The young 'White Stud' was merely reprimanded
for obvious insubordination by breaking established 'proper channels' rules of the SAF,
which is made known to every Rank and File from Day ONE in the
SAF.
In more established Armies, Officers have been charged for
questioning a point of Principle that is according to the Law,
compared to this 'White
Stud' was merely got off with a reprimand that is no more
then a 'slap on the
wrist'.
Army officer charged with
insubordination
By Ben Dobbin
The Associated Press
ROCHESTER, N.Y. Capt. Steve McAlpin, a longtime Army reservist,
displays a faded photograph of himself at age 5, decked out in
military garb, complete with plastic helmet and toy machine
gun.
Serving the United States is what "I've been wanting to do for my
entire life," McAlpin, 44, said yesterday, his voice trembling with
emotion.
This week, McAlpin, who spent most of last year deployed in
Afghanistan, learned he is facing insubordination charges that
could abruptly end his 25-year military career.
His breach of discipline: questioning the legality of a waiver his
battalion was asked to sign that would put his unit back in a
combat zone after just 11 months at home. Under federal
law, he pointed out, troops are allowed a 12-month
"stabilization period."
McAlpin was notified in a memorandum Wednesday that he was being
removed from the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion's battle roster. He
said he could face other punishment, including a court martial and
losing rank.
Members of the 401st will be deployed for duty overseas Wednesday.
The commander, Lt. Col. Phillip Carey, charges in his memo that
McAlpin had a "negative attitude" and was being "insubordinate
towards the leadership" of the 401st.
"We signed up to fight our nation's enemies and we are fully
prepared to do that," McAlpin said. "But if they're going to usurp
the laws of this country at the expense of our most precious asset,
our soldiers, then I will not stand for that, not for a
minute."
About a dozen other officers refused to sign the waiver, as well as
four enlisted soldiers called to redeploy, McAlpin said.
"Soldiers are proud to serve any time, anywhere. I'd go tomorrow,"
McAlpin said from his Victor, N.Y., home. "But I have four soldiers
that don't want to go."
The memorandum commands McAlpin to clear up his affairs at the unit
by Monday, when it bans him from battalion grounds. It also
transfers him to the Individual Ready Reserves, whose soldiers can
be called up in the event of a national emergency.
Instead of signing the reprimand document, McAlpin attached a note
of protest, stating his performance evaluations have been excellent
and that his record shows "no pattern of incompetence." He also
plans to meet with a military attorney.
McAlpin served in Bosnia in 1996. Last year in Afghanistan, he was
a liaison to local warlords, coordinated humanitarian-relief
supplies and organized an English-language teaching program.
"I'm looking at something I love more than just about anything my
service to the Army and my fellow soldiers and they're trying to
stab me in the back," McAlpin said.
In Iraq and Afghanistan, he said, "we need every soldier we can
muster," but he said the military should also "honor soldiers that
have gone already" by giving them "a break from the hazards of
combat."
A spokesman for the 401st, Capt. Brian Earley, said McAlpin's
questioning of the waiver was only one reason he was being
disciplined. Individual members of the 401st are allowed to refuse
to sign the waiver, but Earley said McAlpin was "butting in" for
other soldiers.
"People who were on the mission, who wanted to go, he was
questioning their orders," Earley said. "He was pursuing a
non-issue."
Earley said the military was also taking action because of "an
accumulation of things," including difficulties in one of his
previous missions to Afghanistan. He declined to elaborate.
"There's a lot of soldiers we're not sending because they have one
issue or another," Earley said. "It's important that we put
together a solid team. Not all soldiers are ready, even though they
think they are, to deploy."
