Posted on 05/22/2003 7:49:44 PM PDT by arjay
THE arrogant US Army major who accused Colonel Tim Collins of war crimes in Iraq was taking REVENGE — after the Brit hero had told him to stand to attention properly.
Witnesses said the tobacco-chewing American had shrugged at Col Collins, 43, and said with a sneer: “Oh, yeah, fine.”
Former SAS man Col Collins was furious at the major’s disrespectful attitude toward a senior officer and had him arrested for insubordination.
Then he humiliated the yank by making him stand ramrod straight for 45 minutes while British squaddies walked past, trying to stifle their sniggers.
It is believed the US officer suffered further humiliation when he was demoted by his superiors. He subsequently filed rumours that were circulating which alleged Col Collins had fired weapons needlessly and assaulted Iraqis.
The pair clashed when the colonel saw the major dishing out sweets and rations to children near the British HQ in southern Iraq.
Col Collins told him to stop and said he had banned such practices on safety grounds.
But the major replied: “You do your job and I will do mine.”
The colonel hit the roof and gave him a withering dressing down.
Another British officer said: “Col Collins had banned us all from throwing sweets out of our vehicles, or handing them out on patrol, because he wanted all food distribution to be controlled and organised.
“He did not want the locals being treated like animals and in the pandemonium that it caused a kid could easily have fallen under the wheels of a vehicle.
“One day this US major turned up and started dishing out sweets to kids outside a school.
“He wasn’t even supposed to be in the area. He was part of a CIMIC team, which is a civil-military cooperation providing aid, food and water to surrounding towns.”
Other soldiers witnessed the confrontation.
One squaddie said: Col Collins asked him who he was and what he was doing. The major explained himself.
Col Collins said, ‘This is my area of responsibility. I’ve put a ban on this. It is not good for security and I don’t want the locals treated in this way. They have pride’.
Word has gone round that the US major was heard to say, ‘You do your job and I will do mine’.
Majors do not speak to colonels like that. The colonel apparently blew his top and stormed: ‘Do you realise who you are talking to? This is Col Tim Collins of the Royal Irish Regiment. Stand to attention when I’m talking to you’.
The US major stood up in a sloppy, disrespectful manner while saying ‘yeah, fine,’ instead of snapping to attention. At that point Col Collins got angry and ordered a sergeant major to arrest him for insubordination.
Back at HQ it was hilarious, with this American standing upright and the British soldiers filing past wondering what was going on.
After three-quarters of an hour a high-ranking US Army officer turned up. He went in to meet Col Collins, who explained why the major was under arrest.
The Brit soldiers who saw him thought he was a bit of a prat. He was in his late 30s or early 40s and about 5ft 8in. He was chewing tobacco and looked like a bit of a redneck. We were all chuckling behind his back.
I would not say it’s never been done before but for a commander to arrest someone like this and humiliate him in this way is unusual.
Hero's welcome ... liberated Iraqis hail Col Collins in Al Amara After “apologies all round” the Americans took away the major to discipline him themselves.
Weeks later he filed a series of claims that father-of-five Col Collins contravened the Geneva Convention.
Allegations include that he pistol-whipped an Iraqi civic leader and intimidated civilians by firing at their feet.
The source added: “There were a lot of rumours flying around about Col Collins.
“We don’t know how the US major got hold of them, but he reported them to his bosses who got straight on to the Ministry of Defence.
“It was a spiteful, vengeful act against the commander but I believe he will brush off the complaints.
“He is a fantastic leader — strong but fair — who loved the Iraqi people.”
Inspirational Col Collins won international fame and praise with his Shakespearean-style speech to his troops just before the attack on Iraq.
The address was admired by Prince Charles and President George Bush.
A soldier who served under the colonel for three years likened him yesterday to the boss of all-conquering Manchester United.
He said: “He is a winner, the Alex Ferguson of the Army. People might not like him but he is the best.”
The former Royal Irish Regiment ranger said Collins — then a major — was his commander in C Company, based at Catterick, North Yorks, from March 1997 to November 1999.
“He was tough and his methods were ruthless but he got the job done.
“He was very precise and wouldn’t tolerate any slackness or lack of ability.”
Last night senior officers confirmed the version of events given to The Sun by the officer who worked closely with Col Collins.
One said: “This is exactly what we have been told happened. We hope Col Collins will be cleared but we have to investigate every aspect of the allegations.
“The fact an investigation is being undertaken demonstrates only that we are establishing the facts. It does not indicate or imply that any judgement has been made.”
The Sun has checked the identity of our informants, and verified the accuracy of what they told us.
But they have asked us not to name them for fear of disciplinary action under the Official Secrets Act.
Looks a bit incestuous to me. The Brit was probably out there popping civilians just like the Major reported. After all, a Colonel who'd leave a Major standing at attention to be ridiculed by foreign EM and POWs would probably shoot at the feet of Iraqi civilians, torture prisoners, etc.
Sounds to me like they have a real Brit officer just like Tarlton in "The Patriot". I remember when the UKian people were complaining that the movie misrepresented Brit officers, but clearly they were wrong. Here's an example!
This Brit officer is a noble man, I've read of what he's done over there, but I hardly think we're hearing both sides. Sounds more to me like a Special Forces guy running up against a very proper British officer. The fact that he was there on his own tells you that something is different and not quite right about this story.
It's also a tabloid, somewhere halfway between the National Enquirer and a real newspaper, and it's the tabloid with a heavy leftist slant, if I rememeber correctly.
Vast numbers of articles from the British press get posted on FR but I think a big problem is people don't really have a handle on the British press and where the various papers are coming from; they really operate a lot differently than our press.
But the Ministry of Defence has confirmed that he is being investigated by the Army's Special Investigations Branch over a series of allegations that he:
Punched, kicked and threatened captured Iraqis to get information out of them Pistol-whipped an Iraqi town leader, badly gashing his head Fired on the ground to intimidate two Iraqi civilians Issued threats to local civic leaders to get them to comply with his demands Shot the tyres out on a car when there was no threat to allied life All but the last of these fit allegations made by Mr Nasser to an SIB team that interviewed him and his family about two weeks ago.
Mr. Nasser is a Baath party official in Basra. So where are the rumors planted by an American Major??
There's a tremendous difference between "every" and "some". No doubt you will be more careful in the future (and after having been subjected to the strict discipline of the grammarian in front of 40,000 other writers/posters, which I am sure you will not mistake for ridicule, I think I have not only made my point, but convinced you that a "private reply" would probably have been a bit more proper.)
You cannot be serious.
Col. Collins from the moment of his speech to his troops was a media figure. Do you think had he taken such actions that it would not have been reported before now?
Had that been me,(Ret-Navy) I would had the Major at Capt's Mast before he could spit. The military only works because of rules. Your attitude is the difference between the Vietnam era and the Professional Service we have today.
You just cannot draft people, and expect to get much from them. In the all-volunteer service, discipline is the first order. If the Major so much as hesitated, he should have been busted. During wartime there is no margin for that kind of nonsense.
Sure you wouldn't be haapier at DU?
From the story I'm reading Col. Collins as a hard-arse stickler for military discipline, who would be unlikely to commit crimes against civilians.
You are reading him as a big meany who made the Major feel embarassed.
bingo. Most intelligent post so far.
LOL, if this bloated egomaniac Collins had tried this with a Marine Corps officer he would have simply been laughed off. And if he didn't like it, he might have been smashed in the mouth.
However....
I don't believe this story for a minute. Am I supposed to believe that this Major was hanging around handing out candy all by himself, with none of his troops or colleagues around? And that he actually allowed himself to be arrested by a Brit Sergeant Major? And forced to stand at attention for 45 minutes while "squaddies" gawked and "sniggered" at him?
Gimme a break.... This is the kind of fabrication you might read in the New York Times.
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