Fox5 Atlanta says Col West won't be prosecuted

Fox5 Atlanta ^ | Dec 9, 2003 | Fox5 Atlanta

[mikegi]

Fox5 Atlanta says that Col. West will only receive a written reprimand and won't be prosecuted.

[Brilliant]

What they actually said is that it's the RECOMMENDATION that he not be prosecuted judicially. Apparently, they recommended that he be disciplined by a general.

[Jeff Head]

We shall see. He has been emailing me to this pint fairly regularly.

Either way, this is good news and finally, IMHO, sends the right message. Waiting for official confirmation, but with the interview by O'Reilly, it sounds like the real deal.

[LiteKeeper]

Hoo-ah

[MJY1288]

I heard this earlier and was very happy to hear that Col. West will get a break. If there ever was a soldier that all of us could be proud of, it's Colonel West. This GREAT AMERICAN could have easily ignored his own misconduct and there was a good chance no one would have ever known. But he was bigger than that, he knew he violated the code of conduct and his decision to report his own misconduct brought home the real meaning of HONOR, DUTY, COUNTRY.

Colonel West has lived up to the standards that many others will never know, I am glad his superiors are being lenient on him, and if by chance Colonel West reads this thread, I have this message for him....

I salute you Sir, You are a Great American

[Jeff Head]

He has the time in and was planning on retiring anyway.

[Jeff Head]

Which is exactly how it should have been handled from the get-go IMHO, if there was to be any reprimand at all.

Orignally, the direct CO was apparently not going to do anything.

[Soaring Feather]

bump

[Mr. Mojo]

If I had some moola, I'd take out a full page in the Slimes to expose this crap for what it is.

How much would it cost, do you think?

[carpio]

BTTT

[Calpernia]

Count me in for a contribution if we are doing this.

[Brilliant]

I suspect that they set it up this way because they knew that if they did nothing, the media would have made a big deal of it, and demanded prosecution.

[xzins]

I agree. I think I read someplace that he'll hit his 20 in a few months and then retire as a major because of not enough years in grade as an LTC. If he's already been promoted to LTC, then he could hang on for the 3 years time in grade to retire at that rank, but perhaps he made a deal to get the charges dropped.

I had 2 tours in the 1st Armd Div....one enlisted from 71-74. The other as a chaplain from 96-00. Is your OldIronsides about that Division or it about the Ship?

[Newbomb Turk]

Medal and a promotion and returned to his unit.(are what he deserves.)

We need more like him not a bunch of PC idiots.

Saddams forces and the insurgency are not fighting under any recognized rules of war so why the hell should we.

[ohioWfan]

This is good, but he shouldn't be given a reprimand......it should be a commendation, or a medal for saving the lives of his men.

[connectthedots]

If West refused an Article 15, and the Army is not going to court martial him; they can't take any money away from him or take any other pecuniary measures. Due process of law considerations. West played chicken with the Army and won.

[Fred Mertz]

Hey old man, how you doing? All is well with me.

[visualops]

1/2 page ad I think is something like $50,000.00?

Sean "weasel" Penn paid a reported $135,000 for his full page Slimes ad.

[af_vet_1981]

Yes !

Now fire the JAG who bothered him.

[Mike Darancette]

Is West going to retire? If so they should make him a Full Bull Colonel before he leaves.

[cavtrooper21]

No.
P.C. in the extreme would be 20 years in Levenworth, with NO pay and NO benifits and NO rank.
Because thats what the max is for his violation of the UCMJ.
LTC West is getting exactly what he thought he would be getting when he informed his CO about the incident.
If it hadn't been for some whiney malcontented crybabies in his command, he might not have even been reprimanded.
That does not make what he did correct or excusable.

LTC West did the WRONG thing, for the right reason, and for the right people. That is why he will go home with his rank, the respect of most of his troops and the benifits that he has earned for 20 + years of good and loyal service.
His next employer will not pay much attention to the LoR.
And I'm grateful to him for saving some of our troops, and I respect him for being honest and having the moral courage to act in the manner he did.