[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6226]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    IN SUPPORT OF LT. ILARIO PANTANO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I spoke last night about a 
marine that I have in my prayers each and every night, Second 
Lieutenant Ilario Pantano. Lieutenant Pantano has served this Nation in 
great honor in both the first and second gulf wars. From my personal 
experience with him, I know that he is a dedicated family man and a man 
who loves the corps.
  During his service in Iraq last year, Lieutenant Pantano was faced 
with a very difficult situation that caused him to make a split-second 
decision to defend his life. He felt threatened by the actions of two 
insurgents under his watch and, in an act of self-defense, he had to 
resort to force.
  Two and one half months later, a sergeant under his command, who 
never saw the shooting, accused him of murder. Lieutenant Pantano now 
faces charges of two counts of murder.
  Mr. Speaker, what is happening to this young man is an injustice. In 
a combat fitness report, his superiors praised his leadership and 
talent, and he was by all accounts an exceptional marine.
  Mona Charen, a respected Washington journalist, wrote the following 
about this case: ``Obviously, the United States cannot turn a blind eye 
to war crimes. If a soldier lines up civilians in front of a pit, My 
Lai style, and massacres them, he would richly deserve, and every self-
respecting American would demand, a court martial.'' She further 
states, ``But, good Lord, by what possible standard can this be called 
murder? Pantano was in the middle of a war zone, not a vacation on the 
Riviera. He had been dodging ambushes and booby traps for weeks. He had 
seen his comrades killed and maimed. Perhaps,'' according to Ms. 
Charen, ``he acted too hastily in shooting those Iraqis. But a murder 
charge? Has the Marine Corps gone PC,'' politically correct?
  The Washington Times even wrote an editorial on Lieutenant Pantano. 
They said: ``Lieutenant Pantano is straight out of some romanticized 
war story. The 33-year-old Hell's Kitchen native left a six-figure 
salary in New York City to serve his country. His mother says of him, 
`If he has a fault, it is that he is too idealistic and puts moral 
responsibility and duty to his country and his men before anything 
else.' For that,'' further quoting, ``Lieutenant Pantano faces criminal 
charges that could result in death.
  ``At a time when the military is being stretched, the Pantano case 
sends all the wrong signals to servicemen. Finding a few good men will 
only get harder and harder if overzealous lawyers are permitted to 
intimidate the troops. In an army, that is a losing formula.''
  That a quote from the Washington Times.
  Mr. Speaker, I have put in a resolution, House Resolution 167, to 
support Lieutenant Pantano as he faces these allegations. I hope that 
my colleagues in the House will take some time to read my resolution 
and look into this situation for themselves. Lieutenant Pantano's 
mother has a Web site that I am encouraging people to visit. The 
address is www.defendthedefenders.org.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope and pray that when Lieutenant Pantano faces his 
Article 32 hearing on April 25, he will be exonerated for all the 
charges. Because, Mr. Speaker, to put doubt in the minds of our 
soldiers is to condemn them to death.
  Mr. Speaker, I close by asking the good Lord to please bless our men 
and women in uniform, to please bless their families, to bless the 
families who have given a child dying for freedom, and I ask the good 
Lord to please help Lieutenant Pantano as he faces these charges.
  I have written the President of the United States and asked him to 
please look into this matter. I did get a courtesy response back, but 
no more than that.
  I do say as I close, please, God, continue to bless our men and women 
in uniform.

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