Sen. Kerry wants Navy probe into sailor killing (changing discharge status)

AP ^ | September 30, 2010

[Shermy]

BOSTON —Sen. John Kerry is pushing for a dishonorable discharge for a Navy sailor convicted of fatally shooting dead his girlfriend in Virginia.

Kerry sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates requesting an investigation into the Navy’s actions following the February 2009 death of sailor Caitlin Trask.

The 20-year-old Bradford resident was killed by Darren Mackie of Wisconsin. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter but was never given a dishonorable discharge.

Kerry said he cannot understand how an active duty sailor could kill another sailor and avoid a dishonorable discharge.

He wants the investigation to determine options to facilitate Mackie’s dishonorable and find out if any Navy personnel were derelict in their duty related to this case.

[Shermy]

A month old, but Kerry’s mouth is in the news again.

Funny, him and discharge statuses...

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Kerry said he cannot understand how an active duty sailor could kill another sailor and avoid a dishonorable discharge.

Oh, I don't know, John. A sailor could, for instance give aid and comfort to the enemy in a war resulting in sailors getting killed and he wouldn't be dishonorably discharged, would he?

[Zeppo]

Kerry said he cannot understand how an active duty sailor could kill another sailor and avoid a dishonorable discharge.

Yeah - I cannot understand how a traitorous SOB like Kerry could have avoided a dishonorable discharge...

[ConorMacNessa]

Of all the unmitigated gall! The blood of several hundred thousand Vietnamese who perished as a result of his treason is on his hands. He's the one who should be in prison!

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[Shermy]

“Yeah - I cannot understand how a traitorous SOB like Kerry could have avoided a dishonorable discharge..”

Actually, there is a story there, that he had a general or lower, but Jimmy Carter ratcheted it up to honorable, or some story like that...

[blondee123]

Words actually escape me on this one!!!!

[ConorMacNessa]

Carter may well have done so - But Kerry won't produce it and I'm betting that his original discharge was under less than honorable conditions.

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[Pan_Yan]

Kerry said he cannot understand how an active duty sailor could kill another sailor and avoid a dishonorable discharge.

If he'd shot an unarmed boy in the back he'd have gotten a Silver Star, right John?

[colorado tanker]

I did some googling. The shooting happened off base and the guy got 10 years for involuntary manslaughter by a civilian court. Obviously, a civilian court can't award a DD which would be routine in this kind of case in a court martial. FWIW, the guy claimed it was an accidental discharge and he didn't mean to do it.

The family thinks this is too light and wanted him tried by a court martial. Obviously, they never heard of the Double Jeopardy clause.

Now they are pushing for a DD and Kerry is playing the publicity whore. My guess is the thing was an oversight.

[liberty or death]

This Douche needs to retire. I will donate to whomever wants to run and beat this Idiot back to Cambodia.
He is the human visual of Scum rising to the top.

God help us if we continue to allow Vermin Traitors to represent us.

[UCFRoadWarrior]

I did some googling. The shooting happened off base and the guy got 10 years for involuntary manslaughter by a civilian court. Obviously, a civilian court can’t award a DD which would be routine in this kind of case in a court martial. FWIW, the guy claimed it was an accidental discharge and he didn’t mean to do it.
The family thinks this is too light and wanted him tried by a court martial. Obviously, they never heard of the Double Jeopardy clause.

Now they are pushing for a DD and Kerry is playing the publicity whore. My guess is the thing was an oversight

---

Thanks for the additional info.

The only way to get a dishonorable discharge is to be court-martialed. You cannot get a DD thru Administrative discharge procedures. Since tbe sailor was tried and convicted in a civilian court...the military really cannot do anything but offer a general or “other than honorable” discharge

[Leaning Right]

I’m a little bit confused (nothing new, there).

The huge majority of posts here are bashing Kerry without mercy. Is that because you think that the sailor in question should NOT get a dishonorable, or is just because Kerry opened his mouth?

It would seem to me that if Kerry is trying to write a wrong (even if for selfish reasons), he should be given some cridit here.

Bottom line: How did you think the relatives of the dead woman feel about all this? I’m guessing they are grateful to Kerry. Kerry’s remarks, in some measure, may ease some of their pain. And that’s good enough for me.

[italianquaker]

kerry and odumbo always have an ulterior motive

[Castlebar]

If he'd shot an unarmed boy in the back he'd have gotten a Silver Star, right John?

As much as I despise this individual, and as much as his purple heart commendations are bogus, the kid he shot could only be considered "unarmed" by a very hair-splitting interpretation of the facts. The kid had B-40 with a dud load.

[Venturer]

How could a Navy Officer shoot a wounded teen aged enemy in cold blood and end up with 3 band aid medals and a ticket home instead of being charged as a war criminal?

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Involuntary manslaughter does not necessarily result in a dishonorable discharge any more than leaving the scene of a fatal accident results in one resigning his seat in the Senate.

[warm n fuzzy]

“Kerry said he cannot understand how an active duty sailor could kill another sailor and avoid a dishonorable discharge.”

Without addressing the serious crime and why it did not lead to a dishonorable, I just want to ask this question.

Is it something like when a COMMISSIONED officer in the US NAVY, ( John Fudggedup Kerry), meets with officials of the enemy gooberment, (the North Vietnamese), in another country, (France), while we are at WAR with them without getting charged with TREASON?

Nah, that couldn’t be it, the people involved in this aren’t political whores.

[colorado tanker]

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize you can't get a DD except by a court. But then, I was never inside the Army judicial system. :-))

I re-read the story and it doesn't say he got an honorable discharge, just that he didn't get a dishonorable. So, maybe the Navy already did the max they can do? Even an other than honorable is a pretty heavy hit on a resume.

[Wuli]

This phony “war hero” has no right at all to get into or question such matters, concerning any branch of the military, in as much as a good part of his own record is fiction he helped place in that record.