Friendly Fire pilot given a slap on the wrist!

MrBishop

MrBishop

Well-Known Member
I'm flabbergasted, and if I wasn't so damn angry about it, I'd be speechless... thankfully, I think that I can spew enough venom out to make my point.



Link



NEW ORLEANS — The Air Force (search) has decided not to court-martial a U.S. fighter pilot who mistakenly dropped a 500-pound, laser-guided bomb that killed four Canadians in Afghanistan in 2002.


Maj. Harry Schmidt (search), 37, will face nonjudicial punishment and four dereliction-of-duty charges against him will be dismissed in court, the Air Force said Thursday.

He could face punishment including 30 days confinement or loss of one month's pay, about $5,600, Air Force spokeswoman Col. Alvina Mitchell said.

Schmidt originally was charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault and faced up to 64 years in prison. Military officials recommended against a court-martial on those charges last June, saying Schmidt could face nonjudicial punishment instead.

Schmidt turned down the offer, saying he wanted to clear his name in a court-martial instead. He was ordered to be tried on the lesser charge of dereliction of duty.

But the agreement announced Thursday meant the dereliction charges will be pursued in a lesser, nonjudicial forum, beginning July 1.

Schmidt's lawyer, Charles W. Gittins, said the Air Force has agreed to allow him to remain employed with the Illinois Air National Guard, but not as a pilot.
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OK...I'm sure that most of you have herd about this. He is a pilot who ignored orders to cease and desist and dropped a 500lb bomb onto Canadian troops, killing 4 and wounding another 8. He was charged and faced court-martial. He wanted to clear his name...but they didn't let him. The Air Force removed the charges and gave him a slap on the wrist...and a potential loss of money and his wings.

So..tell me. What exactly does this say to the families of those 4 men killed by

'friendly fire'? It says to me that the death of these Canadian troops are worth less than the honour of the Air Force. I've heard of 'death before dishonour', but that usually means your own death..not that of your allies.



Comments?

 
Winky said:
In war stuff happens.
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Remind me that again the next time an American gets his head cut off. 'stuff happens'...sure, got it!

Thanks for clearing that up for me, Winky!
 
even in war there are certain rules. i think it's a disgrace; they KNOW he made an error, and he should be held responsible for his errors. in court, that is.

thankfully a lot of people take things like this more heavily than Winky :rolleyes:
 
Friendly Fire pilot made a mistake Ooops!

Nope Pat Stillman was killed by friendly fire.
Our casualties in Desert Storm from friendly fire damn near out numbered enemy fire casualties.
I stand by my statement:
In War shit happens!

----------------
Last week the Pentagon confirmed that 35 of the 145 Americans killed in action during Operation Desert Storm, and 72 of the 467 wounded, were victims of "friendly fire." Moreover, U.S. fire destroyed seven M1A1 tanks and 20 of the 25 Bradley Fighting Vehicles lost in battle, and even raked the battleship Missouri.
 
Top Stories
U.S. Air Strike on Iraq Safe House Kills 20-25

19 minutes ago Add Top Stories - Reuters

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. air strike on a suspected insurgent safe house in the town of Falluja on Friday killed between 20 and 25 people, a senior official in the U.S.-led coalition said.

The U.S. military said it used "precision weapons" to carry out the attack on the house in the southeast of the city thought to have been used by insurgents loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian Islamist militant.

"Somewhere between 20 and 25 people were killed in today's strike," the coalition official said. link


So they were all non-combatants right?
 
59 the number of U.S. personnel killed in combat in Afghanistan since U.S.-led forces overthrew the Taliban

Holy crap and at least one (Tillman) was from friendly fire?
Is that right? Take over a whole country? 59?
 
What do the last two posts have to do with this thread? As I recall, the focus was whether the pilot in question was fairly treated given the circumstances.

The issue I have with it is the refusal of the Air Force to even allow a trial on accusations that would seem to be more on point for the situation. Even if there's no cover-up, that makes it reek like there is one.
 
The point is the only time a troop should be
'prosecuted' is when he intentionally explodes his fellow
comrades in arms!
Mistakes happen when the shit starts flying.
Going after guys that make honest mistakes is merely playing to the PC crowd!!!

Remember that Muslim Dood that threw fricken hand grenades in those tents, that guy if found guilty by the (old) traditions of our military should face a firing squad!
 
At least there was a trial in that one.

So, any friendly fire incidents should simply be written off as "the confusion of battle"? No investigations, no trial where warranted?

I see where you're coming from, but this particular case doesn't smell right to me.
 
Agreed investigate!

Oh ya recall the hub bub over this one.
The pilots were all high on SPEED!

This is that one right Lanny?
 
Friendly Fire pilot given a medal!

Ok Homie
lol
Think of these cases like this
Ya know how spilling coffee in the Mickey Dee's drive through is grounds for a multi-million dollar settlement
and now-a-days Doctors prescribe treatment not by what's best for the patient but what will keep them from going broke paying mal-practice insurance
I for one don't want the Men that are manipulating the controls of multi-million dollar killing machines while being shot at to think about whether they are going to jail for an honest mistake?

Now how’s THAT for honest to goodness

"dribbly shoutiness"?

frat2.JPG
 
Re: Friendly Fire pilot given a medal!

:grumpy:

never expected any different though, and the military machine has once again lived up to my opinion of it.
 
Re: Friendly Fire pilot given a medal!

FF incidents

War/Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . Percent Casualties (U.S. Military only)*
World War II . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21% (of +400,000)
Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18%
Vietnam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39%
Persian Gulf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49%
Gulf Campaign (1990-91) . . . . . 45% (51% of all allied casuaties per the UN)

Let not even look what the bombing of Dresden did to the civillians
 
Re: Friendly Fire pilot given a medal!

I am saddened by the incident but in the end, it is war. Would having this pilot commandeered to the pit for 20 years hard labor done one thing more to bring back the Canadians than the final decision? His life is already fucked up & he has to live with the consequences of his actions-forever.
but not as a pilot.
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Nobody wins this one.
 
HomeLAN said:
At least there was a trial in that one.

So, any friendly fire incidents should simply be written off as "the confusion of battle"? No investigations, no trial where warranted?

I see where you're coming from, but this particular case doesn't smell right to me.
Click to expand...



preferably not but as much as I will regret saying this Winky is right that shit can and does happen.
 
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