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Lew's father, Allen Lew, testified during the sentencing hearing that his son wanted to join the Marines because he felt it was "the best." He said was shocked to hear about his son's death, and his legs buckled when Marines came to his house at 7:30 a.m. with the news in April. "My son died -- I have only one son," Lew said. He said he doesn't understand how Marines could do the things they did to their own. Chu, D-Calif., attended the hearing. "I want to make sure that there is justice for Harry. And I want to support these brave persons, his parents," she told reporters beforehand. The attorney representing Johns said he was concerned the presence of a politician will taint the process and interfere with justice. "How do I get a fair jury? What implicit message is she trying to send to those panel members?" said Tim Bilecki, a defense attorney who specializes in military clients. Chu said that wouldn't be the case. "I'm not going to be saying anything in the trial. All I'm doing is being here. I'm here for the family to support them," she said. The case involves the actions of Marines at an isolated patrol base the U.S. was establishing to disrupt Taliban drug and weapons trafficking in Helmand province. Squad members and officers had tried different methods to get him to stay awake, including referring him up the chain of command for discipline and taking him off patrols so he could get more rest. But on Lew's last night, when he fell asleep again, those efforts escalated into alleged acts of violence and humiliation, according to the charges. The Marines were accused of punching and kicking him, making him do push-ups and pouring sand in his face. A central issue in the case has been whether the Marines intended to humiliate and harm Lew or discipline him so he would stop falling asleep while on watch duty. Before Lew put the muzzle of his machine gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger, he scrawled a note on his arm: "May hate me now, but in the long run this was the right choice I'm sorry my mom deserves the truth.
[Associated
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