The U.S. Marine Corps has exonerated seven officers that the military branch wrongfully accused of killing women and children during a 2007 firefight with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

“A local Marine, wrongly convicted in the court of public opinion, has finally been exonerated,” reports Kansas’ FOX4 news. “Major Fred Galvin and six others were wrongly accused of killing women and children in Afghanistan in 2007.”

Rep. Walter Jones Jr. (R-NC), who has been working to clear the Marines of any wrongdoing for nearly a decade, applauded the Marine Corps for publicly exonerating them.

In a press release, the congressman’s office notes:

In December of 2017, Congressman Jones wrote to Marine Corps Commandant Robert Neller and asked him to take a fresh look at the case. The commandant reviewed the matter, and in January, responded with a letter exonerating Fox Company. The letter affirmed the finding of the 2008 Court of Inquiry and clearly states that the Marines “acted in accordance with the applicable operations order, the rules of engagement, and the law of armed conflict; and that the Marines’ actions on that day ‘reflected sound military judgement.’”

“The psychological turmoil has really forced a lot of our Marines, three [of the seven] in particular, into some very dark places,” Maj. Galvin told FOX4, referring to the false allegations.

Marine Commandant Neller noted in the letter that the military branch will ensure the affected officers receive adequate care and support.

“These men have been to hell and back,” proclaimed Congressman Jones. “They were bravely serving their country, only to have their personal and professional lives ruined by misinformation and poor timing. I very much appreciate General Neller and his staff for taking a look at this case and reiterating that these men did nothing wrong on March 4, 2007.”

In March 2007, Taliban jihadists attacked Galvin’s company, known as the Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC).

The Marines retaliated when they came under attack by a suicide bomber and other Taliban terrorists.

“A car bomb detonated in front of our second vehicle, sending the gunner down from the blast,” explained Galvin. “It was a van full of explosives and shrapnel.”

When the Marines returned to their base, they encountered a false narrative accusing them murdering 19 women and children.

The allegations reached the Marine’s top brass. Even after the 2008 military inquiry cleared the warriors, the mainstream media continued to describe them as murderers.

The “MARSOC 7,” as the seven Marines came to be known, spent more than a decade under a cloud of suspicion.

Although the 2008 military inquiry technically cleared Maj. Galvin and another member of the “MARSOC 7,” the military never explicitly declared them innocent.

“This week, at the urging of Congress, the Commandant of the Marine Corps finally corrected the record, saluting the MARSOC 7 for the military judgment on that March day in 2007,” notes Fox4. “Now, Galvin would like to see all seven of the Marines receive a newly approved MARSOC Marine Raider insignia in a public ceremony.”