US slob 'framed' Col. Tim

The Sun ^ | June 22, 2003 | NEIL SYSON and JOHN KAY

[Trailerpark Badass]

But, like some others have said, this story sounds like crap to me.

[faithincowboys]

Yes, I have seen it too, and this article is the last straw. Oh and the redneck American was 5'8, I guess all the British soldiers are 6'5 with jaws of granite. Col. Collins didn't exactly look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator to me.

[Aaron0617]

The colonel hit the roof and gave him a withering dressing down.

A Full Metal Jacket - R. Lee Ermey...moment

Would like to have seen this.

[LiteKeeper]

Hmmm? Major now; probably a lieutenant during the Clinton administration. If he is CIMIC, probably a reservist, at that.

Curious!

[stylin19a]

I was thinking the same thing. This got me thinking:

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.

Double hearsay is proof?

[faithincowboys]

Yeah and that trek to Baghdad was like riding a jeep on the beaches of Panama City during Spring Break!

I'm not denigrating what they did, butI would like our soldiers not to be trashed constantly. The Brit press is just upset that their guy is getting charged with this, while the ugly, short, redneck neanderthals in the American army have not been accused of such conduct.

What will the French think, the genteel Brits get collared for brutality, and the bestial Americans are planting watermelon gardens for the locals?

[gcruse]

Since we can never know if what we are reading is true, for purposes of conversation, we assume it is and go from there.
Issues are issues. Otherwise, and this happens a lot more than it should, someone says, "This smells fishy to me," and discussion ends.

[pierrem15]

the complaints of one disgruntled man which have been picked up by leftist media types

100% on the money. If they can stir anti-American ire in Britain and ant-British ire in America, so much the better from their perspective.

The Sun and other British papers should be asking themselves why their government is libeling a great officer with such ridiculous charges.

[faithincowboys]

By the way, the Brit's bad rep is not a Hollywood concoction, Ike Bios and everything else show it. Dealing with Montgomery was like dealing with Barbara Streisand. He had that Hillary/ Marie Antoinette complex.

[Lancey Howard]

Are you suggesting that a Marine Corps Major would have the stupidity to ignore a superior officer and possibly strike him?

Let me tell you a story, Pukin Dog.

Have you ever heard of "Chesty" Puller? He was a very famous Marine.
One day, a major who was stroling across the parade deck noticed that a sergeant who passed him had failed to salute. The major stopped in his tracks and proceeded to dress down this sergeant in front of the whole world. He then made that sergeant stand at attention and salute over and over again, more than a hundred times.

Chesty Puller happened to witness this confrontation and decided to walk over and ask the major what was going on. The major explained that the sergeant had failed to salute him and he was therefore giving the sergeant a reminder class on how to salute. Chesty asked the major how many times the sergeant had saluted and the major replied, "About a hundred times."

Chesty Puller then called the major to attention and said, "Then you have about a hundred salutes to return. You can start now!"

Then he (Collins) humiliated the yank by making him stand ramrod straight for 45 minutes while British squaddies walked past, trying to stifle their sniggers.

Now, Pukin Dog, what do you suppose General Puller would do to a snot like Colonel Collins?

[Trailerpark Badass]

Oh and the redneck American was 5'8, I guess all the British soldiers are 6'5 with jaws of granite.

I'm surprised they didn't say the American was fat. They love that.

[Teetop]

I believe the Sun story is crap!

Telegraph story;
http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/05/23/ntim23.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/05/23/ixnewstop.html

More on this story;
http://news.google.com/news?dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&edition=&newsclusterurl=www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-12324978,00.html&start=0&sa=N

[John Jorsett]

I'd like to see some othe confirmation about this from other sources before I come to any conclusion. I'd like to find this unnamed major and hear his side of it, for one thing.

My reaction too. The tone of the article makes it quite clear which side it's taking, and I'm not willing to say who was in the right or wrong until I hear from both parties. There's a reason we have both prosecution and defense at trials: we need both to get at the truth.

[pierrem15]

the complaints of one disgruntled man which have been picked up by leftist media types

100% on the money. If they can stir anti-American ire in Britain and ant-British ire in America, so much the better from their perspective.

The Sun and other British papers should be asking themselves why their government is libeling a great officer with such ridiculous charges.

[Cvengr]

Reads as though the Col is abrasive with his fellow officers and lacks the ability to lead a rat to cheese unless his entourage writes up laudatory remarks.

If the Major was so undisciplined, he wouldn't have stood at attention to suffer the humiliation the Col thought was appropriate.

If it was the Col's intention to insure his juniors' disrespect and have no sincere respect for their seniors, he did a good job of accomplishing it.

The matter was one to be resolved by a flag ranked officer IF the direction of the Col was a appropriate and hence grossly inappropriate for not having been the decision of his seniors.

The only parties less respectable are those in the chain of command above the Col if they fail to remove him from authority immediately.

Hard to tell if the major wasn't also a bit abrasive, but it reads as though the Brits' officers think a helluva lot more of themselves than situations generally warrant.

Those who elevate themselves will be made low.

[faithincowboys]

Excellent post!

Col. Collins is a bitch, and I don't exclusively mean that in the way the Hip Hop Generation uses that word.

He is just a bitchy guy! Real soldiers don't do that. This is Col. Judy Collins first taste of real action, and he doesn't know how to handle it.

I would expect this "hazing the American" bs from the French!

[Oztrich Boy]

Ministry of Defence sources confirmed on Wednesday the complaint was made by an American officer.

[faithincowboys]

And the word slob in the title is very telling. They are playing up to some ridiculous American stereotype that is popular in their culture. Similar to the one in our culture that suggests all British men are gay or half-gay.

[faithincowboys]

Why isn't the Left treating him like the guy who ratted on Lt. Calley?

[Teetop]

"Ministry of Defence sources confirmed on Wednesday the complaint was made by an American officer."

One of two mind you....who was the other party to complain? A baathist party member...

IF the Sun story is true, the Major might as well kiss his @$$ goodbye! I also think the Sun might have added some "spice" to the story as well. I'm not saying the whole story is false, just parts of it.

I was never an officer, but I worked with many in my job in the Air Force. I seen nothing but the best from all officers I came into contact with US or NATO officers.