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“I’m hoping he gets to appeal or gets to simply choose retirement at his highest completed grade.”

I think Lakin is glad I’m a retired O-5, not an active duty O-6 on the CM.

“MAJ Dobson, the doctor who had to replace LTC Lakin on short notice, testified next. He recounted how two days after arriving in theatre, the unit suffered a mass-casualty attack, with sixteen wounded. He said that he was not, in his opinion, as well-prepared to deal with the attack as he would have been had he had longer to prepare for operations at the FOB. The defense suggested on cross that the deployment was probably a good career opportunity for the major personally.”

I’d be thinking maximum penalty right about now...and a Lt Col shouldn’t be as STUPID as Lakin.

I agree that Lakin made a mistake in judgment. However, it was a mistake on principle. It was not criminally negligent. Nor was it malicious.

His intent was a good purpose. (Whether one agrees with it or not.)

I would let him walk with a reduction. (He was on the O-6 list, iirc, and would have been promoted by now.)

The bottom line is that his punishment should be no worse than any others who miss movement for combat zone deployment. We could probably research what that is.

MAJ Dobson, the doctor who had to replace LTC Lakin on short notice, testified next. He recounted how two days after arriving in theatre, the unit suffered a mass-casualty attack, with sixteen wounded. He said that he was not, in his opinion, as well-prepared to deal with the attack as he would have been had he had longer to prepare for operations at the FOB.

This infuriated me beyond belief when I read it over lunch.

No doctor anywhere, ever wants to have to admit publicly that he wasn't well prepared. In spite of the fact that generally, a military doctor cannot be sued for malpractice by an active duty service member, they understandably don't want to be seen as making mistakes that would negatively affect patient care. So, the fact that MAJ Dobson had to serve in LTC Lakin's place on short notice, then had to admit publicly that he wasn't prepared, says volumes about the mess Lakin left MAJ Dobson with.

MAJ Dobson now has to live with the fact that he wasn't at his best and that care may have suffered. LTC Lakin had absolutely no right whatsoever to burden a fellow doctor and officer with such a nasty mess.

While Lakin was making YouTube videos, yakking it up with Anderson Coper, and giving radio interviews, MAJ Dobson was doing his best to clean up Lakin's mess.

From a personal standpoint, our family has relatives on the ground in Afghanistan. They risk their lives for our nation and if they (or any of their fellow soldiers) are injured), they deserve nothing but the very best care we can give them. Apparently, it was too much to ask LTC Lakin to fulfill his duty and give that care.

I’d be thinking maximum penalty right about now...and a Lt Col shouldn’t be as STUPID as Lakin.

I hope they throw him under the Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth. Messing around with someone else's career and psyche; making others do the heavy lifting; not to mention compromising the care of our men on the ground is loathsome.