The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: jnevis on May 26, 2010, 09:32:43 AM
-
Forces Afghan commander pleads guilty at court martial
By Juliet O'Neill, Canwest News Service May 25, 2010
GATINEAU, Que. — Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, the commander of Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, was fined $3,500 after pleading guilty at a court martial Tuesday to neglect in handling his C8 rifle.
A fine of $3,500, proposed for sentencing by prosecution and defence lawyers in a joint submission, was accepted by judge Mario Dutil.
The charge of neglect causing prejudice to "good order and discipline" stemmed from a March 25th incident in which Menard's personal weapon discharged twice as he prepared to leave Kandahar airfield on a Blackhawk helicopter accompanied by chief of defence staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk.
A statement of circumstances said Menard's rifle was on automatic, rather than safe, when he was preparing to depart and court heard that it fired within range of ten personnel near two armoured vehicles.
Nobody was injured and Menard immediately asked for an investigation and told his troops about the incident — factors that should mitigate the sentence, prosecuting lawyer Lt-Col. Marylene Trudel told the court.
Defence lawyer Lt-Col. Troy Sweet said Menard was a highly decorated commander with an unblemished record during a exemplary military career and he had "accepted full responsibility" right away.
How many of our current (non-military) leadership would have taken responsibility for it? How many would have tried to cover it up?
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
-
A GENERAL was CARRYING A RIFLE :o WOW.
-
Good for the General. Also good for the Army that made it a "teachable moment" in both safe gun-handling and honesty rather than crucifying him.
As far as a general carrying a rifle in Afghanistan? The only time I've admired Geraldo in, well ever, was in the early days of the war. He was being interviewed with another journalist back in the states. The moderator asked about the danger. The other correspondent replied it was doubly scary as you weren't armed. Geraldo's eybrows hit low earth orbit and said "Maybe you weren't packing, I bought a Tokarev five minutes in.". Good for Geraldo and the General. Danny Pearl? I think not.
FQ13
-
Note that he was a Canadian General.
I wondered at a general carrying a rifle also....but maybe the Canadian ones do differently.
-
Note that he was a Canadian General.
I wondered at a general carrying a rifle also....but maybe the Canadian ones do differently.
Omar Bradley carried a rifle in WWII.
-
Omar Bradley carried a rifle in WWII.
Tanks are too heavy.
FQ13
-
A GENERAL was CARRYING A RIFLE :o WOW.
Chesty had a PFC for that ;D
In fact, Generals carry weapons for only 2 reasons. Personal protection, or Showmanship, Like Patton's magnums.
Their job is to observe and control the battle, not fight it.
Bradley most likely carried a rifle because in his heart he was "just another grunt doing his Duty".
Not as flashy as others but he was well worthy of every one of those stars.
Good for the General. Also good for the Army that made it a "teachable moment" in both safe gun-handling and honesty rather than crucifying him.
As far as a general carrying a rifle in Afghanistan? The only time I've admired Geraldo in, well ever, was in the early days of the war. He was being interviewed with another journalist back in the states. The moderator asked about the danger. The other correspondent replied it was doubly scary as you weren't armed. Geraldo's eybrows hit low earth orbit and said "Maybe you weren't packing, I bought a Tokarev five minutes in.". Good for Geraldo and the General. Danny Pearl? I think not.
FQ13
I agree with your first point. About Geraldo ? I've wondered about him since we invaded Iraq.
That little "Sand Table" demo He gave about our plans for Baghdad, was the same sort of thing that DID get another reporter fired.
Geraldo was pulled back to Kuwait . ???
Reading histories after the battle I found that what he modeled was nothing like what was actually done ???
No repercussions of any kind for Geraldo, He stays with the "Conservative" network , the Army has a much easier time in the City than they had any reason to expect. ???
And yes, Good for Geraldo, sometimes experience DOES show ;D
-
Great teachable moment, and recognized as such by the General Officer. Unintentional screw-ups can happen to the most well-intentioned people. An example: America elected Odamna. sheesh... :'(
Submitted by Crusader who remains in a continual state of wonderment at the stupidity of so many of my fellow citizens :P
-
Great teachable moment, and recognized as such by the General Officer. Unintentional screw-ups can happen to the most well-intentioned people. An example: America elected Odamna. sheesh... :'(
Submitted bu Crusader wh remains in a continual state of wonderment at the stupidity of so many of my fellow citizens :P
This might help explain it.
http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=12740.0;topicseen (http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=12740.0;topicseen)
I need a drink.
-
Lost count already drinks that is.4 5 6 crash & burn in he!!.
-
The Good General should be remanded to Range Duty, and re-qualify to the same shooting standards as a new recruit. Instead of KP, perhaps clean a squads rifles.
just sayin;.... ::)
-
As Tom Bogan has said before, we aren't gonna fix that problem at the ballot box. The ain't gonna start voting to let themselves starve.
Maybe it can be fixed by taking back control of the schools, but that won't be very effective if the home environment isn't changed.
Some tough decisions need to be made and executed....no pun intended....formal execution of the 'followers' won't be necessary once the 'leaders' are removed. Take away the dole and they will either learn to make it on their own or starve. Tough to watch, but needs to be done.
I saw a bit on the evening news about a woman who was an illegal alien who had two kids born in the US. She was discovered when her employer was inspected and she has been deported. The kids were moaning that there mom, after 17 years in the US, was kicked out and they were without her. The appeared to be early/mid teens.
I felt sorry for them, and even for their mom. Sorry for them that their mom's illegal act, perpetuated for 17 years put them in such a situation and sorry for mom for how she will also suffer for her illegal acts.
That doesn't mean I'd change her being deported. She asked for it when she entered illegally. As a matter of fact, if I could change anything, I'd change the situation that allows the kids to stay here. If your birth mother wasn't in country legally when you were born, you are here illegally also. And you should be sent home with mom.
An interesting question this gave me. Why did the kids stay rather then go with the mom they missed so much? I can only assume they figured they would be better off here without mom than back home with mom. So they are here by choice, one I would not have allowed them.
-
Here's where we part company Solus. I support two amnesty programs. The first being the Dream Act. It basically says that if you came here before age ten and graduate school with a clean record and get a job in public service, or graduate with a college degree or a trade school diploma, you can stay. How do you deport a kid to a country they've never been to when they did nothing wrong? That's just not right. Send the parents back, and no chance to come legally later, but the the kids stay. In your case, I won't mess with 14th amendment, its too important. Those kids you mentioned are as American as we are. Again, bar mom from ever coming back legally, which should make anchor babies less attractive, and less of an anchor. But we don't deport US citizens.
FQ13
PS The second ammnesty program is for those who enlist and serve in the US military on active duty.
-
Here's where we part company Solus. I support two amnesty programs. The first being the Dream Act. It basically says that if you came here before age ten and gradate school with a clean record and get a job in public service or graduate with a college degree or a trade scgool diploma, you can stay. How do you deport a kid to a country they've never been to when they did nothing wrong? That's just not right. Send the parents back, and no chance to come legally later, but in the the kids stay. In your case, I won't mess with 14th amendment, its too important. Those kids you mentioned are as American as we are. Again, bar mom from ever coming back legally, which should make anchor babies less attractive, and less of an anchor. But we don't deport US citizens.
FQ13
PS The second ammnesty program is for those who enlist and serve in the US military on active duty.
[/color]
You have to be a LEGAL immigrant to enlist. The military doesn't accept felons.
-
[/color]
You have to be a LEGAL immigrant to enlist. The military doesn't accept felons.
Didn't used to be that way.If you signed up and served, you were in the club once you were honorably discharged. We pursued this aggressively during the Cold War trying to recruit Eastern Europeans and later Asians. Besides, given some of the bad conduct waivers the Army is handing out right now? I'd rather have a Guatemalan yard guy willing to earn his way in than some banger who gets his juvie record ignored. As far as I'm concerned, if you are willing to go four years active during war time, you are the kind of person I will be proud to call a fellow citizen.
FQ13
-
[/color]
You have to be a LEGAL immigrant to enlist. The military doesn't accept felons.
Being an illegal alien is only a misdemeanor.
Didn't used to be that way.If you signed up and served, you were in the club once you were honorably discharged. We pursued this aggressively during the Cold War trying to recruit Eastern Europeans and later Asians. Besides, given some of the bad conduct waivers the Army is handing out right now? I'd rather have a Guatemalan yard guy willing to earn his way in than some banger who gets his juvie record ignored. As far as I'm concerned, if you are willing to go four years active during war time, you are the kind of person I will be proud to call a fellow citizen.
FQ13
True enough but the services started tightening up on that in the last 4 years of Bush. after 9-11 you could get a waiver for pretty much anything except murder.
-
FQ, we can work out a compromise on the kids.
I want to eliminate the attraction of stepping across the line, delivering and holding up a new US citizen for all to see.
-
Me levante mi lámpara al lado de la puerta de oro!
During my 20 yrs of service I saw NDs w M15 (38 revolver), M1911A1, M9, M870 (shotgun), M60, M203 (HE round went through the roof of vehicle, landed on the armory roof, EOD had to go up there and play w it), M16A2 (burst fire into the wing of a fully loaded KC135 tanker aircraft!?), and the best for last, an A10 that blasted a maint van parked in front of it w that 30mm cannon!
-
Me levante mi lámpara al lado de la puerta de oro!
During my 20 yrs of service I saw NDs w M15 (38 revolver), M1911A1, M9, M870 (shotgun), M60, M203 (HE round went through the roof of vehicle, landed on the armory roof, EOD had to go up there and play w it), M16A2 (burst fire into the wing of a fully loaded KC135 tanker aircraft!?), and the best for last, an A10 that blasted a maint van parked in front of it w that 30mm cannon!
Must have Pictures ;D
-
This was way before my time, but a B47 accidently dropped it's nuke on a house in South Carolina. Only the conventional explosives in the bomb detonated, since it was "unarmed" at the time. The pilot was always kidded about being the only man to ever nuke the USA!
-
This was way before my time, but a B47 accidently dropped it's nuke on a house in South Carolina. Only the conventional explosives in the bomb detonated, since it was "unarmed" at the time. The pilot was always kidded about being the only man to ever nuke the USA!
Nuking South Carolina? Andrew Jackson, Fredrick Douglas and Abe Lincoln would all have bought him a beer. ;D
FQ13
-
There was a case back in the 80's where a guy was working in a loaded missile silo and dropped his wrench.
It caused some sort of a spark that caused the fuel to explode the war head was blown miles and landed in some ladies garden. I think it was in Ga.
-
I was in for that one, and working Titan missile security in Arizona (best duty the USAF ever had BTW).
Little Rock Arkansas, 19 September 1980. The silo had an oxydizer (N2O4 - dinitrogen tetroxide) leak. Techs failled to install safety skirts under them while working on that, so when they dropped a wrench it bounced off the silo walls and missile until it ruptured a fuel (UDMH - unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine) tank. Fuel and oxidyzer collected in opposite ends of the silo until they met and did their thing - ignited. Blew the 740 ton blast door off the top of the silo and the 4 ton warhead (the mighty 9 megaton yield Mark 6, equal to about 600 Hiroshima bombs) was found some distance away in a farmer's field. One dead and 21 injured.
IIRC, that was the biggest warhead we ever put on anything. Newer MIRV's (multiple [3 - 12] independently targeted reentry vehicles) are more accurate, so we use way smaller warheads now.
I've got some even better stories, but if I told 'em the MIB would come for me...