ticatfan3
April 11th, 2006, 3:29:14 PM
Published: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
According to Major Harry Schmidt, the U.S. Air Force has ruined his reputation. We would suggest that Maj. Schmidt has done a fine job of ruining it himself.
On April 17, 2002, Maj. Schmidt, an F-16 pilot, was cruising at 20,000 feet over Afghanistan when he observed fiery streaks below. Believing it to be anti-aircraft fire from Taliban forces, he sought permission to attack. Despite being explicitly told by flight control to "hold fire" -- and despite the fact that he was high enough to be effectively immune from ground fire -- Maj. Schmidt swooped in and dropped a 500-pound bomb.
His rogue act of "self-defence" was in fact an attack on Canadian troops performing a training exercise. The consequences were tragic. Four Canadians were killed, and eight others were injured.
Despite the staggering recklessness of Maj. Schmidt's actions -- other pilots told investigators they would simply have soared to a higher altitude and left the area -- it is his attitude since that has spoken worst of his character. Most people who killed four innocents would be ridden with guilt. Not so Maj. Schmidt, who apparently still sees himself as the primary victim.
Last year, he went on American national television to cast himself as a hero -- insisting that he "did the right thing under the circumstances with the information I was given." Now, rather than considering himself fortunate to have had four counts of negligent manslaughter and eight counts of aggravated assault reduced to a single court-martial for dereliction of duty, Maj. Schmidt is suing the U.S. Air Force for releasing the reprimand he received for the bombing.
Maj. Schmidt is a remorseless, despicable character. No matter how far he is prepared to take his grievance in court, the U.S. military should not give an inch. To surrender to his childish moral vanity would be an insult to the memories of the Canadian soldiers who died by his hand.
© National Post 2006
According to Major Harry Schmidt, the U.S. Air Force has ruined his reputation. We would suggest that Maj. Schmidt has done a fine job of ruining it himself.
On April 17, 2002, Maj. Schmidt, an F-16 pilot, was cruising at 20,000 feet over Afghanistan when he observed fiery streaks below. Believing it to be anti-aircraft fire from Taliban forces, he sought permission to attack. Despite being explicitly told by flight control to "hold fire" -- and despite the fact that he was high enough to be effectively immune from ground fire -- Maj. Schmidt swooped in and dropped a 500-pound bomb.
His rogue act of "self-defence" was in fact an attack on Canadian troops performing a training exercise. The consequences were tragic. Four Canadians were killed, and eight others were injured.
Despite the staggering recklessness of Maj. Schmidt's actions -- other pilots told investigators they would simply have soared to a higher altitude and left the area -- it is his attitude since that has spoken worst of his character. Most people who killed four innocents would be ridden with guilt. Not so Maj. Schmidt, who apparently still sees himself as the primary victim.
Last year, he went on American national television to cast himself as a hero -- insisting that he "did the right thing under the circumstances with the information I was given." Now, rather than considering himself fortunate to have had four counts of negligent manslaughter and eight counts of aggravated assault reduced to a single court-martial for dereliction of duty, Maj. Schmidt is suing the U.S. Air Force for releasing the reprimand he received for the bombing.
Maj. Schmidt is a remorseless, despicable character. No matter how far he is prepared to take his grievance in court, the U.S. military should not give an inch. To surrender to his childish moral vanity would be an insult to the memories of the Canadian soldiers who died by his hand.
© National Post 2006