Monday, September 28, 2015

Discharged Army Sgt First Class is my Hero of the Month...

We have been reading the news releases that report that the Army is firing a decorated Sgt First Class for allegedly whupping up on an Afghan police commander for repeatedly raping a ten year old boy --- and laughing about it.  I've been on the Sgt's side even without hearing side of the story - and now that I've heard it, I'm doubling down!!   

The Green Beret who is set to be involuntarily discharged in early November has finally spoken out about the situation that caused his punishment in the first place — his intervening on behalf of an Afghan boy who was being repeatedly raped.
Sgt First Class Martland
“Kicking me out of the Army is morally wrong and the entire country knows it,” Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland said in his first public statement, which was provided to Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) who is advocating on the serviceman’s behalf.

In the statement obtained by Fox News, Martland detailed the day in 2011 that he and his team leader started a fight with local police commander Abdul Rahman who allegedly raped a young boy multiple times. According to a separate statement from the team leader, Capt. Daniel Quinn, Rahman allegedly kept a young boy tied to a pole in his house where he raped him repeatedly from 10 days to two weeks. Rahman’s brother was instructed to beat the child’s mother when she attempted to intervene, which he did.
Martland called Rahman a “brutal rapist” and said he and Quinn confronted him after confirming the allegations with several elders.
Rahman admitted to the act and ”the child rapist laughed it off and referenced that it was only a boy,” Martland said.
“Captain Quinn picked him up and threw him,” Martland said. “I [proceeded to] body slam him multiple times.”
“I kicked him once in his ribcage after one of the body slams,” Martland said in the statement. “I put my foot on his neck and yelled at him after one body slam, but did not kick or punch him in the face. I continued to body slam him and throw him for 50 meters until he was outside the camp.”
In his statement, Quinn said he physically threw Rahman off the camp through the front gates.
“He was never knocked out, and he ran away from our camp. It did not last longer than 5 minutes. The child rapist’s allegations against us are ridiculous,” Martland said.
After an investigation into the incident, Quinn and Martland were removed from the Afghan outpost. Quinn has since left the Army, but Martland is faced with an involuntary leave on Nov. 1 due a military policyimplemented amid budget cuts. Martland appealed the decision, but it has been denied.
“While I understand that a military lawyer can say that I was legally wrong, we felt a moral obligation to act,” Martland wrote in his statement.
Hunter has defended Martland’s actions, which Martland has argued were to protect the boy and American lives that were at risk.
Dear God, wouldn't it have made a great video for YouTube?  Talk about going viral -- even the word picture brings a grin to my chops.....

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