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.
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 matterI'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.
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.