A view of the White House from the western corner of the South Lawn is seen Sept. 5, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — Fifteen military veterans who were convicted of nonviolent crimes, including drug offenses, were granted pardons by President Joe Biden on Thursday.
The veterans served in the Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard and will see their convictions wiped out alongside 24 others who were pardoned as Biden prepares to hand over power to President-elect Donald Trump in January.
Nearly 1,500 people also received commutations in what the White House called the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history. Many of the pardons were for people who committed offenses long ago and had “turned their lives around.”
“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances,” Biden said.
It is customary for a president to grant clemency at the end of his term to relieve a person of guilt or punishment in the case of a pardon or to commute a sentence.
Among those receiving a pardon is 67-year-old Michael Gary Pelletier of Augusta, Maine, who served in the Coast Guard for 14 years and participated in nearly 800 search and rescue operations, saving 32 lives. He was honorably discharged and later served in the Coast Guard Reserve.
Three veterans of the Vietnam War are also getting pardons: Kim Douglas Haman, 75, of Lima, Ohio; Russell Thomas Portner, 74, of Toutle, Wash., and James Russell Stidd, 79, of Groveport, Ohio.
Haman earned the U.S. Army Commendation Medal and the Bronze Star during his service in the Army and was honorably discharged. Portner also earned the Bronze Star from the Army before being honorably discharged.
Stidd served in the Air Force after pleading guilty to a non-violent offense at the age of 20 and was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant. He then reenlisted and served for another four years, including in the Vietnam War, and left the military as a staff sergeant.
Four other veterans who were convicted of non-violent offenses in their 20s are also receiving pardons: Brandon Sergio Castroflay, 49, of Alexandria, Va.; Gregory S. Ekman, 58, of Fountain Valley, Calif.; Nathaniel David Reed III, 46, of San Antonio, Texas, and Jose Antonio Rodriguez, 55, of Coral Springs, Fla.
Castroflay continued his career in the Army after completing his sentence and later went on to work as a civilian for the Army and Air Force. Ekman served in the Air Force, receiving several awards, and Rodriguez served in the Navy, earning the Achievement Medal and other commendations.
Reed, who was convicted of non-violent offenses at 21, served in the Air Force for two decades after his conviction and frequently deployed overseas. He retired at the rank of master sergeant and has used his experience overcoming the stigma of conviction to help mentor fellow airmen, according to the White House.
Other veterans who were pardoned:
•Duran Arthur Brown, 44, of Cleveland. He is a Navy veteran who earned several medals and awards, and following an honorable discharge served in the Navy Reserve.
•Paul John Garcia, 72, of Las Vegas. He served in the Navy, receiving the National Defense Service Medal and other awards.
•Edwin Allen Jones, 60, of Paducah, Ky. He served in the Army and was honorably discharged with the rank of captain.
•Jamal Lee King, 53, of North Ridgeville, Ohio. He is an Army veteran who received the National Defense Service Medal and other awards before being honorably discharged.
•Jerry Donald Manning, 70, of Sun Prairie, Wis. An Army veteran, he earned a medal during Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War and was honorably discharged.
•Gary Michael Robinson, 70, of Redmond, Ore. He served in the Army, earning the National Defense Service Medal and other awards, and later served as a reservist for several years.
•James Edgar Yarbrough, 79, of Arlington, Tenn. He is a decorated Air Force veteran who earned more than a dozen medals and awards, including the Purple Heart Medal, an award given to those wounded or killed in service. He was honorably discharged at the rank of captain.
