Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
San Diego Union-Tribune
May 2, 2008 Lawyer to receive Bronze Star today
By Rick Rogers, Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON--A just court system is a cornerstone of any budding democracy. The task of forging that system in Anbar province, the scene of some of the biggest battles in the Iraq war, fell to a man who is part-time Marine and full-time attorney.
Peter Lynch, 47, was practicing law with the San Diego firm of Cozen O'Connor when the Marines called him up for duty in Iraq as a reserve lieutenant colonel. He deployed in March 2007 with an artillery unit.
Lynch's job was to revive the collapsed court systems in Fallujah, Ramadi and other cities known more for rocket attacks than jurisprudence. For 10 months, Lynch and a small team of colleagues cajoled judges into going back to work while persuading U.S. officials to build safer courthouses.
Their efforts paid off in a court system solid enough to handle nearly 600 cases in recent months, including one in which a terrorist was sentenced to death for murder and kidnapping.
Today, Lynch will receive a meritorious Bronze Star for his achievements in Iraq during a ceremony at Camp Pendleton.
“It was an eye-opening experience to work with people who want to establish something that we take for granted,” said Lynch, who returned to San Diego in mid-March. “They have so very little.”
Part of the Marine Corps' award citation for Lynch reads: “(His) outstanding results sent a clear message to insurgents that they would be held accountable for their actions and bolstered the Iraqi police's confidence in their abilities to manage terrorism cases.”
Iraqis viewed the court system during President Saddam Hussein's dictatorial reign as being even-handed – unless they were his enemies, Lynch said.
The courts in Anbar essentially folded when Hussein lost power in 2003. They didn't reopen until April 2007, after judges were flown in from Baghdad to conduct hearings. These details are part of Lynch's report titled, “A Phoenix Rises: Re-emergence of the Rule of Law in Al Anbar.”
“The purpose of the hearings was to show the people of Anbar the judicial system was operating, that there was a safe place for judges to conduct investigative hearings,” Lynch wrote.
While the U.S. military worked hard to resuscitate Anbar's judiciary, Lynch said, he also said some of the most determined supporters of the resurgence were Iraqis tired of violence.
He talked about a man who lost two brothers to insurgent attacks and saw his son's fingers blown off in a separate attack.
“He was hell bent on reinstituting the criminal court system so people could have their cases heard,” Lynch said. “He didn't want terrorists executing people. He was an inspiration.”
May 2, 2008 Lawyer to receive Bronze Star today
By Rick Rogers, Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON--A just court system is a cornerstone of any budding democracy. The task of forging that system in Anbar province, the scene of some of the biggest battles in the Iraq war, fell to a man who is part-time Marine and full-time attorney.
Peter Lynch, 47, was practicing law with the San Diego firm of Cozen O'Connor when the Marines called him up for duty in Iraq as a reserve lieutenant colonel. He deployed in March 2007 with an artillery unit.
Lynch's job was to revive the collapsed court systems in Fallujah, Ramadi and other cities known more for rocket attacks than jurisprudence. For 10 months, Lynch and a small team of colleagues cajoled judges into going back to work while persuading U.S. officials to build safer courthouses.
Their efforts paid off in a court system solid enough to handle nearly 600 cases in recent months, including one in which a terrorist was sentenced to death for murder and kidnapping.
Today, Lynch will receive a meritorious Bronze Star for his achievements in Iraq during a ceremony at Camp Pendleton.
“It was an eye-opening experience to work with people who want to establish something that we take for granted,” said Lynch, who returned to San Diego in mid-March. “They have so very little.”
Part of the Marine Corps' award citation for Lynch reads: “(His) outstanding results sent a clear message to insurgents that they would be held accountable for their actions and bolstered the Iraqi police's confidence in their abilities to manage terrorism cases.”
Iraqis viewed the court system during President Saddam Hussein's dictatorial reign as being even-handed – unless they were his enemies, Lynch said.
The courts in Anbar essentially folded when Hussein lost power in 2003. They didn't reopen until April 2007, after judges were flown in from Baghdad to conduct hearings. These details are part of Lynch's report titled, “A Phoenix Rises: Re-emergence of the Rule of Law in Al Anbar.”
“The purpose of the hearings was to show the people of Anbar the judicial system was operating, that there was a safe place for judges to conduct investigative hearings,” Lynch wrote.
While the U.S. military worked hard to resuscitate Anbar's judiciary, Lynch said, he also said some of the most determined supporters of the resurgence were Iraqis tired of violence.
He talked about a man who lost two brothers to insurgent attacks and saw his son's fingers blown off in a separate attack.
“He was hell bent on reinstituting the criminal court system so people could have their cases heard,” Lynch said. “He didn't want terrorists executing people. He was an inspiration.”