Army Retains SFC Martland
Jonn and I have written previously about SFC Charles Martland and the attempt by the Army to separate him for “assaulting” a child-rapist in Afghanistan. The earlier articles can be found here, here, here, and here.
According to Fox News, the Army yesterday changed its mind. They have now opted to retain SFC Martland vice discharging him.
Sometimes sanity reigns – even inside that 5-sided asylum near the Open Air Brothel on the Potomac – and the good guys win one. IMO this is such a case.
Congratulations, SFC Martland. Kudos to Rep. Duncan Hunter (and others) for publicly supporting him.
And while SFC Martland never should have been considered for discharge in the first place, kudos also to the Army for finally seeing the light and doing the right thing here.
Category: Big Army, Military issues, Politics, Real Soldiers
Outfuckingstanding!!!!
WORD!!!
That’s good news!!
The question now is, will he stay past this enlistment? After getting royally shit on for doing his job?
Pretty sure the Army went to VOL INDEF terms for SNCOs some years ago – at the 10 year point, if I recall correctly. Unless that’s changed, I don’t think he’ll need to reenlist.
He may, however, have to worry about future QMP/QSP boards if he chooses to stay, and this whole mess certainly hasn’t improved his long-term career prospects. Frankly, I’m not sure what I’d do were I in his situation.
Personally, I hope he stays. The Army – and all the services – need men like him.
It will be interning to know what the Army Boards Review Agency decided, did they remove the LOR and NCOER, and restore his SF tab? Or, find some other reason to over turn the QMP?
The answer to those questions will determine his future service.
From the linked article:
Doesn’t say anything about the GOMR. That could still be there; might have been moved to the restricted fiche; or the spokesman’s description of what was done might be incomplete, and it may have also been modified or removed. We’d have to see a redacted version of the decision to be sure.
The decision should eventually be posted to the AF Boards site that contains redacted BCMR decisions, though that will likely take a while. When it’s posted it should be fairly easy to recognize, even in redacted form. (smile)
The Restricted File is looked at now days for QMP and officer retention, so I’d have to wonder what was done. It’s entirely possible that the ABRA found a procedural error which negated the NCOER and GOMAR. Unfortunately, if that was the case, the results might not get posted as the decision could be considered “administrative” in nature.
My money says he has a big red X permanently on the cover of his 201 file.
If I was on his promotion board he would get a BIG red X in the Must Promote column from me.
That would be an Freemason (secret) marking.
If that’s the case, then the Army doesn’t deserve him — and he should go somewhere he is truly appreciated.
It can be painful for a large organization to pull its head out of its ass. Glad to see it happen here.
Chalk one up for the god guys.
oops– good guys.
(although…)
The fact that a group of high-ranking people has to actually figure out that beating up a child rapist is a good thing to do says awful things about our country.
I hope he stays in but I am willing to bet that his career is going to go nowhere because he made people look bad.
SFC Martland was only doing what American Soldiers are allegedly supposed to do in the world, defending innocents from a predator. At least, that’s what I always heard American Soldiers are supposed to do. It’s clear the Glorious Leader & co. never got that message, since they seem to think that a Soldier’s duties are things like embracing alternate (especially aberrant) lifestyles, being overly sensitive to cultures that enslave women and rape children (“social justice” my Black Irish ass), and not shooting back when they take fire.
SFC Martland should’ve killed that sack of shit in whatever manner he deemed appropriate. His superiors should’ve commended him for it if they said anything at all. Whatever happened to “De Opreso Liber?” Don’t any of those assholes know what it means, or do they just want some meaningless Latin shit to look cool up on the wall?
You can rest assured the fuckery has not ended…while, possibly not overt, he faces a tough go ahead. Someone, somewhere is nursing a hard one for him.
Likely somebody who plans on career advancement at their Soldiers’ expense under a Hildabeast administration. The notion that this crap comes from so-called “leaders” is appalling.
TOW: I’m surprised the Army could find someone with a set to do the right thing. A little /sarc there. Just a little. But, yes, hard road, especially if Hillary gets elected. I look for even more of a purge than we have seen under Obama. The Army probably didn’t do this because it was the right thing to do, which it was, but because of the tremendous political pressure. Maybe some senior officers felt THEIR promotions would be held up down the road if they continued to throw this warrior under the bus.
But he can still in the mirror and be proud of what he sees, unlike the political tucked who may torment him.
Tucked should be FUCKWADS. God Damn it!!!
I keep telling people to stop using tablets and phones to make comments. Those expensive pieces of cheap electronic junk try to read your mind for you and substitute what they ‘think’ you want to say.
Go to settings and turn off auto replace.
I left mine with suggestions on, and auto replace off.
Technology is your best friend.
Absolutely. But it is still hard to do the right thing and get punished for it. Another who I think was done dirty is MAJ Matthew Golsteyn, who we’ve also commented on here. It didn’t go as well for him. The last I read, he is now out of the Army, sans Silver Star and SF tab.
It would have been better if the headline read “Army promotes and decorates SFC Martland”, but this is better than the alternative.
I will not credit the Army with righting this grave wrong. Hell, the Army created the problem in the first place and was eager to boot him. It was the pressure brought to bear on the knuckleheads in the Pentagon by ordinary Americans, a pol or two (Duncan Hunter) and even a Hollywooder (Harvey Keitel) that prompted the reversal.
I’m sure this decision will be splashed on all the news sights, networks and papers like the original story was.
Did the Perfumed Princes in the Five Sided Puzzle Palace correct this wrong against SFC Martland because:
1) It was the Right Thing To Do?
2) They retreated from all the blowback?
If I were a bettin’ man, I’d bet a paycheck swap on #2.
So would I, BW. But for whatever reason, they ended up doing the right thing.
I’ll give them credit for the latter, regardless of the reason. They could have been bull-headed and refused to change their original decision.
Someone somewhere decided that keeping Martland for a while was better than dumping him. I doubt he’d have had any problem finding private sector employment, but there is always that story waiting to be told. Now the people who wanted to hang him have to hold onto him until he decides whether to stay or go. Whatever, this will fade into the background and no longer be a public issue. And he’ll still have that story to tell some day.
Off subject, Marine claim:
An acquaintance claims to have served in “Force Recon Company(?)” approx 1969 to early 70’s era, Vietnam. States his Company was separate from Bn. Perhaps 3rd Company?
He claims a three year enlistment(?), went to Boot/advanced(?) then straight to Recon and Vietnam. A couple of his claims include Recon insertions via jumping from OV-10 Bronco, and completing 85 to 95 jumps during his enlistment. (Seems like a lot of jumps.)
I was not a Marine nor Force Recon. Can anyone refer me to somewhere for help? Is there a roster of Force Recon Marines I could refer to or refer this guy? I don’t have enough for a FOIA. Any help would be appreciated.
Folks on here will certainly help you, and you can also go to the top of the page, go to the Contact Page, and talk directly with Jonn — that way your question/request doesn’t get lost in the current thread.
“Recon insertions via jumping from OV-10 Bronco”? That’s a pretty good laugher (at least to me).
Let’s see, now, I’m not a fixed wing guy, but I think it would entail at a minimum a open canopy barrel roll at stall speed. That must be, to say the least, a very “interesting” maneuver.
This needs to be carried over to the Weekend Open Thread (once Jonn posts it up) for further discussion.
You can jump an OV-10! I heard about it at Sembach AB where we had the cute little critters. Found a couple of images online:
http://www.aviationspectator.com/files/images/North-American-Rockwelll-OV-10-Bronco-015.preview.jpg
http://s14.photobucket.com/user/nw969/media/Internet/Bronco_paras.jpg.html
OK. Thanks. Didn’t know it had a passenger/baggage compartment. Figured it was a two pilot set-up.
I said I wasn’t a fixed wing guy. That’s what happens when an Army fart thinks he knows something about AF/Navy/USMC aircraft.
I still think the whole story about doing jumps from one in RVN is, to say the least, a bit of an exaggeration.
Just looked it up and much to my own amazement it could be configured to carry six paratroopers.
Never too old to learn…
Yes, you can configure them to jump a few people. No way do I believe you could put a full six man lrrp team back there with full gear, weapons, and chutes. Also, there is a reason there was only one combat jump in RVN. It made no tactical or strategic sense. Even people in the 173rd admit their “combat jump” was largely a PR stunt. The DZ was secured by helo borne troops before the drop. I rec’d jump pay for five months in RVN, but there is no way anyone could ever convince me a combat jump into bad guy country in that war made sense for either a recon team or an infantry battalion. That marine’s story still is likely BS.
BinTuy66
Look up “Doc” Bruce Norton. He was there in ‘nam as a Recon Corpsman during that time and wrote books about it. He would be IMO the authority on such an inquiry.
85-95 Combat jumps? That’s a lot of combat jumps especially from a Bronco but I’m not an expert.
BZ!
I could have SWORN I heard a loud *POP*, was it the Army temporarily pulling its head out of its collective ass?
You did, P.I., and while not a champagne cork, it will suffice for celebratory sound effects on this happy occasion.
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This happies me up (in re SFC Martland)—We’re gonna need all the good guys when things change (and the good guys will change things).
All that I can say It’s about time that the Army did what is correct. “De Oppresso Liber” my brother!
CT do you know if SFC Martland’s tab was revoked ?
Its about time the Army got one right.
What a waste of time and money.
I am surprised they did not re-allocate the time, resources and money into trying to screw this man into a study of how to integrate transgender bathrooms in the barracks.
You know, the important things.
Glad I am out.
HOOAH!!