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Air Force dismissing charges against Harry Schmidt (A victory for a real "Top Gun")
AP ^

Posted on 06/24/2004 8:12:19 PM PDT by Pukin Dog

The Air Force has decided not to court-martial a U.S. fighter pilot who mistakenly dropped a 500-pound, laser-guided bomb that killed four Canadians in Afghanistan in 2002. Maj. Harry Schmidt, 37, will face nonjudicial punishment and four dereliction-of-duty charges against him will be dismissed in court, the Air Force said Thursday. He could face punishment including 30 days confinement or loss of one month's pay, about $5,600, Air Force spokeswoman Col. Alvina Mitchell said.

Schmidt, a 1983 graduate of Vianney High School in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood, Mo., originally was charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault and faced up to 64 years in prison. Military officials recommended against a court-martial on those charges last June, saying Schmidt could face nonjudicial punishment instead. Schmidt turned down the offer, saying he wanted to clear his name in a court-martial instead. He was ordered to be tried on the lesser charge of dereliction of duty. But the agreement announced Thursday meant the dereliction charges will be pursued in a lesser, nonjudicial forum, beginning July 1. Schmidt's lawyer, Charles W. Gittins, said the Air Force has agreed to allow him to remain employed with the Illinois Air National Guard, but not as a pilot. Gittins said his client did not want to fly for the Air Force anymore because he feels he has been "second guessed in a combat situation by people sitting back in the air-conditioned comfort of the Pentagon."

Schmidt was charged for dropping the bomb from his fighter jet on April 17, 2002, near Kandahar, killing four and wounding eight Canadian soldiers who were conducting live-fire exercises. The victims were the first Canadians to die in combat since the Korean War. Schmidt later said he released the bomb because he mistook the Canadians' gunfire for an attack from Taliban soldiers. A military investigation found that Schmidt should have flown out of the area instead. The case against Schmidt and his mission commander, Maj. William Umbach, has been closely watched in Canada, where many were outraged by the bombing and the two days it took President Bush to publicly apologize.

Manslaughter and aggravated assault charges against Umbach were dismissed and he was allowed to retire, as he had requested. Agatha Dyer, mother of Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, 25, who was killed in the bombing, said word of the decision made her "very sad." "He should get some penalty because he was at fault. He didn't obey orders. My heart is broken," Dyer said from her home in Montreal. Schmidt had transferred to the National Guard in 2000 after a decorated career as a Navy pilot and an instructor at the Navy's "Top Gun" fighter pilot school.

(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...


TOPICS: Canada; Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: friendlyfire; harryschmidt; justice; topgun; usaf
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Surprised not to see this already posted.
1 posted on 06/24/2004 8:12:21 PM PDT by Pukin Dog
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To: Pukin Dog
"The case against Schmidt and his mission commander, Maj. William Umbach, has been closely watched in Canada, where many were outraged by the bombing"

No amount of punishment would have been enough for Canadians. They are peaceniks, by and large. Though I am from New Orleans, my wife is from Ontario. Her entire family, save here, are mercilessly anti-american. Heaven help them if their liberal party wins AGAIN.

2 posted on 06/24/2004 8:22:21 PM PDT by Windsong (FighterPilot)
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To: Pukin Dog

As I understand it (which may be not at all), he was facing NJP a year ago, and now is facing it again. Where is the victory?

Don't much care what Canadians think...


3 posted on 06/24/2004 8:33:20 PM PDT by Mr Rogers
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To: Mr Rogers
Smitty can now fly for the airlines and make a living at his profession. Had he faced charges, that would not be the case.
4 posted on 06/24/2004 8:36:19 PM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: Windsong

Of course, us non peacenik Americans couldn't care less if a foreign Air Force accidentally killed four of our soldiers.


5 posted on 06/24/2004 8:38:55 PM PDT by Mr. Burns
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To: Pukin Dog

Excellent!

The loss of life was tragic. War is tragic. The blame, if blame must be assigned, belongs to the brutal fascists who forced us into the inescapable position of adopting warfare as the only realistic option for survival as a part of a civilized, world wide community of nations.

May God hold them responsible for forcing peaceful, forward looking people to once again adopt the brutish posture of war.


6 posted on 06/24/2004 8:51:32 PM PDT by concentric circles
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To: Mr. Burns
Bad things happen in war, buddy. You don't go destroying one of our greatest warriors over something like this. You also don't go shooting tracers in a war-zone without reporting your position. Some highly trained killer might just drop a bomb on your head.
7 posted on 06/24/2004 8:54:30 PM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: Pukin Dog

The position had been forwarded to the regional headquarters...but no one thought to tell the AWACS in charge. This wasn't a misplaced shot in a combat zone - It was an over eager jet jockey hell bent on getting his kills in before he went home.


8 posted on 06/24/2004 9:09:12 PM PDT by Mr. Burns
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To: Mr. Burns
It was an over eager jet jockey hell bent on getting his kills in before he went home.

Jet jockey, huh? Smitty is a better man than you will ever be. The man is a hero, a warrior, and as a Naval Aviator, one of the best men to strap on a fighter jet who ever lived. Be glad and grateful he risked his life for your right to call him stupid names.

9 posted on 06/24/2004 9:15:11 PM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: Pukin Dog
Tell that to the four brave warriors he killed because he couldn't wait to pull the trigger. The man was flying at nearly 20 000 ft, and decided that a few tracers (supposedly from an enemy without any radar guided weapons) were a serious threat to a jet doing 1000 miles an hour in the dark. He then dropped 5000 feet and circled around to take it out, without authorisation from the control planes.

Right after dropping the bomb, his wingmate wondered over the radio "Hope we did the right thing".

10 posted on 06/24/2004 9:25:46 PM PDT by Mr. Burns
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To: Pukin Dog
I don't know about this particular story, but the "story" was posted this afternoon.
11 posted on 06/24/2004 9:27:46 PM PDT by Psycho_Bunny
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To: Mr. Burns
Tell that to the four brave warriors he killed because he couldn't wait to pull the trigger.

Cant do that. They are hamburger. Smitty don't miss. Have a good evening.

12 posted on 06/24/2004 9:27:56 PM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: Pukin Dog
If your "buddy" Schmitty is as callous as you they should have fried his ass.

LBT

-=-=-
13 posted on 06/24/2004 10:06:18 PM PDT by LiberalBassTurds (Al Qaeda needs to know we are fluent in the "dialogue of bullets.")
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To: Pukin Dog; Mr. Burns; LiberalBassTurds
Cant do that. They are hamburger. Smitty don't miss. Have a good evening.

Question. Would you feel the same if a Canadian fighter-bomber pilot had accidentally killed 4 US soldiers in the same circumstances ?
14 posted on 06/25/2004 5:47:22 AM PDT by Atlantic Friend (Cursum Perficio)
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To: Atlantic Friend

Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire. You want the guys who did it charged with manslaughter?


15 posted on 06/25/2004 5:51:51 AM PDT by Tribune7
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To: Tribune7

Tillman...the football star ? He was killed by friendly fire ?


16 posted on 06/25/2004 5:54:18 AM PDT by Atlantic Friend (Cursum Perficio)
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To: Pukin Dog

He may fly for the airlines, but with the pay cuts and loss of benefits and retirement it isn't much of a living. He should do something else with the rest of his life.


17 posted on 06/25/2004 5:55:04 AM PDT by jsraggmann
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To: Atlantic Friend
The truth is that Canadian pilots get so little training time, they would be lucky to hit the side of a barn under duress. It is time for Canada to get over this. Harry Schmidt is a good man.
18 posted on 06/25/2004 6:28:10 AM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: LiberalBassTurds
If your "buddy" Schmitty is as callous as you they should have fried his ass.

Tough nuts, buddy. I have no patience for armchair warriors who no nothing of the risks involved in flying fighter aircraft. More men die training to protect pacifist Canadian asses, so when one of ours gets a break, especially one with Smitty's record. I feel no pain.

19 posted on 06/25/2004 6:31:06 AM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: Atlantic Friend

Tillman was killed by friendly fire

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-tillman-investigation&prov=ap&type=lgns


20 posted on 06/25/2004 6:34:47 AM PDT by boxerblues
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