Posted on 09/29/2007 5:30:50 AM PDT by bigheadfred
BAGHDAD - A military panel on Saturday sentenced an Army sniper to five months in prison, a reduction in rank and forfeiture of pay for planting evidence in connection with the deaths of two Iraqi civilians.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
You Sir, deserve “post of the day” recognition. Well written.
Regards,
If one of my extended family's children came to me today and said, "Uncle LibKill, should I join the Army/Navy/Marine Corps/Air Force?" I would have to say, "No. This country hates those who serve it."
Are solatia payments made to a “unidentified Iraqi” slush fund...or perhaps to Sadamm Hussein’s spawn?
I have a problem with the whole thing. Why any punishment? It had already been determined that the “innocent civilian” was leaving the scene of an attack against American forces. The fact that there was no murder should end the case right there. It’s reaching the point of “well we gotta convict him of something” when he is jailed for planting the detention cord on a dead insurgent. This is not justice - it’s a travesty and we can thank Murtha, the weak spined brass, the media and the entire anti-war, anti-American crowd for this crap.
It’s bad enough our military has to fight insurgents. Now they’re having to fight the justice system and public opinion. What a crock!
Ping
It’s clear that the captain defending Sgt Vela was handling his case to the Army’s benefit (pressing his client to waive an Article 32 because Vela has already “confessed”).
I’d rather have the Army focussed on winning the war. But if they’re going to try and lock up soldiers, our servicemen deserve a better defense than a junior JAG is capable of giving.
Thank You, SOD Gates...when Rummy was SOD we’d not have seen this kinda crap during a war. Shame on You, Gates. When you were Director of the CIA...your name was ‘Little Prick’ it appears it’s still the right name.
Didn’t the Haditha investigation start under Rummy?
The Romans would disagree with you, and so would the Greeks, Turks, Russians and the old English. In fact not too long ago the Americans would have disagreed too. War is hell, winning ends the war and the hell, PCism only prolongs both, for everyone.
Yes....however, the Army is now in the cross hairs and Gates is pushing it. Troops are now scared to kill the bad guys. It’s causing a lot more problems than most realize. Bush needs to be made aware of it by what the boots on the ground types are saying/fearing. It’s ridiculous that our troops are scared to do what they’ve been trained to do, today. In both theaters....Rummy would not have allowed this to the degree it’s NOW taking place. Every kill of a bad guy, from what I understand, are all being looked at by JAG.
Would this young man have “planted evidence” if he hadn’t seen someone else runover by second guessing in a war zone ?
It wasn't his job to plant evidence.
Marine Snipers, and I have known one of the best, know who they are targeting and only kill those that are targeted.
when you are trained to kill that way, you are expected to only shoot those that need killing.
No question that it “wasn’t his job.” A review of what has happened to other men in similar circumstances might provide understanding why he did it after “doing his job.”
It is like a decent amateur boxer, who has been taught to "fight fair". Let the other fellow get up if knocked down. He is followed on a dark street by a thug. He resists the thug's demand for his wallet. The thug attacks. He knocks down the thug. The thug fumbles for a knife- what then? Let him get up and ask him to fight fair.
Or drive him in the teeth with his foot?. The troops are being hamstrung.
The Romans would disagree with you, and so would the Greeks, Turks, Russians and the old English. In fact not too long ago the Americans would have disagreed too. War is hell, winning ends the war and the hell, PCism only prolongs both, for everyone.
Rome empire is dead and buried, so to is Ancient greece, and the Turkish, the British and Russian empires as well. And once upon a time Our forefathers were given the choice between an American Empire and an empire of Ideas, chose to be what you would call PC and I would call a new morality.
We don't need to slaughter all that are against us, even though we have that ability.
We don't need to kill innocents by the millions to kill hundreds of our enemies.
Our strength is not measured in our ability to kill but in our ability not to. Any brute can kill and brutal empires run by the sword and the gun have always shown that they cannot withstand the humblest of men.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
You would do well to remember that it is those ideas that made this country great and strong that are the only thing that are really worth fighting for and worth protecting.
A review of what has happened to other men in similar circumstances might provide understanding why he did it after “doing his job.”
The UCMJ doesn't judge his actions by what has happened to other men in similar circumstances, it judges him by the rules and regulations that all are expected to obey.
And for the record book I don't like the constraints they are under, but at least I recognize why those restraints are there.
Pretty eloquent "preamble". Almost worthy of the sentiments that followed it.
Great recruiting methods......
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