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I was so facinated by this article from the national post today. You would think that soldiers are trained to be strong, fearless and cruel. Any signs of pity makes them weak. I was moved by this article, because finally, the Americans are begging the Canadians for forgiveness and secondly, it shows how tragedy bring out beauty.
Click the extended link for the article.
Umbach wins more sympathy than Schmidt
Michael Friscolanti
National Post
Friday, January 24, 2003
BARKSDALE AFB, La. - Canadians who lost their loved ones in a friendly fire blast last April said they were largely unmoved by the unexpected apology from the U.S. fighter pilot who unleashed the bomb.
Major Harry Schmidt, the former Top Gun instructor who pulled the trigger, and his wingman, Major Bill Umbach, both said yesterday they were "truly sorry" for what happened in the skies above Afghanistan.
But grieving relatives said Maj. Schmidt appeared more interested in justifying his actions than in asking for forgiveness.
"Major Umbach touched me in a place I didn't even think was reachable at this point," said Miranda Boutilier, whose fianc? Private Richard Green, died in the blast. "Major Schmidt didn't hit that part of my heart."
The apologies came at the end of a military pre-trial that will recommend whether the two pilots should be court-martialed for their alleged crimes on Apr. 17, 2002, when Maj. Schmidt, who mistook a Canadian live-fire training drill for an enemy attack, dropped a laser-guided bomb in "self-defence."
The airmen, whom the U.S. military said should simply have evacuated the area when they noticed the machine-gun fire, have been charged with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter, eight counts of aggravated assault and one count of dereliction of duty.
Before the pilots issued their first-ever public apologies, their lawyers ushered Colonel Patrick Rosenow, the military judge overseeing the Article 32 hearing, to a nearby tarmac where he climbed into the cockpit of a waiting F-16.
The airmen's' lawyers -- who had the fighter jet flown in this week -- hoped the impromptu tour would give the colonel a better idea of the cramped spaces that the pilots endured during their long missions from Kuwait to Afghanistan and back. He was also shown the HUD and targeting pods -- four inches by four inches -- that the pilots would have looked at in the minutes leading up to the blast.
The defence team also introduced an array of sworn statements from the pilots' co-workers, who corroborated the airmen's claims that a communications breakdown that began at the highest levels of the Air Force ultimately caused the accident.
"I would say getting information about friendly operations was an ongoing battle," said Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Coan, one of the pilots' commanders during their deployment for Operation Enduring Freedom.
Not only did ground forces did not have to tell the Air Force about specific live-fire training exercises, he said, but the nerve centre that ran the Afghanistan air war issued such cryptic intelligence that it probably would not have shown up.
The airmen's co-pilots also discussed how crews were briefed about a Navy Seal was "gutted" by the Taliban when his helicopter was shot down in the fall of 2001.
"I do not believe it is reasonable or even possible to second guess a pilot's self-defense decisions in a combat situation," Captain Brett Paola wrote.
But the highlight of yesterday's testimony -- after nine days of 18 witnesses, nearly 200 exhibits and countless classified sessions -- occurred when Maj. Umbach walked up to the witness stand and slowly began to read the names of the Edmonton-based paratroopers who were killed and injured in the friendly fire bombing.
"I fear that any words of mine will be weak, because nothing that anyone can do can undo what happened," said the 43-year-old pilot. "I know that I will never understand the depth of your grief."
"If I could turn back time, I would," he added. "But since I cannot I want you to know that I am truly sorry."
Maj. Schmidt -- who has never spoken publicly about his last night in the cockpit of an F-16 -- told the hearing that he "sincerely regrets" that the accident ever occurred.
"My heart goes out to the families of the men killed and injured in what can only be described as a tragic accident in the 'fog of war,'" he said, his hands shaking as he spoke. "I had to make that decision with what I now know with the acuity of 20/20 hindsight was imperfect information."
Reading quickly, Maj. Schmidt recalled in great detail how he and Maj. Umbach felt "ambushed," and how radar controllers failed to give them timely information about who was firing below.
"Because such an event in a combat area would have been so unusual and unexpected, information about such training would be the type of information we would note so we could avoid it," said the 37-year-old, who more than once appeared on the verge of tears. 'This lack of information is the one link in the chain, which if corrected, would surely have avoided this accident."
Maj. Schmidt, who said he "will always regret what happened that night," also read the names of the Canadians who were killed and wounded by his 225-kg bomb.
"As a family man myself with a wife and two young boys, I can only imagine how difficult it is for they and their families to grapple with the fact these men volunteered to serve their country and were killed in a wartime accident," he said. "I sincerely want them to know that my heart goes out to them and that I am truly sorry for their loss."
Some of the dead soldiers' relatives, who spent the past two weeks watching the Article 32 on television screens far away from the hearing room, said they considered Maj. Umbach's statement to be heartfelt and earnest. However, they said it appeared Maj. Schmidt was more interested in justifying his actions than apologizing to the people those actions have forever changed.
"Major Umbach I felt was very sincere," said a crying Claire LŽQer, whose son, Sergeant Marc LŽQer, died in the explosion. "Major Schmidt, I have to say, I felt he was offering a defence of himself first. I know his job's on the line but those are our son's lives on the line, I'm sorry."
Agatha Dyer, who lost her son, Ainsworth, felt the same way.
"Major Umbach, he break my heart," she said. "I really feel he meant what he said, he really touch me. I don't have no remorse about Major Schmidt. He was trying to defend himself before he tell us he was sorry."
Marley LŽQer, Sgt. LŽQer's widow, also said it was "Maj. Umbach who really got me deep inside," but she clearly accepted both pilots' pleas for forgiveness.
"I would just like to say thank you," she said last night. "I appreciate your apologies and they are accepted. They are very much appreciated and very much needed."
The case is now in the hands of Colonel Patric Rosenow, who must weigh the evidence he has heard over the past two weeks and submit a report outlining what disciplinary action -- if any -- the pilots should face.
His recommendations, however, are not binding. Col. Rosenow, who has an unlimited amount of time to prepare his report, must submit his findings to Lieutenant-General Bruce Carlson, the commander of the 8th Air Force.
The general, after weighing the colonel's submission, will ultimately decide the next step, which could range from dismissing the charges to ordering a full military court-martial.
It could be months before that decision is ever made.