Thursday, March 24, 2016

Crash and Burn - Military Edition

I'm sure everyone has heard about the guy who cold-cocked the protester in the red, white, and blue shirt at a Trump presidential rally on March 19th.  If not, here's a link to the story.

So anyway, the guy who did the sucker-punching is a guy named Tony Pettway, who happens to be a fourteen-year Staff Sergeant (E-5) in the Air Force, and a Security Forces Specialist (3P AF Specialty Code) stationed at Davis Monthan AFB in Arizona.  Air Force personnel refer to people in the 3P field as cops.

My opinion of the whole Pettway thing is summed up in one word:  Disgust. Tony Pettway has dishonored his service, the military, and the country by his inexcusable actions.  My hope is that he's hung out to dry by the Air Force.  With fourteen years of service under his belt, he's subject to what the military calls High Year Tenure when he reaches his fifteenth year.  HYT is intended to cull the ranks of the military by removing people (underachievers) from service who aren't making rank within specified time frames.  For an E-5, the limit is 15 years.  Pettway may get bounced soon anyway by HYT, but I'd sure like to see him get hosed through the military justice system.

To Pettway I say:  Your are a pathetic excuse for a non commissioned officer and a human being.

4 comments:

Harold R. Simpson said...

I suppose everything you have done in life allows you your sanctimony. Do you have all the facts, including testimony by witnesses nearby as well as the police that there was no provocation by the provocateur who was being ejected from the rally? I'm rather interested to know how this one incident by this man rates this amount of punishment when the city police only charged SSgt Pettway with a misdemeanor and then released him in the parking lot.

Carlos said...

Sanctimony - That's a mighty big word. Totally not applicable. The only facts I need are the ones I saw in the video - He sucker punched a person who wasn't physically threatening him.

Remember that old "sticks and stones" saying? Words or provocation don’t justify criminal assault, even if they hurt Pettway’s feelings. They may mitigate the assault but that’s about it. He still reacted inappropriately, brought discredit upon the Air Force, and violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

What may be a simple misdemeanor in the civilian world can bring a much more harsh punishment in the military. Since Pettway was clearly in violation of Article 128 of the UCMJ, he’s subject to court martial if the military chooses to pursue that. Pretty simple. What the military court metes out punishment-wise depends on the court.

Discrediting the Air Force may be subjective, but he certainly didn’t live up to their core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence in All We Do.

Let’s say he did verbally provoke him…I find it seriously ironic that a Trump supporter would be offended by what may have been inappropriate, “politically incorrect” statements by someone.

Harold R. Simpson said...

Why would the base risk the expense of a court martial they cannot win? What you find ironic isn't important in the law. The agitator admitted he was there to provoke an incident and finally managed to do so with a racist slur as he passed that row of seats. Of course you SAW what was said by looking at the video without actually having to hear anything. Thankfully, the people nearby have stepped up for SSgt Pettway to offer testimony of what they not only saw first hand but also heard, something you nor I can do.

Carlos said...

If the military deems a court martial unwinnable, they can always opt for non-judicial punishment, which consists of a unit commander dispensing punishment at his discretion, without much more than hearing Pettway's story and doing a little research.

You're right - Irony is not important to the law, but the facts are. Even if the dude called Pettway names, Pettway's assualt was unwarranted, and illegal - Period. And the burden of proof during NJP is pretty much non-existent. Someone writes up charges, the commander here's them, and does what he thinks is prudent. I can't imagine a squadron or wing commander letting this slide without some sort of significant punishment. But...the day-to-day military has gotten pretty soft in recent years, so who knows. They may let the guy slide because he's a nice guy and was subject to a big ol' meanie.