Posted on 10/16/2011 6:22:52 PM PDT by seekthetruth
"Three Days In August" by Bob McCarty
U.S. Army Special Forces Sgt.1st Class Kelly A. Stewart admitted to having a one-night stand with a 28-year-old German woman the night of Aug. 22, 2008. She did, too. Both knew sex was part of the plan when they left the discotheque near Stuttgart. Two months later, however, her story changed and the highly-decorated combat veteran found himself facing rape and kidnapping charges.
During court-martial proceedings one year later, Stewart faced an Army court-martial panel comprised of soldiers who had recently returned from a 16-month deployment with the Army attorney serving as Stewart’s lead prosecutor.
Despite a lack of both physical evidence and eyewitnesses to the alleged crimes, it took only three days for the panel to find Stewart guilty of numerous offenses — including aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, forcible sodomy and assault and battery — and sentence him to eight years behind bars.
Incredibly, the conviction was based almost entirely on the testimony of Stewart’s accuser, a one-time mental patient who, with the backing of the German government, refused to allow her medical records to be entered as evidence.
When several witnesses came forward during a post-trial hearing to reveal startling proof that the accuser had lied several times during the trial, their words were largely ignored by the court and Stewart remained behind bars.
(Excerpt) Read more at threedaysinaugust.com ...
“Have a one night stand with some strange kraut you just met in a disco — what could go wrong?”
BINGO!! As I have said, I have been with USAA for 45 years: auto, home, life, mutual fund IRA, and USAA savings bank without a single hiccup, AND get a subscribers’ account refund every year. Interest rates on savings aren’t the best (as with most banks), so I have a credit union for that. Most negative comments here are from folks who actually know nothing about the company that started as a co-op. Not all people with subsidiary accounts are co-op members. The jury is not out yet because all the facts aren’t known yet, so I’ll stick with what I personally know about USAA until all the facts are in!
JC
Well, take that up with them then. It doesn't have anything to do with me.
Criminalizing private conduct is police state activity.
I never said anything about that either. This has nothing to to do with criminalizing private conduct.
But the guy also doesn't deserve to be painted as some innocent bystander in his own disaster.
Many Americans have obsessive attitudes about sexual conduct that borders on a form of evangelical Shariah law.
Many Americans have obsessive attitudes about the opinions of other Americans.
The problem is many who share your sense of rectitude wish to visit thier orthodoxies on all.
The problem with the subject of this thread is that an officer created a public embarrassment for the service in a foreign country, and his superior officers were compelled to make an example of him. Period.
It doesn't have anything to do with "police states" or "criminalizing private conduct" or anything to do with civil law....UCMJ and moral turpitude as defined by the armed services is a whole different world. In fact, the military is by its very definition a "police state" in and of itself.
Your complaints against people in general having a sense of moral direction here have nothing to do with me, and nothing to do with the subject of this thread who's trying to deflect responsibility for his voluntary risky actions.
"During court-martial proceedings one year later, Stewart faced an Army court-martial panel comprised of soldiers who had recently returned from a 16-month deployment with the Army attorney serving as Stewart’s lead prosecutor."
Correction, sorry: Should be "...and a jury of his peers, fellow soldiers in the court martial were compelled to make an example of him."
The energetic defense of this guy is really an insult to the honor and dedication of his peers.
Bob McCarty
Author: Three Days In August
Writer: http://bobmccarty.com/
Regular contributor:
http://biggovernment.com/author/bmccarty/
I am so very very grateful to the American Legion for this post!
My comment is below. Please post on this story, please. My comment hasn’t posted yet but hopefully it will soon. This Special Forces Soldier needs our help and our support! Since Kelly Stewart cannot leave Virginia to be with his family in Colorado unless he admits guilt (that he is a sex offender), he sits alone in a trailer on his uncle’s property. He isn’t a sex offender, he is a highly decorated Special Forces Army medic who made a mistake! I ask you to please open up your heart and donate and please send him a letter of support. Kelly Stewart needs all the support he can get right now. The destruction of the lives of the good men of our military who voluntarily risk their lives for all of us will continue until the American people raise their voices in outrage!
Donations/Info: http://savethissoldier.com/
Thank you
Beverly Perlson
The Band of Mothers
My post:
Thank you so very much for your excellent article, your title says it all! Special Forces Soldier Kelly Stewart was railroaded! Since when does a one night stand by consenting adults lead to a conviction and lifetime label of sex offender?!! Since when do the rights of a women with a lifetime mental health history trump the rights of a Soldier with a chest full of medals?!! What happened here is an outrage! When are we going to stop appeasing other governments at the expense of our Soldiers?!! I will never understand this military allowing the sex offender label to stick on this brave Soldier’s record. They have deserted this man and aided in the total destruction of his life! This is shameful! This brave Warrior served and sacrificed to protect all of us and we need to stand by him now and raise our voices in outrage until this wrong is righted!
Beverly Perlson
The Band of Mothers
http://threedaysinaugust.com/?p=2653
My hubby and I have had the honor of meeting Kelly and his parents and we continue to pray for the outcome of his last hearing to be in Kelly's favor. I am 71 and retired, but if I were in a hiring position I would hire Kelly in a heartbeat! Thanks for reading below and helping Kelly in any way you can. Learn more about Kelly here: http://savethissoldier.com/
Jean Morris, St. Petersburg, FL.
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