Posted on 06/07/2011 12:54:39 PM PDT by freedommom
West Point officials will stand by their decision to kick Houston senior cadet Richard King out of the Army military academy in the wake of a March altercation involving soul singer Patti LaBelle at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
The academy’s Monday statement was the first regarding the attack, which left the 23-year-old man with a concussion and lingering symptoms. King’s attorney, John Raley, had asked the academy to reconsider the dismissal.
Although academy officials did not discuss details of the King case, the former student said he had been placed in an 18-month, active-duty mentorship program for violating the academy’s code of honor. At the end of the program, he would be eligible to apply for re-admission.
"The U.S. Military Academy completed a thorough investigation regarding the incident that occurred at the Houston airport on March 11, 2011..." academy officials said. "Following this investigation, the Academy chain of command took appropriate action in accordance with Army Regulation 210-26."
Raley today said that King was "a good soldier and will proudly serve his country wherever he is deployed."
"When he completes his 18 month tour of duty, he will reapply to West Point," Raley said in an email. "...Richard was honored to be a West Point cadet, and, God willing, will be one again."
Raley likened West Point’s decision to drop King from the academy to a judge’s decision in court. "We must respect the decision regardless of our personal feelings," he said.
Last week, King’s attorney filed a civil suit against LaBelle, three of her employees, an airport taxi dispatcher and the city of Houston to obtain actual and punitive damages in connection with the incident.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
My ADVICE to you is to learn the proper usage of words.
I would skip the lawsuit and meet up with her and her bodyguards with the rest of his football team.
Then you are a frickin' idiot. The Army(and other military services)have long been unjust and willing to sacrifice one of their own in order to keep things on an even keel(in their opinion).
The only positive from this is if he wins his case against the protected B!tch then damages awarded SHOULD be much higher due to his lost status in the Army.
The downside is the "if it don't fit you must acquit" scum of the earth lawyers will say "see even the Army blames this guy".
Patti LaBelle????
A washed-up has-been who never was.
Two drinks on the plane are unlikely to have made him drunk. In Texas it is against the law to be publicly intoxicated, and the BAC level limit is 0.08%.
At a body weight of 160 pounds, he’d have needed 4 drinks to reach that level, according to http://dui.drivinglaws.org/drink-table.php
Hopefully, this young man will prevail in the civil suit and perhaps may be able to use the results to make criminal claims against the thugs, departmental claims against the HPD officers, and to reopen his case at West Point.
In any case the official statement from West Point fails to address the injustice against a cadet who was assaulted by thugs, as the video made the thuggery obvious.
How is being drunk in public, even assuming he was, a violation of the honor code?
Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentlemen, perhaps. But it that's all it was or wasn't, then charging him with an honor violation is an honor violation.
They got him on an Honor Code violation? That means his fellow cadets gave him the boot! Well, OK. But I hope they realize that it could have been them.
Unless they say King ‘lied’ about the incident. West Point is very rigid about that (lying). It also means that a fellow cadet filed the complaint. A real kick in the gut.
That's better than many of us have done on our best day. :)
“Obviously West Point knows something we don’t. I tend to trust their judgement on this one.”
“Then you are a frickin’ idiot. The Army(and other military services)have long been unjust and willing to sacrifice one of their own in order to keep things on an even keel(in their opinion).”
I don’t think we know enough about what happened here. The statement from USMA leaves open the possibility that it could have been an honor violation. Even though I think the goons should have been arrested, and this cadet should sue....an honor violation is a completely different matter.
When I was at West Point, most violators were dismissed...end of story. However, they did let a few ‘found’ violators rehabilitate themselves. They would be moved to a different company, where they were complete outcasts, to start anew.
This business of being sent ot the regular Army as an E-4, to pay back your debt, after becoming ‘committed’ at the beginning of your third year, was always a lingering threat. Technically, if you tried to resign after reaching this point, you would have to do the service as an E-4. However...it was almost never implemented...so this is certainly a new way of doing things.
Back to the original story...his attorney seemed so ‘go along to get along’ with USMA’s decision, I strongly suspect this guy did more than get in a fight. He probably told a little white lie about what happened...and that is an honor violation.
“Unless they say King ‘lied’ about the incident. West Point is very rigid about that (lying). It also means that a fellow cadet filed the complaint. A real kick in the gut.”
Other cadets would have to file a complaint...its called the Toleration Clause. A Cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal....or tolerate those who do.
Up to this USMA statement I had thought that we probably knew enough about this story to form a judgment about what the Academy did in expelling this cadet. I’m not so sure now. An honor violation is a whole different ball of wax. We may have formed the correct impression as to the incident that occured in Houston, but there may have been related factors that triggered the honor violation.
I don’t think that there’s a legal argument in the world that will get him reinstated after a Honor Code dismissal. The Corps of Cadets owns this decision collectively. King’s lawyer may have already figured this out.
My take as a long time veteran but questioning officer.
It may very well be true that the cadet did lie about drinking, and thus did violate the honor code, which was reviewed by his peers, and whereby the West Point action is autonomous, and like a post above suggests, not influenced by Patti Labelle, the loser and her thugs. Furthermore the re-assignment to active duty then permission to re-apply is a respectful decision, and hopefully will be fulfilled in a trustful manner (that is to say he will be re-admitted).
I also agree however that the failure to cite the thuggery of the Labelle bunch, even if it were just mentioned, smells a bit of the political correctness and cowardice of the contemporary military, especially the government financed military academies. From long time experience let NO one just blatantly assume that the US Military general officer corps is simply of principled high character. Remember always that the Soviet Union had a powerful military, the leadership of which was totally unprincipled with respect to individual integrity and responsibility. That is to say it was just as "leftist" as any Democrat Party operative who is simply a yes-man for the "Party," personal loyalty, integrity, or character be damned.
The key in this decision is for the cadet to take it on the chin now (for the possible honor code violation), but he better be accommodated affirmatively come eighteen months, and hopefully those in support will sue the piss out of Labelle and her arrogant scum.
Johnny Suntrade
i’m confused... why’d he get kicked out?
because his lawyer filed suit?
because the perp is a singer?
a black singer?
covering for libtards?
what exactly did the kid do wrong?
it’s important to know... so the next time he’s beaten up, he can do it in proper west point fashion
Unfortunately if this were an Honor Code violation we may never get a concise public statement giving details. I think the proceedings are closed to even the staff at the USMA. It’s strictly between the accused, accuser & the Honor Board as far as I know.
IOW’s it’s between Cadet King and his classmates.
in the video, looks like a white guy is standing on the curb talking on his cell phone.
1 black guy deliberately bumps him, the white guy shoves back, and 2 more black guys jump in.
the 3 black guys hit him a few times and throw towards a cement pillar. looks like he hits his head against the pillar and the curb.
then they back away, obviously aware of something
after that, the kid tries to stand and cannot regain his balance... typical if you’ve almost been knocked out
was the kid drunk? unclear. his balance seemed fine prior to having his head bashed into the concrete.
Hmmm, I guess O wouldn't last very long there...........
8:}
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