An armistice occurs in war when two countries or groups decide and agree to stop fighting.  The term does not necessarily mean the war is over but rather acts as a cease fire resolution until peace treaties are formed or another type of agreement is settled upon.

Perhaps the most famous armistice in history was during World War I.  Allies and Germany agreed to cease fire until the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 on November 11.  On the same day, President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day and a two-minute pause of business was recognized at 11 a.m. 

The recognition of the historic day was adopted by France and the United Kingdom in 1920, and Congress went on to pass legislation over the next couple of days that eventually led to Veteran’s Day. 

For example, Congress declared November 11, 1921 a legal Federal holiday the month before on October 20.  The majority of states began to recognize November 11 as a legal holiday throughout the 1920s and 1930s, and Congress passed legislation on May 13, 1938 to make November 11 a recurring Federal holiday.  The federal government can only declare national holidays for federal employees, but most stated recognize Federal holidays now. 

On June 1, 1954, President Eisenhower signed legislation that changed the name of Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day.  Observance of the day was moved to the fourth Monday in October in 1968, but observance of the day was switched back to November 11 in 1978. 

Although the most famous armistice is associated with World War I, the cease fire agreements have continued throughout history.  The Korean War ended with a cease fire in 1953, and the Persian Gulf War ended on cease-fire terms on April 6, 1991. 

The conditions of cease fires have continued to change as many countries like the United States maintain troop control in countries that initially declared cease fires. 

The surprise bombing of the American naval harbor of Pearl Harbor on December  7, 1941 by the Japanese navy had many consequences, including its role in precipitating the United States' entrance into World War II. However, in legal circles, the most important results of the attack on Pearl Harbor were the justifications that the event provided for forcing Japanese and Japanese-American citizens living in the United States to be confined to so-called "relocation camps" for the duration of the war.

The results of the attack on Pearl Harbor and its impact on Japanese-American citizens began when president Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in February of 1942. This order directed the Secretary of War to declare certain areas of the country to be off limits to people of any or all ethnicities for the purposes of greater national security, specifically from preventing spies to conduct espionage. Subsequently, areas with large Japanese and Korean populations were declared to be such "military zones," requiring that these citizens be transferred to "relocation camps" for the remainder of the war. One of the results of the attack on Pearl Harbor was therefore the confinement of roughly 110,000 people for the duration of the war.

One of the results of the attack on Pearl Harbor was the Supreme Court case of Korematsu v. United States, which was heard in 1944. The subject of the case was the refusal of a Japanese-American citizen, Fred Korematsu, to leave his California residence and enter a relocation camp. In his lawsuit, Fred Korematsu charged that Executive Order 9066 was unconstitutional. The government argued that the order was constitutional because the importance of preventing espionage.

In a majority opinion in favor of the government, the Supreme Court concurred that the importance of protecting America from foreign invasion and attack was greater than the importance of respecting Fred Korematsu's constitutional rights. It therefore found that the creation of military zones was constitutionally valid.

One of the results of the attack on Pearl Harbor was that these relocation camps were maintained until January 1945, when their residents were permitted to return to their homes. In 1976, president Gerald Ford issued Proclamation 4417, which officially put an end to Executive Order 9066. Another of the results of the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred in 1980, when president Jimmy Carter ordered a study of the effects of these relocation camps. When completed two years earlier, the study concluded that the relocation camps were unjustifiable and that survivors were entitled to $20,000 apiece as compensation. These payments finally began to be issued in 1990 but were only issued to Japanese-American citizens.

The case of Korematsu v. United States was never officially overturned by another Supreme Court ruling. However, Fred Korematsu was successfully in obtaining an overturning of his conviction during the 1980s. The results of the attack on Pearl Harbor have not extended to attempts to establish new relocation camps during a state of war.

66th Military Intelligence Brigade

The 66th Military Intelligence Brigade is a military brigade unit of the American military which reports and acts under the supervision of the army's Intelligence and Security Command. The purpose of the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade is to provide support to soldiers operating in the field of combat. Previously, the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade was a unit devoted solely to work in the field of gathering intelligence and counter intelligence. Founded in 1986, it was shut down in 1995, then reactivated in 2002.

One of the controversies which the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade has been involved with concerns the torture and death of Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib facility established by the army following the invasion of Iraq. Among the facilities and groups operating at Abu Ghraib was the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center. By the end of December 2003, the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade was one of six military battalions and groups operating at the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center. At this time, the total number of personnel stationed was 160, including 45 soldiers acting solely as interrogators and 18 acting as linguists or translators.

The Abu Ghraib concerned a wide range of misconduct committed by American soldiers, documented in videos and still photographs which became public in 2004. The 66th Military Intelligence Brigade was implicated in several of these instances, either through active participating in inhumane interrogations or by witnessing inhumane acts committed against detainees. These incidents were documented in internal army investigations, although the names of the soldiers were omitted.

For example, one incident reported concerns the November 2003 interrogation of an Iraqi policeman. A member of the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade witnessed a civilian contractor using his hand to restrict the policeman's breathing and twisting the policeman's arm behind his back. The witnessing member left the interrogation cell when the contractor told the detainee that he knew how to torture detainees without leaving any physical marks as evidence. The witnessing member of the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade did not report the event. This member of the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade also saw another civilian contractor threatening another detainee with torture and coercive interrogation if they did not cooperate during interrogation.

Another incident reported concerns a soldier who was aware of multiple acts of soldier misconduct. In addition to witnessing a soldier slapping a detainee, this member of the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade stripped a detainee naked and then forced him to walk naked from his interrogation booth to another location outside during a cold winter night. This soldier also ordered the abuse of prisoners. This soldier also was aware that military members were taking photographs of detainees. This soldier was also aware of another incident in which a soldier forced a detainee to take a cold shower, roll in the dirt, and then stand naked outside until dry.

Any court martials taken against members of the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade have not been made public.

Marc S Restucci was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W Payson on November 8, 2012 for filing a fake military discharge certificate.  He received two years of probation.  

The facts of the case were presented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring.  He stated that Restucci initially made a claim for VA Disability Benefits when he was never entitled to the benefits in the first place.  After the claim was denied by the VA, he filed more false documents with the VA.  

He submitted a fake DD-214-Certificate of Discharge that referred to combat and awards in the 1983 invasion of Grenada called Operation Urgent Fury.  He also filed fake documents that stated he received a Purple Heart Medal for wounds related to combat.  

It didn’t take long for agencies to know the documents were false.  The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Inspector General determined that Restucci never saw combat in Operation Urgent Furry, never stepped foot in Grenada, and never saw hostile activity during his time in the military.  

Restucci was initially arrested for violating the Stolen Valor Act after he submitted a document with a forged signature and notary seal related to the Purple Heart Medal.  The Stolen Valor Act is a federal crime for falsely claiming a medal issued under the Congress for the Armed Forces of the United States.  However, the United States Supreme Court found that the Stolen Valor Act was unconstitutional according to the First Amendment in June of 2012 in the case United States v. Alvarez.  Prosecution for that part of the case was thrown out, and Restucci received lesser sentence.  

The investigation was led by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation