33 Facts About Ilario Pantano

Ilario Gregory Pantano was born on August 28,1971 and is a former United States Marine Corps second lieutenant.

Ilario Pantano has been an author, a television commentator, and served as a deputy sheriff in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Ilario Pantano was a Republican Party nominee for the US House of Representatives in 2010.

Ilario Pantano came to national attention when he was accused of premeditated murder in the killing of two Iraqi captives, during a unit mission near Fallujah, Iraq on April 15,2004.

An article 32 hearing found no credible evidence or testimony for the accusation and declined to prosecute Ilario Pantano, dropping all charges.

Ilario Pantano was born in New York City and grew up in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.

Ilario Pantano's father, Benito, was an Italian immigrant, and his mother, Merry, a literary agent, is a native of Salina, Kansas.

Ilario Pantano attended the private Horace Mann High School in New York City on scholarship.

Ilario Pantano worked as an energy trader for Goldman Sachs.

Ilario Pantano married Jill Chapman, a fashion model and entrepreneur who had appeared in Vogue Italia.

Ilario Pantano served in the US Marine Corps during the Persian Gulf War as a TOW gunner.

Ilario Pantano completed Scout Sniper training, and was promoted to Sergeant, remaining in the Marine Corps until 1993.

Ilario Pantano's apartment was next to a fire station where eleven firemen, four of whom were former Marines, perished in the attacks.

Ilario Pantano was accepted to Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant upon completion.

Ilario Pantano was a popular officer and his superiors described him as the best platoon commander in his battalion.

Ilario Pantano's men reported that they appreciated the extra training drills he put them through.

Ilario Pantano went to Iraq in February 2004 with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines.

Ilario Pantano ordered his men to stop the vehicle and to have the occupants of the vehicle handcuffed.

Lieutenant Ilario Pantano remained with the captives, while the rest of his platoon secured the compound.

When Ilario Pantano learned that the compound contained weapons, he ordered Sergeant Daniel Coburn and Corpsman George Gobles to watch for enemies.

Ilario Pantano then released the captives from their bonds so they could search the vehicle again more thoroughly.

In June 2004, Sergeant Coburn, whom Ilario Pantano had previously demoted, registered a complaint about the incident, triggering a Naval Criminal Investigative Service probe.

On February 1,2005, Ilario Pantano was charged with two counts of premeditated murder, and faced the death penalty if convicted.

Ilario Pantano acknowledged leaving a sign on a car above the corpses that said, "No better friend, No worse enemy," but then returned to remove it after one of his colleagues called it 'inappropriate'.

Navy Corpsman George Gobles was present but did not witness the danger Lieutenant Ilario Pantano reported, because he was looking outwards, as ordered.

Ilario Pantano later stated when he turned back he saw the Iraqis trying to run away.

Ilario Pantano described seeing the vehicle being searched by other Marines, including the removal of its seats.

Ilario Pantano described seeing the corpses of the captives, following the shooting, face down, with the heads and torsos in the vehicle and their knees resting on the ground, as if Pantano shot the captives in the back while they were kneeling facing the vehicle.

Sergeant M and Petty Officer 3rd Class George Gobles, the Navy corpsman attached to Ilario Pantano's platoon, both testified that Ilario Pantano was a good leader who frequently made himself available to the Iraqi people.

Ilario Pantano's testimony regarding the shooting incident were corroborated by the forensic evidence discovered in the process of exhuming the bodies and the subsequent autopsies.

Ilario Pantano received support from internet websites and organizations which specialize in supporting the troops.

Ilario Pantano received backing from certain talk radio personalities, specifically Michael Savage who spent day after day raising awareness of Pantano's situation and even conducted several interviews with Pantano and his family.

Ilario Pantano was named assistant secretary for the North Carolina State Division of Veterans Affairs in 2013.