Received an email from the OMC containing some tips and advice for my trip to GTMO.

Some Tips and Advice include:

• My travel documents (Invitational Travel Orders and Country Theater Clearance) will be emailed to me the week of April 7th.
• I need to bring five copies of each document with you while traveling to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
• REMEMBER YOUR PASSPORT!!
• Arrive at the Main Gate at AAFB no later than 0630 on April 12
• We will be staying in tents while at GTMO, so we need to bring flip-flops, or other cheap shoes, to use as it is a short walk between the tents and the showers/bathrooms.
• The tents are kept very cold to ensure wildlife remains outside. Please pack appropriately (extra blanket, warm clothes, etc.) if you are prone to being cold.

Started to develop a list that will hopefully one day be used as “Guidelines for MCOP Affiliates Before, During, and After Travel to GTMO or Ft. Meade for MC Hearings”

Finally, I emailed Judge Riley to talk about additional information for the trip.

Received news today that I passed the February 2014 Illinois Bar Examination! Spoke with Judge Riley over the phone about our upcoming trips. Also, read over some of the transcripts from previous hearings.

Since my forms were due first, I emailed Judge Riley my forms, so she was able to use them as a template in order to complete the necessary paperwork. Finished reading the Comparison of MCT v. Fed Crim. Ct. Also, read over the Charging Sheets.

Read over the Rules and Regulations of the MC. Read up on the History of the MC. Started to read the Comparison of Rights in Military Commission Trials v. Rights in Federal Criminal Court.

Worked on paperwork and made sure all the details were taken care of before I sent the forms to the OMC. Many thanks to Professor Edwards for his help in filling out the paperwork! Also, signed the IU Release form and sent it back to IU.

I received confirmation from the OMC that all the forms were correctly filled out and they have all the necessary material.

Also, I uploaded documents for the Briefing Book to Dropbox. Specifically, I uploaded the MC Act of 2009, Trial Judiciary Rules of Court, Rules of Practice, Regulation for Trial by MC, Trial Judiciary Announcements, various NY Times Articles, and significant SCOTUS Opinions.

Looked over documents on the MC website and read some NY Times Articles that deal specifically with MC and GTMO.

Emailed Professor Edwards in order to receive clarification on what some of the forms should include.

Finally, I am going to join Professor Edwards’s class via Skype, on Friday, April 11 to see Mr. Rick Kammen, al-Nashiri’s defense counsel, give a presentation.

Flight to D.C. and back is booked. I fly out of Chicago Midway on Friday, April 11 at 11am and arrive at Dulles at 1:40pm.  Return trip, I leave Dulles at 8:10pm on Friday, April 18 and arrive at Chicago Midway at 9:05pm. Love no layovers!

4/11 MID-IAD 11:00 – 1:40pm

4/18 IAD- MID 8:10 – 9:05pm

I was CONFIRMED by the Office of Military Commissions (OMC) today to travel to GTMO and observe the 9/11 hearings! Now I have 3 forms to complete before Friday, March 28. They include: NGO Ground Rules Form, Invitational Travelers Form, and Hold Harmless Agreement.

We are scheduled to depart Andrews Air Force Base (AAFB) at 10:00 AM on Saturday April 12, 2014 and will return on Friday April 18, 2014, around 1330 (1:30 PM). I need to be at Andrews Air Force Base by 0630 on Saturday morning. Hearings are scheduled to be held from April 14-17.

Also, Professor Edwards created a Dropbox called “GTMO-Shared with Jeffrey Meding” in order to store documents that are useful for the MCOP Briefing Book. I spent a good part of the day looking at various materials on the Military Commissions (MC) Website for the Briefing Book.

I received confirmation today that I was selected to be a part of the inaugural class of IU McKinney Affiliates going to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for the 9/11 hearings! I feel honored and lucky to take part in a once in a lifetime opportunity!

It is my goal to provide the IU Community and others insight into the 9/11 Hearings at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This Blog will contain my impressions before, during, and after my trip to GTMO.

Please note: Once I get Wi-Fi on my phone at GTMO, I will be uploading photos to the Blog, so be on the lookout!