US SERVICE MEMBER AT RAMSTEIN AIRBASE GEAR UP TO FIGHT UCMJ ABUSE
Edward Carter was an African American recipient of the Medal of Honor who wouldn’t let the rules deny him the chance to see combat. Born to missionaries serving in Shanghai, China, Carter’s first taste of combat came at the ripe young age of 15 when he lied about his age to fight during the Sino-Japanese war that erupted in 1932.
For many, Ramstein Air Base in Germany might seem like a relic of a Cold War long past. However, the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia has put the security situation in Europe back in focus and Ramstein Air Base is likely to see more troops pass through than it has in decades. With that influx of personnel, you can expect that run-ins with the UCMJ will increase as well and military service members must gear up and keep watch against the abuse and misuse of the UCMJ. That’s because the military justice system does not exist for the purpose of pursuing justice. Rather, the military justice system exists to preserve military order and discipline. For that to work, some poor service member must be made a public example of if you’re not ready for the fight, that example might be made out of you. It’s unfortunate, because should a Cold War go hot, the military service members who know who to bend the occasional rule are the same ones who thrive in the chaotic combat environment. If you need any evidence of that fact, you need not look further than a field not too far from Ramstein in World War 2 Germany.
Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome The Rules When Needed
Edward Carter was an African American recipient of the Medal of Honor who wouldn’t let the rules deny him the chance to see combat. Born to missionaries serving in Shanghai, China, Carter’s first taste of combat came at the ripe young age of 15 when he lied about his age to fight during the Sino-Japanese war that erupted in 1932. He was booted when they found out about his age, but that still wouldn’t deter him. In 1936, he found himself fighting during the Spanish Civil War.
After his unit was forced to flee Spain when the war went out of their favor, he eventually returned to the United States as a highly experienced combat veteran in his early 20’s. Sensing the opportunity to see combat once again, Carter enlisted in the United States Army in September of 1941. Unfortunately, policies on African Americans in combat would see him relegated to a supply role.
Carter would continue to serve faithfully and was promoted to Staff Sergeant within a year due to his experience and natural leadership. By December of 1944, combat arms began to run short of replacements and General Eisenhower opened up the opportunity for rear echelon soldiers of any race to get into the fight. As you would imagine, Carter was up for the challenge.
In March of 1945, Carter was riding on top of a tank through a German forest not far from Ramstein when the tank was hit by a bazooka in an ambush. Carter quickly dismounted and organized the men to fight through the ambush. The enemy fire was withering and eventually, Carter found himself as the lone soldier standing, despite receiving 5 different wounds. That’s
when 8 German soldiers decided to move in for the kill. Despite his wounds, Carter killed 6 and captured the other 2 all by himself. When other German soldiers arrived, Carter escaped the kill zone by using his two German prisoners as cover. Some say that was against the rules of war, but Carter did what was needed to survive and would many years later receive the Medal of Honor for his actions.
At Bilecki Law Group, we have one of the top computer forensic experts on our team, so there is no need to find an outsider who may or may not have the required expertise or ability to work well with our team. Â
Fighting Back Against Bogus Charges Under the UCMJ
We highlight the story of Edward Carter because even if what he did with the prisoners was against the rules, few would say that he was wrong for what he did. After all, it was the Germans that were shooting at their fellow soldiers and he was just walking behind them. Moreover, it was only after a 1990’s review of minority service members records that Carter would receive his due honor. Sadly, he passed three decades earlier without any knowledge that he would receive the nation’s highest military honor. It goes to show that the military doesn’t always get it right and you may very well find yourself on the wrong end of the military justice system out of Ramstein Air Base this very minute. We won’t take this sitting down and we’ll fight for you as hard as Edward Carter fought for this nation.
Below you’ll find just a few of the charges we fight and defend on your behalf and we think you’ll quickly see that we don’t scare any more easily than Edward Carter. We take the cases other military defense attorneys flee from and most importantly, we win.
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UCMJ Article 120 or Article 134 (Sex offenses) -
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.
Unfortunately for good men and women, the current climate to root out sexual assault in the military is creating some serious collateral damage. Allegations are being treated as objective fact and despite the fact that convictions cannot be secured due to lack of evidence, careers are still being ruined. If you’ve been wrongly charged out of Ramstein Air Base, you need to fight back if you want any chance of saving your military career.
UCMJ Article 121 (Fraud and Larceny) -
We defend cases such as conspiracy to defraud the military, BAH fraud, OHA fraud, extortion, larceny, wrongful appropriation, and more. BAH fraud is one of the more common frauds we defend against and oftentimes, it’s just a young service member making a silly mistake.
When stationed in a foreign country, the opportunity for language barriers or cultural norms to be misunderstood are exacerbated. There could be a reasonable explanation for the accusation for extortion or wrongful appropriation and we’ll fight to get that truth known.
UCMJ Article 128 (Assault and Violent Crime) -
We represent service members facing charges including murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, assault, and cases involving self-defense and defense of another. This is another area where cultural norms and misunderstandings can lead to brawls and other acts of violence.
Unfortunately, what starts out as a simple soldier’s fight turns into something much more serious when a makeshift weapon like a pool cue or beer bottle gets involved. Look, if war does break out in Europe, we are going to need men and women who are not afraid of a fight. A simple altercation shouldn’t end your military career, but if you don’t fight back against the military justice system, that may very well be the case.
UCMJ Article 112a (Drug Crimes) -
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.
In Germany, possession of minor amounts of marijuana are rarely prosecuted as moves to legalize the drug for recreational use gain steam. For our service members who may get caught up with marijuana, they are offered no such grace. We fight to make sure drug charges don’t hold and we certainly fight to make sure they don’t end your military career. We literally have Medal of Honor recipients who acknowledged they were high on marijuana when they committed their gallant acts.
Punitive Articles of the UCMJ 77-134 (Military Specific Offenses) -
These include charges such as fraternization, unauthorized absence (AWOL), disobeying a lawful order, conduct unbecoming an officer, and much more. Service members stationed on foreign soil are often disproportionately penalized for minor infractions because commands don’t want the wrath of the local population when a soldier does something stupid off base.
There are plenty of cases where a behavior would be easily tolerated stateside and then result in the end of one’s military career when on foreign soil. Some of the charges we see are just plain silly and they are the result of a fearful command rather than the egregious behavior of any service member.
How To Fight Back And Win Against UCMJ Abuse Out Of Ramstein Air Base
Unless you want to become the military justice system’s latest example, you need to be ready to fight for your career, retirement, and freedom. You need to have a hunger for the fight just as passionate as Edward Carter and you need an attorney with an equal thirst for the fight. We put together a defense so aggressive that it’s almost a sin not to call it an offense. There is a reason why clients fly us in from all over the world to defend their cases and Ramstein is no exception.
Namesake and founder Tim Bilecki spent years inside the military justice system working as a senior defense attorney for the U.S. Army. He knows first hand just how stacked the deck is against the defense and he knows how to fight back. He’s not worried about his own military career as is the case for many free Defense JAG attorneys. He will shred any witness the prosecution puts on the stand to pieces, and he doesn’t care how much brass is on their shoulder
Bilecki fights for you, your family, your career, and your freedom. If you are facing charges out of Ramstein, reach out to us and we’ll give you a free strategy defense session. The reality is that if you are facing the military justice system, you have a fight whether you want it or not. If you don’t fight back, the military justice system will roll over you. Reach out to us and get us into that fight on your behalf.
