[Jeff Head]

I am still corresponding with LTC West. I traded em,ails with him yesterday before the hearing started and posted part of his email at post 242 on this thread.

My impression is, from other emails and information I have gathered, that there are axes being ground out here to some extent.

The over-riding issue is simple. Did West extract time-critical information from this prisoner that prevented an attack on US forces and prevented accompanying casualties. Everything I have heard, from both West and other contacts I have over there tells me it did.

West used his judgement and discretion to put his own career at risk to get this info. it panned out and he did not really harm the spy..just scared him. My gosh...think on that for a minute. A spy dressed in the coalition supported Iraqi police there to plan and implement attacks against Americans.

THE FRIGGIN' SPY IS THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO BE MADE AN EXAMPLE OF HERE!

Pardon my cyber-yelling, but despite the infraction, for the which West has accepted responsibility and accountability, many people have this whole thing bass ackwards here.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Jeff. YELLING ABOUT THIS IS FINE. Keep us posted.

[colorado tanker]

Thanks for keeping us updated, Jeff.

I agree that LTC West is likely to raise a defense of others or duress (lesser of two evils) defense - and on what facts we've been told should prevail.

I just can't believe the 4th I.D., the unit in the heart of the sunni triangle, the unit mainly responsible for getting Saddam, is doing this. What a message to send the troops.

[SLB]

You haven't even started to yell as loud as we are here. Every morning there is an early gathering in my office of several retired military, both officer and NCO. There is not even a majority, it is unanimous in favor of LTC West and his actions. As I said in one of my earlier posts, if we would have had good intel on 23 Dec 70, there would have been two less names on that black wall in DC. We need more men with the gonads to do what he did.