If you would've asked me a year ago if I saw this happening I would've told you no. You're crazy! We knew about the case but my husband's obvious innocence was at the forefront of our minds. We couldn't imagine someone ever believing such obvious and blatant lies with no proof or clear cut evidence. Little did we know that military trials are much different from civilian ones. First of all, only 3/4 of the panel has to agree to find someone guilty or innocent. The panel members oftentimes already have their mind made up before the trial ever starts. And these are not a "jury of your peers" these are higher ranking people. My husband was only an E4. In a military trial there seems to be less of a need to prove something beyond a reasonable doubt because the defendant is often considered guilty unless proven innocent, which is pretty difficult to do when DNA evidence does not have to be presented to convict someone.I do not wish to berate the military. I am very proud of my husband's service. He was in the army for 5 years and served a tour in Afghanistan before his conviction but I am appalled at the lack of support for the spouses of convicted soldiers and the ferocity with which the military will persecute and convict its own. The military is in the midst of downsizing so when my husband's case passed by his batallion's desk to decide whether it would be permanently closed or not it was no surprise they reopened it. Currently men and women are being discharged for missing appointments, failing PT tests...trivial things that had not been used to push someone out of the military before. In my husband's case they took the extreme route; they ruined his life all to make their numbers look better.
When I say lack of support I mean after my husband was convicted and was taken away I was left 8 months pregnant by myself. His unit promised to help me with whatever they could but after about 2 weeks they stopped talking to me. They refused to write letters on my husband's behalf despite knowing him for years and eventually they just ignored me until I called looking for the Sergent Major. A tub full of my husband's personal effects sat at the company for over a month until I called up there looking for them. No one came by the house to check on me. No one called me. On the same note, my husband's JAG lawyers filed for a pay deferral on my behalf which would allow for my husband's pay to come to me for another 6 months. They felt that me being so pregnant and soon to be out of a job I stood a pretty good chance of getting it. After over a month of no answer the Commander General finally came back and said he had denied it. Why? He never offered an explanation. I suppose my son and I weren't that much of a concern to him but my world had fallen apart. As it was, I had to move home to Ohio and in with my mother. She's helping support my son and I until I can get a job. I had to do my own research to find out if we still received medical benefits. For the record, we do until the appeals process is over. But my husband's own commander couldn't even tell me for sure. There are no support groups on base and no voice for spouses in my situation. We are treated like we never existed and pushed aside. I am making this blog to let other spouses who are in my situation know that you are not alone. You are no forgotten and just because the court martial process is taboo in the military there are people affected by it and we don't deserve to be treated like a disease.
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