Airline Pilot Central Forums - View Single Post - JBLM C-17 Pilot Pleads Not Guilty; Acquitted

12-13-2012, 06:58 AM

#8

rickair7777

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Joined APC: Jan 2006

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Quote:

Originally Posted by LivingInMEM

My best day in the USAF was when I gave up my AMC patch for an ACC patch. This is just another instance of soldiers/airmen being charged with crimes for making mistakes (this may not have even been a mistake in the traditional sense - i.e. it wasn't causal). Whether it be the F-16 manslaughter trial (2 U.S. Pilots Charged With Manslaughter in Errant Bombing - NYTimes.com), the Green Berets ridiculously charged (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/us...ring.html?_r=0), Lt Col Chessani (Michael Savage credited with making Haditha case difference), etc; it's all a matter of sacrificial lambs diverting attention from leadership and their failures whether it be poor ROE, sending troops in with poor training, or just setting soldiers up for failure by giving complex missions with no topcover. Notice that the leadership never faces trial.

Regrading the SF shooting...

The problem was that the dude was under control of the afghan police working with the ODA who shot him...he wasn't exactly a free-range chicken. I think the issue was whether he posed a threat or was essentially shot while detained. Ultimately, they were cleared of wrongdoing based on the possibility that guy was wearing a suicide vest...you could make a reasonable leap that a guy who made such bombs and organized suicide bombings might dance to his own tune.

Were they doing the right thing, yeah I think so. Were there potential legal and political pitfalls, yes. Ultimately the system worked the way we need it to...it granted wide latitude of judgement to the guy on the ground. Sucks that they went through the ringer and this case did, shall we say, dampen the enthusiasm of some operators.

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