A Green Beret who was awarded the Silver Star, then saw it stripped away because he killed a Taliban bombmaker, is telling why he did it, as conveyed in a CIA job interview he conducted nearly four years ago.
Maj. Matt Golsteyn said the insurgent was a known maker of improvised explosive devices and was in the presence of such components. He considered him an armed combatant, so he shot him.
Army Secretary John McHugh, who revoked the award, told The Washington Times through a spokesman that Maj. Golsteyn “assassinated an unarmed Afghan.”
Maj. Golsteyn’s explanation is contained in a CIA transcript obtained by The Times. His description of the battlefield shows how difficult it has been on the ground for Americans in Afghanistan. They are fighting an enemy who continually shifts between appearing as a harmless villager one day and an assassin the next.
The soldier’s words, and Mr. McHugh’s action, are now at the center of congressional talks. A Senate and House conference panel is in the final stages of a debate over the power of service secretaries to do what Mr. McHugh did: revoke valor awards without formal charges being filed.
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What a crock - he should have been given another award for his initiative!
ReplyDeleteYou can't win wars through legislation - you win them with overwhelming force and superior firepower!
Retired Marine
Perhaps Army Secretary John McHugh needs to spend some time on the ground in Afghanistan
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious, to even the most casual observer, that we are led by the lunatic fringe. And still, they wonder why Donald Trump has a double digit lead in the polls.
ReplyDeletePeople are tired of America bending over backwards to accommodate everyone else besides their citizens. If you are a white Christian, your beliefs do not matter. They offend others therefore you are relegated to sacrificing your beliefs for them. You wonder why Trump has the lead? Because he won't bend over backwards for those who oppose him, like the countless politicians who flip flop on every debate based on what will get them votes. Have a backbone, stand up for your beliefs.
ReplyDeletewell then they ought to send mchugh over there and let me be killed by those peaceful villagers!
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the military is the higher in rank you get the more PC you become. The general kisses the politicians butt. Everyone else kisses their butt.
ReplyDelete"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.["
ReplyDeleteGeneral Patten