Update: On 9/30/15 Rep. Vern Buchanan introduced House Resolution 451 .
Under this resolution SFC Charles Martland would be reinstated back into the United States Army. The latest status is “This resolution was assigned to a congressional committee on September 30, 2015, which will consider it before possibly sending it on to the House or Senate as a whole.”
Opposition to this resolution is highly unlikely. I will update status when it comes out of committee.
A United States solder serving in a battlefield command is sometimes forced to witness many human atrocities. Over the years we have heard the stories of the civilian casualties as countless numbers of women and children have experienced the most horrible injustices.
We watch the news reports from the Middle East and we hear and see stories about our finest young men and women serving over there, and we do what we can to honor them over here. But at the end of the day, they do our dirty work. They serve with a sense of justice which provides deep meaning to their purpose. It is this purpose which sustains them amidst the injustice of armed conflict.
I’ve recently learned the story of a soldier, Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland. , SFC Martland is a Green Beret in the United States Army. While we are here safe in our homeland he serves in Afghanistan. The stories out of Afghanistan I’ve read speak of a culture among the men to rape young boys. I find it disgusting to even talk about. Sgt. Martland is being discharged from the U.S. Army for educating a local Afghan Police chief on the proper treatment of children. This CNN article will detail the report.
Sgt. Martland will be discharged from the Army for protecting a child from being raped. On the heels of the visit of Pope Francis to the United States, I find it impossible to sit by and not comment. I would find it absolutely unacceptable to learn that Americans are allowing this to ever happen while we have boots on the ground. Sgt. Martlands father should be proud of his son. If either of my sons were in that situation I would only hope that they would practice the restraint demonstrated by Sgt. Martland.
We must never stand by and turn a blind eye to injustice, regardless of the political climate. Though soldiers surrender certain Constitutional rights when they are inducted, their sense of morality is never checked at the door. They must constantly question what they are experiencing, and balance their action based on their sense of morality. Sgt. Martland performed his duties within the realm of morality and in the context of justice. We need more soldiers like him!
Please petition the Secretary Of Defense on his Facebook Page. Also, join the Facebook Petition and the Family Research Center. I also ask you to disregard any political opinions and support Congressman Duncan Hunter in his efforts to support Sgt. Martland. Representative Hunter is a Marine veteran who also served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Afghanistan is a mess. It’s justice system is not civilized. Their rule of law is not at all consistent, and at best scattered. The Army is willing to turn a blind eye to child rape by local Police Officials in Afganastan. But the Army must punish an American soldier who delivered a measured response to a well deserving individual? The military trains young men and women to kill the enemy but no proper way to validate their conscience. If the Army does not care about a child, why would they care what happened to one of it’s adults? This is more about the Army’s control, at the cost of a simple but effective justice.
I applaud Sgt Martland. As a soldier you are either fighting for righteousness or you are just serving the political aims of Washington. Kicking the ass of a child rapist is a commendable act. Since no justice system exists in Afghanistan , Sgt. Martland acted from his conscience and defended a helpless child. Sgt. Martland should be promoted , not fired!
Please support Sgt. Martland