Army Vice Chief of Staff General Peter Chiarelli has directed Army commanders to do a better job of getting drug and alcohol offenders into treatment or separated from the Army.

Military Criminal Defense

Any drug use or alcohol abuses are criminal offenses in the military legal system.  Receiving a charge sheet with these offenses, especially on the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan, means our Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors could end up with a federal conviction that will haunt them the rest of their lives.

Treatment or Court-Martial

The Army Times Article, dated June 8, 2009, states the Army is cracking down on violations and emphasizing reporting requirements.  It could mean increased inspections of barracks rooms and more visits to our Soldier’s off-post homes to make cursory evaluations of their living conditions.   If the Army begins inspecting private homes off-post they dangerously verge on stepping over and violating constitutional rights.  They must first have evidence of abuse and request and receive a civil court order to enter the property.  Otherwise, the evidence they seize will likely be inadmissible in any subsequent court-martial proceedings.

Battlefield Stress

Our military members are under extreme stress as they return to the battlefield for their fourth and fifth tours.  It is incumbent on military commanders to safeguard our military men and women and get them the help they need in dealing with the stress.  The Law Firm of Puckett & Faraj, PC, specializing in military criminal defense, would hope the Army focuses on getting these Soldiers into treatment rather than taking them to a court-martial.  Only by treating these unseen wounds will the Army truly be taking care of their own.  We have extensive experience in working with service members who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, as well those who have succumbed to the temptations of illegal drug use or alcohol abuse.

Tags: Military Drug Alcohol Abuse Law Army military commanders court-martial, PTSD

This entry was posted on Monday, June 8th, 2009 at 9:50 am and is filed under Criminal Defense, Law Firm, Military Case, Military Criminal Defense, PTSD, Puckett and Faraj. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.