I got this from Rob's Blog, and I am just going to let Rob tell the story.
From the day I first read the story of the 656th Transportation Company, I was furious. I blogged it to no end on my own blog, and this inspired fellow blogger Cookie to set up and co-blog "Fair Treatment For Our Soldiers" with me.
The short of it...a unit in Iraq, an Army Reserve transportation crew that moves fuel to the front lines, got to Iraq short on trucks, mounts for their guns, and parts. Sounds familiar...remember that soldier complaining about "hillbilly armor" to Donald Rumsfeld during a morale boosting visit by the Secretary of Defense?
Well, the unit CO, Major Cathy Kaus, was presented an idea by a couple of her officers..."appropriate" some abandoned Army vehicles and use them for their mission needs. One they stripped for parts, another they drove in with their own.
They got the job done. Well. Many were decorated, Kaus and CW2 Darrell Birt receiving the Bronze Star. But things were about to take an unexpected turn.
A soldier in the unit turned them in for the taking of the trucks. Now, "midnight requisitions" have a long history in the military. You do what you have to...it's not for personal gain, but to fix the broken equipment, to do the job, to get the gear you need to stay alive and accomplish the mission. When it's found out, it's often overlooked...or at worst you get reprimanded or get a good ass-chewing.
Not so in this case. Someone decided to grind an axe. Several members of the unit were taken to non-judicial punishment, and faced reduction in rank, fines of significant portions of pay, and restrictions/confinements.
The worst of the injustice, however, fell to Maj. Kaus and CW2 Birt. Threatened with extremely long prison sentances, they made a plea deal that kept their prison terms (yes, prison terms) to 6 months, but where further awarded Dishonorable Discharges, loss of all pay and allowances, loss of all military benefits, and loss of all retirement and family/dependent benefits. Furthermore, since the convictions count as felonies, they've lost their civilian jobs.
You don't have to have a particular political opinion to think this is totally ridiculous. The families of these people are also suffering.
Rob has links to petition Congress and the investigating Army General. Go do so, right now. I don't mind. This is more important than reading Newshog. You can always come back later. Now scoot!
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