U.S. Military Injustice

?By Jamie Douglas
In the so-called Uniform Code of Military Justice, there is one word that absolutely does not belong, and that word is Justice! Justice in the United States military is a long running joke.I will give my readers a little sample of common military injustice before going to the bigger injustices. A few years ago, an acquaintance of mine was being transferred to Japan from McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas. We’ll call him Ken, because that really was his name. After making his way from Wichita to the port he was to depart from, I believe it was near San Francisco, he was denied boarding, arrested, put in chains, removed from the airport, and held in confinement for several weeks, before being returned to Wichita, shackled and accompanied by two air policemen on a military aircraft commandeered for this sole purpose.
So you may wonder what this arch criminal’s crime was. Sedition?  Murder? Espionage? Bank robbery or some other high crime? In reality it was no such thing. Prior to his transfer, he elected to take his 30-day leave to go visit family in North Dakota. His mail addressed to McConnell AFB was already being forwarded to Japan, where it successfully arrived, also containing his monthly statement from Mobil Oil Corporation, which was by this time in arrears by over 30 days, and the user friendly Mobil Oil Corporation contacted the lad’s squadron commander, who immediately pressed charges against poor Ken for bringing dishonor to the USAF. After his return, a hearing with the colonels was held, and they found that there was cause to court martial him, in spite of the fact that he had paid the $38 bill the moment he received it back from Japan. A court martial was held, and he was of course convicted, sentenced to one year at Ft. Leavenworth, loss of all pay, and a reduction in rank to Airman Basic, then drummed out of the military under a dishonorable discharge. Needless to say, this idealistic young man’s life was ruined forever.More recently, several U.S. Marines stood trial for the murder of 24 men, women, and children, including an elderly man in a wheelchair. Their attack on a private residence was payback for a roadside IED that had gone off, dismembering Lance Corporal Miguel Terraza, a 20 year young marine. It is quite understandable that the squadron’s leader, Staff Sgt. Frank G. Wuterich, was angry. But he lost it, ordering his men to attack anybody and anything that moved. “Shoot now, ask questions later,” he ordered.This criminal act took place in November of 2005, over six years ago, and it took the military all that time to investigate (?) this massacre, which has been declared to be the My Lai massacre of Iraq.On Tuesday, January 24, 2012, so called Justice was finally meted out to the instigator of this horrific war crime, a maximum of 90 days in the brig, but due to a plea deal he will serve none of that, plus a reduction in rank and subsequent pay grade. It all amounts to not even a slap on the wrist.The mass murderer originally faced 152 years in prison on a variety of charges related to so-called “involuntary manslaughter” as well as assault with a deadly weapon and three counts of dereliction of duty. Had this been a German soldier after WWII, he would have been brought before the Nüremberg trials and promptly executed. But the victors write the history books, as always, and mete out the punishments to those they feel are the ones responsible for “war crimes.” They are also the ones that define war crimes to suit their own purposes, and in this instance, taking bloody revenge on 24 innocent civilians in their home obviously was not considered a crime.I encourage you to write to me, jamie@expatdailynews.com with any questions or suggestions you may have. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel related business. My advice is based on my own experiences, and is free of charge. (Donations accepted). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.

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