‘Marine Complains of Harassment’

I am a defense attorney at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

I am stunned by the fact that Capt. Keith Lawless (Letters, Feb. 23) was stunned by your article “Woman Marine at El Toro Complains of Harassment” (Feb. 12).

If Lawless has had any recent association with the lieutenant colonel in question, he must know that the lieutenant colonel has been the subject of several investigations of similar complaints over the past two years at the requests of four separate defense attorneys. Further, Lawless should know that the charges certainly come as no surprise to the defense bar at this air station.

We realize that many of the matters complained of by this woman Marine occur routinely at many commands on this air station and in the normal course of business in the command of the lieutenant colonel in question.

It is extremely doubtful that Lawless even knows either the “Marines mentioned as victims in your article,” whom he refers to as “malcontents,” or anything about their cases. Yet without even checking his facts he blithely takes pen to paper and says that their character and integrity are “dubious at best.”

It is suggested that Lawless attempt to learn something about these cases before forming an opinion. Further, he should realize that Marines below the rank of captain also have character and integrity and that lieutenant colonels are sometimes just wrong.

The fact that these matters now appear in the newspaper is a result of the Corps’ failure on repeated occasions to clean its own house. Any fault for the “damage and pain it may have inflicted on a proud organization and a remarkable officer” is properly attributable to that organization and other officers.

DAN MARIGLIANO

Marine Corps Captain

Laguna Beach