Before he is forgotten by the media, a few good words should be said about Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt. After all, he was on the receiving end of a great many malicious and defamatory ones.

Cpl. Sharratt was involved in a firefight at the town of Haditha in Nov. 2005. Later, there were allegations civilians were killed in the town. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., declared at a press conference, "our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

The Los Angeles Times ran an editorial titled, "What happened at the Iraqi My Lai?" Actually, calling this incident a My Lai indicates the editors had already made up their minds about what happened.

Cpl. Sharratt was as innocent as the three Duke Lacrosse players. While originally charged with murder, the court quickly found out Cpl. Sharratt was only defending himself.

An editorial in Investor’s Business Daily summed up the incident: "The facts as revealed clearly demonstrate that the incident was part of a planned ambush by insurgents that used civilians as human shields, and that despite the claims of Rep. Murtha and his media allies, this was not murder but the tragic result of a firefight in which U.S. Marines were honorably defending themselves.

"Now, the truth also is undergoing a surge."

Alas, just as many in the mainstream media were prepared to condemn the Duke Lacrosse players, they were equally prepared to condemn American soldiers such as Cpl, Sharratt without waiting for facts or verification.

Because of his fondness for earmarks, Rep. Murtha has earned the nickname "King of Corruption."

The Pennsylvania congressman has not yet apologized to Cpl. Sharratt. It seems Rep. Murtha’s corruption extends to more than financial misdeeds.