Posted on 05/26/2003 9:13:43 AM PDT by may18
COLONEL Tim Collins has been cleared of war crimes in a preliminary report by the army’s special investigations branch.
The British officer who became an instant hero for his rousing eve-of-battle speech before the invasion of Iraq, was accused by a reservist American soldier of mistreating Iraqi prisoners, threatening civilians and hitting an Iraqi official with a pistol.
But Major Stan Coerr, a US Marine officer in charge of a unit attached to Col Collins’ Royal Irish Regiment, has claimed the allegations were triggered by spite.
The man who levelled the accusations, part-time soldier Major Re Biastre, was involved in a clash with Col Collins after he handed out sweets to Iraqi children in defiance of orders.
Col Collins feared that Maj Biastre’s actions would cause chaos and endanger the children. He had the American soldier arrested for insubordination and demanded he should be demoted.
Major Coerr described the allegations against Col Collins as "ludicrous" and "spiteful" and said he would serve with him "anytime, anywhere". Major Stan Coerr of the US marines told the investigators he was proud to have served with Col Collins.
Major Coerr in his statement: "This is an absolute travesty. It is obvious to everyone in theatre that it is a vendetta by a weak officer against a hero. I have worked with very few officers of the calibre of Col Collins. He blended tactical knowledge with an abiding concern for the people of Iraq and it was his concern for the children of Rumaila which caused him to confront Major Biastre."
He added: "Col Collins wore us ragged because he was always out and about in town asking what villagers thought and what they needed. He was always firm but fair and his first concerns were opening the school, establishing law and order and getting the economy going with an infusion of cash which he requested from the British Government
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Our paper today featured interviews with regular US marines who said the cooperation and spirit between the uk and us troops was superb.
Looks like a one off, glad he is cleared,he was a bit of a hero for me!
Good question. The Army already busted him in rank, but I hope and expect that Army investigators are still investigating to see if a court martial is appropriate.
There were some on the other thread accusing Col. Collins of many things, essentially blaming him for the incident. I believe this exonerates him.
There are a bunch of brown-nose ex-officers on the thread who ALWAYS suck-up to the higher rank. Can't think of a single enlisted man posting here who was supportive of either one of these prima donnas.
And, BTW, just because someone was enlisted doesn't mean they hate the military when they are critical of the officer class.
If half of what was said about either one of these guys was true, they should both have been kicked out ~ with none of this stuff about being busted in rank, etc., etc. Nobody in the ranks wants them.
Huh? Read the FIRST sentence again:
COLONEL Tim Collins has been cleared of war crimes in a preliminary report by the army’s special investigations branch.
"Cleared" is another word for "exonerated". And if you are aware of collusion between Col. Collins and "buddies" he has in the special investigations branch, please enlighten us.
If half of what was said about either one of these guys was true, they should both have been kicked out ~ with none of this stuff about being busted in rank, etc., etc. Nobody in the ranks wants them.
Nobody? Apparently there's at least one Marine Major disagrees with you:
Major Coerr in his statement: "This is an absolute travesty. It is obvious to everyone in theatre that it is a vendetta by a weak officer against a hero. I have worked with very few officers of the calibre of Col Collins. He blended tactical knowledge with an abiding concern for the people of Iraq and it was his concern for the children of Rumaila which caused him to confront Major Biastre."
It's in the nature of officers to ALWAYS kow tow to the guy of higher rank. That's why their testimony about each other probably should not be allowed in court.
I am afraid you missed the point of my post. So, let me make it a little bit more clear. This is a dust-up between officers in circumstances which are a bit unclear. A "preliminary report" is also not a "final report" or a "court martial decision". All the officers and ex-officers are responding to the story the same way officers and ex-officers always do, and that sort of behavior is considered both unnatural and highly offensive to enlisted personnel.
When in doubt, accuse him of lying.
If Maj. Coerr had seen the Col. do something that warranted the charge of war crimes, he would have said so. If he had seen something and wanted to keep it quiet, he wouldn't have been so stupid as to issue such a glowing statement. Why would he call him a "hero", when he could have just said "he's a good officer".
But all of this is beside the point. The special investigations branch of the British Army cleared him, and the case is closed.
What do you think of this?
Unfortunately, as you can see from some of the posts here, the Col. will NEVER be exonerated.
No, you were WAY off.
He should have been shot.
;-)
Seriously, you nailed it.
I agree with you, it was very inspiring.....a noble combination of warrior exhortations and words from a very human heart.
Leni
...critical of the officer class
The virtuous enlisted man disdainful of the "officer class."
Gag me with a spoon.
That stuff may fly with 18 year old kids, but where adult political discourse is concerned, it just sounds like the whining of loser. Nobody cares what your rank was in the military. The only thing that matters is your ability to analyze a situation based upon the known facts. In this case, an American soldier in a theatre of war accused another soldier on the same side of war crimes. He didn't see these "war crimes" himself. A little birdy told him about them. The so-called crimes, which could have landed the accused in prison if true, were unsubstantiated according to a military board of inquiry.
And oh, the accuser had a petty gripe against the soldier he accused. Apparently the poor man had been chewed out.
Now is that too tough for an enlisted man to figure out? Or should I go through it again, slowly this time.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/917669/posts?page=22#22
America should look to its own before firing off at our colonels
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