READ THE STORY

  • Sergeant First Class (SFC) Charles Martland is set to be expelled from the United States Army because he was willing to defend a child from horrific sexual abuse and torture.
  • SFC Martland, a Green Beret Bronze Star recipient, faces expulsion from the Army because he intervened to protect a child from an Afghan child-rapist – an Afghan commander allied with U.S. forces who worked on a U.S. military installation.
  • After the young boy’s mother begged for help, SFC Martland and his superior officer, Captain (CPT) Daniel Quinn, confronted the man. The child-predator admitted the crime and then laughed. “It’s just a boy,” he mocked. Deciding to send the man – and others – a message, the soldiers forcibly removed the admitted sexual predator from the base. The message was clear: That sickening behavior by our supposed allies will not be tolerated.
  • But, unfortunately, Army brass did tolerate it; and even worse, the military took action against the protector, not the predator. Now, SFC Martland awaits his fate.
  • He is the consummate American warrior, hailed by those he served with as a man of honor, a soldier’s soldier. He was decorated for his valor, respected for his courage, and feared by the enemy. This war hero is set to be thrown out of the Army for protecting a young child from grotesque sexual abuse.
  • It’s not the enemy who may succeed in bringing him down. No, it’s the bureaucracy of his own country. This is wrong and it must end.
  • The ACLJ has been directly engaged in the effort to defend SFC Martland and reinstate him for months.
  • Now, the Army has granted a two-month extension in SFC Charles Martland’s case, until May 1st.
  • We are cautiously optimistic, and our work continues. This gives us more time to spread the word and generate support for SFC Martland, both on Capitol Hill and across the nation – and it could signal the Army is taking a closer look at whether to correct this injustice.
  • According to news reports, the Army has extended the deadline in SFC Martland’s appeal until May 1st, saying the “extension was granted to allow consideration of his application to correct his records by the Army Board for Correction of Military Records.”
  • Maybe, just maybe, common sense is beginning to breach the bureaucratic firewall.
  • The ACLJ has sent critical legal letters to President Obama, Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley, Army Deputy Chief of Staff General James McConville, the chairmen and ranking members of both the House and Senate Armed Services committees, two letters to Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, and most recently 19 letters to the leading veterans organizations in the country.
  • We also continue to raise this critical issue in the media, advocating for the exoneration of SFC Martland.
  • The pressure is mounting. Already 93 Members of Congress have joined the cause, demanding an investigation into the reports that the U.S. Military told our troops to ignore Afghan soldiers’ sexual enslavement of young children. In response, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) – a Pentagon watchdog – recently announced a formal inquiry.
  • Now, Representative Duncan Hunter (CA-52) has introduced the MARTLAND Act, which “makes it the official policy of the United States that sex abuse of any kind by an American or foreign national is not permitted” on any U.S. military installation. As Rep. Hunter said, “Sgt. Martland had a moral obligation to intervene. Now we must intervene for Sgt. Martland.”
  • Momentum is building, and our Government Affairs and legal teams continue to vigorously work behind the scenes in Washington, DC.
  • We’ve reached out to you and you’ve responded. It’s working. But we can’t let up.
  • Help us capitalize on the momentum. Stand up for SFC Martland today. Join over 300,000 others and make your voice heard. Write a letter directly to the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Army today. Share SFC Martland’s story on social media with the hashtag #StandWithMartland. Be heard for SFC Martland before it’s too late.
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