 Dear Fellow American,
I know we have never met. But if you have children of your own, you'll understand why I'm writing you today.
You see, the young handsome man in this photo is my son, Lt. Clint Lorance of the U.S. Army.
Like any mother, I was so scared that Clint would be hurt – or even killed – after he was deployed to Afghanistan.
Then, on July 2, 2012, it almost happened.
Clint was sent to a dangerous combat zone to replace a lieutenant who had been severely injured by an IED just days before.
The mud village was riddled with land mines, so Clint's platoon had to set out on a foot patrol behind a minesweeper instead of using vehicles. Every soldier was on edge because just days before, another U.S. soldier had been shot in the neck in this very village.
When a motorcycle with three riders started gunning toward their platoon, one of Clint's soldier's fired his rifle, but missed.
With only seconds to make a decision, Clint ordered his platoon to fire. Two of the riders were killed and one escaped.
Meanwhile, two other Taliban members were killed by Clint's platoon in another gunfight – and a third was captured trying to leave the village. He and another suspect detained by the platoon BOTH tested positive for homemade explosive residue on their hands.
Yet instead of imprisoning and interrogating these men, military intelligence at Brigade Headquarters released them.
Then they fired Clint as platoon leader.
And one year later, Clint was sitting in a military courtroom on trial for murder.
Almost every member of Clint's platoon had been initially charged with murder. But nine were promised immunity and ordered to testify against Clint.
Remember, none of these soldiers knew our son. He had been assigned to lead their platoon only days before their mission. So rather than go to prison, these scared soldiers agreed to testify against Clint, as they were ordered by the Commanding General to do.
During the trial, military colleagues who did know my son told the jury that Clint was a smart, above-average soldier. In fact, one captain described him as "trustworthy," "unparalleled" and "one of the kindest and gentlest people I've ever met."
And when asked for his only statement during the trial, Clint looked into the eyes of the jury and said, "I totally take all responsibility for my actions and those of my men"
My friend, I'm proud that my son gave that order.
Because only weeks after the ambush on Clint's platoon, a motorcycle with two riders rode into a village where U.S. soldiers were patrolling and detonated explosives strapped to their cycle. That leader did not react as my son did – and American soldiers died.
But none of this mattered to the military court. Even though Clint never fired his weapon, he was found "guilty" and sentenced to 20 years in Fort Leavenworth Prison.
As soon as the verdict was read, Clint turned to us. He told his brother, "Be strong and promise me that you will take care of my Momma and Dad."
Then he took me by the shoulders and said, "Momma I can't leave here without knowing that you are okay."
It took every bit of strength I had to not cry. I did not want Clint to see me in tears as they took him from the courtroom. Instead I told him, "We will get through this. God loves to walk the dark hills with us."
Now, nearly six years later, I'm seeing just how much God is walking with us through this terrible time thanks to the United American Patriots. UAP helps provide legal defenses for soldiers like Clint who have been unjustly accused of crimes for making split-second decisions in the heat of combat.
LtCol David "Bull" Gurfein is UAP's CEO. He's also a U.S. Marine with tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan – so he knows what it's like to make decisions in combat.
And he knows bureaucrats shouldn't second-guess our professional soldiers who have been trained to effectively engage our nation's enemies on the battlefield!
UAP is fighting to help Clint mount a habeas corpus appeal in civilian court and secure a presidential pardon. But it's a costly process – and money our son doesn't have in prison.
Clint was stripped of all pay when he was indicted. He was forced to sell his house. And he lost all 10 years of his Army pension.
All we can do now is rely on UAP and the big hearts of American patriots like you who support them and their mission.
UAP is a non-profit organization. They don't receive a dime of federal funding. They rely on generous, patriotic folks like you to support their mission.
So if you can help with a tax-deductible gift of any amount, won't you please send it to UAP today to help them fight for my son?
While politically correct government officials are going to extreme measures to protect the "civil rights" of terrorists who want to destroy our country, soldiers like my son are sitting in prison for protecting our nation from these terrorists!
On behalf of every mother of a U.S. soldier, thank you for taking the time to read my letter and for whatever support you can send today.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Anna Lorance
P.S. During a break in the trial, I walked outside to catch some air. The last soldier who had testified against Clint was standing on the sidewalk with tears running down his face. When he looked up at me he quickly dropped his head in shame. Clearly, he knows he helped the Obama Administration send an innocent soldier to prison. Thank you for helping UAP fight to bring him home! |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment