On Tuesday, December 22, 2020, President Donald Trump granted pardons to Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nick Slatten, and Paul Slough, four Blackwater contractors who were found guilty in connection with a so-called massacre that occurred in Nisour Square, Baghdad, in 2007.
Civilian deaths occurred at Nisour, a busy traffic circle, but the Blackwater men, who were escorting a U.S. Embassy convoy, say they were responding to a perceived threat, possibly a car bomb.
A new book by Gina Keating entitled, “Raven 23, How the Department of Justice Betrayed American Heroes,” has been released, and the story is starting to make the rounds once more. This time, the entire account of the injustice they endured is laid bare for all to see.
In an interview with American Family News, Heard, Slough, and Slatten express their satisfaction about having their entire story recounted with every intricate detail. For the members of the Raven 23 tactical support team, it’s not only a component of healing, but also another chance to expose how the justice system was weaponized against them.
(From left, Nick Slatten, Dustin Heard, Paul Slough. Photo by Christin Slough.)
Heard admitted to AFN that he eagerly anticipates the day when he can leave this experience in the past and continue with his life. But at the same time, he expressed tremendous gratitude for his supporters throughout all these years. “Had we not shared out story, people would have never understood what was done to us,” he noted. “In silence, people would never hear the truth.”
“For a lot of years,” he said, “people have drawn a lot of negative conclusions about us, but as they learn more about what we actually experienced and not what the media has told them, maybe they’ll change that opinion.”
Slough addressed the unfavorable opinions, explaining “we were the whipping boy for political failures. He explained, “We were the scapegoat used to absolve the sins of others, while nearly everyone pushed the narrative that we were just bad guys being put away—and the media carried that water for them.”
“We as citizenry are to hold these kinds of people and our government accountable, not the other way around,” offered Slough. “It doesn’t matter whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, the weaponization of our judicial system and the media against people we don’t like should never be a fear of our citizenry.”
“We’re at that point in history where we can’t let the tide turn where men like Charlie Kirk lose their life for speaking truth,” he added.
Slatten: Don't forget Gibbs
For Slatten and Slough, the recently published book represents yet another chapter in a life where God is in complete control.
Above all, Slatten hopes his experiences will be an example to show others that “if you put your faith in Jesus, anything is possible.” It didn’t take him long to shift the attention away from himself to focus on another, and that is, Calvin Gibbs.
In 2011, former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Gibbs was found guilty of three counts of premeditated murder during a combat deployment to Afghanistan and received a life sentence, a situation Slatten contends is unjust.
According to Slatten, who has had several exchanges with Gibbs, Gibbs was fired upon, and he fired back. “The bare facts are that he killed a member of the Taliban and he’s serving a life sentence for it,” he lamented.
He hopes that one day, sooner rather than later, Gibbs will receive a presidential pardon just as he did. “It’ll provide another chance to demonstrate that God's influence is at work,” he asserted.
