bodypilot90 0 #1 December 14, 2003 http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36116 QuoteOPERATION: IRAQI FREEDOM Lt. Col. West fined $5,000 Avoids court martial for using shock tactics to save lives -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: December 12, 2003 3:43 p.m. Eastern By Art Moore © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com An officer in Iraq who used shock interrogation tactics to thwart an impending attack on American soldiers was punished with forfeiture of two month's pay, according to his lawyer. Previously faced with the possibility of a court martial, Lt. Col. Allen B. West accepted Article 15 non-judicial punishment from the commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division at a hearing today in Tikrit, Iraq, said Neal A. Puckett, a retired Marine officer. Lt. Col. Allen B. West in undated family photo (Courtesy Angela West) Puckett said the loss of pay amounts to $5,000. "I'm pleased that it's over with," West told WorldNetDaily by telephone from San Antonio, Texas. "But I thought that taking $5,000 away from a guy who is about to retire was a little bit unnecessary. "I didn't think that needed to be part of a sentence in order to send whatever message the commanding general thought he needed to send," he continued. "Simply a letter of reprimand should have done it," Puckett insisted. West will return to Ft. Hood, Texas, as soon as transportation can be arranged and will be assigned to the Rear Detachment of the 4th Infantry Division as he awaits the processing of his retirement request. The punishment does not affect his eligibility for retirement and pension, Puckett said. West's commanding officer, Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno, had authority to accept or reject the recommendation of administrative punishment from the officer who presided over West's preliminary hearing in Tikrit last month, Lt. Col. Jimmy Davis. At his preliminary hearing, West acknowledged he allowed two soldiers to beat an Iraqi policeman who refused to reveal details of an ambush plot and fired his pistol near the man's head, threatening to kill him. As WorldNetDaily reported, under threat of an attack, West took charge of the interrogation of an Iraqi policeman, Yahya Jhodri Hamoody, determined to flush out details as he warned subordinates "it could get ugly." Threatening to kill the Iraqi if he didn't talk, West fired a pistol near the policeman's head. The scared policeman then immediately disclosed the information, leading to the arrest of two Iraqis last August and cessation of attacks on West's 4th Infantry Division battalion. At the hearing last month, West was asked by his defense attorney if he would do it again. "If it's about the lives of my men and their safety, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can," he said. "But that's what's going on out there in the streets here, and that's how I feel about my boys," he told the hearing, held in one of Saddam Hussein's lavish palaces. "There is not a person in this room I would not sacrifice my life for." But Army prosecutors believe his actions in the town of Saba al Boor, near Tikrit, violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He was charged with aggravated assault and faced a wide range of possible outcomes from no disciplinary action to a sentence of up to eight years in prison. The prosecutors gave West a choice – face charges or resign within days of his 20 years of service, losing retirement benefits. West chose to face the charges and place his fate in the hands of Maj. Gen. Odierno. Puckett said West can be contacted by e-mail and his wife has her own e-mail address. Angela West has set up a legal fund for her husband with the following address: Allen West Defense Fund c/o Angela West, 6823 Coleman Drive, Ft. Hood, TX 76544. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
b1jercat 0 #2 December 14, 2003 I think if LTC west wants a donation, he can make a sign and stand next to an on ramp to the freeway. blues jerry Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bodypilot90 0 #3 December 14, 2003 QuoteI think if LTC west wants a donation, he can make a sign and stand next to an on ramp to the freeway. I'm sure most of the people in his unit and thier parents would be more than happy to help him out. Along with most of the 1st Cav. and other vets. He will not need to stand at any freeway ramp. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nightjumps 1 #4 December 14, 2003 QuoteAt his preliminary hearing, West acknowledged he allowed two soldiers to beat an Iraqi policeman OK. Now through all of this media hype over the past month or so, the only thing I heard was that he fired a pistol near the Iraqi's head. I never heard anything about the beating. That changes things. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newsstand 0 #5 December 14, 2003 QuoteQuoteAt his preliminary hearing, West acknowledged he allowed two soldiers to beat an Iraqi policeman OK. Now through all of this media hype over the past month or so, the only thing I heard was that he fired a pistol near the Iraqi's head. I never heard anything about the beating. That changes things. The beatings are exactly why the shooting was a bad thing. One thing leads to another. Officer shoots, enlisted think beating is OK, sympathetic civilians might think lynching is just fine. This played out just about like I thought it would and while I am clearly opposed to what he did in the first place this is ending pretty much OK with me. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bch7773 0 #6 December 14, 2003 I think his punishment was just. the problem with this things going on is that they can escilate so quickly... I say its better to stop it now. MB 3528, RB 1182 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
