Posted on 09/09/2013 3:24:11 AM PDT by Kaslin
Lt. Clint Lorance needs your help. He is an American war hero who was unjustly sentenced to 20 years confinement, forfeiture of all pay, and dismissal from the U.S. Army because the Obama administration is apparently trying to appease the Afghan government.
The day he turned 18, Lorance walked into the Greenville, Texas recruiting station and enlisted in the U.S. Army. The U.S. had recently invaded Iraq and he felt an obligation to serve his country. Before long, Lorance was thriving. Two years into his military career, Lorance was already a Sergeant.
Throughout the 10 years he served in the U.S. Army, Lorance kept his mother informed of all his accomplishments and award certificates. His mother told me that she now has all of these certificates and letters with her. Many are letters from his superiors recommending him for promotion. When his mother recently read through them all herself, she found they were: “All stating his excellent performance and being highly recommended as an outstanding young man. Not one bad word or one bad report.”
Lorance’s superiors described him as trustworthy, highly skilled, very organized and by-the-books (a vital trait in the Military where order and respect for leadership keeps everyone safe and on-mission during the fog of war).
Lorance served in the U.S. Army with a perfect record for 10 years when he was suddenly stripped of his weapon and dismissed from the Army without explanation in July of 2012. He was thrown into an impossible situation during his first time commanding an active-duty rifle platoon in a very dangerous region in Afghanistan teeming with Taliban insurgents. Around this time, the Obama administration implemented “Afghan in the Lead,” a nebulous set of rules of engagement whereby American commanders were supposed to let the Afghan forces take the lead, if the Afghans wanted to lead.
Lt. Lorance was leading his rifle platoon on a combat patrol in Taliban territory when U.S. Army helicopters overhead alerted him via radio to the presence of insurgents in the area. It is a common tactic of the Taliban to utilize “spotters” on motorcycles who communicate sightings via ICOM signals and carry grenades, which they toss at American forces. Suddenly, Lt. Lorance’s platoon encountered Afghan motorcyclists who exactly fit the description he had received over radio.
With seconds to react, Lt. Lorance used his common sense. He authorized his American marksmen to make precision shots and route these ostensible Taliban spotters instead of relying on his Afghan soldiers, who had less training and a reputation for being trigger-happy. Lt. Lorance did the right thing; he eliminated what his intelligence told him were Taliban and also eliminated the loss of additional innocent lives that could have been lost had he authorized his Afghan soldiers to lead. He made the best call he could, with seconds to react and under immense pressure. Nevertheless, after 10 years of serving honorably in the Army with a perfect record, he was dismissed for using street smarts instead abiding by silly rules of engagement that could have jeopardized innocent Americans and Afghans.
Lt. Lorance is now sitting in confinement, awaiting a clemency hearing, and he wrote this letter to his supporters on September 1, 2013:
My fellow Patriots:
The past year has been a turbulent time for myself and all of you great American Patriots. I’ve been through many challenges in my life, and I’m thankful for who they’ve turned me into. The current challenge for me is enduring the banter, shrewdness and internal politics inherent to a prison population. It is arguably the most difficult obstacle that I’ve faced in my life, however, knowing I’m not alone in this arduous journey makes the road a little smoother. I’m standing strong on the “inside” as I’m confident you’re standing strong on the “outside.” You have my most sincere thanks and respect for taking a stand against injustice. You are true-blue Americans. NEVER GIVE UP – NEVER GIVE IN.
Sincerely and respectfully,
Your Friend,
CLINT LORANCE
The last line in the letter, “Never Give Up, Never Give In,” is Lt. Lorance’s motto in life. He is an amazing man who devoted his life to caring for others. Instead of judging him, we need to hear his side of the story. As his mother says, “He has written a story himself” through his exemplary character and actions.
I will keep you posted on developments regarding Lt. Lorance’s case. In the meantime, we all need to stand by this heroic man who faces injustice because the Obama administration apparently chose to appease the Afghan government instead of supporting our American troops. Please visit the website his family set up, DefendVeteranLorance.com, to find links to his Facebook and donation pages. His family needs to raise funds for his legal defense. There is also a non-profit organization set up for Lt. Lorance through CHASE Bank and anyone in the world can walk into their CHASE Bank branch and make a tax-deductable donation to “Defend Veteran Lorance.” Moreover, he and his family need prayers to stay strong and upbeat as they face the hurdle of their lives. It’s up to us to remind our Commander-in-Chief: No man left behind.
Obama rules of engagement.....getting our servicemen killed on a daily basis.....FUBO!
With the oil rich sheiks footing the bill for our next fools errand in Syria they’re be more of these tragic ROE prosecutions.
Very well said
Indeed
More proof that the evil one occupying the White Hut must be impeached and removed from power that he wields like the nut case in North Korea.
Had the good Lieutenant been a homosexual there would have been no problem.
Our military has been castrated by the phony president.
Too few people understand the difference between Laws of War (LOW) and Rules of Engagement (ROE). ROE are often much more restrictive than what LOW allow servicemen to do and not do. But the most misunderstood part about ROE is the difference between use of force for mission accomplishment and self-defense. In a nutshell, if you’re out there in the trenches, mountains, streets, or whatever hell-hole you’ve been sent to and you or your unit are attacked or have a reasonable belief you are about to be attacked, in self-defense you should be able to use any means allowed by LOW, screw the ROE. This right of self-defense is also predicated on Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. It is easy for anyone who doesn’t have to drive that convoy route or walk those streets in Iraq or Afghanistan to castigate our troops for being trigger happy. I challenge any one of them to do it and then see how they feel.
That is your opinion, noobie
Being here forever doesn't mean that you're right and I'm wrong.
I’ve heard this story before, too. His punishment sounds very severe given what is said to have occurred. The last time I heard a story like this, the Soldier in question was very much guilty and the folks putting his story out there were whitewashing it trying to make him look good.
I’m curious what the real reasons were for this sentence.
Pour encourager les autres no doubt. Or maybe because of the nature of the action. Had this been a case where the motorcyclists kept coming on without stopping, without obeying his warnings, and he fired on them anyway then I don't see where he would be in any trouble. But if the story is relaying the testimony from the trial accurately, the motorcyclists in question posed no threat. They had stopped. They had dismounted. And he had is men fire on them anyway. If all that is true and the other charges are true as well, and the prosecution didn't seem to have any problem finding people to testify, then he did this to himself.
When was he commissioned?
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