[Ispy4u]

You don't see many rational articles properly defending the US Army in it's necessary pursuit of justice in this case. Most news and opinion pieces I've seen simply proclaim LTC West a hero who should be decorated. I and a few others here have argued incessantly that LTC West is no hero, not based on his actions he is being investigated for anyway.

[Feckless]

As an American citizen I can applaud LTC West. As a leader of soldiers in combat I can understand, even accept a rationalized justification. I may have done the same thing in the same situation.

As an NCO or Officer charged with the accomplishment of a mission, the care and safety of my troops, and the responsibility to not only abide by but to enforce the laws of war I cannot support his alleged actions.

As the commander he would be duty bound to arrest, confine, and prosecute any member of his command who he suspected had performed these or similar alleged acts.

Civilians and some soldiers (especially his troops) may support his alleged actions. The U.S. Government, the military, the Army, Commanders and NCOs at all levels, and especially LTC West know that, if true, his actions were illegal and must be punished.

Today’s military is highly trained, well motivated, and professional. The last thing we need is an unruly mob lead by people who ignore laws and disobey orders and regulations.

[Jeff Head]

We have been over and over this same ground a number of times in the threads...

Colonel West...you've got my back anytime

-and-

LTC West responds to FR article

I have not changed my opinion in the least, for all of the same reasons we discussed then. Clearly, you have not changed yours either.

The case is in the hands of the military justice system now and we will both have to live with their verdict, whatever it is. After speaking with many more combat veterans of both the Pacific war in WW II (including my own father) and the Korean war...who are appalled by the military prosecuting this man and believe they have lost their collective minds, and, again, for the reasons I enumerated in those threads...I just hope the charges are dropped and he is allowed to retire with his full military benefits.

We shall see. God bless all of those to serve and particularly who put themselves and their all on the line to accomplish their mission in defending liberty and preserving America (and American lives).

[William Terrell]

Was this prisoner killed? Was he seriously hurt? Is he still alive?

[Just another Joe]

I'm sorry but I can't agree totally with your take on this.

While LTC West may not be a 'hero' he was the senior man on the scene.
I do not condone letting soldiers beat a person, be it an enemy soldier or a spy but LTC West's personal action, IMO, do not merit the attention they have been getting.
So he fired a shot into the air, then held the barrel to the person's head, then fired a shot into the ground. Did he harm the person? NO.

LTC West is the type of officer I would want commanding me and my men. Did he think about the consequences when he acted in this manner?
I believe he did and counted the safety of the men under his command as worth more than the safety of his career.

[Jeff Head]

FYI...thought you might be interested in this since your son is serving there right now, and due to your comments on the other Col. West thread.

Best fregards and again, God bless you and yours for your sons upbringing and his decision to serve.

[OldCorps]

I seriously doubt Mr. Bookman ever served a day in uniform; thus his opinions have little value. He does not understand the importance of leadership, its impact upon unit morale and how the two elements together form an aspect of combat power.

You can have the best trained army in the world, with the most technologically advanced equipment. We do. In the hands of unmotivated soldiers who are poorly led, these advantages mean absolutely nothing. So then you have a professional officer corps, skilled in the art of war, leading a well equipped army, whose subordinates do not trust such leaders with their lives and will not or cannot obey orders. You then have chaos and inevitable failure.

This is the risk of going forward with the court martial. MG Odierno has shown that following the letter of the law (going to an art.32 hearing) is more important than the morale of soldiers. What soldier is going to want to fight for his chain of command, when that same chain of command punishes, far beyond any appropriate measure, commanders who try to protect them from the enemy?

The court martial of LTC West is unprecedented. I've been around the army since 1976 and cannot think of a single court martial more destructive to morale than this one. I grant you LTC West should be punished; only because no wrong deed should ever be tolerated. But that punishment should have been a verbal reprimand with the admonition not to do such actions in the future.

The more this is on the front page, the more the army loses. Going the court martial route destroys morale and any confidence soldiers might have in their leaders. JAG types (army lawyers) don't think about this; its not their job. But commanders at all level realize the implications that any punishment West gets will be viewed as a sop to political correctness.

The commanding general of the 4th Infanty Division has shown incredibly poor leadership by ever allowing this 'charge' to see the light of day. This is what happens when you have careerists and lawyers running a war, instead of soldiers and warriors. He should know better better than to give the impression that he doesn't give a damn about his soldiers; which is the result of his extremely poor judgement in this case. Who would want to be a soldier in the 4th ID these days? MG Odierno, CG of the 4th ID, should be relieved of command, and LTC West reinstated.

[cookcounty]

I'm not supporting LTC West in this, but I am a bit suspicious of the Atlanta J&C.

Isn't Cynthia Tucker the editor there? The Cynthia Tucker who hates with deep passion all African-Americans that disagree with herself? Maybe she fears a budding African-American politician who might not follow Plantation rules.

[Delta 21]

Just a bit of perspective here.....

Anyone who doesnt support completely overwhelming firepower used with extreme prejudice when engaging an enemy force that wants to spill your blood is an idiot.

[Godfollow]

Maybe we try to hold a too lofty standard. One that actually puts each man in the position of "damned if you do and damned if you don't". I'm damned glad West did.

Of all the atrocities that occur in war, this was a situation where it would have been atrocious to have not gone over the top. I applaud West's actions, and if we are going to win this war against those who would ambush us, while we follow the rules, we will need to push the envelope of "what's moral in war".

What, when there is a WMD planted in your hometown, and you have the someone who knows something, will you not do to get him to talk? This goes beyond a set standard and requires a man with moral backbone to do the right thing. I ask you, is it moral to follow the rules and let numerous souls perish?

[Mr. Mojo]

lol.....nice flamewar.

Btw, every single General and Colonel now working for FOX News as a military analyist (of which there are several) essentially has the same take on the matter -- that Colonel West acted as they themselves would've acted, and that court martialing him not only would play havoc with troop morale, but would also encourage the enemy.

Sometimes initiative is required in battlefield situations, and sometimes that necessarily requires breaking a reg or two. The Freepers who believe otherwise would've fit in very nicely in the Third Reich, where everything was done "by the book" at all times. ...."I was just following orders and regulations." ......One doesn't need to think on his feet. Thankfully most Americans are made of different stuff -- we can improvise when necessary.

[jaykay]

How many ambushes, rockets fired at helicopters, roadside bombs and other attacks on U.S. forces may have been averted if more officers had the onions that Col West has? How many who are dead would be alive? How many maimed would be whole?

Now that Col. West has been made an example of, how many commanders who would have taken a risk to protect their men will now decline to do so? How many will be killed and maimed in order to preserve this idiotic notion of playing nice at war?

[RightOnline]

Just exactly what do you know about interrogation techniques?

[AndyJackson]

How many true fighting men are supposed to die in this war so that you and this author can stand on a principal that is not even an established principal? The problem is that there both of you are so myopic that clear and sharp differences appear as blurs. Given your profession as an intelligence clerk and his profession as an editor that failing is fatal both figuratively and literaly.

Really, how many people would you send to their deaths to defend your fuzzy thinking?

[ameribbean expat]

the day the AJC even thinks it has grounds to lecture on "errors in judgment" during combat situations is the day I hope they start the morphine drip. Fast. Not slow. LTC West is a combat leader and he proved it. Maybe you don't like what he did, maybe the AJC doesn't like what he did but I damn sure bet his troops like what he did. At least his troops didn't end up dead with their drawers down around their knees, peckers cut off and stuck in their mouths like the 507th's. I was glad to hear the guy plans to retire. Hope he gets a book deal and takes a giant crap on the army JAG corp.

[Jeff Gordon]

You don't see many rational articles properly defending the US Army in it's necessary pursuit of justice in this case.

Rational? I don't think so. Let's take a look at where the author is coming from.

Do a Google search on the author, Jay Bookman. Everything he has written has been anti-Iraqi Freedom and anti-Bush and has a flaming liberal leaning.