Army Whistleblower Accuses Superiors of Railroading to Hide Torture

[LittleApple81]

A little torture not directly related to Bush*'s campaign techniques... just to keep us up to date on the war issues...


Jul 8 - A US Army counterintelligence agent who accused fellow National Guardsmen of abusing Iraqi detainees says that his own commander coerced an Army psychiatrist into diagnosing him as "delusional." According to Sergeant Greg Ford, his commanding officer confronted psychiatrist Angelina Madera, a captain with the 30th Medical Support Element, after she had initially assessed Ford to be mentally stable.

Sgt. Ford says Captain Victor Artiga, the commander of the 223rd Military Intelligence Battalion, told Dr. Madera she was to reclassify the whistleblower Ford as unfit for duty so he could be transferred out of Iraq immediately.

Reached at his home in California, Ford said that Captain Artiga rushed over to Dr. Madera's office as soon as he received her written evaluation and confronted her with the results. Ford says that Artiga told Madera that Ford was "delusional" and that her initial report "could not stay that way." He verbally intimidated her, according to Ford, and told her to change the report to reflect Ford's "delusions" because this was a "military intelligence" matter and Artiga wanted to get Ford out of Iraq "right away".

This exchange was witnessed by Sergeant First Class Michael Marciello, a counterintelligence team leader, who says he was ordered by Artiga to seize Ford's weapon and ammunition right after the torture allegations were made and to guard him 24 hours a day until Ford left Iraq after a second session with Madera.

Sgt. Marciello confirmed that he witnessed Artiga confronting Madera and said the commander made it very clear to Dr. Madera that she had to change her report and make sure Ford was sent to Landstuhl, Germany for a metal health evaluation. Marciello said that Dr. Madera appeared to be "shaken" by the exchange and eventually agreed to assist Artiga in evacuating Ford to Germany.

much more at link:

http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=658&printmode=true

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Do whistleblower's protection laws apply to the military?

[fsbooks]

2. Wouldn't it be required?

I am no lawyer or military man, I did find the following in the Uniform Code of Military Justice:

938. ART. 138. COMPLAINTS OF WRONGS

Any member of the armed forces who believes himself wronged by his commanding officer, and who, upon due application to that commanding officer, is refused redress, may complain to any superior commissioned officer, who shall foreword the complaint to the office exercising court-martial jurisdiction over the officer against whom it is made. The officer exercising general court-martial jurisdiction shall examine into the complaint and take proper measures for redressing the wrong complained of; and he shall, as soon as possible, send to the Secretary concerned a true statement of that complaint, with the proceedings thereon.

I am pretty sure it is illegal to obey an illegal order, and I would presume it would be required that observed misconduct should be reported (in proper channels) up the line.