Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Lt. Col. Allen B. West
Washington Times ^ | November 6, 2003 | Stanley SrA. USAF 91-95

Posted on 11/06/2003 6:31:20 PM PST by Calpernia

Letters To Leaders

All messages are published with permission of the sender. The general topic of this message is Defense/Military:

Subject: Lt. Col. Allen B. West

To: Sen. Charles Schumer

November 6, 2003

Sir,

With all due respect, this is the very first time I have ever written to a Senator. With regards to this fine officer and the plight he is in. I have attached the article below if you are unaware of his situation. As an American, and as a veteran myself, I am utterly disgusted, shocked, and ashamed that our Army is harassing this man and is even considering a court martial. These same people who are requesting this mans court martial would probably have something quite different to say if it were their loved ones lives who were saved by this mans actions. I can not express to you how utterly disgusted and extremely angry I am at this outrageous and unjust treatment of an officer who saves lives by using such tender tactics as these to gain information from an enemy who does not abide by, or respect any code, or human right. I mean are you kidding me! So he fired a weapon near his head and made a threat, BIG DEAL! LIVES WERE SAVED!!!! Hello? Is this thing on? Are you hearing me!!! Are we such a nation of weaklings that we would have our interrogators offer prisoners candy popcorn and maybe a comfortable seat on the couch while they decide if they want to cooperate or not! Consider the tactics of our enemy, yeah, I won't even go there as they are too gruesome and inhumane to even mention. This absolutely ludicrous and unjust action being considered against this American fighting man who saves lives and who gave so many years of his life in that effort is an abhorrent black mark on the face of what is increasingly becoming and embarrassing country to have sworn my allegiance to. And no, I am not ashamed of our president and his decision to go to war. I am NOT one of those. No, in fact I LOVE our president and I am all for sending a message to radical religious groups who have committed so many blatant acts of war against our country in the name of their religion. No Sir, what makes me ashamed is to read of our nation treating it's heroes, like this Man Col. West, like a criminal when his only action was to save lives. It sickens me. Absolutely sickens me and almost makes me wish I had never served. Almost. Let me just leave you with this last thought so that you understand. I say almost as I never served in our country's armed services for you, or any fed. No government agenda was ever a motivating factor in my serving. As though I was subordinate to the government and obeyed the orders thereof, my service was to the people who had gone before me and stood and fought and died for my right to impart this to you now. It is for their sake, and for their honor that I did serve. And it is for their sake, and for their honor that I am still proud to be an American and I will still stand and fight should my country call me to do so. I do not know how to make this any more plain to you Sir, this is an injustice that needs to be rectified. PLEASE do what you can on this honorable mans behalf. Also, thank you Sir for having taken the time.

Sincerely Stanley SrA. USAF 91-95

'Heroic' officer clings to faith Facing charges after foiling ambush plot, 'devastating' to be regarded as a criminal

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35447

Guilderland , NY


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: allenwest; colonelwest; ltcolallenbwest; wot
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 281-300301-320321-340341-356 next last
To: Calpernia
Am I supposed to be upset by that?

Look, differing opinions causing such a statement is more a relection on you than me, but as such, you are intitled to yours as I am mine.

Col. West is an Officer in the US Armed Forces, as had only one duty. If that duty conflicted with his opinion, he had the resposibility to report that conflict prior to his actions.

Your opinion of me is not relevant to the facts at hand. I'm sure you wont be the first to hold such a view.

301 posted on 11/10/2003 12:37:35 PM PST by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 300 | View Replies]

To: Pukin Dog
>>>Am I supposed to be upset by that?

It made me sad.
302 posted on 11/10/2003 12:42:18 PM PST by Calpernia (Innocence seldom utters outraged shrieks. Guilt does.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 301 | View Replies]

To: Calpernia
Officers in the Armed Services of the US have a higher duty to uphold than popular opinion or sentiment. If it saddens you that I would expect a fellow Officer to follow the UCMJ, then what does that say? Not only did West break the law, he compounded it by making his situation public. That tells me that he committed two failures of leadership. I am stunned at how many Freepers are willing to support breaking the law, if the reason is good enough for some. What kind of country would we have everyone else held that view? I dont want to live in that kind of country. Laws matter.
303 posted on 11/10/2003 12:47:59 PM PST by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 302 | View Replies]

To: Pukin Dog; Poohbah
If I understand correctly, Col. West did, in fact, report his actions. I do not know, but only suspect, that he punished his troops in order to avoid further, higher-level punishment. I'm afraid I've got to side with Flurry against you and Poohbah. I will give you this, though: you explain what your problem with Col. West is, and why you have it, rather than calling names, as Poohbah did. While I disagree with you, I respect your opinion.
304 posted on 11/10/2003 2:51:45 PM PST by Old Student
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 298 | View Replies]

To: Old Student
Flurry threw the first punch, and now you're saying I'm in the wrong. Got it. This whole affair is a real education.
305 posted on 11/10/2003 2:59:25 PM PST by Poohbah ("Would you mind not shooting at the thermonuclear weapons?" -- Major Vic Deakins, USAF)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 304 | View Replies]

To: Pukin Dog
Very well said...wish I could have done as well.
306 posted on 11/10/2003 3:21:12 PM PST by alpowolf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 246 | View Replies]

To: Pukin Dog
I am stunned at how many Freepers are willing to support breaking the law, if the reason is good enough for some. What kind of country would we have everyone else held that view? I dont want to live in that kind of country. Laws matter

I'm stunned by that, and also by the "win no matter what" that many have expounded. That kind of approach may end up turning more and more people against us; we must remember that our ultimate goal is to establish a stable democracy, not to lay waste to the countryside.

307 posted on 11/10/2003 3:36:18 PM PST by alpowolf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 303 | View Replies]

To: Calpernia
Well some people fool some of the people some of the time.
308 posted on 11/10/2003 3:39:44 PM PST by Neets (<----just innocently standing by, watching the time FLY)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 300 | View Replies]

To: Old Student
Poohbah is good people. Like me, he has a temper. The comparison drawn against him was out of line. I think we should all just move on. All opinions should be welcome, even if we sometimes lose our bearing.
309 posted on 11/10/2003 3:53:41 PM PST by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 304 | View Replies]

To: Pukin Dog
PK, from what I've seen so far, I don't see any criminal conduct. This prisoner was an unlawful combatant, a terrorist dressed in an Iraqi police uniform. As such he does not get POW status. So there is not a violation of the Geneva Convention.

I don't think a criminal assault occurred since LTC West had no intention of harming the guy, he was bluffing.

It seems to me that what LTC West did was violate an order and Army doctrine. He was apparently willing to do that to stop a planned ambush. He made a full report, made no effort to conceal his actions, and seems willing to face the consequences of his actions.

For those actions, I would expect LTC West to be relieved of command and his career effectively terminated. The Army's effort to throw him in Leavenworth is an abuse of prosecutorial discretion IMHO. Telling LTC West that he could avoid prosecution if he gave up the pension he worked 19.9 years for (and his wife I'm sure has no little interest in) was just plain chicken shiite.

310 posted on 11/10/2003 4:05:34 PM PST by colorado tanker ("There are but two parties now, Traitors and Patriots")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 303 | View Replies]

To: colorado tanker
Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)

ART. 128. ASSAULT

(a) Any person subject to this chapter who attempts or offers with unlawful force or violence to do bodily harm to another person, whether or not the attempt or offer is consummated, is guilty of assault and shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

(b) Any person subject to this chapter who--

(1) commits an assault with a dangerous weapon or other means or force likely to produce death or grievous bodily harm; or

(2) commits an assault and intentionally inflicts grievous bodily harm with or without a weapon;

is guilty of aggravated assault and shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

I anticipated this argument and did my homework before I decided that West was wrong. Intent may play a role in a civilian jurisdiction, but in the UCMJ, it clearly does not.

311 posted on 11/10/2003 4:16:02 PM PST by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 310 | View Replies]

To: Pukin Dog
attempts or offers with unlawful force or violence to do bodily harm to another person, whether or not the attempt or offer is consummated

LTC West made no such attempt. He had no intent to attempt any bodily harm. He will testify he fired into the disposal barrel and would not have done anything else had the bluff failed. If the standard of reasonable liklihood to win a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt were used, the usual standard to decide whether to bring charges, this charge should not have been brought.

312 posted on 11/10/2003 4:35:10 PM PST by colorado tanker ("There are but two parties now, Traitors and Patriots")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 311 | View Replies]

To: colorado tanker
What about the word 'offers' dont you get? He made a threat. You cannot so much as imply a threat. Even if he never spoke. Also, you are forgetting that the standard of proof is not the same as in a civilian court.

It will go something like this:

"Col. West, did you discharge your sidearm in the presense of a prisoner?"

"Yes"

At that moment, he is guilty. Not even Johnnie Cochran could not save him from a finding of guilt. His hopes rest with the penalty phase, because he broke the code.

313 posted on 11/10/2003 4:46:46 PM PST by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 312 | View Replies]

To: Pukin Dog; Poohbah
Man! I was busy today, but you two carried the fight extremely well.

I hope I have time to get in on this tomorrow.
314 posted on 11/10/2003 5:08:52 PM PST by Ispy4u (I bet that puts a bee in your bonnet.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 313 | View Replies]

To: Pukin Dog
I believe you will find that the type of aggravated assault the government has charged does require proof of specific intent and an attempt to inflict physical injury. The government has not charged simple "offer" type assault. The government has overcharged LTC West, which I realize is a common prosecution tactic to force plea bargains, but IMHO should not be used by military prosecutors.

Plus, have you considered the statement made by the offer made not to prosecute at all if LTC West resigned short of his 20 years - not exactly confidence in a air tight case.

315 posted on 11/10/2003 6:03:23 PM PST by colorado tanker ("There are but two parties now, Traitors and Patriots")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 313 | View Replies]

To: colorado tanker
Plus, have you considered the statement made by the offer made not to prosecute at all if LTC West resigned short of his 20 years - not exactly confidence in a air tight case.

I do not agree with respect to West being overcharged.

You should not listen to TV commentators with respect to offering not to charge West. This is common practice, to avoid taxing the limited resources of JAG staff, and to spare the Army from the publicity this case would generate. Col. West is responsible for making this a public matter. It has no bearing on whether or not they felt they could prove their case. I'll remind you again, that you should not compare JAG operations to civilian courts. You will find yourself to be wrong with respect to intent. But we will see soon enough.

316 posted on 11/10/2003 6:11:14 PM PST by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 315 | View Replies]

To: Flurry
Don't let the libs get you down.
317 posted on 11/10/2003 7:59:03 PM PST by Dubya (Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,but by me)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 295 | View Replies]

To: Poohbah
Flurry didn't throw a punch, you just reacted as if he did. I had to go back and reread his post several times to even begin to understand why you got upset. Once I got it, I sort of understood; I served for several years with Clinton as CINC and the bastrich signed my retirement certificate. Now you seem to be trying to jump salty with me, too. Take a chill pill, and think it over. I'll be back again tomorrow evening, probably, and maybe we can talk it over. Do not forget, in text it is really hard to read the sort of emotional tone-of-voice and body-language clues you get in face-to-face speech. I'll even admit I could be wrong, and he meant it exactly as you took it. You should admit you definitely upped the ante with your language, plain-text and masked, if only to yourself. Catch you tomorrow, I hope. In the meantime, try to keep it civil.
318 posted on 11/10/2003 9:14:25 PM PST by Old Student
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 305 | View Replies]

To: Poohbah
I said I would not want to serve by your side or Bill Clinton's side. If I had thrown a punch it would be clear and open.

You seem to be glowing in the hope that West suffer for his actions. I can not believe that this obsession is your love of the UCMJ.

Now I will throw a clear punch. You are a little jerk. How's that?
319 posted on 11/11/2003 4:33:13 AM PST by Conspiracy Guy (Living fast is fine as long as you steer well and have good brakes.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 305 | View Replies]

To: Dubya
I'm enjoying the exchange of ideas with people who want to see West drug through the mud. They have convicted him and therefore there is no need for a court marshall. Let's just go ahead and punish him.

Poohbah and puking dog can go ahead and sentence him now. Then their bloodlust will be satisfied. Ispy4u and r9etb can carry out the sentence.

I will pray that the truth comes out and the chips fall as they may. I hope West suffers no further punishment.
320 posted on 11/11/2003 4:39:49 AM PST by Conspiracy Guy (Living fast is fine as long as you steer well and have good brakes.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 317 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 281-300301-320321-340341-356 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson