Monday is Memorial Day, a holiday set-aside to honor and remember those who men and women have fallen defending the United States.

But not all soldiers fall due to combat. In the final years of the Obama administration, there were a number of military men who fell to political correctness.

Since 2014, I have told you the story of Army First Lieutenant Clint Lorance. This soldier is currently serving a 19-year sentence in Leavenworth for a shooting in Afghanistan that left two civilians dead.

Let’s take a step back for a second… It all started when Lt. Lorance was leading his platoon on a patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Kandahar has been one of the most dangerous regions in Afghanistan for our troops. The platoon was walking down the street and all of a sudden, three motorcyclists began barreling towards them.

Lorance ordered his men to open fire, ultimately killing two of the motorcyclists. The third man fled on foot. After searching the bodies, no weapons of any kind were found. That led to a court-martial and 1st Lt. Lorance was ultimately sentenced to prison for killing “unarmed” men.

However, new evidence was introduced that proves the motorcyclists did have terrorist ties. There was biometric evidence connecting them to multiple roadside bombings in the area. This calls into question whether there actually was a plot to harm these soldiers…

What is even worse is it seems that the government knew this all along and deliberately withheld this evidence during Lorance’s trial. That's right. They withheld evidence during the trial.

With President Trump now in office, Lt. Lorance’s Family and Congressman Duncan Hunter are making a last-ditch push for clemency and they need your help!

Raise your voice! Help this Army Officer get the clemency he deserves!

During Lorance’s court-martial, a lot was made of the fact that no weapons were discovered on the bodies of the Afghans that were killed.

But what about the third motorcyclist who fled on foot? Given the evidence we have now – that the motorcyclists had ties to known terrorists – how could anyone possibly say that these three men were completely innocent? How do we know that the third perpetrator wasn’t the one carrying a gun or bomb?

But there is one thing that is certain. First Lieutenant Clint Lorance shouldn’t have to spend 18 more years in prison because he tried to protect his men from a legitimate threat. He shouldn't be behind bars for simply doing his job.

Lorance was only in control of this platoon for three days before the shooting. He took over because the platoon’s previous officer was injured. When he took that leadership position, he made a promise to his men that he would do everything in his power to get them home safe. So when he saw this threat down, he made the split second decision to engage them.

I will never know what it is like to operate in a war zone and be charged with protecting a platoon of men. But I do know that if the government was complicit in deliberately withholding vital evidence, then this injustice MUST be righted!

Lorance’s family tried to go through the official channels, yet the Army completely disregarded this new evidence and upheld Lt. Lorance’s conviction. Now it is time for We the People to get involved!

Force Congress to intervene and pressure President Trump to grant Lieutenant Clint Lorance clemency!

As we have said in the past, the lieutenant’s lawyer contends that new biometric evidence proves that the three motorcyclists were in fact tied to known terrorist organizations.

What is even worse is the accusation that the government knew this and covered it up. They knew that the motorcyclists’ fingerprints had been found on disarmed roadside bombs. Instead of presenting this evidence at trial, they perpetuated the narrative that these were "innocent" civilians. That is simply shameful.

No one is denying that Lieutenant Lorance ordered his men to open fire on the oncoming motorcycle. But protecting his men shouldn’t be a crime, especially not one that carries a 19-year sentence in Leavenworth.

Do you want to know what is just ridiculous? Lieutenant Lorance is being held in the same prison as Nidal Hassan, the Fort Hood shooter. Think about that for a second… How is that justice?

This weekend, we honor those men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for this country. Lieutenant Clint Lorance did what he did to send his men home safe to their families. He wanted to make sure that when their families celebrated Memorial Day, they could do so by barbecuing and not mourning their loss.

And now he is rotting away in prison. It's shameful.

Let your voice be heard! Tell your Congressman and Senators to help free this imprisoned Army officer!

Sincerely,

Joe Otto

Conservative Daily