[milan]

If we hang LTC west, the terrorists are watching TV saying "look, we can kill their civilians and they have to treat us like civilians...lets keep fighting!"

[Ispy4u]

Some will, but they will be killed or captured.

But LTC West will get his retirement, he won't be hanged, and he and his lawyer didn't need to go to the media.

His dishonorable actions were small in my eyes when he fired his sidearm, but they have grown immense because of his efforts to save his retirement. If he quietly declined the offer to leave service and faced court martial he would have been dealt with fairly, he didn't trust the system and he has used the media to rally support, dishonorable is the only word I can think of for it.