Posted on 11/15/2019 9:34:08 PM PST by ransomnote
Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Grant of Clemency (Full Pardon) for Army First Lieutenant Clint Lorance, an Executive Grant of Clemency (Full Pardon) for Army Major Mathew Golsteyn, and an order directing the promotion of Special Warfare Operator First Class Edward R. Gallagher to the grade of E-7, the rank he held before he was tried and found not guilty of nearly all of the charges against him.
In early July 2012, only days after Lieutenant Lorance had taken command of his platoon in one of the most dangerous battle zones in Afghanistan, a motorcycle with three men approached him and his men with unusual speed. Under difficult circumstances and prioritizing the lives of American troops, Lorance ordered his men to engage, and two of the three men were killed. Following these events, Lorance was convicted of several charges. He has served more than six years of a 19-year sentence he received. Many Americans have sought executive clemency for Lorance, including 124,000 people who have signed a petition to the White House, as well as several members of Congress, including Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, and Representatives Steve Scalise, Garret Graves, Duncan Hunter, Paul Gosar, Adam Kinzinger, Scott Perry, Brian Babin, Neal Dunn, Michael Waltz, Louie Gohmert, Daniel Webster, Steve King, Ralph Norman, Mark Meadows, Clay Higgins, Ralph Abraham, Mike Johnson, and Jody Hice.
Major Mathew Golsteyn, an officer of the United States Army and graduate of West Point, is currently set to stand trial for an allegedly unlawful killing in connection with one of the largest battles of the Afghanistan War. As our forces cleared the Taliban from the city of Marjah, an Improvised Explosive Device detonated, killing two Marines. The terrorist bombmaker, as identified by an Afghan informant, who had killed our troops, was detained and questioned. Golsteyn was compelled to release him, however, due in part to deficiencies within the fledgling Afghan detention system. Golsteyn has said he later shot the terrorist because he was certain that the terrorist’s bombmaking activities would continue to threaten American troops and their Afghan partners, including Afghan civilians who had helped identify him. After nearly a decade-long inquiry and multiple investigations, a swift resolution to the case of Major Golsteyn is in the interests of justice. Clemency for Major Golsteyn has broad support, including from Representatives Louie Gohmert, Duncan Hunter, Mike Johnson, Ralph Abraham, and Clay Higgins, American author and Marine combat veteran Bing West, and Army combat veteran Pete Hegseth.
Before the prosecution of Special Warfare Operator First Class Edward Gallagher, he had been selected for promotion to Senior Chief, awarded a Bronze Star with a “V” for valor, and assigned to an important position in the Navy as an instructor. Though ultimately acquitted on all of the most serious charges, he was stripped of these honors as he awaited his trial and its outcome. Given his service to our Nation, a promotion back to the rank and pay grade of Chief Petty Officer is justified.
The United States military justice system helps ensure good order and discipline for our millions of uniformed military members and holds to account those who violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Due in part to this system, we have the most disciplined, most effective, most respected, and most feared fighting force in the world.
The President, as Commander-in-Chief, is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the law is enforced and when appropriate, that mercy is granted. For more than two hundred years, presidents have used their authority to offer second chances to deserving individuals, including those in uniform who have served our country. These actions are in keeping with this long history. As the President has stated, “when our soldiers have to fight for our country, I want to give them the confidence to fight.”
God Bless President Trump
Thank God for President Trump.
How much longer are we going to allow these commies in Congress to attack him?
The war is on and the battle lines are clearly drawn.
OUT frekin’ STANDING ! You send guys to fight...let them kill and decorum be damned...alls fair .
Thank you President Trump for correcting egregious injustices. You don’t send people to wage war on our behalf and not support them. There are no antiseptic wars.
Agreed now Trump needs to go after the scum that put these men through the ringer.
Æthelblack the Unready, Prince of Kenya and Red Diaper baby, would disagree with you.
Fortunately, our President is in the middle of flushing that pole-smoking Islamoturd.
God bless our magnificent POTUS!
Not wanting to be picky here, but since Gallagher has been pardoned and restored to his rank as E7, why not follow through and direct the Navy to promote Gallagher to E8?
I agree. He had been selected for promotion already. He should be promoted.
I wonder if those two Army officers will be offered their jobs back, with back pay and promotions to where they would have been?
“You send guys to fight...let them kill and decorum be damned...alls fair .”
Agreed.
Like Rush used to say “You send the military to war to kill people and break things.”. Not an exact quote but close.
I remember the case in Afghanistan where four Marines were severely punished for peeing on three dead Taliban. The Obama-appointed, non-combat air wing Commandant, Amos went ballistic over that and demanded that those Marines be hammered.
We as Americans generally have no idea what goes on in combat and the effects it has - but it's criminal to go after the men we put into that situation without understanding the changes it creates.
In short, when you put young people into the constant fear of their own death and they see others killed or maimed, they begin to see things differently. Life becomes much more expendable and seeing the enemy killed is quite gratifying. You also know that your own life could end at any second, so a grim humor comes out of it all. I used to carry a wallet while I was in Vietnam that had pictures of motorcycles, a Cobra sports car, and pretty girls so that if they killed me, they'd think that they killed the biggest stud in the First Marine Division!
We changed - all of us changed - and it was for the love of our country.
I’m a little concerned about Esper, I heard he fought the president on this. Why do we have a SOD who doesn’t take the side f his men. I understand we shouldn’t encourage cruel treatment by our men, but we shouldn’t encourage cruel treatment OF our men either. When it comes to making a split second decision it needs to be America First, not the enemy first.
What PDT did serves two purposes.
1) It demonstrates the quality of mercy — when such mercy is appropriate to demonstrate — that should be a part of any criminal justice system, military or civilian.
And...
2) It tells the military’s senior leadership, right up through each service branch’s Secretary (a civilian) and uniformed chief, that PDT is indeed the military’s Commander in Chief and that he intends to exercise his powers as top CinC whenever and however he needs to.
Hopefully, this message sinks in and we stop seeing uniformed members of the world’s greatest fighting force, such as a certain Army lieutenant colonel, testifying in front of Congress with the aim of undercutting the Commander in Chief.
Welcome home brother.
The charge against Maj. Golsteyn was that he killed a bombmaker? What is wrong with that? What is not all, completely right about that? He probably saved a bunch of US military and Afghan civilian lives down the road. What idiot, jackass lawyers do we have in the Army? I remember in the Bond movie Casino Royale when 007 kills the bombmaker and the audience cheered. I was one of them.
This retired Army Officer is celebrating some of the best news to come out of the Trump administration. Congratulations to all three men who can now move on with their lives, cleared of this Obama military travesty and desire to punish our own before the enemy. Guys, enjoy being back with your families, freedom and being Americans again!!!!!!!!!!!!
Esper stood up for the deep state, a fatal error in my mind.
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