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BREAKING: Army Again Delays Decision To Boot Green Beret For Attacking Afghan Rapist

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Jonah Bennett Contributor
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Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland has received another extension from the Army, giving him until May 1 before the service makes a decision on whether or not to drum him out for standing up to an Afghan rapist.

Members of Congress have urged the Army to drop its campaign against Green Beret Martland with limited success so far. The best that has been achieved is delay after delay. The Army still seems set on removing Martland for shoving an Afghan rapist to the ground in 2011, and Army Human Resources Command supported that decision in late January.

A boy and his mother pleaded with Martland for help back in 2011 after it became clear that a local Afghan police commander had tied the boy to a post and raped him for days. When confronted by Martland, the police officer laughed in his face, prompting Martland to beat him down. About a year ago, the military reviewed Martland’s record and decided not only that what he did was wrong, but it was deserving of removal.

Martland’s actions took place amid a backdrop of rampant sexual abuse of small boys and a military reportedly complicit in maintaining the status quo. Numerous servicemembers have come forward alleging military officials told them to keep quiet about abuse. The reason for keeping quiet? The Pentagon’s strategy of training and advising local forces requires cooperation from those same local forces, and so hammering them for abusing small children would likely jeopardize that arrangement.

The Department of Defense inspector general just announced it is starting a major investigation into allegations the military instructed troops to look the other way in cases of rape and abuse to placate Afghan officials. The reason why a major investigation has been launched is because the IG recently confirmed there’s enough evidence behind initial allegations.

“Charles stood up to a child rapist and he did in a few minutes what the Afghan justice system or our own military leadership couldn’t,” GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, a long-time advocate for Martland, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “He saved that boy and his family from further harm, and the corrupt Afghan commander got the message loud and clear, in the form of a boot to the neck.”

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