Roy Moore’s war buddy:‘I knew him to be an altogether honorable, decent..."

Yellow Hammer ^ | NOVEMBER 24, 2017 AT 2:00 PM CST | BY STAFF REPORT

[little jeremiah]

(The following is an open letter to the voters of Alabama from Bill Staehle of Asbury Park, New Jersey.)

I served with Roy Moore in Vietnam in 1971-72, where I knew him to be an altogether honorable, decent, respectable, and patriotic commander and soldier. I have had no contact with him since.

He and I were captains and company commanders in the 504th Military Police Battalion, stationed at the base camp called Camp Land, just west of Danang.

I knew him well in my first four months in-country before I was re-assigned within the battalion to another location. During that time, I grew to admire him.

I am Bill Staehle, residing in Asbury Park, New Jersey. I am an attorney, practicing law continuously for 42-years. I began my career as an assistant United States attorney, and for the past 32 years, I have been the managing trial lawyer for the staff counsel office of a major insurance company.

Allow me to relate to you one experience involving Roy that impressed me.

While in Vietnam, there came a time when another officer invited Roy and me to go with him into town after duty hours for a couple of beers. That officer had just returned from an assignment in Quang Tri Province north of Danang, and we were interested to learn of his experiences.

I had not met him before, and I don’t believe Roy had either. On other occasions with other officers, we would go to the officers’ club at the air force base, but on this occasion, he told us he knew of another place in town.

When we arrived at the place and went inside, it was clear to Roy and me that he had taken us to a brothel. That officer appeared to know people there, as he was greeted by one or two young women in provocative attire.

The place was plush. There were other American servicemen there. Alcohol was being served. There were plenty of very attractive young women clearly eager for an intimate time.

In less time than it took any of the women to approach us, Roy turned to me and said words to this effect, “We shouldn’t be here. I am leaving.”

We told the officer who had brought us that we wanted to leave. He told us to take his jeep and that he could get a ride back later, which he did. Roy and I drove back to camp together.

That evening, if I didn’t know it before, I knew then that with Roy Moore I was in the company of a man of great self-control, discipline, honor, and integrity. While there were other actions by Roy that reinforced my belief in him, that was the most telling.

I reject what are obvious, politically motivated allegations against Roy of inappropriate dating behavior. What I saw, felt and knew about him in Vietnam stands in stark contrast to those allegations.

I sincerely doubt that Roy’s character had changed fundamentally and dramatically in a few short years later. He deserves, in my view, to be heard on the issues that are important to the people of Alabama and our country.

Roy was a soldier for whom I was willing to put my life on the line in Vietnam if the occasion ever arose. Fortunately, it did not.

I was prepared to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him then, and I am proud to stand by Roy now.

— William E. Staehle, Asbury Park, New Jersey

[little jeremiah]

One of Thomas Wictor's threads on Roy Moore, I'll copy part of it. Trying to post twitter stuff requires a lot of formatting so I'll just copy some of it. Wictor has done a lot of research on Moore. The whole thread deserves reading, as well as his other threads about Moore.

https://twitter.com/ThomasWictor/status/930672516766621697

(11) Moore's father died while Moore attended West Point.

(12) Moore's siblings say that Roy became the father. They credit him with keeping them out of trouble.

(13) Moore went to Vietnam, where he was known as "Captain America" for his discipline. He had to sleep on sandbags because soldiers had threatened to roll a hand grenade under his bunk.

(14) After Vietnam, Moore went to law school. He PICKED COTTON to make ends meet.

(15) Then he started a law practice.

[onedoug]

He did what an officer should have, unlike the other creep who’s jeep they took.

I stand with Roy Moore.

[Yaelle]

I can’t argue with that. I want him in the Senate. But I can’t seem to hold my tongue that XYZ non sequitur means he wasn’t interested in teens in his thirties. Because he was. Humans are flawed.

[little jeremiah]

Yaelle, we will have to agree to disagree.

There is no evidence whatsoever that he actually in any improper way with any girls, of whatever age. No evidence whatsoever.

I think you have an emotional issue about this.

[Yaelle]

I was unfortunately not a young innocent American teen. And I know it is not illegal to be interested in teens of legal age. I have no problem with him running nor winning.

I wish I did live in the old fashioned world of the south back then.

I still think the seeking out of teens in the malls etc was inappropriate but he seems to have stopped upon marriage. Not all of them do.

[Yaelle]

Of course I react with added bias and emotion on this issue. It has only been in very recent years that I’ve been open about what happened, because I never wanted to hurt my parents with the knowledge and they are both in varying degrees of gone.

However, using my brain as well, non sequitur stories like this nice one from his fellow officer of Moore refusing to remain in the brothel don’t mean he wouldn’t have a penchant for teen girls in his 30s. And the only evidence that he did is from his own words with Hannity and re meeting his future wife. And the sheer number of people who seem to remember some things, though they could be paid by the opposition. I give these victims less credibility than most, which is huge for me. The stupid signature is useless unless it could be proven a fraud, and even then it means nothing other than it’s a hit piece on him.

[House Atreides]

“...seeking out teens in the malls...”
************************************
I think that, as well as the “banning” canard, has been pretty well debunked.

[SamuraiScot]

Just because Moore wasn’t interested in prostitutes doesn’t mean that later he didn’t have a thing for innocent teenagers.

Really?

How much do you know about men?

[marktwain]

Human men in their 30’s have been interested in teen women since there have been people.

It is only very recently that this was considered odd.

I think it has happened in our society for two reasons.

First, we have increased the age of taking adult responsibilities to the middle 20’s, as evidenced by the popular rise of stay on parents insurance to 26 and the increasing age of marriage.

Second, the older women in the feminist movement do not want competition with young women. If they can define those young women as out-of-bounds they eliminate much of the competition.

Most human females are sexually mature by age 14.

I am not saying they should be sexually active, or marry, at age 14. But they are not children in a sexual sense.

[PapaBear3625]

Just because Moore wasn’t interested in prostitutes doesn’t mean that later he didn’t have a thing for innocent teenagers. Because he did, by his own admission re his future wife.

That used to be standard: find a young, relatively virgin girl and marry her. Which he did. And your problem with this is?

[Yaelle]

Me:Just because Moore wasn’t interested in prostitutes doesn’t mean that later he didn’t have a thing for innocent teenagers.

---

You: Really?

How much do you know about men?

---

Me: I technically wouldn’t need to understand one thing about men to state what I stated above. It’s simple logic.

[Yaelle]

Maybe the banning was debunked. Look, all of this hearsay could be pure opposition hits. My opinion that he did have a bit of a problem at the time comes from his own admission as well as his lying to Hannity. I’m willing to discount the many witnesses / victims due to the politics. But the sheer quantity of them helps cement my personal opinion. I still want him to win as I see no reason he is dangerous today. And the senate is not filled with choir boys.

[Yaelle]

In human history, yes. But even 130 years ago, it was still pretty creepy for the 14 year old girl to marry a mature man and do his bidding. My daughter and I listen to the Little House on the Prairie books in the car. When Laura and her cousin were around 14, riding ponies across the prairie when the chores for their families were done, they chatted about another schoolgirl they knew who had gotten married to an older man. They were a bit horrified and felt it terribly sad to have the childhood end so suddenly.

Today, we have the age of consent as 18. Maybe somewhat arbitrary, but high school girls just don’t have enough wisdom and experience to handle what thirty year old men know about sex and human relationships. I do think that it is horrible for girls to be held in emotional and intellectual bondage by mature men. I think it is more appropriate for most couples to be of similar stature and age. Not that I don’t wish freedom for all, but the age of 18 is fine for me as the age of consent. Even then, does your daughter have enough wisdom not to pose for playboy, say? Or do a little porn for the rest money?

The men in their 30s interested in me as a teen lacked control, filters, and had some arrested development even if they were prominent in society like Moore was. It’s not a great trait. He was apparently pretty out and open with ihis penchant at the time. And is embarrassed at the least by it today.

[Architect of Avalon]

18 days.

[Psalm 144]

“But even 130 years ago, it was still pretty creepy for the 14 year old girl to marry a mature man and do his bidding. My daughter and I listen to the Little House on the Prairie books in the car.”

Well, that settles it. Little House on the Prairie is binding authority on human norms through the ages.

[Psalm 144]

Outstanding endorsement.

[Abby4116]

My great-grandfather fought in the civil war. His wife, my great-grandmother, was born in 1865. She was 21 when her first child (my grandmother) was born.

I did not know him but I did know both my great-grandmother and my grandmother. She was still receiving a civil war pension when she died in 1962 (at the age of 97).

This was not in the south but in the northern state of Pennsylvania. They were strict Methodists.

No one thought it was "creepy" and my grandmother would be 131 years old now.

[little jeremiah]

IMHO since you have something in your past which is influencing your ability to see this clearly, I think you might want to just leave it alone.

People without this issue in their past see very clearly that these accusations are just as invented as the ones against Trump during the campaign.

The only truthful “accusation” is that “he noticed” his future wife with she was an older teenager.

That is not illegal or immoral or perverted.

And I am sorry for whatever you went through; I know many people who have been victims of abuse, and it is a scar they have for the rest of their days. I hope you find healing from it. My mother and her sister were abused as children and never told their parents due to shame. They both became alcoholics with very unhappy marriages. My siblings and I only found this out when she was in her 80s.

[little jeremiah]

I do not doubt that Moore will win.

[little jeremiah]

He was apparently pretty out and open with ihis penchant at the time.

This is merely a figment of your imagination brought about by willingly believing liars, due to your own wounds. For your own peace of mind, IMHO you should avoid threads about Moore.