Major Hassan’s actions Friday clearly had something to do with him being a Muslim and to state otherwise is akin to a willful suspension of disbelief.
One day back when I was the Operations Sergeant for an Army Provost Marshal Office in Europe, the Provost Marshal (a Major) called me on the carpet for signing off on an investigation where I determined the charges were founded and agreed the facts indicated the named subject had committed the crime for which he was cited. The Major disagreed yet, by his words, revealed he had been unduly influenced into dropping the charges. When I stood by my decision, he said I was “being disloyal” to him. I replied, “My first loyalty is to the nation and while I owe my superiors loyalty, I owe an equal amount to our subordinates, the ones you, Sir, and I lead, including the Military Police who investigated the matter. The witness statements and investigator statements substantiate as reasonable the belief crimes took place and the subject committed said crimes.” The Major then threw the case folder at me, striking me in the chest, and told me to have the Military JAG Office review the case; the JAG agreed with my assessment and the charges stood. Not long afterward, the Major relieved me of duty and placed an unfavorable evaluation in my record.
The details of what followed I will not reveal as it was the prelude to a sad and unfortunate end to that Major’s Army career; a subsequent command investigation vindicated my actions and cleared my record. I write of this solely to illustrate a mindset each member of our military must have. Rarely during my twenty years of Army service did I encounter anyone without an unwavering sense of duty to nation or lacking in moral courage in the face of adversary. From all I see, admittedly from afar, that sense of duty and mindset remains strong among those who wear our nation’s military uniforms. Yet that is what so disturbs me about reports of the behaviors of Major Nidal Malik Hasan prior to the massacre Friday on Fort Hood and the reaction from the current Army leadership:
General George Casey Jr., the Army chief of staff, said on Sunday that he was concerned that speculation about the religious beliefs of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, accused of killing 12 fellow soldiers and one civilian and wounding 30 others in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, could “cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers.”
With due respect to General Casey, the publicly known facts indicate what happened on Fort Hood was an attack by Major Nidal Malik Hasan driven by his acceptance of extremist tenants tenets found within the Muslim faith. He expressed prejudicial beliefs, based upon those extremist views, to fellow soldiers prior to the incident indicating his disloyalty to the nation.
It is the duty of every soldier to report such behavior and, when reported, it becomes the responsibility of commanders to determine whether the behavior meets the standards of good order and discipline necessary for continued Army service.
Loyalty is first owed to our nation. Yet beyond that are thirteen dead and thirty-eight wounded and a military wondering if the command failed them. While a fair adjudication of Major Hasan’s case is owed him, we owe all who serve the Army far better than to ignore indiscipline within the ranks, be it from a Muslim or one holding with any faith.
What our troops don’t need now or ever is someone shoving four stars into their eyes while telling them to ignore such behaviors should they observe them in the future. I hope at least one soldier with less rank on their collar has the moral courage to step onto General Casey’s carpet and say that to his face.
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