U.S. NAVY - Collisions and the Tough Message

NOTE:  During my 22yr carrier in the Navy (now retired) I served on a Court Martial Trial board.  The charges in these cases are appropriate.

"Harsh legal charges for U.S. Navy ship collisions send tough message" PBS NewsHour 1/17/2018

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SUMMARY:  Last year, two naval destroyers were involved in two separate deadly collisions in the Pacific.  Now the former commanders of both vessels face a battery of offenses, including negligent homicide.  John Yang talks to retired Lt. Col. Gary Solis of Georgetown University about the unusual nature of the charges and the larger message they send.

NATIONAL SECURITY - Chelsea (aka Bradley) Manning Gets 35 Years

IMO 'Chelsea' Manning deserved one year, served consecutively, for EACH document he released.  He-She got off lightly.

"Bradley Manning Gets 35 Years in Prison After Largest Data Leak in U.S. History" PBS Newshour 8/21/2013

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SUMMARY:  Army Pfc. Bradley Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his role in the largest data leak in U.S. history.  Manning provided the website WikiLeaks with hundreds of thousands of classified documents.  Gwen Ifill discusses Manning's fate with Charlie Savage, who has been covering the case for The New York Times.

MILITARY - Staff Sgt Bales Sentenced to Life Without Parole

"Staff Sgt. Bales Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murdering 16 Afghan Civilians" PBS Newshour 8/23/2013

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MARGARET WARNER (Newshour):  We turn to two Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales.  He was sentenced to life in prison without parole today for murdering 16 civilians in a solo nighttime rampage in Afghanistan last March.  Most of his victims were women and children.

Today's sentence was the toughest the six-member military jury could impose.  The 40-year-old staff sergeant pleaded guilty in June, which spared him the death penalty.

Adam Ashton has been covering this trial for The News Tribune in Tacoma, Washington, and joins us now.

Adam Ashton, welcome.

What was this jury weighing in trying to decide what sentence to impose?  Well, first of all, what were their options?

ADAM ASHTON, The News Tribune:  They only had two options.

Murder has a mandatory minimum life sentence under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, so Bales only had a choice -- option today of life with parole or life without parole.

MILITARY - U.S. Army Major Hasan Guilty

This shows how dangerous religious fanaticism is, this so-called psychiatrist could be persuaded by Islamic militant doctrine.  He wants to become a martyr 'to the cause.'

"Hasan Found Guilty of Murder, May Face Death Penalty for Fort Hood Shooting" PBS Newshour, 8/23/2013

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JUDY WOODRUFF(Newshour):  A military jury today unanimously convicted Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan of premeditated murder for his shooting spree against unarmed soldiers in Fort Hood, Texas.  The 42-year-old killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others in the 2009 attack.  He could now face the death penalty.

Karen Brooks has been covering the court-martial for Reuters.  And she joins us now.

Karen, thank you for being with us.

Was this outcome ever really in doubt, given the overwhelming evidence against Major Hasan?

KAREN BROOKS, Reuters:  Not really.  It wasn't.  He didn't put up any defense at all.  And he didn't dispute the facts.  And, in fact, he started the trial by saying that the evidence would clearly show he was a shooter.  So, up or down wasn't really that much of a question, if any.

MILITARY - Court Martial of U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan

"Fort Hood Suspect Claims 'I Am the Shooter' in Court Martial Opening Statement" PBS Newshour 8/6/2013

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MARGARET WARNER (Newshour):  The court-martial of the Army psychiatrist who opened fire on scores of fellow soldiers in 2009 got under way today at Fort Hood in Texas.

Major Nidal Hasan is charged with many counts of murder and attempted murder for the attack that killed 13 people and wounded more than 30.  In an opening statement, the prosecutor said Hasan had tried to kill as many soldiers as he could.

In his opening statement, Hasan, who is representing himself, said, "The evidence will clearly show that I am the shooter."

Los Angeles Times reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske is covering the trial and joins us now from Fort Hood.

NATIONAL SECURITY - Bradley Manning Verdict

"Manning Acquitted of Aiding the Enemy, Convicted on 19 Other Charges" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 7/30/2013

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour):  The verdict was not guilty today on the one charge that could have sent Private 1st Class Bradley Manning to prison for life.

After a trial at Fort Meade, Maryland though, he was convicted of numerous lesser crimes involving the release of more than 700,000 classified documents to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.  The verdicts ended Manning's two-month court-martial and came more than three years after his disclosures rocked the U.S. government.

The former Army intelligence analyst listened attentively as the judge, Colonel Denise Lind, acquitted him of the most serious charge, aiding the enemy, usually reserved for direct provision of assistance of an enemy.  She also found him not guilty of one other espionage charge.

But the judge convicted Manning of 19 other charges, including six counts under the Espionage Act, five counts of stealing U.S. government property, namely, the databases that contained files he disclosed, and computer fraud.

Defense attorney David Coombs hailed the acquittal on aiding the enemy, saying, "Today is a good day, but Bradley is by no means out of the fire."

His supporters have argued Manning is a whistle-blower who exposed official malfeasance for the public good.

MAN:  Roger.  Engage.  (from film of shooting cited below)

JEFFREY BROWN:  Among the most incendiary of his disclosures, a 2007 video that WikiLeaks called collateral murder.  It showed the crew of a U.S. helicopter gunship in Iraq it machine-gunned a group of men suspected of being Iraqi insurgents.  Instead, those killed included a Reuters News Service cameraman and his driver.

The 25-year-old Manning had already pleaded guilty to several lesser charges.  The sentencing phase on today's convictions begins tomorrow and the penalty could add up to 136 years in prison.

And we will have more on the Manning verdict after the other news.

COMMENT:  Being retired U.S. Navy, and having served on Court Martial Board in one case, I know how our military justice system works.  To civilians who are not familiar with the military Manning's trail may not look fair, but he had choices like choosing to be tried by a judge only and using a military defender (he could have chosen a civilian one).

"Did Bradley Manning Get a Fair Trial?" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 7/30/2013

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SUMMARY:  Though found not guilty of aiding the enemy, Army Pfc. Bradley Manning was convicted on other 19 charges.  Former CIA official Jeffrey Smith and Michael Ratner from the Center for Constitutional Rights join Jeffrey Brown to offer their views on the verdict, the fairness of his charges and the impact for the U.S. government.