Army Right To Punish Lt. Col. West

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 8 Dec 2003 | Jay Bookman

[Ispy4u]

Almost all officers in command would walk through hell with a gas can for their men. It's a real nice sound bite though.

[Broadside Joe]

"bottom line LTC West was not in a position to determine the legal status of the prisoner"


Well then the critics are right in saying that our solders have one hand tied behind their back. I for one do not give a rats backside what their legal status is. This is not a court room and a person wearing a uniform that says that they are on our side and turn out to be otherwise is enough for me. It is this same BS that stopped a Predator from putting a hellfire up Mullah Omar's tailpipe.

[Ispy4u]

I may disagree with him on every other issue he ever took to pen, but I see eye to eye with him on this one.

The title is all that really needs to be said, Army right to Punish Lt. Col. West.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

While I personally applaud LTC West, he knowingly violated the UCMJ. You are taught over and over that there are things you may not do, his actions were wrong.

[Jumper]

The press will convict based on the old time feel good religion of liberialism and hatred of the military. This media exposure would have never happened in an elite unit; the good LTC's only error was to have acted in front of soldiers who themselves have no loyality to the Country or their fellow soldiers.

[DooDahhhh]

Ditto!

[Da Mav]

We choose to disagree.

I don't trust the "facts" he laid out in the article.

So let's wait until we find out what happened from someone a little more reliable than a guy who has a H on for the poor abused prisoners in Gitmo.

Perhaps we can both agree that nobody wins from a trial by the press.

[JoeSixPack1]

There is a term called "Frag".
It's used when an officer has your mentality.

[Ispy4u]

Our soldiers do not have anything tied behind their back.

Prisoner handling may well be the most universally identical subject among our armed services. No one has an excuse for mistreating a prisoner.

If you don't want to handle prisoners properly, don't take them, there are multitudes of ways to conduct a legal military operation against enemies that will almost certainly result in their deaths.

[KC_for_Freedom]

I agree with you which is why I would find him guilty but also find no punishment.

[jazzlite]

StonyBurk..You are so right! Book learning gives only a mere sketch of possible scenarios in any situation. Reality present problems and the need for decision making not outlined in training. This is true in war, medicine or anywhere you want to look. The unexpected is not simple. In such a situation, a true leader will put himself on the line to provide the greatest level of safety to those he is trying to protect. In this case, Col. West's loyalty was to his men, not to the enemy. The thought that now, our military is practicing "political correctness" to the extent that they will punish an American Hero for not giving "equality" to our enemy is simply insanity to me. If the information about this event could somehow be miraculously poured into the heads of every American, the irate outpouring would be remarkable against the Army's position on this. People are too busy to be aware of everything. Eventually this story will get around and a response will come for Col. West and his family. God bless him for being the kind of leader we need in a crisis.

[Ispy4u]

LTC West brought the media exposure on himself. He or his lawyer are the only ones giving information to the press.

If the press crucifies him, it's his own damn fault for not trusting the system. His leaders would have quietly issued justice, but he wanted his retirement guarranteed before he actually earned it. 20 years does not mean 19.999.

[Ispy4u]

Try it! (*)

[Dudoight]

This past Sunday, Oliver North had a special on Pearl Harbor. In an inteview with a veteran, it was noted that he and another US soldier captured the first Japanese war prisoner a few days after the attack. This elderly vet described the capture. He also stated that in interrogating the prisoner, they did the same thing as Col. West. They held a gun near his head and fired into the sand of beach. They were able to get a lot of info out of him. When did the army go PC?

[Broadside Joe]

Well then I'll repeat myself. It is this same BS that stopped a Predator from putting a hellfire up Mullah Omar's tailpipe.

This is as the President said "a different kind of war" and if we're more worried about policy and proceeder or 'legal status' of people that have no intention of following the Geneva Convention, then we'll be sending many more people home in a box then we need to. The enemy knows that we won't touch them so they laugh in our face.

Time we change our rules.

[Ispy4u]

Fine, change the rules. But you don't mark the records of the men LTC West "let" beat the guy and then let their commander off scott free, or give him a medal and promotion for it as so many here have called for.

[Ispy4u]

How's Asan Akbar? Are you two still drinking buddies?

[Auntie Mame]

After complaints were filed by other soldiers, the colonel was relieved of command

So this finally explains why anyone even found out about the incident. Apparently there were some soldiers who didn't like the man.

I've always wondered about that.

What he did was against procedure and he should (unfortunately) be punished. But what he really did wrong was get caught.

I don't think there's anything wrong with what he did, but you can't get caught doing it.

[John D]

I can tell you know no one who is in harms way. This man saved many American lives. Only a member of DU would think what LTC West did was wrong, and that is because they want the US to lose the war on terror. That is their best chance of regaining the White House.
I can not believe any American could suggest that a hero, saving American lives is deserving of a court martial. My son is in Iraq right now and I would be very happy if there more LTC Wests over there.

[Ispy4u]

The Army has learned through the years that certain techniques give unreliable information. We also strive to follow the rule of law and obey orders.

If you want us to start picking and choosing what orders to obey, watch out when the new "red coats" decide your property would be better used for military purposes.

Lawful orders are to be obeyed, there are reasons for them greater than 1 man or even the supposed number of men LTC West saved. You want to change the laws go ahead and petition congress, I'll be more than happy to follow the new ones too.