thedrifter
06-13-07, 06:10 PM
Anti-war Marine gets general discharge
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, Associated Press Writer
An Iraq war veteran was kicked out of the Marines early with a general discharge after he wore his uniform during an anti-war demonstration, the military announced Wednesday.
Lt. Gen. John W. Bergman, commanding general of Marine Forces Reserve in New Orleans, agreed Monday to give Marine Cpl. Adam Kokesh a general discharge under honorable conditions, based on a military panel's recommendation. The general discharge, which is one notch short of honorable, was effective Monday.
Kokesh got in trouble after The Washington Post published a photograph of him in March roaming the nation's capital with other veterans on a mock patrol.
A superior officer e-mailed Kokesh, saying he was being investigated because he might have violated a rule prohibiting troops from wearing uniforms at protests.
Kokesh, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, responded to the superior with an obscenity, prompting the Marines to take steps to remove him with an "other than honorable" discharge.
Kokesh, who is from Santa Fe, N.M., but is living in Washington, stressed that he removed his name tag and military emblems from his uniform, making it clear he was not representing the military. His attorneys also argued the demonstration was "street theater," exempting it from rules governing where troops can wear uniforms.
Kokesh's attorney, Mike Lebowitz, said he planned to appeal to the Navy Discharge Review Board in Washington, D.C., which he described as a step toward getting the case into federal court.
"It's just an affirmation of a weak decision," Kokesh said of Bergman's decision, "and we are going to continue to fight this to re-establish the precedence that the Marine Corps can't be used for political purposes."
Staff Sgt. Dustan Johnson, a Marine spokesman, said the review board was separate from the Marine Corps Mobilization Command and he could not comment on the appeal.
During the hearing last week at the Marine Corps Mobilization Command in Kansas City, Kokesh's attorneys said the case was about free speech, while a Marine attorney said it was about violating orders.
Kokesh's attorneys argued their client was not subject to military rules because he is a nondrilling, nonpaid member of the Individual Ready Reserve, which consists mainly of those who have left active duty but still have time remaining on their eight-year military obligations.
His IRR service had been scheduled to end June 18; Kokesh had received an honorable discharge from active duty in November.
Because Kokesh was an inactive reservist, the Marines were required to prove that his conduct "directly affects the performance of military duties" for him to receive an "other than honorable" discharge.
The Marine attorney, Capt. Jeremy Sibert, argued that the case met that criterion, noting Congress was debating military spending during the protest.
Two other Iraq veterans were contacted by the Marines about their protest activities and traveled to Kansas City for Kokesh's hearing. Cloy Richards, 23, of Salem, Mo., cooperated, and the Marines did not act further. A hearing date for the other Marine, Liam Madden, 22, of Boston, has not been set.
"Now that the Marine Corps is going after honorably discharged members, who are in fact civilians, for free speech rights, we are fighting back," Lebowitz said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "We are seeking a precedent in federal court."
Ellie
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, Associated Press Writer
An Iraq war veteran was kicked out of the Marines early with a general discharge after he wore his uniform during an anti-war demonstration, the military announced Wednesday.
Lt. Gen. John W. Bergman, commanding general of Marine Forces Reserve in New Orleans, agreed Monday to give Marine Cpl. Adam Kokesh a general discharge under honorable conditions, based on a military panel's recommendation. The general discharge, which is one notch short of honorable, was effective Monday.
Kokesh got in trouble after The Washington Post published a photograph of him in March roaming the nation's capital with other veterans on a mock patrol.
A superior officer e-mailed Kokesh, saying he was being investigated because he might have violated a rule prohibiting troops from wearing uniforms at protests.
Kokesh, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, responded to the superior with an obscenity, prompting the Marines to take steps to remove him with an "other than honorable" discharge.
Kokesh, who is from Santa Fe, N.M., but is living in Washington, stressed that he removed his name tag and military emblems from his uniform, making it clear he was not representing the military. His attorneys also argued the demonstration was "street theater," exempting it from rules governing where troops can wear uniforms.
Kokesh's attorney, Mike Lebowitz, said he planned to appeal to the Navy Discharge Review Board in Washington, D.C., which he described as a step toward getting the case into federal court.
"It's just an affirmation of a weak decision," Kokesh said of Bergman's decision, "and we are going to continue to fight this to re-establish the precedence that the Marine Corps can't be used for political purposes."
Staff Sgt. Dustan Johnson, a Marine spokesman, said the review board was separate from the Marine Corps Mobilization Command and he could not comment on the appeal.
During the hearing last week at the Marine Corps Mobilization Command in Kansas City, Kokesh's attorneys said the case was about free speech, while a Marine attorney said it was about violating orders.
Kokesh's attorneys argued their client was not subject to military rules because he is a nondrilling, nonpaid member of the Individual Ready Reserve, which consists mainly of those who have left active duty but still have time remaining on their eight-year military obligations.
His IRR service had been scheduled to end June 18; Kokesh had received an honorable discharge from active duty in November.
Because Kokesh was an inactive reservist, the Marines were required to prove that his conduct "directly affects the performance of military duties" for him to receive an "other than honorable" discharge.
The Marine attorney, Capt. Jeremy Sibert, argued that the case met that criterion, noting Congress was debating military spending during the protest.
Two other Iraq veterans were contacted by the Marines about their protest activities and traveled to Kansas City for Kokesh's hearing. Cloy Richards, 23, of Salem, Mo., cooperated, and the Marines did not act further. A hearing date for the other Marine, Liam Madden, 22, of Boston, has not been set.
"Now that the Marine Corps is going after honorably discharged members, who are in fact civilians, for free speech rights, we are fighting back," Lebowitz said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "We are seeking a precedent in federal court."
Ellie