Posted on 02/09/2015 3:06:33 PM PST by Timber Rattler
A Green Beret officer who was stripped of a prestigious valor award and dropped from the Special Forces fell out of favor with Army officials after the CIA shared information it gathered about him while he was going through screening for a potential job, according to officials familiar with the case.
Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn was investigated by the Army Criminal Investigation Command for an undisclosed violation of the U.S. militarys rules of engagement in 2010 that resulted in the death of a known enemy fighter and bombmaker in Helmand province, Afghanistan, according to the officials. The Army closed a lengthy investigation last summer without charging Golsteyn with any crime, but Army Secretary John McHugh revoked a Silver Star that Golsteyn had been awarded for heroism on Feb. 20, 2010, during the iconic Battle of Marja.
The Army also took away Golsteyns Special Forces tab, a qualification that goes to any soldier who completes Special Forces training, and reassigned him to the conventional Army as an infantry officer, several officials said. He is in the process of determining his future with the Army, said his lawyer, Phil Stackhouse.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I just read a lot of stuff.
Thanks though. :-)
Hmm... a “rules of engagement violation” that only resulted in one of our enemies being killed doesn’t sound like it would be sufficient to render such drastic actions as this. There’s gotta be more to this story.
They use polygraphs or the equivalent when interviewing you for work, so actually it might be pretty naive to think you could get away with being untruthful to them.
I would be very surprised if he wasn’t wired to “the box” during the discussion. The Agency has been doing this for a very long time and it is not as easy as one may think.
NO!
SEND them to the battlefield equipped with cans of RED and cans of GREEN spray paint. The lawyers will proceed to designate ALL enemy personnel as either:
Lawful targets - Spray with RED paint.
Illegal targets - Spray with GREEN paint.
All Lawyers will WEAR BLUE helments.
/sarc
If you killed an enemy in Iraq or Afghanistan Obama is coming for you, or rather he is sending the CIA and CID and probably many other agencies after you. You killed one of the President’s coreligionists and that requires revenge.
In fact, I know Golsteynnow a majorwell. I served alongside him in Marjah for months (though not on the 20th of FebruaryI was among the thousands of Marines fighting elsewhere in the district that day) and can attest that he is one of the most courageous, dedicated, and honorable officers I encountered during my service in the military. He would give his life for the men he led without a moments thoughtand he very nearly did, on several occasions. When we returned from our deployments and honors began to roll in for Golsteyn, I reflected that it is nice to see the good guys get recognized.It didnt last long. In 2011, shortly after a book by author and Marine Bing West came out that detailed Golsteyns heroism and quoted him making critical remarks about the American strategy in Afghanistan, I learned that the Army had launched a criminal investigation into his actions during the battle. (Again, full disclosure: I was also interviewed for that book, The Wrong War, and make a brief appearance in it.)
The investigation, apparently, had nothing to do with the acts of bravery that earned Golsteyn his medal. Instead, according to the Washington Post, which cited officials familiar with the case, it concerned an undisclosed violation of the militarys rules of engagement in combat for killing a known enemy fighter and bomb maker. The investigation stretched on for nearly two years, during which time the Army effectively put Golsteyns career on ice. In 2014, Golsteyn and his lawyer were informed that the investigation was finally complete. No charges were filed, but Golsteyn still wasnt released from administrative limbo.
The soldiers caught in the trap can see it clearly. West quotes a perceptive Army officer, Capt. Matt Golsteyn: "We're the insurgents here . . . and we're selling a poor product called the Kabul government."I could see where it would get some Obama people's noses out of joint.
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