Sergeant Says He Seized Vehicle for His Platoon

[Rose Siding]

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., July 28 - A decorated Army sergeant charged with stealing a sport utility vehicle at gunpoint in Iraq last year testified on Wednesday in a court-martial that he seized the vehicle for purely military purposes.

His family asserted that he was being made a scapegoat to appease Iraqis angry with the American military presence there.

The soldier, First Sgt. James H Williams, faces more than 15 years in prison on charges that he illegally confiscated a 2001 Toyota Land Cruiser in April 2003 from the son of a tribal leader in Mosul.

Sergeant Williams, who in an engineering battalion of the 101st Airborne Division, is also accused of dereliction of duty for failing to stop soldiers in his platoon from drinking alcohol in Iraq.

http://nytimes.com/2004/07/29/national/29soldier.html

[JSJ]

1. support the troops

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Well you know the drill, it is only a few bad apples

Yeah right... I would not be too surprised if he did as he says... and now he is paying the price...

They hate the troops

[bpilgrim]

3. if he gets 15 what does BUSH and CHENEY get?!

peace

[Judi Lynn]

4. They obviously feel the country is to be at their disposal, period.

The prosecution has said Sergeant Williams and other platoon members violated rules on seizing civilian property and lied to cover up the theft. The authorities have suggested that the seizure was frivolous and possibly motivated by the soldiers' anger toward an Iraqi driver rather than a legitimate military need.
(snip)

Sergeant Williams testified that Lieutenant Pavlik had on "several occasions" ordered him to find a vehicle, at one point throwing "a tantrum" in frustration at not having transportation.

Lieutenant Pavlik faces a court-martial next month on charges that he conspired to cover up the Land Cruiser theft.
(snip)

The incident occurred on April 26, 2003, when Sergeant Williams and members of his platoon chased down the vehicle after it had swerved in front of a platoon Humvee. When the Land Cruiser pulled over, the soldiers ordered the driver out of it and seized the vehicle. Although Sergeant Williams did not initiate the chase, he approved taking the vehicle, he testified.
(snip)

To the victor go the spoils? The human race has come so far, hasn't it?

[Ernesto]

5. Trust me, in war the man with the gun rules the hood.

This is what soo upset me about the fact that our country went to war like this.... "Normal" people don't know how much war sucks, I think... Old Viet vets like me tried to tell everybody about the kind of crap that was comin' down the pipe if we started this war...... Ever notice that you don't hear vets squwawin' about Abu Garib torture stories? That's because this shit is an intregal part of war. We know this scene all to well. Have a war = have atrocities.... part o' the deal.

[saigon68]

10. You bet we did--- WE CALLED IT

In Mar 2003 I described how a minority of lifer THUGS and HOODLUMS grooved out on killing. I was attacked here by a bunch of TROOP apologist assholes.

Now look at it

The assholes who started this SHIT never saw what Napalm does to a little girls skin

They only care about getting rich from this CLUSTER-FUCK.

[Judi Lynn]

6. US soldier didn't think hijacking was a crime (update on story,verdict)

July 30 2004 at 10:21AM

By Kimberly Hefling

Fort Campbell, Kentucky - A soldier was convicted of stealing an Iraqi sheik's sport-utility vehicle at gunpoint, but wiill probably not spend any time behind bars.

Besides armed robbery, Sergeant 1st Class James Williams was also found guilty of willful dereliction of duty for allowing his soldiers to consume alcohol in Iraq.

Eight jurors, all members of the military, recommended that Williams not be sentenced to prison but instead be demoted to private and receive a bad conduct discharge. The sentence must be approved by his commanding general, Majora General Tom Turner of the 101st Airborne Division.

'In his mind there was nothing wrong with doing it'
Williams, 37, of Westmoreland County, Virginia, faced up to 15 years in prison. He has 17 years' Army experience, including combat duty in the Gulf war.
(snip/...)

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=qw109117566495B224

[Media_Lies_Daily]

7. I guess the tribal leader has some juice in high places....

...because they certainly have no laws, and our military leadership has been operating as if we didn't have any laws either.

Why this guy? Who did he piss off?

And what military unit operating anywhere in the world, ESPECIALLY the Middle East, is NOT drinking alcohol???

[dbt]

8. IRAQ NAM

Viet Vets, is this any different from what you saw in the Other Jungle? Imagine a Sergeant being under pressure from a Lieutenant to get something that HQ could not/would not provide!

Imagine troops drinking (or smoking) to take their minds off the fact that they are in combat for no good reason! Hell, it's a wonder that scalps are not being taken.

This is why War is ALWAYS a last resort.

:freak:
dbt

[Tatiana]

9. Shameful.

Simply shameful. Apparently they carjacked the wrong person. An Iraqi with an SUV? Didn't it occur to them that this might be an influential person? Come on now. Not only are those soldiers shameful, but they are stupid as well. It's obvious they had the (widespread) mentality that they could get away with anything.