Posted on 12/06/2004 5:05:25 AM PST by ijcr
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The U.S. military will not court-martial 23 Army reservists who refused a mission transporting fuel along a dangerous road in Iraq, but they will face less severe punishment, an official said Monday.
The soldiers from the 343rd Quartermaster Company, based in Rockhill, N.C., may be assigned extra duties or face reductions in rank, military spokesman Lt. Col. Steve Boylan said.
The soldiers failed to report Oct. 13 for an assigned mission to transport supplies from Tallil air base near Nasiriyah to Taji north of Baghdad.
"They felt they didn't have the proper equipment to do the mission they were ordered to do and are being disciplined for failing to follow orders," Boylan said.
Boylan said 18 of the soldiers had been punished so far and the other five would face reprimand soon.
All were being punished under Article 15, which means there will be no court proceedings or public record. Boylan refused to specify the reprimands they will face, but said penalties under Article 15 proceedings include extra duties and a reduction in rank.
Sorry, that second paragraph was poorly worded.
What I meant to say was that perhaps in the passage of time since my service things had changed.
Hope that makes my post understandable.
Do you really believe that vehicles in Iraq are being deadlined over windshield wipers? Be real! Some vehicles don't even have windshields!
You guys really need to see some of this stuff to believe it.
Ours not to reason why - ours but to do and die!
I never thought I had a choice.
Roc, I got it, but your clarification helped.
The old navy and the army have always been a bit different. The captain of the ship has always had totally unquestioned power has been my impression.
Ground units, though, need to work as a team. There's always been recognition that at the small unit level that the troops, nco's, and lieutenants put their heads together and come up with a plan.
The issue here is that these troops balked AFTER the decision was made.
Maybe they weren't brought in at the planning level. That's a mistake, in my opinion, but an arrogant officer has the authority to do that. (I understand that officer has left her position.)
Bump.
That's completely false and the opposite of the facts. An Article 15 is offered in lieu of a court martial. If the soldier is offered an Article 15 and refuses it (he has that option), he can be court martialed under the same charges. An Article 15 must meet court-martial criteria before it is proffered. The fact that the soldiers accepted the Article 15 means that the charges were rock solid. If they were not, all one would have to do would be to refuse the Article 15 and walk away with no court martial and no additional punishment. What the Article 15 does is save time and money. Both sides win. The government saves the cost and time of a trial and the soldiers get a lesser punishment than they would receive if they had gone to trial.
The follow up to this story in the Army Times a couple weeks back, stated that the other group of soldiers that completed the mission (with armor/armed escort) to Taji, STILL HAD THEIR FUEL REJECTED, WHEN THEY TRIED TO DELIVER IT! That would be the second time that the fuel had been rejected.
The Army claimed the mission was completed successfully, but how successful is a mission where the material delivered is not good enough to even use?
Read my post to see just how 'successfully' that mission was carried out.
"The A Company commander, under pressure from his superior to get moving, ordered Uthlaut to split his platoon.
Uthlaut objected. Uthlaut's commander overruled him. Get half your platoon to Manah right away, he ordered.
But why? Uthlaut asked, as he recalled in a sworn statement. Do you want us to change procedures and conduct sweep operations at night?
No, said the A Company commander.
``So the only reason you want me to split up is so I can get boots on the ground in sector before it gets dark?'' an incredulous Uthlaut asked.
Yes, said his commander."
After one part of the split company opened fire on the other with tragic loss of life, two lower ranking enlisted men received non judicial punishment but in my opinion the actor who caused this, Uthlaut's commander got away clean.
There's so many "perfumed princes" out there trying to "punch their ticket" and get as many medals as they can, a la John Kerry, that you have to take every offcial story with a grain of salt these days.
These disgraced "soldiers" (and I use the term advisedly) should be court-martialed and dishonorably discharged.
"There are times when those in the Perfume Palaces are not in touch with reality"
I get the feeling that many are nostalgic for WWII or Korea too. The older crowd. THX. for your service!
Glad you made the effort to explain reg's and the UCMJ to these people.
Too much crap is swayed by emotion from people that have very little idea how the military works...thanks.
Your alleged 24 years seems to be void of rationality, the NCO failed and so did your analogy. Check your date of rank and move out private.
I would imagine that the best penalty would be to totally split that group and reassign them to other active units.
There - they must come in with all knowing "why" they came in. Can you imagine their status in the new group. A true punishment. No cohorts to support their action - only cohorts who consider their action cowardly.
You just plain do not get it. What ever their reasons,right or wrong... no matter if the officer issuing the order was naked with a flower in each year. They should have been dealt with by Court Martial.
The decision has already effected the Army.Discipline is the sole difference between our troops and the terrorists.
When the Army concedes on discipline, every soldier suffers.My son e-mailed me from Camp Victory and already the troops are asking if we tell the Lt. to F*** off wiil it be guard duty or painting a few bricks.
Some smart enlightened officer promoted Karpinski to General
and put her in charge of Abu Grahib.There are still a lot of COO children in the officer corps.
Discipline is one thing,and stupidty is another. You fail to see the difference in your arguments of your "by the book and no brains at all costs".
Painting bricks has little do with suicide missions carrying contaminated fuel using deadlined equipment, get real.
Heheheh...... not that I know of, but it sure sometimes seems so.
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