Tag Archives: duncan hunter

Rep Hunter Defends Marine Facing Discharge over Facebook

US Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA), himself a Reserve Marine, has come to the defense of SGT Gary Stein, a Marine who faces an administrative discharge for comments he posted online.

Sgt Stein reportedly posted comments saying he would not obey the orders of the President, and he later clarified his statement to say he would not obey unlawful orders from the President.

This Saturday Stein faces a panel that will determine if he should be administratively separated from the Marines:  Read more

Mount Soledad Memorial Ruling Appealed to Supreme Court

The Liberty Institute has petitioned the US Supreme Court to reverse the ruling of the 9th Circuit, which held the 43-foot cross on Mount Soledad near San Diego was unconstitutional.  The 9th Circuit denied an en banc review.

Last year’s ruling by the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals capped two decades of legal challenges over the cross that was used for Easter celebrations in the early 1900s and later became a memorial to Korean War Read more

US House Passes Bills on Religion at War Memorials

The US House of Representatives passed two separate bills (previously noted) related to religion at US military war memorials — a point of controversy for about the past two decades in southern California, at least. Though they’ve been inaccurately described as “promoting” religion, the first does little more than officially authorize longstanding tradition, and the second adds a Presidential statement to a war Read more

US Rep Questions Lack of Awards for Libya Action

US Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA) wrote a letter to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus questioning why no US Marine has been awarded for their actions in Libya — despite the very public search and rescue of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle crew.

“It has come to my attention that no awards or recognition have been approved for Marine aviators who flew combat missions over Libya,” Hunter wrote in a recent letter to Mabus.  Read more

Congressman Hunter Defends Camp Pendleton Cross

US Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) sent a letter to Camp Pendleton’s commanding officer Colonel Nicholas Marano indicating his support for allowing the now-controversial memorial cross to remain standing in order to honor four US Marines who fell in Iraq:

Majs. Douglas Zembiec and Ramon Mendoza, and Lance Cpls. Robert Zurheide and Aaron Austin..

What makes Hunter’s call unique, besides his status as a member of Congress?

He was there.  Read more

Bill Would Permit Religious Symbols in Military Memorials

With frequent, long-lasting, and repeated lawsuits against military memorials with religious symbology, US Congressmen have proposed legislation that would explicitly permit just such memorials.

Rep. Duncan Hunter…introduced the War Memorial Protection Act in response to the federal Ninth Circuit Court’s Jan. 4 ruling, declaring the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial unconstitutional. Joining Hunter as co-sponsors are Congressmen Brian Bilbray of Solana Beach and Darrell Issa of Vista.

All three Congressmen are from the San Diego area.  Several members of Bilbray’s family are reportedly memorialized at the Mount Soledad cross that inspired both the lawsuit and the legislation.

Also noted at the Religion Clause.

1 2