In the newsroom: Escape shines light on military policies
Published: August 20, 2009
Our whiskey-tango-foxtrot story of the day comes from Germany, where a Special Forces soldier escaped early Thursday hours after he was convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault. Stripes' Seth Robson reports that Sgt. 1st Class Kelly A. Stewart was not in confinement, rather he was spending the night in a hotel room, accompanied by a military "escort,awaiting sentencing on Thursday. When his escort woke up, Stewart was gone. If you're thinking that sounds pretty absurd, you're not alone.
“He’s an angry animal and not a human,” said the 29-year-old victim, standing outside the Vilseck courthouse Thursday morning after learning he had disappeared. “I know how dangerous he is. It’s impossible to believe that they left him alone last night.”
The U.S. military and German police are trying to track down Stewart. And Stars and Stripes is trying to track down just how the military could let something like this happen. Some initial snooping suggests it's not a completely isolated incident.
Check back to see where this story goes.
It's Super Thursday in Afghanistan where millions defied threats of violence to cast their ballot for president and other high-profile positions. Of course, many millions stayed home and safe, their fingers free of the telling purple ink. For Americans, in Afghanistan and in the States, the questions is simple: Does it really matter at all?
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs came out today and said the election won't change U.S. policy in the country. And a Washington Post/CBS poll released this week showed Americans' support for the war declining and only a third believethe electionswill bring an effective government to Afghanistan. And most certainly don't want to see more U.S. troops sent into the fight.
Pentagon correspondent Kevin Baron today traveled down to the Marine Corps' Gruntworks facility near Quantico as the Marines highlighted the advancements in gear and weaponry since 2003. Check back in the next few days to see Baron's breakdown of the 2009 Marine versus the 2003 Marine.
