatrist and nearly all of the victims of his crimes were unarmed soldiers. This was the worst mass murder at a U.S. military installation. Hasan was armed with a semi-automatic pistol, shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great), and then opened fire at a crowd inside a Fort Hood deployment and medical screening processing center. The massacre lasted about 10 minutes before Hasan was shot by civilian police and taken into custody. The shooting spree left 12 service members and one Department of Defense employee dead. Reviews by the Pentagon and a U.S. Senate panel found Hasan’s superiors had continued to promote him despite the fact that concerns had been raised over his behavior. His behavior suggested that he had become a radical and potentially violent Islamic extremist. On August 23, 2013, a jury found Hasan guilty of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder. He was sentenced to death for his crimes and sits on death row at Fort Leavenworth with three other service members: Timothy Hennis, Ronald Gray, and Hasan Akbar.
The victims of the 2009 Fort Hood Mass Shooting Spree. [Photo: Yahoo]
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In the News:
An Army major goes on a murderous rampage at Fort Hood. -ABC News (November 5, 2009)
Army Psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is suspected of killing 13 and wounding 30 in a rampage shooting in Fort Hood, Texas on the largest military base in the U.S. -CBS News (November 6, 2009)
David Martin reports on new details of suspected Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army Psychiatrist trained to help soldiers in distress. -CBS News (November 6, 2009)
Nidal Malik Hasan is an army psychiatrist, deeply opposed to America’s wars, and now accused of committing one of the worst attacks ever at a U.S. military base. -CBS (November 6, 2009)
Details of what happened during the massacre at Fort Hood. -ABC News (November 7, 2009)
Soldier shot tells of chaos and how a friend pulled the bullet from her back. -ABC News (November 7, 2009)
New information continues to emerge on the background of Major Nidal Hasan, the U.S. Army psychiatrist who allegedly opened fire on soldiers at Fort Hood in (the U.S. state of) Texas. A 2007 U.S. Army memo speaks of his poor performance treating soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. His Palestinian relatives in the occupied West Bank, meanwhile, speak of his sudden turn to a strict adherence to Islam. -VOA News (November 24, 2009)
Interview with Nader Hasan -ABC News (September 4, 2011)
Victims have been neglected, says hero cop Kimberly Munley. -ABC News (February 13, 2013)
A military jury recommended Major Nidal Hasan be executed for killing 13 people in a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. -CNN (August 28, 2013)
“For The Record” examines the Fort Hood Shooting, talking to survivors, in its premiere episode of the 2nd season. -Blaze TV (March 13, 2014)
CNN’s John Berman takes a look at the lives lost in the shooting at the Fort Hood military base in Texas. -CNN (April 4, 2014)
Fort Hood’s base commander eulogized his men, and President Barack Obama delivered a speech at a memorial service for soldiers killed in a shooting last week at Fort Hood Army post in Texas. It marked the second time the president had to come to Fort Hood after a mass shooting. -CBS Evening News (April 9, 2014)
On November 5, 2009, a shooting rampage at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas left 13 people dead; Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was later convicted of murder and sentenced to death. -AP Archive (November 5, 2016)
Retired staff sergeant Alonzo Lunsford shares his thoughts on ‘Fox & Friends.’ -Fox News (November 5, 2017)
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 