Amos under the gun from JAGs
27 former Marine Corps and Navy lawyers are asking Congress to investigate the conduct of the Corps’ Commandant James Amos according to the Washington Times. The former JAG officers charge that Amos used unlawful command influence in the “urination video” case;
The former judge advocates say that Gen. Amos provided misleading sworn statements to the court when asked about his actions and withheld documents from defense attorneys.
They also cite the actions of superiors against Maj. James Weirick, a staff judge advocate at the Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va.
After watching what he considered inappropriate actions by the commandant and his legal staff, Maj. Weirick filed a complaint with the Defense Department Inspector General.
Earlier this month, superiors stripped Maj. Weirick of his legal duties, asked for his personal licensed weapons kept at home and advised him to seek a mental health evaluation — actions his lawyer calls blatant retaliation. Maj. Weirick has received superior fitness reports and was selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel.
The Times says that Amos’ legal advisor, Robert Hogue told the Marine Corps Times some ridiculous shit about how they were afraid that Weirick would go postal, ala the Navy Yard shooting and that’s why they moved him away from his desk, cuz you know, a lawyer without a desk is not capable of mass shootings. The former JAGs included in their letter to Congress a sworn statement from the convening authority in the case, Lt. Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser, who says that Amos ordered him to “crush” the defendants in the case. When Waldhauser refused, Amos removed him from the case with no explanation.
Amos sounds totally legit to me.
Category: Marine Corps
Amos needs to fry, and so does his Sergeant Major.
That low thunder we’re hearing is Karma riding a fast horse in Amos’ direction. I hope.
We had a douchebag at USACAPOC named John Hope that whipped out the psyche-eval punishment whenever he was challenged. Ring knocker that failed in the civilian world and was trying to backdoor his way to General. God what a dick!
This is what happens when we have generals are more concerned with their next star than with their troops.
Sadly, it happens far too often in too many points in our nation’s history to be a “one-off.”
Why can’t the Corps fire this jackass already?
Somebody grow some balls and tell him to gtfo already.
Give it time, FC, give it time. Karma is a a bitch, and she has long teeth.
I’m glad to see people backing up Waldhauser and Weirick.
I agree that Amos is thinking ONLY of his own sauce. I hope he boils and stews in it, and it hurts.
But I will repeate what I said elsewhere: if you are going to do something blatantly stupid, do NOT make a video or shoot photos of it and above all else, FFS do NOT post it on the internet. Period. Use some freakin’ common sense.
May the Lord render unto him according to his deeds.
Yeah, they probably realized that what they were doing to him, maliciously, intentionally, and with deliberation, might prompt him to go over the edge. Amos was probably escorted by an armed guard, was wearing a vest the whole time, and changed his daily routine more often than he changed his underwear.
There’s something else. GEN Amos seems a bit out of control to me.
If Weirick disagreed with him, and/or refused to do something that he thought was absolutely wrong, and Amos ‘leaned’ on him, then Amos was feeling – shall we say, threatened? — because he knew he was wrong and went after Weirick as a vendetta.
And his little power trip is now backfiring on him.
Where I come from, it’s called ‘riding your crow’.
Amos is a piece of shit. Sgt Majors at that level have zero influence on the stupidity of their bosses.
Amos is unfit to to serve as Commandant and must go. And I agree with #1- he can take is “wingman” with him.
Anus … Pardon me … Amos needs a lawyer now.
This will not stand. It will take time. And Anus … Did it again … Amos will be found out for what he truly is … A shitty leader.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/10/23/military-sources-obama-administration-purging-commanders/
How Shocking someone deserving of forced leave like Amos isn’t on this list. He did however personally put two other officers on this list.
Slim to none anything will come of this. Having 4 stars means never having to say your sorry. Amos will just quietly retire to a life of riches sitting on boards of various defense contractors and multi national corporations – gud riddance. Forget about “punishment”. Since WW2, you can count on one hand the number of 4 stars who were forced to retire at LTG or MG.
Gents, not that I endorse any particular website, but for a more colorful explanatio of what’s going on in my beloved Corps…. check out the following link:
http://www.militarycorruption.com
I’ve heard that everytime Amos fires a CO or CG that a Blue Falcon gets it’s wings…..
No disrepsect intended to my aviator brothers, but we should never have put a pilot as Commandant.
I was at Quantico a few years ago right around the time that Amos took over as CMC. He kept going around giving this rousing speech about this young Marine LT he met in Afghanistan bravely leading his 50-man platoon on a mountain top doing Hoorah shit. He used it like a political stump speech everywhere he went for a few months. At least until one of the Marine captains I worked with asked him “What was that LT doing on that mountain?” The literal question being “what was his mission?” and between the lines “what the fuck are we doing in that country that requires such sacrifices?” It threw Amos off and he didn’t have a good answer.
@8 – While I was still in uniform, Quantico would shut down for a brief spell while Amos and his PSD entourage would come aboard… a convoy of armored up Tahoe’s and the like, flying through the base with lights and sirens blaring. You’dve thought the fuggin’ president was on base.
When he stepped out of the vehicle at the bldg where I worked, he was wearing a second chance vest on the outside of his utilities. WTF?
@10 – SgtMaj Barrett has a sphere of influence he can control but he elects not to. He was picked by Amos for a reason. They’re two peas in a pod.
@16 – That must’ve been during his “Heritage Brief”. I heard that comment too. (That’s when he demanded to all SNCO’s and officers to “fry” anyone for sexual harassment/assault and other issues, hence the beginning of the “undue command influence” environment we have today.
All this back story about Gen. Amos seems to point to a rather grandiose mindset, as if he’s ‘above the law’, or something.
Amos beats down a lawyer who says he’s wrong, then makes every effort to make it appear that the lawyer is nuts, and does other things that imply that he himself is paranoid.
And now he’s hiding stuff and lying under oath? This doesn’t ‘smell’ right. It has that ‘more than meets the eye’ about it. Either Gen. Amos is paranoid and delusional, or he’s on a vendetta aimed at anyone who opposes him, or something.
There is something about this business that makes it appear to be an entirely personal grudge on the surface. But then there are those pieces of anecdotal evidence, like TMB @16, and other stories.
I’m just saying that what it appears to be at first glance is not what it really is.
@18
I think it’s called Megalomania.
@18, or maybe Amos is just emulating the CIC?
Why do these guys even bother to wear vests. They will not stop a 7.62 x 57. Ego! See I’m important.
@19, 20 – Yes, and why would anyone need either an entire retinue following him, or wear armor over his fatigues, unless he’s getting into the paranoid and delusional parts of megalomania?
Just saying. If it smells like a skunk, it probably is a skunk.
Why does he wear a vest? Because he is trying to make up for being a nut-hugging brown-nosing pogue piece of shit by trying to give the impression that he is “combat ready”. Either that or he realizes how much the Corps hates his Blue Falcon ass.
@23 – I’ll take answer #2 for $200.
And all this stuff is happening while Amos tells NCOs to get their act together and act like leaders.
Perhaps he should read his white letters instead just signing them.
@18 Ever read Herman Wouk’s Caine Mutiny? I think Amos has two ball bearings rolling around in his hand.
*obscure reference to Captain Queeg*
At some point you have to wonder when a guy will say “It s time for me to go”
I had a Commander once (I was the Ops Officer) who was the smartest man I have ever met. But like a lot of really smart people he lacked a lot of people skills. But all in all he was a pretty good Commander.
After about 4 years in Command he conducted the annual unit climate survey. It had a lot of issues..a lot of it focused on him. So he made a concerted effort to tweak some things to improve the climate. The next one was worse than the first.
It is the only time in my career when I have seen a Commander go to his boss and ask to be relieved from command. His reasoning was that there was nothing else left for him to do and his continued command presence was becoming a detriment.
Anyone can say what they want to say about his lack of people skills…but that took some cajones.
@AW1Ed, Queeg was an incompetent seaman. While he was a fictional character, he should have been driving a desk instead of a warship. Queeg had no clue about driving a warship, and he was too dimwitted to trust the seamanship skills of his crew or do anything but let everyone know he was an asshole. There are plenty of idiots like him in every facet of the military and civilian world and you and I both have worked for them.
Amos, on the other hand, isn’t dimwitted but he is definitely a bully. I don’t think he’s incompetent. He does seem to be hellbent on a roll toward his own destruction. He is a suckup who doesn’t have the common sense to refuse to ‘crush’ people who did something stupid and publicized it without realizing how much damage it could bring on other people.
27 attorneys are saying Amos has gone too far. I’d be listening to them.
Twat waffles like anus will never step down, he was picked to be Commandant because he is a nutless sheep. The Military is an extension of political policy. There may be a few that hang on, but they have to weather the storm of douchbag administrations while the ass-kissers like Anus climb the ranks. The 8 years that the current clown resides in the Oval office is going to result in damage to the ethos of the Military that may take decades to reverse.
I think it clearly illustrates what so many of you have said previously that these cheese d1cks at the top cease being real leaders and become political hacks who suck b4lls and kiss 4ss to keep their cushy jobs….often at the expense of the careers of real soldiers…
F@ck these guys…
Of the aviator types (pilots) who I worked with, they’ve ALL said that electing him to be CMC was a mistake, partly because they saw this coming.
It seems Amos has a reputation of running things like a dictator.
Like the current administration that occupies the WH, I guess the Corps will have to suffer its current leadership like the rest of America has to with theirs.
@15 I’m not sure I agree with no aviators as Commandant, especially when they can be right on the ground with you in the FAC role on their off tour.
However, what about a requirement that no Commandant can become so without a CAR?
Hell, at least it would have taken Amos right out of the running…
@31
Roger that, Bother. I see no other option. Alas …
@32, check. I see what you’re saying but one or two tours as a FAC doesn’t make you a grunt. As a warfighting organization, I still think we need those prior infantry guys to be Commandant….and I’m a Comm guy so I don’t have a dog in either fight….just my personal opinion.
We’ve had at least one SMMC that didn’t have a CAR, or at least I’m pretty sure we did and the current one does, so I’m not sure a CAR requirement would stop jack-assery.
I still am holing out for Mattis as Commandant (bring him back on active duty) or for President in 2016. “Because F@ck you, that’s why!”
Kooky Amos has less than a year left as CMC…some possible candidates for the post:
Joseph Dunford – ISAF
John Kelly – Southern Command
John Paxton – The Asst Commandant
A new inductee in the 4 star suckup brigade…LTG David Perkins has been nominated by prez Bambi for another star:
http://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=37204
@34- I’d drink (and vote) to that, either way.
As to CAR, it might not stem the jackassery outright, but there will be at least two full generations of officers based on the last two decades of almost constant conflict which would generate a base of candidates for years to come. Sure, at some point it might have to get removed, but if the USMC is in action, or isn’t far removed from action, finding men who were in the shit is a better option for knowing what the needs of the service are than someone not. So I agree with your premise that far, definitely.