The day I got a letter of apology from a 4 star Army General

[Robert W]

Part of my time in the US Army, I was the company clerk of a Headquarters company. There I had the UCMJ law book in my desk all the time. Naturally as time permitted, I devoured it. I prepared the Company Commanders orders and as he needed, I typed up his orders. Point being I was prepared for the next part of my story. I was discharged and home in CA when one day I got orders sent to my home to go to Army reserve duty. Well, I drove about 30 miles to the unit. Arriving there I saw no person who I should report to. It looked to me like they did not give a damn. After a while, I decided to return home. I later got a notice to go to summer camp for 2 weeks. I ignored it. Later I got another letter to go to summer camp again. With warnings in it. I ignored that. I later got a letter from Army HQ saying I was reduced in rank from E4 to E1 maybe, and more that I have forgot. I found my Federal senator address and sent him the letter to me and told him I worked seasonally in Construction and was married and had 2 small kids. I was not able to afford to lose the time at summer camp or go to meetings. He sent me a letter telling me I was completely excused from more duty in the Reserves. I got a shock later to get a letter from the HQ Commanding general apologizing to me. Also, my full rank was restored, and I still had my good conduct discharge.
My story is true and is posted due to the stuff happening to Mark Kelly. But who can he write to?

 

[JoeB131]

Part of my time in the US Army, I was the company clerk of a Headquarters company. There I had the UCMJ law book in my desk all the time. Naturally as time permitted, I devoured it. I prepared the Company Commanders orders and as he needed, I typed up his orders. Point being I was prepared for the next part of my story. I was discharged and home in CA when one day I got orders sent to my home to go to Army reserve duty. Well, I drove about 30 miles to the unit. Arriving there I saw no person who I should report to. It looked to me like they did not give a damn. After a while, I decided to return home. I later got a notice to go to summer camp for 2 weeks. I ignored it. Later I got another letter to go to summer camp again. With warnings in it. I ignored that. I later got a letter from Army HQ saying I was reduced in rank from E4 to E1 maybe, and more that I have forgot. I found my Federal senator address and sent him the letter to me and told him I worked seasonally in Construction and was married and had 2 small kids. I was not able to afford to lose the time at summer camp or go to meetings. He sent me a letter telling me I was completely excused from more duty in the Reserves. I got a shock later to get a letter from the HQ Commanding general apologizing to me. Also, my full rank was restored, and I still had my good conduct discharge.
My story is true and is posted due to the stuff happening to Mark Kelly. But who can he write to?

Not sure what you are on about, and you don't say when this happened.

You can't be "dishonorably discharged" from the reserves. You can only be listed as an "unsatisfactory participant" and transferred to the IRR (Individual Ready Reserve).

Now, true story. When I was in the IL ARNG, we used to send a lot of guys to the IRR because they didn't show up to drills. But when the Gulf War broke out, our unit wasn't called up, but those guys we sent to IRR were activated to fill out active duty units.

 

[Robert W]

Not sure what you are on about, and you don't say when this happened.

You can't be "dishonorably discharged" from the reserves. You can only be listed as an "unsatisfactory participant" and transferred to the IRR (Individual Ready Reserve).

Now, true story. When I was in the IL ARNG, we used to send a lot of guys to the IRR because they didn't show up to drills. But when the Gulf War broke out, our unit wasn't called up, but those guys we sent to IRR were activated to fill out active duty units.

The story took around 3 months to develop. When it took place is not as important as the fact it did take place. I was discharged from active duty around January 30 of 1964. So the process where the General apologized to me was as I recall now, late summer of 1964. I spent no time at all in reserves other than the first day where I reported and could find nobody to report to.

As to discharges from reserves, The Senator handled it for me. I studied the Gulf war after it ended under Bush senior. General Tommy Franks was there as a one star General then.

 

[BackAgain]

Part of my time in the US Army, I was the company clerk of a Headquarters company. There I had the UCMJ law book in my desk all the time. Naturally as time permitted, I devoured it. I prepared the Company Commanders orders and as he needed, I typed up his orders. Point being I was prepared for the next part of my story. I was discharged and home in CA when one day I got orders sent to my home to go to Army reserve duty. Well, I drove about 30 miles to the unit. Arriving there I saw no person who I should report to. It looked to me like they did not give a damn. After a while, I decided to return home. I later got a notice to go to summer camp for 2 weeks. I ignored it. Later I got another letter to go to summer camp again. With warnings in it. I ignored that. I later got a letter from Army HQ saying I was reduced in rank from E4 to E1 maybe, and more that I have forgot. I found my Federal senator address and sent him the letter to me and told him I worked seasonally in Construction and was married and had 2 small kids. I was not able to afford to lose the time at summer camp or go to meetings. He sent me a letter telling me I was completely excused from more duty in the Reserves. I got a shock later to get a letter from the HQ Commanding general apologizing to me. Also, my full rank was restored, and I still had my good conduct discharge.
My story is true and is posted due to the stuff happening to Mark Kelly. But who can he write to?

As a Trump supporter, I will say this about Sen. Kelly:

I wish SecWar Hegseth and President Trump would simply withdraw their actions against Kelly’s military rank and record. What Sen. Kelly said was wrong in spirit. But it wasn’t actually a recommendation to disobey orders.

Let me give a very far fetched example:

Suppose a soldier received an “order” to round up Jewish citizens (or Black Americans or maybe Japanese Americans) to house them safely in camps. At risk of being charged with disobeying an order, the soldier determines that such an order is completely illegal, morally wrong and unconstitutional and therefore the soldier respectfully declines to comply with that order

Far fetched? God, I hope so. But I’d side with the soldier.

That said, there is nothing in the orders our servicemen (like national guardsmen) have gotten, to assist ICE Agents, which qualifies as a similarly illegal order.

 

[Robert W]

As a Trump supporter, I will say this about Sen. Kelly:

I wish SecWar Hegseth and President Trump would simply withdraw their actions against Kelly’s military rank and record. What Sen. Kelly said was wrong in spirit. But it wasn’t actually a recommendation to disobey orders.

Let me give a very far fetched example:

Suppose a soldier received an “order” to round up Jewish citizens (or Black Americans or maybe Japanese Americans) to house them safely in camps. At risk of being charged with disobeying an order, the soldier determines that such an order is completely illegal, morally wrong and unconstitutional and therefore the soldier respectfully declines to comply with that order

Far fetched? God, I hope so. But I’d side with the soldier.

That said, there is nothing in the orders our servicemen (like national guardsmen) have gotten, to assist ICE Agents, which qualifies as a similarly illegal order.

I am also not for prosecuting Kelly. First it would be a court martial and of course officers would be the judges, and they stick with each other. And on the legal matters, you are correct he did not direct anybody to disobey lawful orders.