Honor, Justice AWOL in Today’s Pentagon

Triumph of Newspeak at the Pentagon: telling the truth is considered dishonorable behavior.

Colonel Says Speaking Out Cost a Medal

[The former chief military prosecutor for terrorism trials at Guantanamo Bay, Air Force Col. Morris] Davis's dispute with Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Hartmann resulted in a military judge disqualifying Hartmann in the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan — an action that has led other military defense lawyers to file similar motions in cases against five men accused of taking part in the conspiracy surrounding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. An e-mail Davis wrote to defense lawyers on Tuesday, in which he said he would not cooperate in future cases, was released as part of such a motion yesterday.

Davis wrote that Pentagon officials notified him that he did “not serve honorably” as top prosecutor and would be denied [a] medal. Davis said he fears other reprisals before his scheduled retirement this year, despite a military judge's order that no one who testified on the matter face adverse actions.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon also dismissed a judge in a different Guantanamo trial, apparently because he was not compliant enough with prosecution demands that the proceedings begin before the November election. Installing a new judge will undoubtedly increase the risk that the whole proceeding will look like a show trial, but at least the show may start on schedule.

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3 Responses to Honor, Justice AWOL in Today’s Pentagon

  1. Phb says:

    Taking away a medal is the most idiotic piece of pettiness I can imagine.

    Its not like soldiers who are denied medals in such circumstances never get them. On the contrary, restoring medals that have been improperly with-held is one of the means that the new regime uses to signal that the old one has been consigned to the trash can of history.

  2. Patrick (G) says:

    Bush Admin dog bites man, part MMIM.
    ho hum.
    When you lie down with mangy dogs, you’re going to pick up their fleas.

    If the Officer wants to scratch that new-found itch, may I suggest that he re-evaluate his career with regards to what he swore at his commissioning: uphold the Constitution and defend it against all foreign and *Domestic* enemies.

    Guantanamo’s gulags are a stain upon the honor of the military –particularly the Officer Corps– the rationale for their physical location at Guantanamo is a transparent assault on the authority of the U.S. Constitution over that of the President.

    ‘Honorable Conduct’ medals earned at Guantanamo ain’t worth spit.

  3. Thanks for the great post ;D

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