CAMP PENDLETON -- Supporters of Marines accused of criminal wrongdoing in Iraq rallied at Camp Pendleton on Thursday, cheering the father of a key witness in one of the cases as he ended a 1,400-mile motorcycle ride designed to heighten public awareness of ongoing prosecutions.

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"It's a shame that we are doing these things," Donald Dinsmore told about two dozen people holding protest signs at the base's main gate. "The prosecution is wrong."

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The 63-year-old Dinsmore is the father of Capt. Jeff Dinsmore, who was the intelligence officer for the base's 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment when 24 Iraqi civilians were killed in Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005.

The elder Dinsmore began his ride in Seattle last weekend, stopping along the way and making several side trips into towns and cities to meet with other supporters.

Jeff Dinsmore is not accused of any wrongdoing, but has been called to testify in three hearings that have been held thus far for the seven Marines accused of crimes in connection with the Haditha incident.

Dinsmore said he got an e-mail from his son, who is currently on deployment in Fallujah, Iraq. The note teased him about being sore from his motorcycle ride.

"He said his butt is also sore from sitting in a Humvee all the time," Donald Dinsmore said.

The elder Dinsmore was joined at the rally by his other Marine son, Sgt. Daniel Dinsmore, a member of Camp Pendleton's Amphibious Assault School Battalion.

"I think it is a tribute to what the American people really feel -- I think the American people support us being in Iraq," Daniel Dinsmore said.

Daniel Dinsmore also said he believes a majority do not look favorably on the Haditha prosecutions or the government's case against another group of Camp Pendleton Marines for the slaying of a retired Iraqi policeman in April 2006 in the village of Hamdania.

Five of the eight men charged in the Hamdania case reached plea deals and were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 12 months to eight years.

One of the defendants in the Haditha incident, Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, showed up at the rally to express his gratitude. None of the men accused in the Haditha case are in custody.

"I just wanted to thank all the people for the support they are showing us," Sharratt said.

Sharratt was the subject of a four-day hearing earlier this month examining whether there is sufficient evidence to order him to trial on three counts of unpremeditated murder for his role in the Haditha case.

The 22-year-old rifleman and veteran of two tours in Iraq maintains that two of four men he shot inside a home were holding AK-47 assault rifles when he confronted them. The shootings took place after a roadside bomb was triggered, destroying a Humvee and killing one Marine and injuring two others.

A decision on whether Sharratt will be ordered to trial by court-martial is expected sometime next week.

Many of those at Thursday's event are regulars at gate rallies that have been held on Saturdays during the last year. The group of mostly older people carry handmade signs with statements such as "Send Bush's Kids Door to Door in Iraq" and "Promote Pendleton 8 to Run War Room."

Money that Donald Dinsmore collected during his ride on his 27-year-old Honda motorcycle will be forwarded to a defense fund set up to help pay legal fees for the accused Marines. He said he had not yet tallied the proceeds.

Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.