Friday, August 21, 2015

Pursuit of the Truth

 Dr. Dan Eichenbaum

When we hear the phrase “military justice,” most of us recall Jack Nicholson in the movie “A Few Good Men” saying, “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth.”

A JAG officer is a commissioned officer who serves as an attorney in the US Military. 

Many JAG officers perform routine tasks such as preparing wills, power of attorney forms, or filling other legal needs of military personnel. As part of the military justice system, they may serve as prosecutors or defense attorneys in trials in which decisions can determine freedom, prison time, or even execution.

In an ideal world and like their civilian counterparts, JAG officers pursue the truth and seek a just verdict based on that reality.

But what if the wheels of military justice were corrupted by the internal politics of the military or political elite? Pursuit of the truth then becomes a pawn in the hands of the oligarchy whose greed and lust for power demands an outcome favorable to their chosen agenda.

That’s when the “truth” becomes a lie used to cover up unwanted and inconvenient facts. Such is the case with “Extortion 17” the largest single loss of life for American forces in the Afghan War and the largest single loss of life event in the history of the US Navy Seals.

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