Rapist Gets Military Funeral

I don't think it's right he was buried with military honors. Rape is a heinous crime, the man was a cowardly scumbag. The military needs to change their policy regarding this. Mr. Bachus is right on with his comments.

Wow...simply wow.

OK *maybe* if this guy had apologized to Jenny Bush and his other victims to show that he acknowledges what he did was wrong...THEN take the military burial into consideration.

Otherwise if he has no regrets or no knowledge that what he did was wrong, then no. He does not deserve the military burial. Spencer is on the money with that.

The military burial is for honorable women and men.

He is certainly dishonorable.

Gross.

I agree that the policy does need to be reviewed.

But.... it is an opinion not an actual news article, and it does stray a bit and drag in some irrelevant information regarding the reported lack of action on rapes against military personnel. Not sure why that is even part of the piece.... I hope the writer wasn't using the title to further an agenda.

The suicide was in 2004, not recently.

I didn't get that either. I read the opinion piece wondering why it was written now and not 3 years ago.

He did not deserve the honor of a military burial!

It's being written now because a bill to change military funeral policy ("Jenny's Law") is going to be introduced in both the House and Senate the coming weeks because of this particular incident.


I don't see how that other information is "irrelavant". The author is pointing out that the military has a history of ignoring sexual assault and command rape within its ranks. While we all agree that a veteran who is a rapist is horrendous and dishonors the military and his/her country by his/her actions, because of the military's own current actions of ignoring it or not helping/punishing the victims, it seems like they might not agree that it is dishonorable.

Just to be clear, I'm not trying to bash the military. I just feel that this is a serious issue that needs to be investigated and policies either need to be put in place and/or changed.

Tricia

I just don't see how rapes going unreported in the military has anything to do with a law being passed now regarding crimes that took place by a civilian that happened to be a vet.

Ah, thanks for pointing that out. I should quit trying to read things when I'm tired. Comprehension level and all.........

I agree with the opinion piece. We honor those whose service was to uphold the liberties and human rights that we hold so dear.
Off topic, I feel that Jenny and the other girls are true warriors in their own fight for justice!

I've been giving this topic some thought and I'm really torn about this.

Being in the army is a job, just like any other job out there. Anyone employed by the government "serves their country." The only difference between a plumber employed by the federal government and a soldier is that the soldier puts his life on the line by going to war, while a plumber will keep the pipes running freely between the east and west coasts. And because a soldier goes to war and puts his life on the line, his position within the government payroll holds a higher esteem that that plumber.

From that article this person served in the Gulf War. It doesn't however go on to discuss his "character" back then or if he had been in trouble with the law before or during his time in the US army.

It is entirely possible that this aberrant behaviour started after he returned from war and was discharged. Now, I'm not defending him, because what he did to these women and children was very wrong, but those who serve actively in a war and see frontline action, can be affected in some very negative ways. And it's entirely possible that he may have been a fine upstanding man at that point in time.

One in eight soldiers returning from war suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but only about 1/2 will seek help. And the army does not require a returning soldier to go through counselling, and often even abandons them upon their return once they are discharged, and sometimes even before.

To show mental instability is a sign of weakness and deeply frowned upon in such jobs where you need to have your emotions deeply under control and there is peer pressure, so that combined deters many from seeking the help they need to deal with their thoughts and feelings.

This man served his country, just like any other soldier out there, and that does qualify him for a military funeral regardless of whether some think it's right or not.

I don't condone what he did to these women and children, but until I know more about his background and what lead him to do these aberrant actions, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he in fact was not like this as a soldier and that this came about as a result of his war experiences.

Scumbag indeed.

I get the impression from the article that if he had been sentenced to life in prison, he wouldn't have gotten a military service. If that's true, then a simple fix would be to start sentencing rapists to life in prison like they deserve.

I understand them not wanting to deny people a military funeral for some crimes (assault, shoplifting, whatever) but rape is right up there with murder in terms of wrong, so if they make exceptions then they should make exceptions for this too.