Posted on 05/31/2007 7:36:14 AM PDT by Lady J USA 1981
U.S. Marine Vet Faces Hearing on Discharge Status for Wearing Uniform at Protest
Thursday, May 31, 2007
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — A U.S. veteran who served in the Iraq war could lose his honorable discharge status after being photographed wearing fatigues at an anti-war protest.
Marine Cpl. Adam Kokesh and other veterans marked the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq in April by wearing their uniforms — with military insignia removed — and roaming around the nation's capital on a mock patrol.
After Kokesh was identified in a photo caption in The Washington Post, a superior officer sent him a letter saying he might have violated a rule prohibiting troops from wearing uniforms without authorization.
Kokesh, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, responded with an obscenity.
Now, a military panel has been scheduled to meet with Kokesh on Monday to decide whether his discharge status should be changed from "honorable" to "other than honorable."
"This is clearly a case of selective prosecution and intimidation of veterans who speak out against the war," Kokesh said. "To suggest that while as a veteran you don't have freedom of speech is absurd."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
PING!
Was this the marine that the Eagles saw over on the Anti-War side during the Rally in D.C. on March 17th?
Procecute! Procecute! Procecute!
“and roaming around the nation’s capital on a mock patrol.”
Kind of like during a Vietnam protest, some Vets did a mock “search and destroy” mission complete with burning of a hut.
This should have been done with John Kerry when he lied about us during the Nam Years.
If Kerry, Kennedy and Fonda had been arrested, tried, convicted of treason and hung in the capitol rotunda, the world would be a better and safer place.
Those were also “Mock” vets.
It’s not nice to respond to a superior officer with an obscenity.
That would seem to remove the excuse that he didn’t know it was wrong.
Really? I didn’t know that. When ever they show that film, they fail to mention that.
I know Kerry had a number of fake Vets testify before Congress. Did you know that J Francios was in Vietnam?
I doubt if he was ever much more than a POGIE BAIT jarhead.
I can agree with everything except for the location of the hanging. A platform on the national mall would accomodate more spectators.
In the article I read (I haven’t read above article), it said that during his time, he had been busted down a rank for smuggling a pistol home from deployment. Sounds like he was a loser to begin with.
That being said, If he had no insignia and no name tapes on the cammies, I don’t see how they can bust him. For the derogatory message to the Officer, yes, but for wearing the cammies, no. Sean gives his old cammies away all the time, and I was under the impression that as long as they bore no insignia, it was ok for anyone to wear them.
Without insignia, clothing is just that, clothing. This is nonsense.
Re: 12: this applies only if he has already been discharged. If he is still on active duty, throw the book at him.
I’ve seen the pics. They have nametags, etc.
Ahh...well, that changes it then. Personally, I think he should be left in a room with some Marines who actually act like Marines, regs or not. But that wouldn’t be right ;^)
If this guy was wearing no insignia whatsoever, I fail to see how it constituted a “uniform”. The Marine digicamis are, however, distinctive.
Furthermore, I'm not sure if a de-milled uniform is considered a "uniform" anymore. Any yahoo can buy plain cammies at the Army-Navy surplus store.
I wore my navy peacoat as a civilian student after I got out in 1970, and a lot of other vets wore their old field jackets.
Aside from the "once a marine, always a marine" attitude, which people like this guy and John Murtha contradict if only anecdotally, what sort of authority might the military establishment have over this disloyal d*ckwad?
Mr. Kokesh, you have violated your honor and the honor of the uniform. You have brought shame to your brothers and to the USMC. Your discharge should be "Other Than Honorable".
I used to be for the Capitol Mall, but a wise mentor said “Hang them in the Capitol Rotunda and leave their bodies there as a permanent reminder to other would be traitors!”
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