Article, also check out link at # 2 for Boston Globe opinion.
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Posted on 01/08/2014 1:19:52 PM PST by markomalley
A three-star Air Force general whose handling of sexual-assault cases drew withering criticism from advocacy groups and some lawmakers retired under pressure Wednesday.
Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin, the commander of the Third Air Force in Europe, acknowledged that he had become a “distraction” for the Air Force for his controversial decision to overturn a sexual-assault conviction of a star fighter pilot and for a separate case in which he decided there was not enough evidence to court-martial an accused rapist.
In a statement, Franklin said he was retiring “for the good of this command and the Air Force” because of persistent doubts over his impartiality in overseeing sex-abuse investigations.
“Public scrutiny will likely occur on every subsequent case I deal with,” Franklin said. “The last thing I want in this command is for people to feel they cannot bring a sexual assault case forward or feel like it won’t be dealt with fairly.”
Franklin’s decision to give clemency to a convicted fighter pilot at Aviano Air Base in Italy last February helped spark a national debate over sexual assault in the armed forces and about whether military leaders took the problem seriously enough.
The pilot, Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, had been found guilty in November by an all-male jury in what was seen as a test case of the Air Force’s willingness to tackle such crimes. But Franklin’s decision to toss out the conviction infuriated many female lawmakers and advocacy groups, who said the outcome would discourage victims from reporting abuse.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Another victim of the purge. No one in the administration cares about due process or integrity, only their agenda.
Did you read the article?
Article, also check out link at # 2 for Boston Globe opinion.
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And another of our top military people bites the dust. The plan is working!
---(3) Action on the findings of a court-martial by the convening authority or other person acting on the sentence is not required. However, such person, in his sole discretion, may--
(A) dismiss any charge or specification by setting aside a finding of guilty thereto; or
(B) change a finding of guilty to a charge or specification to a finding of guilty to an offense that is a lesser included offense of the offense stated in the charge or specification.
(d) Before acting under this section on any general court- martial case or any special court-martial case that includes a bad-conduct discharge, the convening authority or other person taking action under this section shall obtain and consider the written recommendation of his staff judge advocate or legal officer. The convening authority or other person taking action under this section shall refer the record of trial to his staff judge advocate or legal officer, and the staff judge advocate or legal officer shall use such record in the preparation of his recommendation. The recommendation of the staff judge advocate or legal officer shall include such matters as the President may prescribe by regulation and shall be served on the accused, who may submit any matter in response under subsection ---
Did the General comply with this Article of the UCMJ? Did the SJA recommend he set aside the conviction for some reason? Or, did the General "consider" the SJA's recommendation on not setting aside the conviction and reject it?
If the General did not comply with this Article, then I can rightfully understand him being removed.
I think the key question here is; What did the SJA recommend?
Makes more sense to abolish the media starting with the boston globe.
"But Franklin’s decision to toss out the conviction infuriated many female lawmakers and advocacy groups," ...
and
"Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who had repeatedly urged the Air Force to fire Franklin, said the commander had created an atmosphere (broken no law) in which “no matter how you look at it, victims could not feel completely comfortable with reporting these crimes.”
Neither of these relate to the legal merits of what he did (and it is a commander's perogatove to review findings under the UCMJ.) Instead they are based in social commentary and special interest agendas.
When you read the article didn't you see that as troublesome?
Those two quotes jumped out at me as well. Looking for a scapegoat.
Another victim of the purge. No one in the administration cares about due process or integrity, only their agenda.
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Bingo!
Are there enough purged military personnel to form their own army yet?
PF, I do not know the particulars of the case, but I think we are way past the day and age where the truth matters. If the General did exactly what he was supposed to do, and it angers the feminists, it just confirms it. I find it hard to believe a General would knowingly and deliberately, risk everything he has ever worked for, to do the wrong thing. I would suspect there are some here on FR who are not troubled by this, but probably not many.
Franklin was commander of the 31st FW from 2007 to 2009. I was assigned to Aviano AB and PCS’ed back to the States in May ‘09. I’m surprised he made it to 3 star. His family was very controversial. His wife had parking plaques made up that stated ‘Spouse General’ and would get her own parking spots on Base. Pissed a lot of people off. His daughter had been caught in the dorms and caught coming through the gate with drugs in her vehicle. A few of us when we greeted him would address him as Col instead of Gen because he was frocked and wearing the Generals rank. He used to get mad....lol. I don’t have any love lost for the man.
Purge-a-ding-a-ding-dong.
Anthing that involves McCaskill I automatically chalk up to twisted spin and fiction. She’s the one who’s been pushing to do away with the NBC requirement long before the usurper came on stage.
I found this from the article more troubling: Franklin’s description of the pilot as a model husband were also undercut when another woman surfaced to accuse Wilkerson of committing adultery and fathering a child out of wedlock years earlier. The Air Force subsequently confirmed the allegation and forced Wilkerson to retire.
the court found him guilty, the general set the verdict aside based on his "feelings." Then it turns out the guy is a first class philanderer.
One unanswered aspect of the issue is: "Was it his current wife he cheated on"? Many career AF officers have been divorced because of the demands of their duty. It would be human nature to troll during a divorce.
Also if you lived in the 80's and part of the 09's, fidelity wasn't exactly a strong suit in social mores.
I am not claiming this to be the case, but nothing in the story says it isn't.
To my view the man has established a pattern and remember the most important thing. the military court convicted him. the general overturned it based on his own personal feelings. Not the facts of the case, his own personal bias.
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