The Department of Defense inspector general is finally opening a landmark investigation into reports that the U.S. military told troops to ignore the sexual abuse of children by Afghans.
GOP Rep. [crscore]Duncan Hunter[/crscore] does not want the story of Sgt. First Class Charles Martland to be forgotten in the ensuing investigation.
“Sex abuse is intolerable, regardless of where on a map it occurs,” Hunter said in a statement to The Daily Caller News Foundation. “And if U.S. servicemembers are ever forced to respond to the abuse of a child, as in the case of SFC Charles Martland, the immediate response from our military leaders should not be to remove them from a warzone and impose punishment. So while I greatly welcome the IG investigation, there must be resolution for SFC Charles Martland, in a way that permits him to continue his service to the nation. Only then will I and many others be truly convinced that this issue is being taken as seriously as it should have when Charles first confronted a child rapist for human rights violations that were not just morally reprehensible but also fracturing the mission of his Special Forces team.”
Martland was one of the few servicemembers who instead of simply looking the other way in the midst of savage sexual abuse, took action back in 2011. A police officer had tied a boy to a post and raped him repeatedly for days. The boy and his mother pled with Martland for help. When Martland confronted the police officer about the incident, the officer laughed in his face, prompting Martland to shove the man to the ground.
For this, the Army has embarked on an unrelenting crusade to drum Martland out of the military, a crusade which has caught the attention of members of Congress. They argue Martland should be applauded for his efforts against evil, not kicked out of the service.
Prior to Hunter’s statement, the most recent marks in support of Martland came from Virginia Del. Nick Freitas.
“Sgt. First Class Martland confronted evil,” Freitas said. “He punished it. He demonstrated to evil and to that boy and his mother that someone was going to be willing to stand up for them. Someone was going to be willing to face the consequences that could have arisen from this and defend this boy when no one else would.”
The inspector general began a cursory look into the allegations back in October 2015 and has now announced as of Feb. 19 that there’s sufficient credibility behind the murmurs to justify a complete investigation.
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