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Camp Schwab
Court Martial Defense
At Bilecki Law Group, We believe every service member has earned their right to an aggressive defense on their day in court. We specialize in taking the fight to the prosecution and winning cases that others said were unwinnable.
Home Locations Japan Military Attorney Camp Schwab
Camp Schwab Marines Facing Court Martial Need To Get Ready For A Fight
Eleanor Roosevelt was once famously quoted as saying “The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!” Here at Bilecki, we can’t help but echo those comments by the famed first lady as we have successfully defended some of the finest Marines in the world for doing some of the weirdest things. Legal things, but still weird at times. You have got to love the Marines and lord knows we’ll need them in the fight for this nation’s future. Unfortunately, there has been a strong local opposition to the Marines presence in Okinawa for many decades and this has often led to Marines being severely punished for the most minor infractions on or off base. Marines facing investigation or court martial out of Okinawa simply cannot hope for mercy or leniency. Their only course of action to fight court martial on Okinawa is the same course of action needed when the Marines took the island in 1945. Fight like hell and give up nothing. If we can borrow a few minutes of your time, we’ll show you just what we mean.
You Must Fight A Military Court Martial Until The Bitter End
Let’s just take the namesake of Camp Schwab, Marine Albert E. Schwab, and use his acts of inexplicably gallantry as our example. On May 7th, 1945, Schwab was hooking and jabbing with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines on the island of Okinawa. Manning the dreaded flamethrower, Schwab took note that his company was pinned down by a seemingly unapproachable machine gun position nestled high upon a ridge when he took his step into military history.
Heavy flamethrower and all, Schwab took it upon himself to scale the face of the ridge under heavy fire to offer the Japanese a one man personal cooking class. Somehow Schwab made it up the ridge unscathed and rained down fire upon the machine gun position. Unfortunately, a 2nd machine gun position revealed itself and opened up on Schwab and the Marines. Despite being almost out of fuel, Schwab made another one man assault.
Pumping his flamethrower to empty, Schwab incinerated the Japanese position with his last ounce of fuel. Sadly, with their last burst of machine gun fire, they mortally wounded this gallant Marine. The Marine Corps would go on to take the island and Schwab’s name would live on in Okinawa through the legacy of Camp Schwab.
How To Fight Back Against Misuse And Abuse Of The UCMJ
If you want to know how to fight back against a military court martial, you just take a page from Schwab’s playbook. That is, you fight until the bitter end, and you cede nothing to those trying to destroy your life. You take the fight to them and that is exactly what you must do with the military justice system. Look, you might even love the Marine Corps, but you cannot coexist with a military justice system that is out to destroy you. Below, you’ll find just a few of the cases that we defend out of Camp Schwab and we think you’ll see that like Schwab, we don’t scare easily.
- UCMJ Article 120 or Article 134 (Sex Offenses) – These cases can include rape, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, abusive sexual contact, sexual assault of a minor, indecent viewing, indecent recording, forcible pandering, indecent exposure, and other Article 120 and Article 120(c) offenses. The military is currently under heavy pressure to root out sexual assault in the ranks and Marines at Camp Schwab are not exception.
The problem is with the way this campaign is being executed. Allegations are being treated as fact and a mere rumor without any substantiation is enough to destroy a Marine’s career. We support victims seeking justice, but what is happening to innocent men and women during this campaign is not justice. Marines, if you are accused you are going to have to fight back because guilt is the current presumption when a charge is made. - UCMJ Article 121 (Fraud and Larceny) – We defend cases such as conspiracy to defraud the military, BAH fraud, OHA fraud, extortion, larceny, wrongful appropriation, and more. The Marines have a saying that “gear adrift is a gift” and at Camp Schwab, there are some Marines who operate like its Christmas all year long.
However, there is also another saying in the Marine Corps that there is only one thief in the Marine Corps, everyone else is just getting their stuff back. Meaning, there is always more to the story. The same is true with BAH fraud or any other financial incident which brings about charges. You can fight back and you can win. - UCMJ Article 128 (Assault and Violent Crime) – We represent service members facing charges including murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, assault, and cases involving self-defense and defense of another. Just like Marines do some weird things, Marines also fight. It’s just what they do and that’s not going to change.
Unfortunately for Marines out of Camp Schwab, when it’s off base with a civilian it becomes an international incident. Not to mention that when a makeshift weapon like a pool cue or beer bottle gets involved, charges can escalate quickly. However, it shouldn’t end a Marine’s career and we’ll fight to keep you in the fight. - UCMJ Article 112a (Drug Crimes) – We defend cases involving drug possession, drug distribution, drug importation, drug manufacturing, drug trafficking, positive urinalysis cases, tampering with urinalysis cases, and more. These cases often involve illegal controlled substances such as marijuana, LSD, methamphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy, molly, opioids, analogues, and more.
Look, the Japanese are tough on drug crimes. Personally, we wouldn’t want to be caught with so much as a joint on Japanese territory. However, local Japanese, civilians and contractors on Okinawa use them and quite often, they are more than happy to get a Marine in trouble with them. These are serious charges and you’ll need to put together a staunch military court martial defense if you want to avoid the worst outcome. - Punitive Articles of the UCMJ 77-134 (Military Specific Offenses) – These include charges such as fraternization, unauthorized absence (AWOL), disobeying a lawful order, conduct unbecoming an officer, and much more. Look, we understand the UCMJ has a purpose and when wielded with integrity, it enforces good order and military discipline.
However, at Camp Schwab, the desire to control Marine’s behavior is so strong that offenses which wouldn’t see the light of day elsewhere get charged here. The Marines are so worried about bad press and public sentiment on Okinawa that they will absolutely destroy you over minor violations of the UCMJ.
Even When You’ve Messed Up You Still Have To Fight Back Against The UCMJ
The thing that we want Marines out of Camp Schwab to understand is that even if you admittedly messed up, you still get to fight back. Don’t admit that to the investigators, but the fact that you have run afoul of the UCMJ does not mean your life has to be destroyed. We see far too many Marines who think that because they violated one aspect of the UCMJ that they have to plead guilty to everything the military justice system throws at them.
You could be an NCO who made a questionable decision getting involved with the new Lance Corporal at Camp Schwab. But let’s be clear, that doesn’t automatically brand you as a rapist. Maybe you did crack some contractor in a bar across the face, but it is also true that you may have been defending others from hostility. Indeed, you might have gone out with the Regimental CO’s daughter and jokingly convinced her that performing the “Chesty Puller” was some sort of act that would make her father proud. But she was of legal age and you didn’t do anything illegal. If you are charged, fight back.
Bilecki Law Group Will Fight For Your Career, Freedom, and Retirement
The team here at Bilecki flies all over the world to defend honorable personnel in such scenarios and we’ve gotten our boots on the ground in Okinawa over 75 times. We know how to take the fight straight to the heart of the military justice system and put together an aggressive defense. We don’t care how many stars on the shoulder of the prosecution’s witnesses, we will shred them to pieces during cross-examination.
Namesake and founder, Tim Bilecki, understands the military justice system as he spent years with the Army as a senior defense counsel. He also knows how stacked that system is against the defense. It’s not like you can just run out into town on Okinawa and find a local competent defense that will defend a Marine with the same vigor. That’s why we fly all over the world to defend our Marines and that’s why we’ll fight for you. If you are facing investigation, get us into that fight now. If you are facing court martial, get us into that fight now before it’s too late.
Facing an Allegation?
Contact Bilecki Law Group
Timothy James Bilecki
Military law attorney
- tbilecki@bileckilawgroup.com
- Tampa, FL 33602
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FAQs About Military Court Martial Defense In Japan
Sexual assault offenses may have declined slightly in recent years, but they are still one of the most common criminal offenses on Okinawa and throughout the Pacific. The possession, use, and distribution of drugs such as spice are also prevalent. In addition to these, BAH and OHA fraud are also somewhat common.
“If you play the game by their rules and on their battlefield, you’ve got an exceptionally low chance of winning. Don’t play by their rules. Give them the last thing they were looking for... a FIGHT!”
- Timothy J. Bilecki
your path to legal defense
Get in Touch
- tbilecki@bileckilawgroup.com
- 813-669-3500
- Bilecki Law Group, PLLC, 601 S. Harbour Island BLVD, Suite 109 Tampa, FL 33602