DoD: Army erred by tossing Yee reprimands

[unhappycamper]

DoD: Army erred by tossing Yee reprimands
By Gene Johnson - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Sep 20, 2007 6:32:05 EDT

SEATTLE — The Pentagon’s inspector general has concluded that for the most part, the Army properly handled the case of a Muslim Army chaplain who was detained for 76 days and then cleared in an espionage probe.

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Fidell raised questions about a footnote on the second page, which said that it was not until May 19, 2004 — long after the case was over — that the Army completed a formal classification review of the documents found in Yee’s possession when he was arrested at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Fla. The review should have been done before, not after, Yee was accused of mishandling classified materials, Fidell said.

The review found 54 documents containing secret information, according to the footnote. Yee has said there were no classified materials in his possession, and most of the documents had been downloaded from the Internet for a postgraduate course in international relations.

“Why was this gentleman put in confinement for 72 days?” Fidell asked. “If this stuff was really classified, why didn’t they charge him? Why didn’t they persist?”

A Pentagon spokeswoman said no one was immediately available after hours to discuss the summary.

Yee received an honorable discharge in January 2005, followed by an Army commendation for “exceptionally meritorious service.” He wrote a book about his experience at Guantanamo, “For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire.”


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/09/ap_yee_070920/