Army Lt. Lorance.

  By Florida Bill

                        A young lieutenant is sent by his country to Afghanistan.  During patrol in mountainous territory in which Americans on similar patrols have been set upon and slaughtered by hostile forces, he observes three military-aged men on a motorcycle who he presumes to be potential Taliban intending to harm Americans. 
                         The area being patroled was riddled with land mines and on "high alert" because of hostilities raging in  that part of the Kandahar province, near Panzai.  The approaching trio on the cycle did not stop or retreat when warning shots were fired, and instead, continued in the direction of the platoon and its nine men.
                          The lieutenant had been cautioned by superiors to be on guard for suicide bombers, for such incidents are common. In a radio communication he had been informed of motorcycle riders in an area frequented by the Taliban.  Everyone was on edge.                           The Taliban enemy cannot be identified by uniform and often are indistinguishable from Afghans who reside peacefully in villages.   To the lieutenant, danger to his platoon, even death, appeared all too imminent. Pondering the situation was not an option.                 
                           At that point, Lt. Clint Lorance, 28, ordered soldiers in his command to "engage" the enemy.  The decision was split second as is required of commanding officers in hostile situations.  The order was carried out and two of the three men were fatally shot, and the third was captured.  It was later determined that the men shot were not armed. 
                         The incident occurred on July 2, 2012.  Twelve months later,  the young officer who had been a soldier since he enlisted after high school, stood before a general court marshal and was found guilty of two counts of second degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years, later lowered to 19 years,  in a military prison.  Soldiers in his command were given immunity from any prosecution and testified that their lieutenant, known to them for only a few days, acted recklessly and considered Afghans in general as America's enemies. 
                           In the days leading up to Lorance taking  command, the platoon had sustained four casualties and among the wounded was Lorence's predecessor who was hit by shrapnel in his abdomen, limbs, eyes and face from a hidden explosive.                                             There is something wrong here.  Lorance believes in his innocence as does his mother, Anna, and hundreds of thousands of Americans who are demanding a retrial and or clemency.  
                          Lt. Lorance is incarcerated at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  He lives his days and nights, believing that his judgment on that day in Afghanistan, was the right one. Is Lt. Lorance a hero who made a split second, life-or-death decision out of concern for the safety of his platoon?  Was his judgment faulty, and if it was, is the lengthy imprisonment of this dedicated officer during time of war the proper adjudication. Was that fair?
                          Fort Leavenworth is a high security facility housing confessed killers and other felons.  In another cell on the same compound, is former army Major Nidal Hasan who shot and killed 13 fellow soldiers and wounded more than 30 others, in an assembly in Fort Hood Texas in 2009.  Hasan committed the assassinations in the name of Islam, and for his terrorism has been convicted of murder and sentenced to death.  Execution awaits rulings on his mandatory appeals. Hasan has acknowledged his guilt and has requested that the death sentence be carried out. Hasan, who has been in communication by letter with ISIS commanders, views himself as a martyr carrying out the will of Allah.   
                      Hasan's planned slaughter of fellow soldiers outraged a nation of Americans, and he was in custody of the military, with a presumption of innocence, for four years before his trial.  In that period he received food and medical care and drew his salary of an estimated $300,000. His conviction was in 2014. 
                       Lt. Lorance, 28, was given command of his platoon just four days before the incident for which he has been imprisoned. The officer he replaced had been seriously wounded in attacks by the Taliban.   Lorance had been a soldier for 10 years, joining the army upon graduation from high school.  As part of the military, he attended college, graduated with a bachelor's degree and became an officer.  He planned a career in the military, proud of his country and of being an American.
                        Petitions seeking the release of Lt. Lorance are being circulated and his attorneys have recently delivered an official request to the White House asking President Obama for a pardon.  Mrs. Lorance, the lieutenant's mother,  and former Florida Congressman Allan West, who has served with the military in both Iraq and Afghanistan, have also been active in seeking support for the imprisoned soldier.                          
                              It is incredible that Obama does not recognize the injustice accorded this American soldier.  He himself has never served in the military and he has never demonstrated any real concern for America's military and for the men and women who wear a uniform.  Yet, he reached out to bring home Army Sgt. Beau Bergdahl who had allegedly deserted his unit in the mountains of Afghanistan and then either surrendered willingly or was captured by the Taliban where he remained in captivity for four years.
                              To bring that soldier home, President Obama negotiated with terrorists and acted in violation of existing laws.  He did so by releasing five known terrorists who were being held at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Bergdahl.  He announced that Sgt. Bergdahl was returning home at a Rose Garden ceremony at which the soldier's father, who had grown a full, Taliban style beard and had learned the language used by the Taliban,  stood with the President, and said that he was thankful to the merciful Allah.
                              The following day, Obama's National Security Adviser, Susan Rice, announced that Sgt. Bergdahl had served his country "with honor and distinction," The NSA chief lied head on to the Ameican people while speaking on network television and her comments, reportedly, had been approved in advance by President Obama.   Presently, Bergdahl is held in a military prison awaiting trial at a general court marshal, charged with desertion and giving aid to the enemy.  
                               Obama continues to pardon drug users and other felons from federal prisons with questionable justification. When an American marine was arrested by Mexican police for making a wrong turn and then subjected to harassing conditions and held for 214 days in a jail, President Obama was nowhere to be found.                                       Now, with the fate of Lt. Lorance open to question, Commander-in-Chief Obama remains on the sidelines, silent and apparently unconcerned.                  


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