Quote:
Originally Posted by Five-O
So, to you SF soldiers, past and present. I would wager a paycheck or 12 that during your Robin Sage exercise, maybe just maybe, a soldier or two has been presented with a scenario very similar to the one in which TS (et all) is flabbergasted. I would imagine the student would be presented a scenario in which a "friendly" foreign national has committed what by any standard is a crime. Or that a "friendly" foreign national has done something that is morally or ethically questionable. Cadre watch and evaluate the student(s) reaction, thought process, decision making, tact and other behaviors.
Based on what information has been made public, I would argue if the Army felt compelled to act, a Letter of Reprimand (at most) be issued or some other form of minimal non-permanent disciplinary action be issued. Given the fact this SF NCO has been removed from service, what message does this send to other guys in the field and how will this incident be officially related to SF soldiers by leadership ? How with this event be portrayed to SF candidates as I am sure this will be talked about in the pipeline and how will this effect the force. If your boss is standing in front of you, towing the company line, telling you that the NCO in question deserved what happened to him how do you react to that? I would likely get myself jammed up....
ODA's should have as an attachment.... an LE guy who has experience writing and articulating use of force encounters so all the pre attack indicators can clearly explain a legal and justified use of force.
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That is an excellent question and yes those types of events are presented and evaluated throughout the Q-Course. I will not go into the details beyond pass/fail, but know that getting or giving an ass chewing and an azimuth correction is expected.
The problem here in regards to SFC Martland and CPT Quinn, is that it got to this level and no one (with the authority to fix it) is stepping in to correct it. A GOMOR or other non-judicial punishment should not normally terminate your career.
IMHO and as we continue to go down the rabbit hole of persecuting people for minor lapses in sound judgment and due diligence we will create the atmosphere where either doing nothing or doing the extreme is the norm.
If the rule of law is predicated on good moral character. Once we strip those bare of meaning the rules change - there are no rules!