An Army general in northern Iraq has added pregnancy to the list of reasons a soldier under his command could be court-martialed.Here is the comic relief .... I want to see the chit template.
The new policy, outlined last month by Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo and released Friday by the Army, would apply to both female soldiers who become pregnant on the battlefield and the male soldiers who impregnate them.
Civilians reporting to Cucolo also could face criminal prosecution under the new guidelines.
Under Cucolo’s order, troops also are prohibited from “sexual contact of any kind” with Iraqi nationals. And, they cannot spend the night with a member of the opposite sex, unless married or expressly permitted to do so.
UPDATE: As URR points to in comments - the bravest of warriors can cower under the wail of the alternative reality Commissariat.
An Army general in Iraq backed away from his threat today to court martial female soldiers who get pregnant.As someone who supports a fact-based inclusion of women in the military - this saddens me. I saw this as an opportunity to hold the XY accountable as well, but alas. The head returns to the sand.
"I see absolutely no circumstance where I would punish a female soldier by court martial for a violation ... none," Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo III wrote to ABC News in an exclusive statement. " I fully intend to handle these cases through lesser disciplinary action."
MG Cucolo though does a very good job of a fighting retreat.
Cucolo, who ran the policy by several of his female commanders, told ABC News that seven soldiers -- four women and three men -- have so far been found in violation of the pregnancy portion of his general order. The four women and two of the men received letters of reprimand that will not be remain in their permanent military files.Exactly right. MG Cucolo tried to do the right thing - but looks like he has no top cover. Sounds familiar.
"One female soldier did not want to reveal the father and I did not pursue it further," Cucolo said.
The third male soldier, he said, was a noncommissioned officer who was committing adultery. He was also charged with fraternization and given a permanent letter of reprimand. In that case, the man was a sergeant and the female a junior soldier.
Cucolo told ABC News Monday that the policy, believed to be the first of its kind, was necessary to avoid losing valuable troops in his 22,000-member command. It was a measure he first considered over the summer when he was preparing to take over command.
"I need every soldier I've got, especially since we are facing a drawdown of forces during our mission. Anyone who leaves this fight earlier than the expected 12-month deployment creates a burden on their teammates," he said in a statement.
"Anyone who leaves this fight early because they made a personal choice that changed their medical status -- or contributes to doing that to another -- is not in keeping with a key element of our ethos, 'I will always place the mission first,' or three of our seven core values: loyalty, duty and selfless service," he continued. "And I believe there should be negative consequences for making that personal choice. "
On the other side of the line - there is someone who just plain does not get it. I support this guy's deployment.
Civilian military lawyer Wayne Kastl, lead counsel with the Military Defender law firm, said this type of policy proves this isn't your grandfather's Army.Pregnancy is a huge problem - and the ones that it angers the most are those female leaders I have worked for that know the impact on the warfighter.
He pointed to stories about drinking, sex and other debauchery that permeated Army life during previous wars.
"I think the policy is to put the fear of God into folks over there," he told ABCNews.com. "I don't like it, but I would say that order over there is probably legal."
"I think the troops over there are fighting hard and getting PTSD and all sorts of horrible stuff," Kastl said. If they need a "little comfort helping through the night," he added, so be it.
...and remember, until I get the (&#$ code fixed, to comment click the time stamp on the post to get to the permalink ... then you can comment. I have also changes some of my comment host's defauts to make commenting easier.
Patience .... I am only one dude in the middle of Duck Season and Christmas....
Hat tip LT I.
