A story of a Marine who won the war, lost the peace

Jose Guerena died with his rifle in his hand

Jose Guerena served two tours in Iraq as a member of a violent organization – the U.S. Marine Corps – and came home from his war victorious.

In his home, he lost the War On Drugs on a bright May morning in the year 2011.

He lived the final moments of his life – which lasted for 26 years – with his rifle in his hands.

According to the Sheriff of Pima County, Arizona, under whose command the SWAT team that gunned the Marine down in the entrance hallway to his home near Tucson, the safety was engaged on Mr. Guerena's AR-15 when the bullets cut him down.

His wife and 4-year-old child were in the home at the time of his death.

They were hiding in a closet.

The SWAT team was there to serve a no knock arrest and search warrant. They were looking for marijuana.

There was no marijuana to be found in the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Guerena. They had a large amount of cash money in their home.

Newsmen quoted Sheriff Dupnik of Pima County about the matter. He said Mr. Guerena was a known member of a violent organization.

Richard Mack, former Sheriff of Graham County, Arizona, is on record saying it might be time to review the shooting policies of the SWAT team – in fact, the entire “war on drugs.”

Apparently, Mr. Guerena was a man who could be considered innocent.

Innocent of what?

He was innocent of the allegations of complaint contained in the affidavit used to obtain a warrant of search and a warrant of arrest from a local magistrate in Pima County, Arizona. He had no marijuana.

He was innocent of living with his rifle in his hands, innocent of attempting to defend his wife and child, innocent of serving in a violent organization known as the U.S. Marine Corps, innocent of possessing a large amount of cash money in his home, and innocent of any charges yet to be voiced against him by a magistrate.

At the moment of his death, Mr. Guerena was an innocent man.

No officer of the law had at that time proven any violation of the law had occurred.

No actual charge had yet been lodged against the name of Jose Guerena of the United States Marine Corps.

No grand jury had returned a true bill of indictment.

In a speech before cheering students at the University of Iowa, U.S. Representative Ron Paul, an independent candidate running for the Presidential nomination on the Republican ticket, said of Mr. Guerena, the dead Marine, “He had nothing in his house. What are we doing to ourselves?...Right now, I fear for the destruction of my liberty and your liberty from domestic threats.”

Semper fi, Mac. You did the right thing, Jose Guerena.

Adios, amigo.