Fleet Marine Life #83 – Blind Justice
In the Marine Corps, I have been blindly accused of a great deal of things. There are always at least two sides to every story. Unfortunately, my bosses only get one side and it’s usually not mine. The comic above is based on a true story. Another section reported that a strange man with a headlamp was roaming around their lot and looking at stuff in the middle of the night. I just so happened to own a headlamp. So, my SSGT used his detective skills, that he learned in SNCO school, and put two and two together! He accused me of being in that incident!
I told him that I was with 6 other Marines at the time that the incident happened. I also told him that we can go to that other section and ask them if they’ve seen me. SSGT Douchebag McAsshole realized that he was in the wrong and started yelling at me to clean his fucking office.
Our United States Judicial System is not perfect but it is still good. It’s a system where one must be proved, without a shadow of doubt, that he is guilty of the crimes committed. If there’s a 75% chance that a man committed a crime, would you put him in prison for life or even put him to death? Innocent until proven guilty.
The Marine Corps Judicial System is reminiscent of Hitler’s People’s Court where being on stand for trial is an automatic death sentence. The higher ups are so blind to the evidence surrounding them that proves that the accused is innocent. They just want blood and they want it NOW! NOW! NOW! It’s a fucking kangaroo court. You are guilty until proven innocent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Court_%28Germany%29
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQaP5aLVig8
I knew a Marine in another section who was NJP’d for a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) he did not commit. He had signed out for liberty on Okinawa. He came back before the curfew and went to sleep. When he woke up, he was told he was getting NJP’d because he signed out and his name was on the liberty black list. He was on the liberty black list by accident. He had no reason to be on it as he was not a trouble maker. His higher ups, a Major included, spared no expense to make sure that this Marine was punished. He was 100% innocent but since he was a PFC, he was afraid and took the NJP rather than face the court martial.
A fellow Marine of mine, Lance Corporal Iron, came to work early and asked me if he could go to medical for his usual check ups since he’s a broke dick. I said, “Sure, just sign out of the platoon sign out book.” He did that and went to medical. 15 Minutes later, everyone was set for the routine 0700 Company accountability formation. Everyone did their little salute and “all present, all accounted for.” When our platoon was up, my Sergeant did his little salute and saying. The Company Gunny quickly said, “No! You have one Marine who is UA (Unauthorized Absence)!”
We were all looking at each other saying, “Who is it? What the hell? We have everyone!” We didn’t think it was LCPL Iron because he followed the standard procedure to check out.
My Sergeant went immediately up to the Gunny and talked to him. No one knew what he was saying. Our company formation was dismissed and everyone went back to the platoon area. 10 minutes later, my Sergeant was starting to freak out saying he’s going to have LCPL Iron charged and he had the charge sheet in his hand. I was shocked! Why is my Sergeant out to fuck up this Marine’s life? He’s a good Marine who gives no trouble! I said, “Sergeant, he has signed out in the sign out book and he talked to me before leaving. He also had an appointment that’s in the book of appointments.”
That put an end to it. If the Sergeant simply looked at the sign out book or even asked one of his NCOs, who were all there at that company formation, he would have prevented himself from looking like a blood thirsty jackass.
Another example of the UCMJ working its magic is the case with Lance Corporal Kevin Holt.
http://militarycorruption.com/getslife.htm
This is a case where the military prosecutors can:
*Dismiss eleven witnesses.
*Fabricate evidence when the original evidence sided clearly for the defense.
*Use a grotesque amount of taxpayer money for that fabricated evidence.
*Defy the laws of physics.
*Grant the probable murder immunity so that he can testify against the defendant.
He got life in prison for a murderer he so clearly did not commit. Why should you care? If you’re a Marine, this is your judicial system. LCPL Kevin Holt could be you. You could be in the brig for life for something you did not commit.
On a side note, there’s been another suicide in the Corps due to repeated Hazing. In several cases, the victim was booted in the back of the head. The hazing was caused by three of his fellow Marines who claimed they punished him because he “repeatedly fell asleep.” It may seem like just an empty excuse as to why the hazings happened. He was fine in the Corps until he transferred into a new unit. That’s when the problems started happening. These men in charge should be kicked out and given a shitty discharge but I know that won’t happen.
Having a higher conviction rate than Hitler’s People’s Court since 1775.
Hitler’s People’s Court had a conviction rate of 90% under Roland Freisler who was the most bloodthirsty of all the head judges to rule that court. The Marine Corps enjoys a 98% conviction rate. Some of the cases the marines find guilty are so weak in terms of evidence even the nazi’s would have acquitted the defendant.
I always thought of the Marine Corps as a minimum security prison, with one difference: inmates get treated better. I shit you not, some of the guys I knew begged to stay in the brig. Isn’t it a bad sign when the brig is better than a unit?
One of my platoon drug poppers said that the brig was, in his own words, “like a resort.” He said he gets paid to play monopoly, eat food and sleep all day. And… he doesn’t get treated like complete shit. I replied, “Shit! Send me to the brig!”