Disgusted

[RACooper]

Yesterday while attending a Canada Day party for friends of mine that are shipping out to Afghanistan we recieved news from the US military:
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WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US pilot whose bombing killed four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan (news - web sites) will be court-martialed for dereliction of duty, the Air Force said.

Air National Guard pilot Major Harry Schmidt last week refused nonjudicial punishment in the case and demanded a court-martial.

No trial date has been set. "The Air Force Trial Judiciary's Central Circuit will assign a trial judge and a trial date in the near future," the Air Force said in a statement.

Eighth Air Force commander Lieutenant General Bruce Carlson decided not to pursue involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault charges against Schmidt, the statement said.

The nonjudicial punishment Schmidt rejected carries a maximum punishment of the loss of a month's pay, confinement to quarters for 30 days, restriction to a specific area for 60 days and a reprimand.

He now faces a much stiffer potential penalty of up to six months confinement and forfeiture of all pay during that time.

Schmidt, flying an F-16 fighter jet over Afghanistan on April 17, 2002, dropped a 500-pound bomb on what he thought was the source of hostile ground fire.

The shooting turned out to be Canadian soldiers engaged in a live-fire exercise south of Kandahar at a range known as Tarnak Farm.

The bombing killed four soldiers and wounded eight others from the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry. They were Canada's first combat deaths since World War II.

Major William Umbach, the pilot of an accompanying F-16, was given a career-ending letter of reprimand for failing to exercise proper control over Schmidt and ensuring that the rules of engagement were followed.

A joint investigation blamed Schmidt and Umbach for the deaths, concluding their failure to observe appropriate flight discipline resulted in "an inappropriate use of lethal force."

The case has tested relations between the United States and Canada, and set those demanding punishment for the deaths against others who believe the pilots were being treated harshly because of foreign policy considerations.

A military hearing found there was sufficient evidence to bring Schmidt and Umbach to trial but recommended nonjudicial punishment in the interests of good order and discipline.
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So what? Some trigger happy idiot who was more than happy to disregard orders, who failed to follow standard combat proceedure, and failed to even think is going to get a little slap on the wrist!?!!?!?!

It's crap like this that pisses me off more and more when dealing with the US administration. I lost a good friend because of some yahoo cowboy, and now that same cowboy is going to walk away! It's time the US military and administration was more accountable to both its allies and other countries........ oh wait, they aren't because they are the only western nation to oppose the International Criminal Court, and have cut funding to nations that did.....