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"Sometimes, a single person does not want to be the decision-maker," Low said of Helland, who has the authority to order the charges against Nelson withdrawn. "The general decided he would rather see it tried before a panel of members."

I'm not sure, but it almost sounds like Low is saying Helland is chicken.

rather see it tried before a panel of members

They keep hoping they'll get lucky enough to draw a panel of suck-ups.

Charging the Sgt with a crime that had no victims, no evidence, no complaints, and no recognition that soldiers make stories bigger and bigger and bigger with the retelling and retelling and retelling, and the tellers lose track of fact and fiction.

War is where it's sane to be insane, and the only way to deal with it is temporary insanity.

Well of course he is. He (and his superiors) can see what’s going on in Washington over the “torture” issue just as well as we can. The only prudent course of action is to try to prosecute and lose the case...

I'm not sure, but it almost sounds like Low is saying Helland is chicken.

Kinda sounds like it to me. Gen. Helland had the chance to drop this whole thing. Sgt. Nelson had been offered a plea, I believe, early on if he helped the prosecution. The Sgt was looking at the possibility of life in prison vs. a get out jail free card. After he retained competent civilian defense, he stopped letting himself get played.

Both Nazario and Weemer were found not guilty of any crimes. Now Sgt. Nelson is the last man standing. The General should have dropped the case against Sgt. Nelson. There are no bodies, no forensics, no relatives mourning over any dead insurgents. What is the point?

It seems General Helland couldn't stand up to NCIS or any scrutiny over letting this case be over. The Marines who have been prosecuted, battled in Fallujah, lost squad members to that horrific battle, or were jailed for contempt can look themselves in the mirror and see men who withstood pressure under fire. I wonder what the General sees.