Boise Air Guard Major Dies of Blast Injuries

The Idaho Statesman ^ | March 26, 2003 | Chereen Langrill

[Palladin]

A Boise-based Air National Guard major died Tuesday of injuries he suffered in a grenade attack on officers

[Palladin]

Let us honor this hero today. God be with his wife and sons.

[swarthyguy]

If Hasan isn't courtmartialed and hung, yes, hanging, it'll be a black day for the US military.

[cricket]

"A U.S. sergeant, Asan Akbar, is in custody in connection with the grenade attack."

Why hasn't this Muslim been charged with a crime yet. Sick of the PC surrounding this outrageous crime.

[Xenalyte]

Me, I'd like about half an hour alone with Akbar.

[skeeter]

The profound thanks of a grateful nation.

[Palladin]

Updates on the aftermath of Major Gregory Stone's death

The mood at Boise’s Gowen Field is solemn today following news of the death Tuesday of an Idaho guardsman in Kuwait. Maj. Gregory Stone, 40, died from wounds incurred in a grenade attack blamed on an Army sergeant. Stone, an Oregon native based in Boise, was pronounced dead Tuesday at an Army field hospital in Kuwait.

“We lost one of our own,” said Brig. Gen. Gary Sayler, commander of the 124th Wing of the Idaho Air Guard, said today.

“That's the price he paid. That's the price the country pays.”

Idaho officials don’t know yet when Stone’s body will be returned to Idaho.

“Today our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of of Major Stone,” said Sayler. “Major Stone upheld the finest traditions of the Air National Guard.”

Gov. Dirk Kempthorne extended his prayers to Stone’s family.

“This community will grieve,” Kempthorne said today. “We know that this is one of the occurrences with war. We will see casualties.”

“He was wonderful, the best son anybody could ask for,” said his stepmother, Sally Stone of Riggins, Idaho.

Stone’s mother, Betty Lenzi of Ontario, Ore., said Wednesday she was too upset to talk.

Lt. Col. Tim Marsano, spokesman for the Idaho Air National Guard, said Stone, a 20-year active and reserve veteran of the Air Force, was the Air Liaison Officer with the Army’s 101st Airborne Division at Camp Pennsylvania.

Stone was born in Weiser but grew up mostly in Portland, where he graduated from Benson High School and Oregon State University. He enlisted in 1983, went through the ROTC program at Oregon State and was commissioned in 1988. He eventually settled in Idaho.

Stone had two sons, ages 11 and 7, who live in Boise. The three often went fishing, and the boys recently convinced Stone to try snowboarding as well, said family friend and Chaplain Maj. Thomas G. Westall, who is retired from the U.S. Air Force. Westall, pastor of Mountain Home Bible Church, is serving as a spokesman for Stone’s ex-wife Tonya Stone. The two divorced in 2000, but Stone remained close and spent time with the boys every day, Westall said.

“The kids are doing as well as can be expected right now, and their mom is extremely distraught, can barely talk,” Westall said. “He was a great dad and a great officer.”

Stone is the second soldier to die in the attack apparently carried out Sunday by another member of his unit, the 101st Airborne Division, at a military base in Kuwait. Stone was an Air Guard liaison to the Army. Sgt. Asan Akbar is in custody in the attack. He was shipped to a military jail in Germany on Tuesday after a judge found probable cause to try him for the crime. Akbar, an American Muslim who told family members he was wary of going to war in Iraq, has not been charged.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Can anyone offer a plausible reason as to why no charges have yet been filed? PC is a handy excuse but this case transcends that as an explanation IMHO. There has got to be a more lucid explanation. Investigation ongoing? Interviewing witnesses and interrogating perp? Something else?

[Palladin]

I don't know. I am reminded of the scene in "Gods and Generals" where Stonewall Jackson has three deserters summarily executed.

Generals were more decisive in those days.

[tiki]

Amen

[LiteKeeper]

AMEN!

[swarthyguy]

A larger plot? A network of suspect soldiers?

[gridlock]

Me, I'd like about half an hour alone with Akbar.

You'd be pretty bored standing around for 29 minutes with a bleeding headless corpse, wouldn't you?

[Xenalyte]

Gotta clean the blade off, and oil it since it's overdue.

[gridlock]

Take good care of your weapon, and it will take good care of you.

[Palladin]

Probably. I suspect that Akbar is undergoing some intensive interrogation right now.

If it is a widespread plot, I hope it comes out before more good and decent officers are fragged.

[FRMAG]

Under the UCMJ the process is simular but not paralell to civilian procedures.

In this case as in many others what is going is an investigation which will result in an Article 32 Hearing roughly equivilent to a Grand Jury Hearing.

If the Article 32 determines that there are sufficent grounds they then recommend to the senior commander that the case go forward to a Court Martial. This will no doubt result in a General Court Martial which can assess the death penalty.

If he is convicted the case is subject to automatic review by the commander next senior to the one convening the trial. Even if the guy gets death it will not be by hanging or firing squad.

The military now uses letal injection.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

You know, I've been thinking of that scene without thinking of it (if that makes any sense!). I saw the movie about 3 or 4 weeks ago and ever since the attack of this weekend, I've been subconsciously thinking about that scene. Agree 1000% - not only did Stonewall have them shot but he made sure that the other guys in the unit saw it happen. And if memory serves one of the guys that was shot was a guy who earlier in the movie made a decision to leave family behind in PA and go fight with Stonewall. Justice delayed is Justice Denied. This guy needs to die and soon!

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

It's possible.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Thanks for the explanation of the process involved. So in essence we'er waiting on the equivlent of a grand jury hearing. Is the amount of delay we are seeing here in a case such as this within the normal parameters? I mean there were eyewitnesses and for all we know the perp has also confessed.