Charles Gittins

Charles Gittins
Born	1956 (age 54–55)
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1976-1995
Other work	Lawyer who specializes in military cases

Charles Gittins is an American lawyer, who was worked for a number of noteworthy defendants in military courts martial.^{[1][not in citation given]}

Gittins attended the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 1979. He joined the Marine Corps where he served as a Radio Intercept Officer.^{[1][not in citation given]}

Gittins graduated first in his class from The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law in 1987 and was in the Judge Advocate Corps for six years, before entering civilian life.^{[1][not in citation given]} The first civilian firm Gittins worked for was Williams & Connolly.^{[citation needed]} While there he defended Robert E. Stumpf, Commander of the Blue Angels, and one of the principals in the Tailhook scandal.^[2] He spent three and a half years there before founding his own firm.^{[citation needed]}

Clients

Notable clients

Lieutenant Ilario Pantano	United States Marine Corps who was cleared of shooting two unarmed Iraqi captives, then desecrating their bodies in order "to send a message".[3]
Specialist Charles Graner	Military Police reservist involved in the Abu Ghraib scandal.[4]
Major Harry "Psycho" Schmidt	Former instructor from the United States Navy's TOPGUN school who bombarded a platoon of Canadians in Afghanistan, even though he had been directed to hold his fire.[5]
Commander Scott Waddle	Captain of the USS Greeneville, after his submarine negligently did a power surface, right under the Ehime Maru, a Japanese research vessel (see Ehime Maru and USS Greeneville collision).[6]
Corporal Dustin Berg	Shot his Iraqi partner, an Iraqi police officer, then shot himself with his partner's gun. Berg claimed his partner attacked him first, and Berg returned fire in self defense. Berg later recanted this version of events and pleaded guilty to negligent homicide, self injury, and false swearing.[citation needed]
Private Edward L. Richmond	Shot an unarmed, bound prisoner in the back of the head. He was represented at trial by a military defense counsel.[7][not in citation given]
Captain Christopher M. Beiring	Commanded troops at the Bagram Theater Internment Facility who beat two Afghani captives to death with "compliance blows".[citation needed]

See also

	Biography portal
	United States Marine Corps portal

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Rudy Socha, Carolyn Butler Darrow (2005). "Above & Beyond: Former Marines Conquer The Civilian World". Turner Publishing Company. pp. 89–90. ISBN 9781596520400. http://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=YQ3y_u7OSTMC&oi=fnd&pg=PA6&dq=%22Charles+Gittins%22++military+law&ots=ZhIdCYhF-H&sig=LrbyuGwLzLAkasODbFwI8CtgFWI#v=onepage&q=Gittins&f=false. Retrieved 2010-10-. 
2. ^ William H. McMichael (1997). The mother of all hooks: the story of the U.S. Navy's Tailhook Scandal. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 9781560002932. http://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=MyEWZs4m2WQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=%22Charles+Gittins%22++military+law&ots=MgUWna-cux&sig=3uqSVdAwkbYJ-tsWEatAHOu1lDw#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-10-16. 
3. ^ Marines advised to drop charges, Washington Times, March 14, 2005
4. ^ Graner refuses to testify in other Abu Ghraib trials, Washington Times, March 16, 2005
5. ^ U.S. 'friendly fire' pilot suing air force, CBC, July 8, 2004^{[dead link]}
6. ^ Waddle testifies he's truly sorry: The sub commander is denied immunity but says testifying is the right thing to do, Honolulu Star Bulletin, March 20, 2001
7. ^ Schofield soldier filing appeal, Honolulu Advertiser, October 3, 2005

Persondata
Name	Gittins, Charles
Alternative names
Short description	American lawyer
Date of birth	1956
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death