Army LT Gets 20-years in Prison for Violating Rules of Engagement

I do not know the specifics of this case, so I will not comment n it directly.
That said, the rules of engagement must be followed for even in war there are limits and it is a leader's responsibility to know and enforce the rules as they exist. The fog of war will inevitably obscure the clarity of the lines in any battle situation, yet at the end of it all we must be accountable for adhering to the rules. If we do not, what is the true difference, moral, legal and ethical, between me and mine enemy?

Among other subjects, I teach ROE, Escalation of Force, and Negotiation to battalion commanders and their staff prior to deployment. I joke with the Lieutenants and Captains that they, personally, have to take the first bullet, and then hope their NCOs will EVAC them out when the shooting is over. We all laugh, but it's a limited laugh because we all know it's true.

What's amazing is the commanding support for his actions. I am also in agreement. What is also amazing is the focus of JAG officers who are given more credit for their prosecutions than saving someone's career. I had a few friends in the JAG corp and they said that the ADC doesn't get near the credit as their counterparts in prosecution. It seems the prosecution at times is more concerned about winnning than Justice. If the Lt's actions did save the lives of his troops, good for you Lt. I

ROE are initiated by political hacks who have never been in combat, we have gone nuts over this, there were millions killed in WWII to include civilians, today we grieve over 4000. War kills civilians, tough thing but reality. When especially in these times, when the enemy wears no uniform and we try to fit Rules of Warfare into a conflict that is much different than we ever saw,we need to rethink, ROE

Why can't I delete an entire post???

I really have nothing to add here other than this; If he would have gotten off the charges, all we would see/hear on here is how "if he would have been enlisted he would have gotten slammed". I really hate to see these threads and everybody's "opinions". The most of us have been deployed, some of us have been in sticky situations where we had to make decisions that could have been the result of life or death. There is nothing I hate more than "I would have did this" comments.

I think the original question is very relevant.
"PC", is the single greatest threat to this nation.
Regarding the "victims"....They poked the bear, and got bit.
Regarding the "offense"...
There is a reason we have military, and police forces that are separate from each other. If I were a noncombatant I don't think I would tempt my fate, by harassing a convoy. However, I do think it was entirely appropriate for the troop commander to defend his convoy.
Sadly, we don't have the actual charges, or access to any of the jury instructions, or any other information regarding the events that took place. And, honestly, for me to "think out loud" anymore about this, I will look and sound like a racist murdering bastard, that hates everyone that isn't like me..(white)
However, it seems that this guy is a guilty, as maj nidal hasan is innocent of terrorism against US personnel on US soil.
For the same reason. the "thought police" seems to have become a real thing.

I could only imagine what a Ranger or an Operator would get if we're enforcing the ROE across the board

I won't say whether the guy got what he deserved or not but from reading this an other articles, it sounds like he had ZERO support from anyone in his Unit to include his Soldiers. That speaks volumes. I'm sure that played a major role in his conviction.
Again we weren't there so we can't say anything, but those who were there fed him to the wolves.

The article sucks & seems very, VERY one-sided. If what is written is all the facts of the case then he got what he deserves (prison), or may even deserve a more harsh sentence. However, keep in mind that its very easy to judge a man when you are not in his shoes, at that specific point in time.

I really wonder how many VBIED's/Suicide motorcyclist his platoon faced during combat operations. While it does not excuse the killing innocent people, I do understand the emotions during direct combat operations, especially after losing your men. And when they use a cowardice tactic of a Suicide Vehicle Born method to carry out their destruction it can be even harder to deal with.