Army Reservist Accused of Insubordination

[Noordam]

AP NEWS

Army Reservist Accused of Insubordination
1 hour, 19 minutes ago Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!


By BEN DOBBIN, Associated Press Writer

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Capt. Steve McAlpin, a 25-year Army reservist, spent most of last year deployed in Afghanistan (news - web sites) and just returned home in January. Now his unit is about to ship out again, and he's facing insubordination charges for criticizing the quick turnaround.


<cut>>>>
McAlpin served in Bosnia in 1996. Last year, while stationed at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, he was a liaison to local warlords, coordinated humanitarian relief supplies and organized an English-language teaching program.


"I'm looking at something I love more than just about anything — my service to the Army and my fellow soldiers — and they're trying to stab me in the back," McAlpin said.

<more at article.....

ONLY 11 months between Afgan and Iraq.... FUCKkkkkkkkk

[SadEagle]

1. Here is the local paper story.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/news/1128152GCTV_mil28_news.shtml

posted it earlier in GD, but people didn't seem to care/notice much. :shrug:

[silverlib]

3. Thanks

This is deplorable. Sorry I missed it earlier. I am much more of a reader than a poster. I hope you don't think anything you post is not read and appreciated. I pass along a lot of info to friends that I copy and paste off DU information. The link you posted is going to everyone in my small, but active peace group, and from there, who knows. I appreciate all the information I get from this group. Everyone here is really amazing.

[ConcernedCanuk]

2. "insubordination charges for criticizing " ???

. . From the article:

"McAlpin said he questioned the waiver last Saturday during a teleconference with Col. Guy Sands, commander of the McAlpin's parent unit, the 360th Civil Affairs Brigade based in Fort Jackson, S.C.


About a dozen other officers refused to sign the waiver, as well as four enlisted soldiers called to redeploy, McAlpin said.


"Soldiers are proud to serve any time, anywhere. I'd go tomorrow," McAlpin said from his home in Victor, 20 miles southeast of Rochester. "But I have four soldiers that don't want to go."


The memorandum sent Wednesday commands McAlpin to clear up his affairs at the unit by Monday, when it bans him from battalion grounds. It also transfers him to the Individual Ready Reserves, whose soldiers can be called up in the event of a national emergency.


Instead of signing the reprimand document, McAlpin attached a note of protest, stating his performance evaluations have been excellent and that his record shows "no pattern of incompetence." He also plans to meet with a military attorney.

/snip/

seems to me that this guy was exercising "legal" rights?

- or are there no "rights" in the US Armed Forces?

I didn't realize it was MANDATORY to sign ANYTHING ?

I don't see anywhere that indicates this guy disobeyed a direct order?

But then again, he's dealing with the BFEE

(sigh)

[teryang]

4. Very interesting story

Enlisted sign for the most part but the officers didn't. The other officers actually finessed the issue, but McAlpin challenged it directly. So he gets the public shaft.

Do me a favor will you, sign this here form and waive your legal rights? You have a problem with that? These soldiers are getting screwed.

[HereSince1628]

5. Col Sands is a candidate for the George A. Custer Award

Awarded to senior commanders who have shown such a level of intransigience and determination as to never review an opinion or correct a mistake, whose bold application of personal authority far exceeds ordinary common sense, and igonores both law and policy while placing the rights and lives of his command and the greater mission of the Army in jeopardy while seeking to secure an opportunity to go down in history as stubbornly enforcing a stupid decision.

"Be all that you can be. Warrior, Officer, Army of one. US ARMY...228 years of leadership tradition unhampered by progress"

[TacticalPeek]

6. LOL!

:kick:

[chasqui]

11. EXCELLENTLY SAID!!!!!

Above all, candor.
Without candor, the military becomes spineless, and then leadership disappears.

[neverforget]

7. Sounds to me like the Army wants to make an example of him for

questioning orders. Don't think, just do as I say, when I say, how I say.

[Noordam]

8. I wonder how many press on this

are sitting Stateside in the months ahead with nice plum jobs.

[Rose Siding]

9. He basically refused an illegal order, right?

Remember when that was what you were SUPPOSED to do? I guess trying to protect the welfare of his battalion is just so twentieth century.

[ConcernedCanuk]

10. Wasn't even an order the way I read it - -

. . He just didn't sign "the" waiver. ??