Posted on 11/21/2003 3:59:24 PM PST by O6ret
PRESS RELEASE
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Armed Services
Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Chairman
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 21, 2003
HOUSE ARMED SERVICES LEADERS DEMAND INFORMATION CONCERNING LT. COLONEL WEST
Actions to Save Soldiers Were Proper Based on Available Information
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and John M. McHugh (R-NY)are calling on U.S. Army leadership to immediately provide a report on the investigation of Lt. Col. Allen West. West is charged with improperly interrogating an Iraqi prisoner.
Based on the information currently available to them, Hunter and McHugh believe that West's actions may well have been necessary to protect the lives and safety of his fellow soldiers and not the actions of a criminal, as he is charged. Hunter is Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and McHugh is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Total Force, which has jurisdiction over military personnel matters.
According to news accounts, the incident in question took place this pastAugust near Tikrit, Iraq, when guerrillas attacked U.S. soldiers underWest's command. An informant told U.S. authorities that a local policeman was involved. West ordered the policeman brought in, though he proveduncooperative. West has testified that he fired his pistol near the head ofthe Iraqi, threatening to kill him in an effort to obtain information to protect his troops. As a result of the tactic, the Iraqi provided information regarding a planned sniper attack on U.S. soldiers. Two insurgents were arrested, a third fled and there were no attacks in the area. West immediately informed his commanding officer of the incident. He is currently facing an inquiry to determine if there is cause for a court-martial.
"We are highly disturbed by media accounts that the Army is beginning criminal proceedings against Lt. Col. Allen B. West for taking actions in Iraq that he believed were necessary to protect the lives and safety of his men," stated the Congressmen in a letter to Les Brownlee, Acting Secretary of the Army. "To us, such actions if accurately reported do not appear to be those of a criminal," the letter continues.
In addition to the information previously requested, the Congressmen are asking to see a new report. "We are aware the Army has completed a preliminary inquiry regarding whether to proceed to a court martial and would like to review that report," said Hunter and McHugh in a joint statement. "Our interest is in justice. Based on what we know right now, it is more than reasonable to assume that Col. West acted in a manner proportionate to the threat against his soldiers."
Col. West is the difference between winning and losing.
I won't go into the morality of winning and losing, I will just say that our side is more moral, more humane, more generous than the other side.
I support Col. West.
BTW. For all the Grammarians out there, it is military courtesty to refer to a Lieutenant Cononel as "Colonel". And I earned my stripes in the USMC. So there.
I know soldiers who served in the Americal Division in Vietnam. That unit got a reputation for beating prisoners (earned early, and maintained throughout their time in country), getting their a$$es kicked by the NVA (began to be earned after they settled into beating prisoners), and fragging officers who attempted to cure those unhappy conditions.
Which one is he actually accomplishing?
Still, as propaganda, it was marvelous. Kept the officers from screwing the troops more than necessary.
Within the Americal, it had to do with any officer that tried to enforce minimal standards of discipline, including prisoner interrogations.
Still, as propaganda, it was marvelous. Kept the officers from screwing the troops more than necessary.
Yup. Kept MACV from actually trying to use the Americal for anything important. Westmoreland and Abrams knew that the unit was worthless in any sort of fight with people who could shoot back.
Just tell us you were an Air Force officer, maybe even George Bush' wing commander.
We won't tell anyone, but it will help us understand what you are trying to express.
In my humble opinion, he saved the lives of those under his command.
May I suggest that that is a win?
Really, Poohbah, would you rather have West as a C.O., or someone appointed by DACOWITS? :)
Must not have done anything serious, eh?!
Come on guys ~ you two ~ just tell us you were high ranking officers in the Air Force and all is forgiven!
Yisivish!
All kidding aside, I could dismiss all your arguments as 'ysivish' as easily as you tried to dismiss me with 'hyperbole'.
Do you have any links to back up your dis of me?
That hasn't been established as fact. More to the point, it cannot be established as fact. Perhaps there was no real plot as described, and the "confession" from the prisoner amounted to telling West what the prisoner thought West wanted to hear. There is an extremely high chance of that happening when these techniques are used. That's why people who actually know how to interrogate prisoners and get factual information from those prisoners do not use these methods.
May I suggest that that is a win?
You may. However, your suggestion may or may not be congruent with reality.
Really, Poohbah, would you rather have West as a C.O., or someone appointed by DACOWITS?
I'd rather have one who can, first of all, command himself, especially if he's going to command me. Second, I would prefer that he be competent. The spin, as presented by West and his attorney, only makes sense if West is tactically incompetent.
You speak as if he's Captain America taking on the enemy singlehandedly for all 120,000 currently in theater. If that isn't hyperbole you tell me what is.
There are always exceptions.
Must not have done anything serious, eh?!
Individual heroism is one thing. Actually accomplishing anything useful as a unit is something else.
Come on guys ~ you two ~ just tell us you were high ranking officers in the Air Force and all is forgiven!
I served in the Marines, boy.
You got me on that one.
It does not change the fact that he saved lives (on both sides).
And even if his actions ended in death on the enemy side, SO WHAT?
He deserves honor and a medal, and anyone who says otherwise is invited to go to hell.
for the last 8 years are only appointing people that agree with United Nations International, and that the Truth
And so did I.
I got your back.
But it cannot be proven that he factually saved any lives. As Poohbah has stated, the "planned attack" may have just been what the detainee thought LTC West wanted to hear.
And even if his actions ended in death on the enemy side, SO WHAT?
The fact is we have a shiite-load of yung-dum-full-o-### hard chargers over there who would take LTC West's actions as a ticket to do more of the same plus one for effect. That leads down a road we don't want to go.
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