Free Republic

In seeking to find the equitableness in the case against Lt. Col Allen B. West, one struggles as the news poured out of Iraq, in regard to the action of the troops of the 4th ID--which Col West was a part of up until he was removed from his battalion command-- with in the span of one week, included the following: November 17 Reuters reported: Angered by bomb attacks ... the commander of a US battalion in Iraq sent his tanks and armored vehicles through the streets on Monday in a demonstration of firepower to insurgents. Weapons of choice: Abrams...

WASHINGTON -- An investigation that is expected to result in criminal charges against a decorated Army battalion commander in Iraq has raised serious new questions about whether there is such a thing as ethical behavior in war and if there is, to what degree one should be held accountable for violating it. On the surface, the case involving Lt. Col. Allen West seems trivial. He fired his pistol near the head of a detainee in an effort to elicit information about opposing forces. Before that, it is alleged, he did nothing to stop an interrogation that included beating the prisoner,...

Under the strain of command in a dangerous situation, Lt. Col. Allen West committed a serious error in judgment. And in a military environment, such errors by a commanding officer cannot go unpunished. Informed on Aug. 20 that an Iraqi policeman might have information about potential attacks on West and his troops, the colonel invited soldiers under his command to beat the suspect as West looked on. When that did not produce the desired effect, West threatened the prisoner, first firing a pistol into the air, then holding the pistol to the policeman's head and firing a shot into the...