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VFW SIDES WITH VETERAN FACING DISCIPLINE FOR
WEARING UNIFORM AT PROTEST -- "I may disagree
with their
message, but I will always defend their right
to say it. Someone
in the Marine Corps needs to exercise a little
common sense."
We have two pieces of information...first a
news story from the AP...and then a press release from the VFW.
Story here...
http://www.signonsandiego.
com/news/military/20070601-11
36-militaryprotesthearing.html
Story below:
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VFW sides with veteran facing discipline for
wearing uniform at protest
By Sam Hananel
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON – The nation's largest combat veterans group on Friday urged
the military to “exercise a little common sense” and call off its
investigation of a group of Iraq war veterans who wore their uniforms
during anti-war protests.
“Trying to hush up and punish fellow Americans for exercising the same
democratic right we're trying to instill in Iraq is not what we're all
about,” said Gary Kurpius, national commander of the 2.4 million-member
Veterans of Foreign Wars.
“Someone in the Marine Corps needs to exercise a little common sense and
put an end to this matter before it turns into a circus,” Kurpius said.
A military panel in Kansas City, Mo., is holding a hearing on Monday to
decide whether Marine Cpl. Adam Kokesh's discharge status should be
changed from honorable to “other than honorable” after he was
photographed wearing fatigues – with military insignia removed – during
a mock patrol with other veterans at a protest rally in April.
The Marine Corps is investigating whether Kokesh might have violated a
rule prohibiting troops from wearing uniforms without authorization.
Kokesh was honorably discharged following a combat tour in Iraq, but he
remains part of the Individual Ready Reserve, a pool of former active
duty service members in unpaid, non-drill status.
Kokesh also was cited for making a disrespectful comment to a military
officer investigating the incident. His attorney, Michael Lebowitz, has
called the case an effort to stifle critics of the Bush administration's
Iraq policy.
Kurpius said even an implied threat to lower the discharge rating could
threaten educational and other benefits Kokesh is eligible to receive
from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The action might also prevent
Kokesh from future employment opportunities that require a security
clearance, Kurpius said.
“We all know that people give up some individual rights when they join
the military,” Kurpius said. “But these Marines went to war, did their
duty, and were honorably discharged from the active roles. I may
disagree with their message, but I will always defend their right to say
it.”
-------------------------
VFW press release here...
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?
fa=news.newsDtl&did=4075
Press release below:
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VFW to Corps: Don’t Stifle Freedom of Speech
WASHINGTON, June 1, 2007--The national commander of America’s oldest and
largest organization of combat veterans is taking issue with an apparent
attempt by the U.S. Marine Corps to bring administrative actions against
three former Marines for their anti-war positions.
“This is about First Amendment rights and whether the military can
discipline former servicemen who are in the inactive reserves,” said
Gary Kurpius, who leads the 2.4 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars
of the U.S. and its Auxiliaries.
According to press reports, two former Marines wore their unmarked
desert fatigues on a mock combat patrol in Washington in March to
protest the fourth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. One of
them was also cited for making a disrespectful comment to a military
officer investigating the incident. A third Marine was accused of making
disparaging remarks about the president.
Though all three had been honorably discharged following combat tours in
Iraq, the Marine Corps is contending that they still fall under military
service regulations as members of the Individual Ready Reserve, which is
an emergency manpower pool of former active-duty servicemen and women
who are in an unpaid, non-drill status. An implied threat by the Marine
Corps to lower their discharge ratings from honorable to general could
negatively impact educational and other benefits they are eligible to
receive from the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as future
employment opportunities that require security clearances.
“We all know that people give up some individual rights when they join
the military,” said Kurpius, a Vietnam veteran from Anchorage, Alaska,
“but these Marines went to war, did their duty, and were honorably
discharged from the active roles. I may disagree with their message, but
I will always defend their right to say it,” he said.
“Trying to hush up and punish fellow Americans for exercising the same
democratic right we’re trying to instill in Iraq is not what we’re all
about,” he said. “Someone in the Marine Corps needs to exercise a little
common sense and put an end to this matter before it turns into a
circus.”
-------------------------
Larry Scott --
