Sends bad message to troops

This morning as I walked to work I passed four Stars and Stripes vending machines that were empty, having already sold out the papers stacked inside each. I wondered what headline had prompted so many to buy a paper so early on this training holiday.

The headline said it all: “Still a colonel” (June 15).

Col. James H. Johnson III had been convicted and admitted guilt to a list of offenses that was extensive and nothing short of scandalously shocking. To read that this gentleman would walk free and retain his rank, pay and allowances was even more shocking at first and once read, digested and understood, simply disappointing.

The leaders responsible for Col. Johnson’s slap on the wrist — fining him a pittance equating to two and a half years’ salary, and allowing him to walk away with millions in pay and allowances over the course of a normal lifespan — failed miserably. By failing to hold the colonel appropriately accountable for his crimes, arrogance and hubris as a corrupt commander, they undercut all confidence that young soldiers have in a “just and equitable judicial system,” and in that act failed the institution of the U.S. Army itself.