GIs who tore off rapist’s chevrons could be punished

[saigon68]

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

GIs who tore off rapist’s chevrons could be punished

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=30970

Defense says court incident is grounds for reducing sentence

By Franklin Fisher, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, August 17, 2005

A U.S. military judge in South Korea will hold a hearing next month into an incident in which soldiers stripped rank chevrons, ribbons and other items from a soldier who’d just been sentenced on a rape conviction, officials said Monday. The incident occurred Aug. 4 at the Camp Humphreys courtroom just minutes after the judge sentenced Pvt. Mikel A. Reynolds, 19, to six years in prison, a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and reduction to the lowest military pay grade, E-1.

After sentencing, Reynolds was led to the rear of the courtroom and a team of soldiers put him in handcuffs and leg irons — a common procedure before escorting defendants to jail. But as he stood there, they also began methodically stripping his Class A green uniform jacket of everything but his buttons and name tag.

Among those still in the courtroom were the rape victim, who sat in a chair near the rear of the room, her right fist still clutching a tissue. Tracy Lynn Reynolds-Spafford, Reynolds’ sister, forwarded to Stars and Stripes an e-mail in which military defense lawyers told the family they have requested a post-trial hearing “where it will be argued that the actions of the Government rose to a level of illegal post trial punishment” and that the defense will accordingly ask a “substantial reduction” in Reynolds’ sentence. “I would like to see those who did wrong punished,” Reynolds-Spafford, 23, said Monday night from Georgia.

My comment--- WELL HE ONLY RAPED HER. </SARCASM>

[Greeby]

1. Should have ripped a part of his anatomy off

I hate rapists :grr: :mad:

[BrightKnight]

2. Why was this wrong?

He was no longer entitled to wear the insignia. He could probably be charged for wearing it. He was in custody and was not free to remove them himself. They were simply preventing him from committing another crime. He dishonored himself. The sorry bastard has the gaul to complain about it.

[saigon68]

3. I FOR ONE----- NEVER IMPLIED IT WAS

I find that with all that is going on in the world, that this would be the headline on S&S today !!!

[BrightKnight]

6. calculated response

I guess that we all had the calculated response.

Any reasonable person would be appalled by his conduct before and after the trial.

S&S is a lot like FAUX.
------

[saigon68]

7. Its meant to entertain and distract the troops

As they prepare to go on the CRUSADE to kill a few more "Rag-Heads"

[BrightKnight]

9. promote honorable conduct

Perhaps they were hoping that it would promote honorable conduct and reduce the prevalence of rape. Recruits are hard to find and it is expensive to lock them up.

There are plenty of stories in S&S that piss me off but this is not at the top of the list.

--------
DoD psycops can be a bit creepy.

[smb]

11. Tradition

Perhaps they were hoping that it would promote honorable conduct and reduce the prevalence of rape.

Yep -- that's why this sort of thing was traditionally part of a punishment ceremony

"What are the bugles blowin' for?" said Files-on-Parade.
"To turn you out, to turn you out", the Colour-Sergeant said.
"What makes you look so white, so white?" said Files-on-Parade.
"I'm dreadin' what I've got to watch", the Colour-Sergeant said.
For they're hangin' Danny Deever, you can hear the Dead March play,
The regiment's in 'ollow square -- they're hangin' him to-day;
They've taken of his buttons off an' cut his stripes away,
An' they're hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'.

[qazplm]

14. It's wrong

because under military rules, a soldier retains his rank for 14 days after conviction. He wasnt yet a private, he was still whatever rank he held before conviction.

[saigon68]

16. I HAVE HEARD OF THAT

IS IT PART OF THE UCMJ?

[kansasblue]

18. I agree. This is a slippery slope..........

Next you knock him around a little, kick them, etc.

It's like cops trying to punish someone. That's not there place. I hate rapist too but there need to be order in the system.

[mknmehappy]

21. Not in the case of a rapist.

[IA_Seth]

22. Gall...

Just bein a smart ass, but its gall, not gaul...

Gaul is a frenchy.

ie. The Gauls had the gall to disagree with our fearless leader.

[kurtyboy]

4. There's damned little sympathy coming from me

When men rape women, they forfeit much of their liberty---and this certainly includes their right to wear the service rank insignia of the United States of America.

A few patches torn off? I hope the rapist rots in Hell thinking about how humiliating losing his rank was. If a judge sees any merit in the complaint--these MPs were simply obeying military law by stripping him of his insignia--then I know we as a country have jumped the F'ing shark as a nation of laws.

And screw the lawter that cannot see that it's time to move on, and let the convicted soldier serve his sentence.

And Tracy,--honey, your brother is a rapist--deal with it.

[qazplm]

15. no

they werent following military law. And the judge will likely give him some credit for it.

Although odds are it wont be more than a week or two, month tops, could be as little as a day.

[SemperEadem]

17. I don't see how one mitigates the other

If stripping the convict of his bars and stars is a punishable offense, then the convict should not be rewarded by a reduction in his sentence. That should be paid by those who acted inapporpriately. One has nothing to do with the other. The convict had already brought shame and dishonor onto himself, his fellow miltary personnel, the Army and the US people... being divested of his insignia in no way shames one who has already shamed himself by his criminal actions.

[crikkett]

20. I do-the convicted criminal should get something for enduring humiliation.

Just because he's a sleaze doesn't mean he gets humilitated. Otherwise, it's Abu Gharib all over the place.

This opinion comes from a vet & rape victim. (me)
:patriot:

[crikkett]

19. you're right. n/t

[JI7]

5. i don't really see how what they did was illegal

if they had beat him it would be different. and the statement from the rapist's sister "I would like to see those who did wrong punished" just makes me angry.

[lvx35]

8. I know. If they had ripped his clothes off it still would have been less..

than what she endured...But a few stinking badges? Screw that.

[smb]

10. What A Crock

He'd been convicted after getting due process and, as part of his punishment, stripped of his rank. Hell, technically it was a crime for him to continue wearing the PFC chevrons, and the other soldiers were simply correcting that problem.

[northzax]

12. I suppose it's technically assault?

I don't know the UCMJ regulations well enough, does a dishonorable discharge, in conjunction with a jail sentence, take effect at sentencing or upon the release from confinement? I believe that the military is not permitted to confine civilians, so if he's in the stockade, he's still technically in the army, right?

while I applaud the sentiment of soldiers mocking rapists, given the unsavoury history of war and rape, this is probably not the best way to go about it. They should all be sentenced to one day of KP duty and fined a dollar.

[Bassic]

13. Substancial reduction?

Because they tore off some of his decorations? Raping bastard..

[BeHereNow]

23. And what of what the perp "ripped' from the victim?

Rape is a crime of violence, not sex, rather
inflicting violence through sex.

The victim will most likely suffer flashbacks and emotional
traumas for a very long time, similar to PTSD.

I think his punishmeny was not severe enough.
I think his face should be tatooed with "Rapist"
to alert people to his nature.

BHN