Marine veteran faces hearing on discharge status for wearing uniform at protest rally

I just ran accorss this you tube video allegedly shot while he gave a protest speech inside a mess hall in german. If tru and the video is real they should have tried him for subversion.

You Tube Video

Now I know darn well it is against regulations to portest on base.

I found another link confirming this took place and this is what caused him to be busted to corporal so he was charged but not as he should have if you ask me. GD traitor

Source

[edit on 6/5/2007 by shots]

This morning on the radio (KMBZ) there was a caller that claimed to have been deployed with Kokesh in '04-05. He said when Kokesh returned from Iraq he was detained for bringing back war trophies. Iraqi pistols and other items. He missed his deployment in '06 as he was still under investigation.

If this is accurate it seems Kokesh has been acting in retaliation. He has stated in an interview he was not satisfied with the ruling. I suspect this will not be the end of his parade.

Originally posted by apc
He said when Kokesh returned from Iraq he was detained for bringing back war trophies. Iraqi pistols and other items. He missed his deployment in '06 as he was still under investigation.

That was mentioned earlier in the thread by another and I thought that was the reson he got demoted but I now know he was demoted for last months action in the Mess hall.

He better stop while he is ahead. The army could dig deeper and find more stuff on him, well that is assuming he is not discharged before.

According to yesterdays first article it will take two weeks for the general to release his verdict to either up hold or perhaps order another hearing, therefore I would not make waves if I was in his shoes just yet because he is still in the IRR and subject to the UCMJ until released from military service.

I just read that article posted by shots -

I found this paragraph laughable, even for me -

The defense attorneys also said Kokesh was not subject to military rules during the protest because he was not on active duty.

They said the protest was a theatrical performance, which meant wearing a uniform was not a violation of military rules. The military considered it a political event, at which personnel are not allowed to wear their uniforms without authorization.

LOL. Now, I wouldn't even go there. I'm still holding my breath to see what the final verdict is. Good Job to shots and those who found other stuff. I'm not saying kokesh is a saint or anything, but I do believe strongly that he wasn't subject to the UCMJ at the time of the protest. I could be wrong, but we'll see.

And Muaddib - I love the Navy dude. I don't agree with the administration, and certain people who make up the Navy. And for the record, I stated earlier in this thread that I wouldn't protest in uniform - I have more respect for my uniform then that.

And hey, if anyones interested - this is a picture of me with Lee Ermy. You can check my myspace profile also, all the info is accurate. It was taken onboard the USS Nimitz while we in the persian gulf when I was an AT3 with HS-6.
THE Marine

- zeeon

Originally posted by zeeon

I'm still holding my breath to see what the final verdict is.


- zeeon

here's the latest report,
yesterday, Wednesday June 6th, the 3 board review
recommended a 'General Discharge'
for the uniform infraction,
also the obscenity he e-mailed to two superior officers
including a Brig-Gen who was on the review hearing board!!...

see: news.yahoo.com...


the appeal was denied, but that too, will be reviewed in the coming days/weeks



/////////////////////////////////////

in earlier posts about this man, i mentioned that he would view his acts as only "street theatre" or performance art...

in earlier posts i suggested that he was also attempting to garner his '15-minutes of fame'...with two motives in mind...
to gain a following as the retirement of Cindy Sheehan leaves a 'vacuum'

also, that a general discharge, would have the effect of reclassifying
his service/re-enlistment code...so that he would never be assigned
to active duty or activated during his required stints in the reserves.

the man had a plan,
but he needed some clear thinking advice, which he didn't get from
the veterans-against-war crowd...if he even asked them for guidance...
Kokesh was/is his own worst enemy
sheeze....e-mail obscenities to Marine Generals (solid evidence), & stating he was not going to obey regulations (hearsay)

[edit on 7-6-2007 by St Udio]

Doing my morning follow ups I found this and thought it could shed some more light on the subject for the naysayers of the thread. Here in his own words he knew what he did with the uniform was wrong

Yet Kokesh himself admitted back on March 20, 2007 that he violated the sanctity of the Marine Corps utility uniform. From Kokesh's own blog and in his own words...

"I feared that violating the sanctity of the Marine Corps utility uniform would be sacrilege. I think if I was still on active duty right now, and was watching fellow former Marine Sergeant and IVAW member Liam Madden marching though the capitol in his utilities, I probably would have called him a (edited profanity) bag". But to not participate when perfectly able would have been to betray myself. In light of the stakes, making a parody of military operations is the pettiest of transgressions."

Kokesh not only fingered his own USMJ violations but he pointed out Liam Madden's (who is also being investigated). Even more damning is his admission that Operation First Casualty was a parody of military operations. But - But - I thought the street theater was an exercise to show people the real situation in Iraq. You mean it was meant as a mockery to the honor of the Marines and the rest of our military fighting in a war? I'm shocked... shocked I tell you.

Source but be forewarned it has not been edited and is not suitable for all

Looks like he had this all planned out only it backfired in his face.

[edit on 6/7/2007 by shots]

This guy's just a clown looking for some attention. They couldn't touch him for the uniform, but he made a big mistake with his letters. He might have gotten away with it if he was Army, Air Force or even Navy, but you don't do that with the Marine Corps. I hope they throw the book at him.

I was a yeoman in the navy YN2(SS) been out since 92. I have mixed feelings on the war, but I believe in the long run this will hurt the military. What are they going to do when several thousand ex serviceman protest at the pentagon in there full uniform. Let's face it over half the country does not support the war and won't care what type of discharge they have when they go to hire them.

Shots,

Good find on the blog. Although it doesn't take a genius to know that wearing your uniform in a protest is a bad idea - I am dismayed to hear about it being a mockery. I was under the implied assumption that it was to get a serious message across, not mockery, or game playing (which it's starting to appear as his original motive). I almost feel betrayed, as someone who tries to stand up for people and our their/our freedoms. I suppose it comes down to the true intentions and meaning behind our actions for me. If he had been true, and honest about his original intentions, then I would be able (and, at first, was able) to look past his transgressions. Now it doesn't appear to be that way.

I have to agree with the other poster who mentioned the letters/dis-respecting the superior officer as inappropriate. Still, I suppose the admin board will issue results and provide us with their findings soon.

I haven't alot of time recently to search for articles on kokesh, but I'd like to know if he has been "awarded" punishment, or what the results of the administrative review are. Anyone know as of yet?

Originally posted by zeeon
I haven't alot of time recently to search for articles on kokesh, but I'd like to know if he has been "awarded" punishment, or what the results of the administrative review are. Anyone know as of yet?

The original story that contained the verdict indicated it could take three weeks until its final.

I myself believe the general will uphold their verdict.

You have to keep in mind only the very best make the Marines and they hold themselves to very high standards. Semper fi, spit and polish, always the first in (well not always but mostly) sometimes navy seals go in first.



[edit on 6/8/2007 by shots]

Originally posted by SourGrapes
Also, 'OTH' is only temporary and can be appealed after a certain amount of time. Ask John Kerry how that's done.

That is an urban legend. You can appeal to have your characterization upgraded, but you have to prove the original characterization was in error.
You can't go from a crappy discharge to honorable just because you ask nicely.

Originally posted by Schaden

You can't go from a crappy discharge to honorable just because you ask nicely.

So how is that any different then what SourGrapes stated? All she said is you can appeal a dischage and that statement is correct. The amout of time you have to appeal it depends on what the offense was as I undertand it though I am not positive.

Well I hate to say it,

but it looks like I was right. The results are in on adam kokesh (as far as I found) and all they could do to him was change his discharge.

I suppose it's still debatable - however as I pointed out (and predicted) earlier in this thread, I said that they wouldn't be able to discipline him - and all they could do was change his discharge...which they did.

The panel even lessend the degree of the discharge and went with a general under honorable rather than an other than honorable.

Still, even though I don't agree with the decision to degrade his discharge, I suppose it could have been worse.

Wikipedia - Adam Kokesh

It has the news links on the decision also (as well as kokesh's appeal which was denied).