Columbus AFB
Columbus AFB 14th Student Squadron Fails To Teach Pilots How To Fight a Military Court Martial
The mission Columbus AFB’s 14th Student Squadron is “ensuring student pilots have everything they need to become both officers and pilots while providing unrivaled academic and simulator training.” While that is a fine mission and we have no doubt that the nation is safer for their efforts, there is a gap in training that we see throughout the United States Military. That gap is that most schools fail to teach service members how to fight back against the military justice system. That is primarily because the military does not want them to fight. The military justice system is looking for “good boys and girls” to just lay down and get rolled over on command.
It is ironic because the desire to get put into the fight courses throughout military aviation history. Most Americans know who actor Jimmy Stewart is and that is of course the 1940’s actor who played the lead role in the 1946 movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. It is a holiday classic, but what few know is that just 2 years prior to filming that movie, Jimmy Stewart was bombing the hell out of the Nazis in a B-24 Liberator. Now, this is an even more remarkable feat when you consider that the military didn’t want him to fight at all.
Prior to WW2, Stewart was already a famous actor and the military wanted him to be a faux pilot for PR purposes. But Stewart wouldn’t lay down. He fought and argued and pulled every string possible to get into the fight. Finally, because Stewart wouldn’t quit raising hell just to get into the fight, they relented and sent him to Europe. There, he led over 20 sorties over enemy territory to include a bombing raid on Berlin itself. The actor was no dog and pony show as he was a bon-a-fide calm and collected killer in the sky.
The story becomes even more fascinating when it has now been revealed that some Jimmy Stewart’s complete freak out scenes in It’s a Wonderful Life were actually Stewart having some legit PTSD breakdowns as a result of his time in combat. Moreover, Stewart would go on to remain in the newly formed Air Force Reserve and rise to the rank of Brigadier General. Not too bad for a guy who just wanted to fight, but the military wanted to do the exact opposite.
The moral of the story as it pertains to the court martial process is that when the military justice system wants you to stay out of the fight, that is your cue to get into the fight. The 14th Training Squadron is doing an amazing job turning out pilots, but it is not preparing them for what to do when abuse and misuse of the UCMJ comes looking their way. If you are stationed out of Columbus AFB and you are under investigation or facing a court martial, the next few minutes of reading could prove the most consequential of your entire career.
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Abuse and Misuse of the UCMJ Occurs At Columbus AFB
We know this to be true because abuse and misuse of the UCMJ takes place in every U.S. military station around the world. It is a logical outcome to be expected when you impute Commands with neat total authority and staff those commands with imperfect humans. The problem is that training schools like the 14th out of Columbus have a tendency to communicate that the military justice system doesn’t make mistakes.
The outcome of that teaching is that good men and women who serve are under the impression that the honorable to do is take their charge and consequences without a fight. Sadly, it is only then that they realize that the military justice system has levied life altering punishments that they can never undo. It is only then that they realize the military justice system wasn’t looking for justice after all, but that they were looking to make an example out of you for the sake of military order and discipline. It’s not fair. It’s not right and it certainly doesn’t lead to a wonderful life.
What Kind of UCMJ Charges Can I Fight?
As we mentioned earlier, the military justice system doesn’t teach you how to fight back because a fight is the last thing they want. That’s why at Bilecki Law Group, we give them the exact thing they were trying to avoid. We give them a fight and we fight at every turn. Moreover, we don’t run from the more serious charges like many military defense attorneys. Below you’ll find a list of some of the charges we defend and you’ll quickly see that we don’t scare easily.
These cases can include rape, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, abusive sexual contact, sexual assault of a minor, indecent viewing, indecent recording, forcible pandering, indecent exposure, and other Article 120 and Article 120(c) offenses. Victims of sexual assault deserve justice, but what is happening to good men and women in the military right now does not deliver that justice.
The current culture and climate is such that an allegation is being treated as evidence and careers are ruined on the basis of a lie. Even cases that don’t have enough evidence for a court martial are still ruining careers through administrative separation. Think about that for a second. There is no evidence for a trial, but they are still treating you as guilty. If you are innocent of these charges or you don’t feel the full story is being told, your only option is to stand up and fight.
We defend cases such as conspiracy to defraud the military, BAH fraud, OHA fraud, extortion, larceny, wrongful appropriation, and more. In the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, every time a bell rings an Angel gets its wings. In the military, every time a bell rings some dirtbag is running off with missing gear and blaming it on someone else.
We defend fraud and larceny cases with the majority of cases revolving around BAH fraud. That’s because some overzealous military investigator fancies himself the next Sherlock Holmes and they think they’ve cracked the case of giant BAH heist. Meanwhile, it is often just a young Airman who made a mistake or was doing their best to provide for their young family. There is always more to the story and we make sure that story gets told to the powers that be.
We represent service members facing charges including murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, assault, and cases involving self-defense and defense of another. The fact that Jimmy Steward was suffering PTSD while filming a movie that nearly every American family has seen should garner some empathy and understanding.
That aggression can often manifest itself back stateside and when a simple fight turns ugly when a pool cue or beer bottle gets involved, some of our finest warriors can find themselves facing serious charges. Don’t let some JAG prosecutor who has never thrown a punch in their life tell you that what you have done is the worst thing ever and your career should now be over. You can fight Article 128 charges and you can win.
We defend cases involving drug possession, drug distribution, drug importation, drug manufacturing, drug trafficking, positive urinalysis cases, tampering with urinalysis cases, and more. These cases often involve illegal controlled substances such as marijuana, LSD, methamphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy, molly, opioids, analogues, and more.
Columbus resides just down the way from SEC school Mississippi State. Where you have college towns, you have drugs and good Airmen at Columbus often get caught up in the same scene. Unfortunately, the frat boy who brought the drugs will get off without so much as a slap on the wrist. Meanwhile, you find yourself standing tall before the UCMJ. These are serious charges, but it doesn’t have to be the end of your military career.
These include charges such as fraternization, unauthorized absence (AWOL), disobeying a lawful order, conduct unbecoming an officer, and much more. The punitive articles are the military’s catch all for reasons to ruin your career.
When enforced ethically, they can help ensure good order and military discipline. When used in an arbitrary and capricious manner by a vindictive command, they become some of the worst abuses of the UCMJ that we see. Please don’t take this charge because you deem it small only to find out the command was just using it to run you out of the military all along.
If You Want A Wonderful Life You Have To Fight For It
You’ll hear us use this phrase often, but you cannot coexist with a military justice system that is out to destroy you. We understand you were taught that the military justice system doesn’t make mistakes. We know you are honorable and you want to be a team player. However, when the military justice system has its sight set on you, it will roll over you like a tidal wave if you don’t fight for your career and your family.
Namesake and founder Tim Bilecki spent years inside the military justice system as a senior defense counsel and he can tell you first hand that no one is coming to save the day if you don’t fight. Though our office is in Tampa, clients fly Bilecki in from all over the world to defend them and fight on their behalf. That means Columbus AFB is right in the middle of our AOR.
We take the fight to the military justice system and most importantly, we win. If you are under investigation or facing court martial, reach out now and we’ll shoot you straight on exactly what you are facing. The military justice system doesn’t want you to fight which means that is exactly what you need to do. Reach out to us and as long as you are willing to fight, so are we.
