Charges Dropped Against "Coward" Soldier

[GiovanniC]

This might be a dupe, but I couldn't find it if it is. The story is a couple days old but the poll I talk about at the bottom I just saw today.

The U.S. Army Thursday dropped its case against a soldier who was initially accused of cowardice after he suffered a panic attack when he saw the bloody corpse of an Iraqi on his second day in the war zone.

<SNIP>

However, a few days later, he was shipped back to the United States to face the cowardice charge, the first such case since the Vietnam War. Conviction on the charge can result in the death penalty.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/07/15/army.dropped.charges/

There's a poll on AOL that asks if it was right to drop the cowardice charges against this guy. Over 70,000 people responded. It was 85% Yes, 15% No.

That means over 10,000 people said that this guy should have to face the possibility of the death penalty because he had trouble dealing with the death and destruction in a war zone. In other words, let's kill him because of his humanity.

Can someone stop this planet? I think I want to get off.

[goddess40]

1. Death penalty possible

"Conviction on the charge can result in the death penalty." That way they can "eliminate" their mistakes. I'm glad for once some reason got through but I wonder what kind of hell they put that poor man through.

[GiovanniC]

3. You Know They Had to Treat Him Like Shit

Pogany told CNN in a phone interview Thursday that he wants the military to apologize.

"I think they owe me an apology," he said from Colorado Springs, Colorado. "They made my life hell for nine months."

Freepers don't take kindly to soldiers who can't handle some worthless Iraqi literally cut in half by gunfire.

[unblock]

2. good thing he was on drugs!

the anti-malaria drug made him panic.
for this he faced the death penalty.

note that his cowardice did not result in any harm to his fellow soldiers. this was a travesty, and a good thing the charges were dropped.

[GiovanniC]

4. I Would Go So Far as to Say

That even WITHOUT the malaria drug, it's bullshit that they charged him with a crime carrying the death penalty because he had psychological problems seeing an Iraqi cut in half by gunfire.

Hell, I'd have problems with that too, and I'm not on ANY drugs.

[IronLionZion]

5. yes that was evil

but official US policy for cowardice in the face of the enemy is death. If they were in a serious combat situation and he was about to surrender or something, his commander is supposed to shoot him dead.

And that malaria is known for causing those kinds of side affects. There's not much compassion in "the man's army". The standard response is toughen up.

[GiovanniC]

6. I'm Familiar With US Policy

One of my problems is that they weren't even close to being in a situation like that.

His so-called cowardice was basically a very human response to seeing one of the horrors of war, and his reaction did not cause any harm to anyone. It didn't even have the POTENTIAL to harm anyone. He did not put their mission or any other soldier's life in jeopardy.

To even CHARGE him with being a "coward" because of this, knowing full well that it puts the death penalty on the table is 100% unadulterated BULLSHIT.