Lawson is a blackmailer in my book.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-te.chip09may09,0,1354195.story?coll=bal-home-headlines Frederick's family tried to persuade the Army to discharge Frederick and take away his pension, arguing that his actions were the result of orders given by others. Frederick's uncle, Bill Lawson, a retired Air Force master sergeant, said in an interview last week that the family also sent letters for help to 17 members of Congress.
When the Army refused and the members of Congress replied with form letters, Lawson contacted retired Col. David Hackworth, a syndicated columnist, who helped the family get in touch with Mary Mapes, a producer for CBS's 60 Minutes II, which broke the story.
"We gave [the military] the opportunity to have none of this come out," Lawson said. "They could have avoided all of this."
Lawson is a blackmailer in my book. Frederick's family ......, arguing that his actions were the result of orders given by others. ....... When the Army refused and the members of Congress replied with form letters, Lawson contacted retired Col. David Hackworth, ........."We gave [the military] the opportunity to have none of this come out," Lawson said. "They could have avoided all of this."
Yes, the uncle is a blackmailer.
That uncle wanted the U.S. Army to drop the charges against his nephew because his nephew was < German accent> "just following orders" < /German accent>.
That excuse did not fly at Nuremberg after World War II and it does not fly in the U.S. Armed Forces today. Every soldier who makes it out of Boot Camp has been trained that it is his duty to disobey illegal orders and it is his duty to report such illegal orders.
Spc. Joseph Darby remembered his training and did his duty. This blackmailer's nephew ignored his training and violated the UCMJ.
Yes, the U.S. Army had the opportunity to "avoid" the release of the photos by caving in to the uncle's demands that his nephew be put above the law.
The U.S. Army told the uncle to go to hell.
Good for the U.S. Army! The Army followed the Rule of Law which is exactly what the Army of a Constitutional Republic is supposed to do.