Echo Company Cry-Babies Need Your Help!
Free the Fort Bragg 50
By Dee KnightPublished Sep 7, 2009 9:30 PM
The resistance of conscientious objector Dustin “Che” Stevens has sparked a national petition campaign to free Stevens and the 50-plus other GIs currently held in the 82nd Holdover Unit at Fort Bragg, N.C., awaiting absent without leave and desertion charges. The petition says these GIs “live in a legal limbo of poor living conditions, verbal abuse and arbitrary punishments while waiting for up to a year to be actually charged and brought before a court martial. The result is that these soldiers are subjected to many months of unjust and illegal punishment prior to their day in court.”The petition requests that the Army “improve living conditions, reassign sadistic supervisors, end all informal punishments, and expedite resolution for these soldiers so that they can return home to begin rebuilding their lives as soon as possible.” It also requests that the time they spend in the Holdover Unit count as part of any sentence they might receive.
And the supporters of this initiative are a who’s who of losers:
Signers include Mike Ferner, national president of Veterans for Peace; retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright; Marjorie Cohn, president of the National Lawyers Guild; historian Howard Zinn; leaders of Iraq Veterans Against the War and Courage To Resist; organizers at GI coffee houses at Fort Hood and Fort Lewis; and many more.
And one other person who has no business being on this list:
Selena Coppa – Active duty US Army Sgt., Iraq Veterans Against the War member
I think that once again violates the rules on such things, by identifying herself with the military, but I can only keep trying to get her to see the light.
You might remember ole Wonder Bread Che from such classics as “Dustin Che Stevens; 2d dumbest deserter ever” from back in June and my own piece entitled “Dahr Jamail tongue baths another vat of whiny, pathetic, bitchy malcontents.”
I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen a more pathetic band of douche-nozzle cowards in my entire life. Let’s put it in perspective, so you understand why WE should be signing petitions instead of them. These pansies sit around all day at Fort Bragg in a much better barracks than when I went through pre-mob, and while there they a) get paid, b) get fed, c) don’t do anything, d) aren’t in any danger, e) suckle off the public teat for all manner of things.
Meanwhile, half a world away, their brothers and sisters who had to serve with these losers are getting injured and killed, and not able to see their families. Listen to that bitchy little she-man Spc. Kevin McCormick:
“Echo is like jail with some privileges. You’re less than human to the commanders,” Spc. McCormick said, adding that they act as if “you don’t deserve to be alive. A sergeant told us he wanted to take us out and shoot us in the back of the head. We get threatened all the time there.”
Hey Dick, that isn’t a threat, that’s called voicing a desire. I personally want to take you to a large sausage factory and push you into the mixing machine. A threat would be if he said “I’m going to take you out back and drive a lawnmower up your arse.”
Naturally, Jurisdouche McJones himself is on the case: “James Branum – Attorney / Mennonite Minister.”
I’d love to get ole Che on the Blue Falcon Radio Hour, but if you want to send him some love, here’s the contact info:
Spc Dustin Stevens
82nd Replacement Detachment Bldg.
C-8750 Lae Street Stop-A. | Fort Bragg NC 28310
•Spc Stevens is doing a limited number of media interviews. Interested journalists and radio shows should contact Spc Stevens via Courage to Resist.
Also, may mean nothing, but I noted one signatory was Lawrence Mosqueda – professor Evergreen State College. That would be the same place of higher learning that Josh socialismo o muerte! Simpson went to.
I close with this advice to the cowards of echo company:
Category: Politics
Why do they even have barracks, GP Larges and MRE’s for the lot of them. You know just like many of us had in country.
I have said my piece on these pussies in the previous threads, so I won’t waste my time doing it, again, other than to say “It sucks to be you”.
I don’t know what Selena is looking for, but she won’t find it in that bunch.
Seriously. On this day of all days, just a reminder of what the core Army values are:
Loyalty
Duty
Respect
Selfless Service
Honor
Integrity
Personal Courage
Values that should be upheld by those who were not forced into service, but entered of their own free will… and many of whom entered post 9-11 and were aware of the consequences at stake. So going AWOL and deserting at this time of history just goes to show the disrespect and the utter lack of responsibility for one’s own actions. Pathetic, really. If the military couldn’t teach these truants anythings, perhaps jail time will.
Seriously, are some of these shitbirds joining the military just so they can turn around and refuse to serve. It’s as if they want to get their 15 minutes of fame and free-love. I do not understand Coppa’s mindset. She is an active member of an anti-war (also appears anti-democracy) group, yet stays on active duty. Does she not realize that by being on active duty she gives support to the same war, she is supposedly against.
While it’s easy to go after Selena Coppa, the more you do, the more she just digs in. Not the best solution I feel, but an understandable one. When it comes to Selena, the harder you push, the more she pushes back. So in effect, by constantly going after her, you are creating your own problem. Maybe you like it that way?
As far as these people in this holding facility, I do not know, nor have I done any research on them to know why they went AWOL or any other crimes they may or may not have committed. And that’s the point: The people in charge need to be professional at all times because why those Soldiers are there is not their lane, and be above the petty bullshit no matter how much they may not want to be doing that job. Lets also remind ourselves that people who are put in charge and work in units like that are usually screw-ups in their own right, or are doing it to get out of being deployed. I’d rather have screw-up stay back instead of deploy.
I agree with lots of what you say Casey, but not necessarily on the pushing with AS. I’ve managed on a few occasions to convince her that something is wrong. It is rare, but I find if I don’t call her on it she just accepts it as normal.
As for the Professionalism, again, I agree. The source on them NOT acting professional though is a guy who calls himself “Che” and the Workers website (Communist). I also would rather have a screw up stay back, but you would agree that there does need to be some form of answering for such, correct? I contacted a JAG friend of mine who had looked at all this stuff, and despite being a defense guy he said their arguments here were completely without any basis. Since he tends to view things slanted from the defense side, that was pretty much enough for me.
But looking at the cases of Che and McCormick, if they are indeed emblematic, then I have no qualms about making these guys live in GP Mediums and eating MRE’s, like their brothers and sisters who followed the rules.
Screw the GP mediums, I say GP tiny (shelter half) is good enough.
As for whether or not they are screw ups (the people in charge) that’s not for us to determine, since there might be a host of reasons why they are assigned to that duty. Maybe they wanted the meanist, pissed off cadre running it? That they aren’t holding the hands of these derelicts doesn’t make them unprofessional.
To be clear, I was speaking more in terms of your readers who leave comments. I have also talked to her about leaving, not because I am vengeful against IVAW, but the risk and stress she puts herself through for a group that doesn’t care if she lives or dies. She could have a stronger platform to fight for Soldiers health-care and rights if she did it without being connected to IVAW. I am living proof you don’t need IVAW to be successful in getting your point out there, because IVAW national didn’t do shit for me. I was in a replacement detachment when I got to Ft. Hood, fresh out of basic, not because I had done something wrong, and when I read those statements, I see myself back there. There was one female Staff Sgt. that stands out in my memory because she was incredibly abusive with her authority. Even after being in for a few years after that, I find even more messed up. But she was not the only one. I’m not saying that “Che” is an honest man or a liar, but I have lived some of these things. The Anti-War Movement needs to understand that just because someone who goes AWOL doesn’t mean they are against the war, or a victim. I’ve known both. Soldiers who ran because they were just knuckleheads ( before any deployment ) and those that left because they need to help a loved one and their Chain of Command didn’t give a damn about them or the situation, no matter how severe. The fact of the matter, no matter how much pride some might have, the Army really is broken. Those in that one IVAW video where Selena is arguing with someone else about how she wants a strong Military, and the other guy doesn’t, well, the longer we drag all this crap out, that will happen. The good leaders, and future good leaders are leaving in droves. Leaving only the screw-ups to fight with the new guys. Not all who stay in are bad, but in my five… Read more »
OldTrooper, you can’t have it both ways. People bash these guys before they are found guilty in a court of law, but give a pass to those who don’t conduct themselves with professionalism? “The Standard” has to be applied equally.
I will half agree with you again, but would question you on this: Have you ever seen someone AWOL or charged with desertion who was neither AWOL nor a deserter? Now, this is not to say that there might not be mitigating reasons, but that goes to punishment more than innocence or guilt. You are either where you are supposed to be on time, or you are not. And if you are not, and you have a valid, legal reason, they you are good. Generally you don’t see someone who is charged with AWOL, and they say “I was kidnapped” and the Army says, yeah, well tell it to the judge bub.
I agree innocent until proven guilty, absolutely. But I also believe that no one should be charged with something and find themselves in a position where the charge leaves them situated better than had they not been charged. If deployed troops live in shit, I think guys who didn’t deploy should live in equal accommodations.
As for Selena. I just want her out. She can join VoteVets, SWAN or any other group I don’t care. I just don’t think that IVAW is good for her health at all.
For the curious, I was contacted and asked for support. The key to this is, you can’t be a fair-weather Constitution-supporter, supporting it only when it agrees with you. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial It doesn’t matter if we all had shitty barracks once upon a time. The point is that they are keeping soldiers for long periods of time without a trial. They are effectively adding to their potential punishment arbitrarily, because they feel like it There is no provision in either civil law or UCMJ for that. It is entirely at the will of the command and happens to be unjust. Whatever you think of these soldiers. I would support this initiative if they were charged with murder instead of desertion. It doesn’t matter what they’re being charged with, it matters if we are the sort of people who believe in punishing without a trial. OldTrooper, I seriously think that we should not be selecting for the “meanest, pissed off cadre” to run a holding company. I can’t remember if you were an NCO or not, but if so, didn’t you have a guy who screwed up a lot under your leadership at least once? Did you write him off and refuse to process his paperwork and help him with your problems, or did you treat him like a soldier deserved to be treated, while you tried to correct the misbehavior? How we treat the soldiers under us is a measure of us, not a measure of them. I have always heard it said that the measure of a man is in how he treats those who are unable to help or benefit him. As for how my signature is presented, I had nothing to do with that arranging. I was asked if my name could be added, as a leader in IVAW. Had I done so, I would have signed most likely with my leadership positions in IVAW. TSO: Yes, I’ve seen guys charged with AWOL who were not guilty of it. Mainly it was leadership… Read more »
Not that my response will matter to you in the slightest, but let’s start:
1) They are not effectively receiving punishment, they are awaiting their trials. They are not incarcerated, by any stretch of the imagination. They are not confined. They are required to do what they get paid to do. How exactly do you envision they are being punished, so I can demolish that specific argument, since I am in contact with the 82nd guys in charge.
2) The right to a speedy trial does in fact exist. And this does not violate that. If it did, these soldiers clearly have a cause of action. Do you happen to remember for instance how long it took to bring OJ and Phil Specter to trial? A speedy trial does not mean it takes place tomorrow.
3) You signed the petition as a US military member, and identified yourself as such. If I had to guess, this would be another valid cause for an Art 15, because as you well know, you are not supposed to identify yourself in such proceedings, by using your rank, status or uniform.
4) Again, if your plane was cancelled, you have a defense. Much like I stated up top. If the person was not alerted their leave was pulled, again, defense.
5) I am not a “fair weather” COnstitution supporter, and frankly I can’t even begin to tell you how much it pisses me off you would say that. The Constitution is being followed, and if it is not, these soldiers have a cause of action in court. Not some bitchy little petition, “Oh god, they aren’t giving us pedicures.”
6) How we treat our soldiers and our fellow service-members is indeed a sign. And you have chosen to serve them by joining marxists, lawyers who screw them at every opportunity, and guys like Webb, whether you want to believe that or not.
I’ve to seen some commands that just seem to go out of their way to screw people over. It’s just the sad fact of the modern Army. It’s the fact, and secret, that no one wants to admit is widespread, and only getting bigger.
As far as a speedy trial, yes, a year, or month and moths is too long. We can not compare OJ and other high profile trails to these. It’s like comparing a Corvette to a Fighter Jet. Regardless of how we feel, they deserve the same rights as others. Innocent until proven guilty.
Once gain, let me state that I have been in holding areas and places within the Army where I was being punished just for showing up. This was before I made any films. When your good leaders are leaving in droves, what do you do? Right before I got out, there was an E-5 ( Not Sgt, E-5) who had been in for about 16 years. He had been busted down four times! Yet allowed to go to the board and get his E-5, and he treated his Soldiers like crap once they pinned him. This happens all the damn time now. This is your modern Army.
But I have to agree with TSO, you do belong to an organization that is ineffective, but now to regain recognition, I fear, will start pressuring Soldiers to go AWOL, fight the Army, etc etc, with outdated tactics and half-truths. They will be getting Soldiers locked up, call it a victory, while the chronically masturbate to Sir! No Sir! The group you joined is not what it was, by a long shot. You now belong to group that is hurting Soldiers.
TSO,
Dude, again, as I have stated, I didn’t sign with those words, and if I wanted, I could screenshot the facebook messages that went back and forth to prove it. You don’t need to go chasing article 15s for me just because you’re pissed off that I actually want fair treatment for individuals.
I believe that they are being punished if they are not being afforded the rights which are given to all soldiers, and if they are not being treated fairly by leadership. If they are being treated like unredeemable dirtbags before their trial, then yes, I feel they are being punished.
This isn’t OJ. Military trials are /specifically designed/ not to take a long time to assemble. They are designed as such because a military at war presumably has a high level of interest in expediting trials and not wasting manpower to drag them out. Right now, trials and investigations are taking a long time because of sheer incompetence.
However, as I learned when going through my own stuff, you have no legal recourse to demand a speedy trial. The Army acts like it’s still gathering evidence, and after all, it hasn’t charged you yet. The fact that people can sit eight months to a year without charges is a travesty of justice no matter how you slice it. Like usual, I won’t complain on my own behalf, but I will complain on others.
“The resistance of conscientious objector Dustin “Che” Stevens”
Sheesh, why not Dustin “Charles Manson” Stevens or Dustin “Dr.Mengele” Stevens? Don’t the other mass murderers rate a mention these days??
Thanks for posting Dustin “DouChe’s” addy, now I can send him a few buttons:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24940121