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Officer released from brig for 'scrounging'
28-year veteran said she would do it againDAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- A former Ohio Army Reserve commander who was court-martialed for taking abandoned Army vehicles in Kuwait so her unit could carry out its mission in Iraq returned home Monday after serving a six-month sentence. Maj. Cathy Kaus defended the actions taken by herself and her fellow soldiers. She said she has applied for clemency. Which she richly deserves. "What we did, we did at that time because we thought we needed to do that," Kaus said at Dayton International Airport, adding that she would do it "all over again" if put in the same circumstances. Kaus, released Monday from a Navy brig in San Diego, said she was convicted of theft, willful neglect, abandonment and conspiracy of abandonment. She was among six Ohio reservists from the Springfield-based 656th Transportation Company who were court-martialed at a time when some U.S. troops in Iraq are complaining they have to scrounge for equipment. Members of the unit said they needed the equipment to deliver fuel to U.S. forces in Iraq for everything from helicopters to tanks. According to one of the reservists who was court-martialed, they took two tractor-trailers and stripped parts from a truck that had been abandoned in Kuwait by other units that had already moved into Iraq. "I think the punishment was a little bit on the unfair side, maybe kind of extreme and kind of harsh," Kaus said. Sens. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, and Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, have asked for clemency for the soldiers. Nice to see nonpartisan support for these soldiers. Clutching a bouquet of red and white carnations, and wearing jeans and a V-neck sweater, Kaus was embraced by friends as she walked past the security checkpoint and into the main part of the airport terminal. A 28-year military veteran, Kaus said she wants to stay in the service and would go back to Iraq. The military punishes her and she's still willing to head out on another tour of duty. I'm thinking we need more soldiers like her. Posted by: Zenster 2004-12-28 |
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