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While base officials declined to say specifically what happened, friends within Giddens' squadron created an Internet posting that stated the incident occurred at Dover AFB, Del., earlier this year.

The posting said, the posting stated.

Tonight, UNSPUN with AnnaZ and Mercuria!
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THE CULTURE WAR: WHAT ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO DO TO WIN IT?

with special guest, reluctant culture warrior,
Master Sergeant Giddens, USAF

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BONEHEADED LIE-BERAL QUOTES
COMMIE RAT BA$TARD OF THE WEEK

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63 posted on 09/05/2002 9:32 PM EDT by Bob J
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AIR FORCE TIMES

RELEASE DATE 4 SEPT 2002

By Diane Tsimekles (tel. 800-424-9335 ext 8635) Gannett Army times publishing, inc

Times Staff Writer

For Master Sgt. Richard Giddens and his friends, the phrase offered a little humor during the war that followed the Sept. 11 attacks. But when Giddens uttered, “Allah Damn it” at Dover Air Force Base, Del., last December, the phrase lost its humor.

Giddens, a C-5A Galaxy flight engineer at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., was found guilty Aug. 23 on two charges of making a provocative statement after a weeklong court-martial. He received a letter of reprimand and a $500 fine.

Tension between Travis aircrew and Dover ground crew members led to the outburst Dec. 16, said Giddens’ attorney, Robert G. Bernstein, adding that both sides used profanity.

The Dover ground crew did not want to fix a malfunctioning light or document it on the plane’s records, Bernstein said, and Giddens was insistent that the problem be fixed and that the maintenance forms on the plane reflect the malfunction.

According to a statement by Travis public affairs office, Giddens was found guilty of making a provocative statement but not guilty of making a threat. Travis officials provided only an edited transcript of Giddens’ comments, which said: I just want the forms to say that the damn test portion of the (expletive) system is bad, (expletive) damn it! Get the hell off my flight deck or I’m going to kick your (expletive) down the steps.

According to the Travis release, Giddens then turned and added: Or maybe I should say, Allah Damn it. Bernstein said Giddens was facing a control board when he uttered Allah Damn it to himself.

It was directed at the situation. It wasn’t directed at any group or race, said Giddens, who said a friend came up with the phrase a few weeks before the incident while wondering if there was a Muslim equivalent of the Western Goddamn it.

But a Dover noncommissioned officer thought otherwise.

Tech. Sgt. Joseph L. Moore filed a discrimination complaint against Giddens. Bernstein said Moore testified at the court-martial that he was from the Caribbean but did not indicate whether he was a Muslim.

Several calls to the Dover public affairs office about Moore and the incident at Dover were not returned. The Travis public affairs office refused to make the military attorneys available for interviews. Travis officials said a transcript of the trial was being prepared, but it was not ready by press time.

Giddens originally faced a dereliction of duty charge for making a discriminatory statement, but he said the charges were changed the week before the court-martial began.

The 23-year Air Force veteran had been scheduled to retire in February 2002 but was retained on active duty after Sept 11. He said he opted for a court-martial over an Article 15 because he thought he might lose a stripe by taking nonjudicial punishment. Bernstein said Giddens was satisfied with the outcome of the court martial, compared to what may have resulted from an Article 15.