Colonel Says Speaking Out Cost a Medal (former chief military prosecuter Col Morris Davis)

Source: WaPo

By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 29, 2008; Page A09

The former chief military prosecutor for terrorism trials at Guantanamo Bay thinks the Defense Department has punished him for testifying publicly that he faced political pressure to speed up the cases and to use evidence derived from torture.

Air Force Col. Morris Davis said he was denied a medal for his two years of work building military commissions cases against terrorism suspects because he resigned and later spoke out about problems in the Pentagon's Office of Military Commissions. Davis testified earlier this month at pretrial hearings for a suspected terrorist that the top legal adviser for military commissions had tampered with the prosecution and was using politics to drive critical legal issues.

Davis's dispute with Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Hartmann resulted in a military judge disqualifying Hartmann in the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan -- an action that has led other military defense lawyers to file similar motions in cases against five men accused of taking part in the conspiracy surrounding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. An e-mail Davis wrote to defense lawyers on Tuesday, in which he said he would not cooperate in future cases, was released as part of such a motion yesterday.

Davis wrote that Pentagon officials notified him that he did "not serve honorably" as top prosecutor and would be denied the medal. Davis said he fears other reprisals before his scheduled retirement this year, despite a military judge's order that no one who testified on the matter face adverse actions


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/28/AR2008052802966.html?hpid=moreheadlines

that shouldn't be there at all, much less wearing general's stars.

Thank you for your service Col. Davis. You Sir are a true patriot. Your strength of character and compassion mark you as a brave man and a great American.

You must have known, must have been told, must have been threatened, with what they would do to you if you didn't drop it, if you didn't play ball, if you spoke out against them. Yet you stood up against the domestic enemies of America and spoke the truth.

And these pathetic worthless creatures attack you. Nothing overt, nothing to your face. But they attack you in the most cowardly way possible, slowly trying to break you down and isolate you, try to drive you from service to this country. Like filthy hyenas trying to drag down a majestic Lion.

How weak are these men who can face absolutely no criticism at all? How absolutely lacking in conviction and faith they must be to so cowardly act out against great men of conviction who stand in their way by speaking the truth. How they must rage and throw tantrums like a 5 year old that isn't getting their every wish.

How much they must hate America because it doesn't match a sadistic dream world where they can kill, and torture and make their enemies just vanish, no matter if their enemies have done anything more than dare stand up to them and speak the truth.

(no slight to any of the armed services, I just put them in random order)

One day, a Marine General, an Army General, and a Navy Admiral are debating which group is braver.

The Army General says his men are bravest, and orders a passing private to go to the top of a ten-story building and dive off the roof. At the roof, the private gives the General a salute, and plunges to his death.

The Marine General says his men are bravest, and orders a private to do the same from a 20 story building. The private goes to the roof, shouts "SEMPER FI!", and executes a perfect swan dive, to his death.

The Admiral says his men are bravest, and orders a passing sailor to do so from a 30 story building. The sailor says to the Admiral "You're f*cking nuts!" and walks away.

The Admiral turns to the generals and says "Now that's a brave man ..."

of course, being Army, the roles were reversed...:D

no slight to any of the services ... there are genuine bright shining examples in each, as well as ones who would make pond scum look like a refreshing drink of pure water ...

5-10% of personnel in the Army were exemplary; 5-10% were really poor to disastrous; 80-90% were in the middle, job would get done as expected, with varying degrees of time/expertise.

It was the lower %age that did most of the damage.

Oddly, I have used that ratio in civilian life, and found it to be pretty true on the whole. About 95% of the people get things done, to varying degree's of success...but that upper 5-10% are the ones who exact changes, even though said changes may take considerable time...:hi:

that and $5 would get you a crappa-chino at any starbucks.

reinstated and his name entered into a book of heroes who know how to fight the good fight. K&R