Posted on 12/10/2003 5:27:15 AM PST by Jeff Head
Edited on 12/10/2003 3:12:13 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Upon hearing the preliminary news from Fox about LTC West and the disposition of his case last night (12/9/03) at about 11:15 PM mountain time, and the interview with his lawyer on O'Reilley, I fired an email off to the LTC for confirmation. I got a reply back from Iraq early this morning (12/10/03) confirming it. I am posting that email exchange:
Here is what I asked him in my email.
That email was sent at about 11 PM or a little after last night. This morning at 05:30 AM I Had the following reply from LTC Allen West himself. Here it is:
Al,
We just got preliminary word on Fox from Atlanta (and I'm in Idaho so I am using FR to scour the net) that there will be no prosecution.
Apparently O'Reilley interviewed one of your lawyers and indicated:"Col West's attorney was interviewed tonight. The attorney said that the investigating officer would recommend that there not be a court martial but that he might be reprimanded. Likely half of his salary for two months and that he would not lose his pension."Is this accurate? If so, God bless you man...you should be promoted in my opinion, but this has got to be good news...sane news. Sounds like they, albeit belatedly. This should never have gone as far as it did and I only hope it has not effected the moral and willingness for other CO's to do what must be done over there.
Sincerely,
Jeff Head
Jeff,
Yes Jeff, that is pretty much it. My attorney contacted me by e-mail last night with the news. Furhterance of my career is not possible because of being relieved of command, death kiss!
I am thankful to God and looking forward to coming home and getting on with my life. Now it is just a matter of going before my CO and receiving the punishment, no problem. Stay in touch and I may be on a flight home within the week.
God Bless,
Al
We need more good men like LTC Allen West.
While I do not agree with the overall circumstances in this case, our military justice system has worked as the LLTC felt and hoped it should have and I am content in that. I am sorry LTC West had to go to such lengths to make it work, particularly in these circumstances we face as a nation. I will be writing my congressional representatives about it at length in the hopes that some adjustments, particularly in attitude, can be forthcoming.
Typo in link in reply #1, mod updated per request.Thought everyone would like to know the latest from LTC West himself.
For those following and documenting this story, here are the earlier two threads I have posted on this topic here on FR.
Colonel West...you've got my back any time
This recommendation doesn't have to be taken.....perhaps the military will decide even administrative punishment is not required?
I hope there are more like him in the ranks to rise and take his leadership position. He put his men over his career, and in doing so earned my greatest respect, and I suspect that of many others.
I further hope only the best for LTC West (retired) in the future.
Best Regards,
Colonel West has lived up to the standards that many others will never know, I am glad his superiors are being lenient on him, and if by chance Colonel West reads this thread, I have this message for him....
I salute you Sir, You are a Great American
I'm proud to be a strong supporter of our troops (Columbia MO Infinite FReeper), our Country, our President and LTC West.
Again, thanks to a brave and truly patriotic officer.
Agreed. IMHO, it's too bad the lengths that had to be gone to to achieve this outcome...even too bad that this was the outcome given the nature of our enemy and this war.
Such lengths can be measured in a price. We learned in WW II and other wars that the price is the blood of our countrymen.
I have little use for those who wish to punish LTC West out of all proportion to his offense. There are larger issues at stake that bear upon soldiers perceptions of their leaders. Those who feel LTC West should be punished do 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.
Regards
I know we differed on this, but I appreciate and respect your reasoned dialog and your attitude regarding this outcome.
Thank you, from myself and my entire family, for your service to our Republic, may the true spirit and Peace of this season be with you and yours...may it be with us all and motivate us all to do more good.
Owl_Eagle
”Guns Before Butter.”
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