U.S. serviceman says he doesn't remember punching boy

Either selected memory, or the wonders of alcohol.He probably doesn't remember jumping out the window either. Idiot.

Doesn't remember anything my ass. He remembers but guilt is blocking the words. However, he will be demoted or dishonorably discharged for insubordination, going a-woll and criminal misconduct.

Either selected memory, or the wonders of alcohol

or Japanese lawyer's advice.

What a plonker... Seeing as the 13 year old was probably not drunk, lets take his word for it.

Japanese lawyer's advice.

Now that is funny. You don't get one of those until you are charged and see the prosecutor.

or Japanese lawyer's advice.

Or Military advice to him while he was shielded from getting questioned by the local authorities.

"This is what you are going to say. You are going to say that you don't remember anything and maybe you can reverse some of this damamge that you have caused."

Classic Japanese lawyers advice, although I'm sure it didn't come from one. For your average Japanese, this would work perfectly! "Sorry, I was so drunk I don't remember anything." Okay, here's a fine to pay and please "improve your behavior in the future". End of story!

What this scumbag did is inexcusable and it doesn't really matter what he remembers, he was there! Let him face Japanese justice FIRST, and then let the Air Force give him a little military justice on top of that.

Sorry, but this fool is a real idiot! Oh, so you do not remember anything?? Hmmm...maybe a few YEARS behind bars will help sober this guy out and slowly but surely he will remember how not only he messed up his own life but that of all the other US mil. dudes here in Japan who will not be able to go out for drinks etc..from their bases here in Japan.

Another option:- Maybe he didn't? Were there any witnesses?

Funny how some of you guys say being drunk is the standard defense of Japanese.

This might be a shocking revelation but people have been using alcohol as an excuse for centuries in any country.

Another option:- Maybe he didn't? Were there any witnesses?

and that, my friend, is what the military is trying to make people believe...."IF" they instructed the idiot on what to say.

He was drunk and doesn't remember. That's usually case closed isn't it. Maybe a bit of compensation money and a bow (45 degrees should cover it) and carry on as normal, but don't get caught next time.

Ahhh, wait. This is a US serviceman we're talking about and not a Japanese person? Right, 50 years locked up then.

Resurfaced,

However, he will be demoted or dishonorably discharged for insubordination, going a-woll and criminal misconduct.

Let's hope so.

By the way, AWOL = Absent WithOut Leave. However, one article wrote that he lived off base, so apparently he wasn't AWOL. Well, possibly from his wife, but not the military.

Hide Suzuki-san,

I don't think they are saying that being drunk is the standard defence of Japanese.

Saying, "I don't remember," is the standard defence of Japanese politicians. I remember this conversation with the then PM, Nakasone:

JUDGE This entry for 10 million yen in your bank book. Where did this money come from?

NAKASONE Where? That? Hmmmm. Sorry. I have no memory of this.

JUDGE Oh, don't you? Pity. Well, let's go on to the next question.

I expect the US serviceman took a leaf out of this book.

Quit complaining. In the U.S., this is what you get for all volunteer military personnel. What you put in is what you get. Why is that only a fraction of the U.S. Congress representatives, and the children ever serve in the military? Most of these Senators and Congressme should stop complaining of how bad these servicemen's behaviors are because they never served their country and have no experience and they make the judgement. They have no room to talk. Maybe it's time to bring back the draft in the U.S. to improve the quality of their personnels.

He wouldnt be AWOL but he would be in violation of the UCMJ. He basically screwed himeself by breaking curfew, and Article 15 is pretty much guaranteed for him. Very likely he will become a whipping boy for the rest of the military.

Maybe it's time to bring back the draft in the U.S. to improve the quality of their personnels.

With the military scaling down, where would you all the thousands of people who are eligible for the draft? I would think you would now get a lot of lowlifes who would normally stay away from the military, caught up in the draft net, don't you think?

Well Deniss, do not worry too much, this bozo will have plenty of time behind bars to"remeber!!"

Why is it that when there is alcohol involved and the accused says he/she doesnt remember everyone else says "Oh yeah right..very convenient..blahblah". Blaming it on the alcohol I agree is a weak defense but have the naysayers never lost an hour or even a large part of an evening due to over indulgence? Never woken up in a bush, missing socks but still have shoes and more money in yer pocket than you left the house with? It does happen you know and the fact that he leapt out of a third-floor window kind of suggests to me that this bloke didnt quite know where he was.

U.S. serviceman says he doesn't remember punching boy

Playing the Japanese at their own game?

Never woken up in a bush, missing socks but still have shoes and more money in yer pocket than you left the house with?

Dude, I want to party with you!

If he was drinking awamori it's understandable to have memory loss, plenty of Okinawan's go through it daily.

When you're in Japan, do like the Japanese! Yoparateta kara, Gomen ne' !

To the people who "think" he was being shielded by the military you really need to get your heads straight. He was in the hospital for treatment of his injuries and the military is cooperating with the Japanese authorities, unlike past instances where they didn't.

Next whether he remembered or not there are witnesses at the bar, and while the JP's are often times "forgetful" at doing their jobs there is going to be physical evidence that he was in the apartment placing him in a location he had no business being in the first place.

He can be as forgetful as he wants but he is guilty of, illegal entry, and more than likely assault, plus damage to private property, and fleeing the scence, also what ever else the prosecutors decide to charge him with,and that's just the Japanese side. He is looking at potentially a few months to couple years at most in a Japanese jail. If he pays compensation to the boy and replaces the damaged goods, shows regret, cooperates fully with the Japanese authorites the sentence will be less rather than more.

Yet what he faces from the military side is going to be worse, and if the military decides to make an example of him this kid is looking at quite a few years in Leavenworth.

At no point is anyone saying that not remembering is a defense, or even legal advice of any kind. All that is being said is that the serviceman does not remember, likely because he was black-out drunk. It's not an excuse; it isn't even a reason. It just is what it is, and frankly, it is far more believable that someone is stupid enough to get so drunk off their ass that they walk into a strange apartment, attack whoever they encounter (including, apparently, a TV set), and then jump out of a three-story window, compared to them being so stupid that they did the same thing sober. That would require an exponential amount of stupidity.

So many negative comments that are completely irrelevant until he is tried. This man may very well have been out of it, really easy to spike his drink with something other than alcohol.

Remember, he's innocent until proven guilty, especially since NOBODY SAW HIM DO IT. Nobody was said to have seen him go out the window, nobody said they saw him in the room at all (third party).

As of right now, there are 77 comments on the JT article "Police officer busted for allegedly molesting 15-yr-old girl," yet more than double that number on the JT article "Police probe claim U.S. serviceman punched 13-yr-old boy in Okinawan home" with 168 comments and posted 2 days later than the police officer article.

Why is it that crime committed by US service members invariably draws so much more scrutiny than that committed by Japanese law enforcement officers, Self Defense Force members, or even Japanese educators?

Just the facts please, ‘mam…. The apartment in question is a three story building with a street on two sides, a vacant lot behind it and to the other side. The ground floor’s primarily taken up by a housing management office that specializes in renting to SOFA status personnel. The bar in question is a small 10X15 section that was originally a patio until it was walled in and turned into an unlicensed bar. The second floor of the building is one apartment, rented to a SOFA status American. The third floor is one apartment occupied by a Japanese worker/friend/relative of the building owner (exact details unclear). The building owner is not Okinawan, by his accent, Japanese and probably from near Tokyo. How did the Airman end up at the bar and why was he going up stairs? He knew the people who live on the second floor……. just the facts. What to do? Charge him with D&D, take some money, kick him out of the military for bad judgment and move on.

To the people who "think" he was being shielded by the military you really need to get your heads straight.

And what if he was told to say that, yes, he was beligerent in the bar and entered the apartment but the 13 year old kid got scared, hit his face on the TV, the TV fell and broke, and was thrown out the window by the kid? No witnessess. His word agaist the kid...or the kid's word against his.

Remember, he's innocent until proven guilty, especially since NOBODY SAW HIM DO IT. Nobody was said to have seen him go out the window, nobody said they saw him in the room at all (third party).

Wrong, you should remember that this IS Japan and the theory of innocent until proven guilty doesn't work.

Nobody saw him in the room you say? The JHS boy did! And he is old enough to be a valid witness as well.

he's innocent until proven guilty, especially since NOBODY SAW HIM DO IT. Nobody was said to have seen him go out the window, nobody said they saw him in the room at all

I was about to post a scathing comment about how the boy must have punched himself in the face and smashed his own TV, then I read TDA's post and wondered if people really do believe the rubbish they write.

TDA - a belligerent drunken military type comes into a residence where he has no right being and someone gets hurt. Regardless of the details, it's the drunk's fault.

Droll Quarry - just curious, but do you imagine that the 'fact' that the building has three stories with a street on two sides, a vacant lot behind it and to the other side, that the ground floor rents to SOFA people, that the third floor is occupied by a SOFA American, that the owner of the building is not Okinawan, that the bar is unlicensed, are in any way mitigating? Isn't assault and property damage more pertinent than D&D?

If the bar was unlicensed, maybe that tells us why the bar owner didn't call the police on the curfew-breaking drunk, but it doesn't absolve the drunk from being drunk and in violation of curfew.

@Sensato You stated the million dollar question!!! @Droll Quarry The voice of reason and facts......refreshing thing to see on this site!! The speculation here is mind numbing. It would seem that he did it but as you say.....just the facts please.

In case your wondering what the military can and will probably charge him with. (UCMJ)

1 Failure to follow a general order Article 92 2 Drunk and disorderly conduct Article 134 3 Assault Article 128 4 Breaking and entering Article 129

That's quite a stack and could carry brig time if sent to a Court Martial. Then again the local commander could just punish him locally which would probably just cost him some money and a stripe with 45/45. Since this is somewhat high profile they may want to set an example though.

Sensato, The answer to your question is: Because its always easier to point a finger at someone else rather than yourself.

I think he must have learned the "I don't remember" defense from a drunken Japanese salaryman. Not remembering doesn't have anything to do with whether or not you did it.

@ cleo

I think being drunk does no mitigate committing any crime, it should add additional penalties. It should also carry a mandatory additional fine to cover a mandatory requirement to undergo alcohol abuse treatment. (unless of course you are a professional athlete or Lindsey Lohan or Robert Downey Jr.)

YubaruNov. 06, 2012 - 09:37AM JST

Wrong, you should remember that this IS Japan and the theory of innocent until proven guilty doesn't work.

Under the judicial system it is. The cops haven't and will never treat a serviceman with human dignity though, but that is separate from the judicial system.

Nobody saw him in the room you say?

I made sure to add "(third party)", as all other things become he-said-she-said type things.

The JHS boy did! And he is old enough to be a valid witness as well.

Actually never seen any statements to that effect. All the statements (including articles here at JT) actually say that the two boys (one "got hit") were asleep before the incident. If the guy broke into the house and the boys were STILL asleep, their testimony is about as solid as ketchup. Shake them a bit and you'll see it falls apart.

Why should anyone be leery of the Japanese justice system? If you are arrested by the police, you can be held up to 23 day without charges, released and arrested again on "new" evidence. New evidence is anything not included in the original arrest warrant. You do not have the right to consul during questioning. You do not have the right to a lawyer until you are charged. You will be tried by a judge or panel of three to five judges regardless of your crime, not by a jury. You may be tried buy an experimental system where some of the judges are called "lay judges" and are Japanese citizens drawn from a pool that have volunteered.

Elbuda Mexicano:

Sorry, but this fool is a real idiot! Oh, so you do not remember anything?? Hmmm...maybe a few YEARS behind bars will help sober this guy out

Oh come on! Every time I see you posting about crime, it's always "kill him" or "put him in jail FOREVERRRS". I can understand we need negative sanctions to ensure this doesn't happen, but put yourself in other people's shoes. Haven't you ever done anything illegal? No jaywalking? No swiping a candy bar as a child? A fistfight?

Your desire to string everybody up by their thumbs needs tempering with a dose of self-reflection.

Hide Suzuki: "Funny how some of you guys say being drunk is the standard defense of Japanese."

It is indeed a shame that some people attribute this as a kind of Japanese phenomenon, when getting blind drunk and blacking out happens all over. The thing I think most people who say as much are referring to, though, is the fact that in many cases, saying "I don't remember anything" due to alcohol, so long as it is accompanied by an apology, results in lesser punishment or just outright forgiveness (at least that I've read about on this site and seen with my own eyes).

In any case, as it should never be an excuse for Japanese people, it should ne'er be an excuse for this man. Likewise the opposite -- this man will be metaphorically 'lynched' (nudge nudge, Bertie!) despite blacking out, and so should Japanese if and when they commit crimes while drunk out of their minds.

Anyway, at least the man is being questioned by local authorities.

TDA - a belligerent drunken military type comes into a residence where he has no right being and someone gets hurt. Regardless of the details, it's the drunk's fault.

cleo, I agree and I'm with you on this.

I was referring to a previous comment posted by YubaruNov. 06, 2012 - 09:28AM JST, stating that he MAY not have been sheilded from the investigation and cooperating with the authorities. MY point was, even if there were witnesses that saw him acting a fool in the bar, nobody but the kid can vouch for his actions in the apartment. So if he claims he cant remember, its both words against each other....based on Yubaru's comment.

I think being drunk does no mitigate committing any crime

Couldn't agree more. It's the other stuff, like the location of the building and where the owner comes from, that has me wondering.

sidesmile-san,

I don't quite get this.

Never woken up in a bush, missing socks but still have shoes with more money in your pocket than you left the house with?

This kind of experience may be commonplace for you. But personally, I've never woken up in a bush. I certainly have never woken up missing socks but still having shoes. And I'm sure I've never woken up with more money in my pocket than I left the house with.

At least I can't remember these things happening.

Oh no! Does that mean . . . ?

Bit of a change of heart, Basroil-san,

Remember, he's innocent until proven guilty, especially since NOBODY SAW HIM DO IT. Nobody was said to have seen him go out the window, nobody said they saw him in the room at all (third party).

I tend to agree.

basroil,

you should remember that this IS Japan and the theory of innocent until proven guilty doesn't work.

You mean to imply that it does work in the States?

If the bar was unlicensed, maybe that tells us why the bar owner didn't call the police on the curfew-breaking drunk, but it doesn't absolve the drunk from being drunk and in violation of curfew.

FYI the curfew has ZERO applications outside the fence and outside the fence as well Japanese have ZERO responsibility to notify anyone.

Morally speaking the bar owner did evidently remind the guy and THAT is better than what many others might have done. Believe me that is probably more than what I would have done because I personally expect people to be responsible for themselves and if they screw up, like this guy, they face the music.

I just feel bad for the kid.

Oh local news reports say the kid was awake and that he was fearful for his younger sibling when the dude came in to the house.

He can't remember what he did later but he remembers going into the bar.

I wonder if they asked him other questions such as, did you smoke any funny stuff that evening?

The cops haven't and will never treat a serviceman with human dignity though, but that is separate from the judicial system.

I can tell you from personal experience that this is blatantly false.

Now I can tell you also from personal experience as well that the cops treat Japanese folks pretty badly at times too.

So it depends upon the case, and the people in question.

Over generalizing about it does no one any good.

Yubaru,

I agree with your post, especially about the generalisations, which do no one any good.

That is so true.

However, if this guy has to serve his sentence in a Japanese prison, I actually feel sorry for him.

When I lived in Sapporo, I did some interpreting for the local prison. There was an Israeli who had been there just over a year in solitary confinement. He had been put in solitary because he was a foreigner apparently.

The poor guy looked shell shocked. To say that he started at pins dropping would be an understatement. The "whoosh" as the pin dropped through the air, even without the deafening "clang" as it hit the deck would have had him rocketing through the air like a bullet from a gun.

A year in solitary, with no TV, no one to talk to, no books, no mags, alone with your thoughts is a VERY long time.

Oh demon alcohol,

Sad memories I cannot recall,

Who thought I would fall,

A slave to demon alcohol.

-The Kinks

Actually being pissed drunk and with no memory of what happened might both explain his stupid actions AND serve for his defense. He might be a good guy in real life, and just happened to do this thing now. (not playing the devil's advocate, but no option should be left without research).

Better to be in solitary in a Japanese prison and safe then in an American prison and changed from a boy to a girl.

How does a piss drunk sailor remember punching someone, when he's living in organization and environment where his fellow soldiers can get pretty rowdy when they start drinking?

YubaruNov. 06, 2012 - 02:08PM JST

Better to be in solitary in a Japanese prison and safe then in an American prison and changed from a boy to a girl.

Is that also from personal experience?

Solitary confinement is practically torture. People did not evolve to live alone in a tiny dark place, people need interaction or at least space to interact with their surroundings. There's a reason why US prison system doesn't put people in solitary except as additional punishment or in the case of very dangerous individuals. This man isn't all that dangerous even if everything is true, he wasn't even strong enough to send a child to the hospital.

@crouching, he was an airman. The alleged rapists were sailors.

He could be telling the truth. He may not actually remember anything about it. He was heavily drunk.

I hope he is going to spend enough time in prison to properly reflect on this. Also he should buy a new TV to replace the one he broke, and apologize profusely.

@Resurfaced

AWOL? How was he AWOL?

Solitary confinement is practically torture. People did not evolve to live alone in a tiny dark place, people need interaction or at least space to interact with their surroundings. There's a reason why US prison system doesn't put people in solitary except as additional punishment or in the case of very dangerous individuals.

Again wrong, the US prison system puts "at risk" prisoners in solitary for their protection quite often and not for punishment or "very dangerous individuals" either.

Whether or not the guy hit the kid hard enough or not to send him to a hospital, he hit the kid and that is assault, and he should pay the price for his drunken misdeeds.

YubaruNov. 06, 2012 - 03:51PM JST

he hit the kid and that is assault

Did he? So far the only people listed as saying he did are the cops, and on circumstantial "evidence" of a broken tv and window and a passed out and injured soldier.

Until such time as he is found beyond a doubt guilty of the crime, he does not have to pay anyone for anything, nor should he be treated like a criminal.

basroil,

So far the only people listed as saying he (punched out the kid) are the cops

Well, you know that's not exactly true.

There is the boy.

And there is the media, including Japan Today.

Of course they could all be wrong.

Here's another person who thinks the US serviceman assaulted a 13 year old kid:

Upper House member Tokushin Yamauchi, 77, who also served six terms as Yomitan mayor, called both Takeda and the U.S. Embassy to lodge protests.

"The curfew was nothing but hot air and we cannot trust the United States when it says it will make efforts to restore trust," Yamauchi said. "The only thing left is to ask the U.S. bases that are the root of all evil to get out of Okinawa."

Matthew Simon,

he was an airman. The alleged rapists were sailors.

True, but would you mind taking a few minutes to explain how that makes any difference?

Did he kick in the door or was it wide open? ?

I guess he thought he was using the bathroom, freaked out and took the makeshift elevator down.

The "Hangover" isn't too funny when it is in r33l life

Ahhhhh the old "I can't remember" defense maybe they should lock him up and forget about him until he remembers what happened!

Japanese lawyer : you shut don't remember, you're shocked to hear what you did, you so sorry...

nobody but the kid can vouch for his actions in the apartment.

American lawyer : Let me talk. I brief you so you won't seem surprised. Nobody but a kid saw you in that flat and kids invent stories all the time. You never been up there, you simply passed in the street because you're hypoglycemic. Then you were taken under that window. Japanese police say they found you with your injuries, but there were no witnesses and no video, so they could possibly have beaten you, taken you there... They have nothing against you.

The Airman's behavior is of course unsat. But I can't help wondering if he was one of the many aircraft maintainers at KAB that have been on 16 hr shifts with almost no days off for a year or so....

Don't remember eh? I'm sure he'll remember the day he gets kicked out of the service or thrown in the brig.

matthew simons: he's an airman, yeah ok they didnt mention that in the article so excuse my confusion, also would you mind explaining why sailors are rapists? In the military, you're pretty much in a college environment where many people are either highschool graduates or college, post-college age personnel. So often times, they can get pretty rowdy when they screw around, sometimes that could mean doing stupid things, other times, it can mean play fighting. Either way, my friends in the military tell me that things do get pretty crazy when they start drinking, which can often lead to fights or some stupid 'stuff" happening. I can see how this stuff can be a problem in areas where military personnel are stationed.

American lawyer : Let me talk. I brief you so you won't seem surprised. Nobody but a kid saw you in that flat and kids invent stories all the time. You never been up there, you simply passed in the street because you're hypoglycemic. Then you were taken under that window. Japanese police say they found you with your injuries, but there were no witnesses and no video, so they could possibly have beaten you, taken you there... They have nothing against you.

You are fired as my lawyer if you gave this kind of advice. The guys DNA is going to be found in the apartment, that along with other latent evidence that is BEING collected according to tonight’s news, and with the guy also supposedly saying ひどいことやったね！（I did a terrible thing!）it's looking more and more like he is guilty.

Why is it that crime committed by US service members invariably draws so much more scrutiny than that committed by Japanese law enforcement officers

Because one of them fessed up.

Hint: Not the alleged kiddie-puncher.

Benefit of the doubt...so unless we have surveillance video showing he punched the kid, maybe it didn't happen.

Why should we believe the kid? Maybe he had beef with the dude and made it up!

Right, Yubaru-san,

it's looking more and more like he is guilty.

It is.

And this just makes endless trouble for the slime balls who have to go through their apology routine.

And this story is going to be repeated, curfews are not going to stop this.

But now, all Okinawan eyes are on US servicemen. They have their keitais ready. One anti-social move, snap, snap, put it on YouTube or give the pics to the Okinawa Times.

And, eventually, even Tokyo is going to have to listen and the US military is going to have to relocate.

Let's hope we don't have to pay for it.

Why should we, the US military is not here to protect us, it's here to protect their own interests.

Right?

@Bertie Ask any member of any branch of the armed force of the USA if there is a difference between the the branches there is a major one.

@ crouching I meant that you may have had this story mixed up with the rape that occurred recently involving 2 sailors. Where this case was an AF member and that case was 2 Navy members.

To all you internet lawyers out there. There is such a thing as due process even in Japan.

With the situation and attitude that many seem to have here it isn't too much of a stretch to assume that there are those in Okinawa who would be happy to take advantage of an individual who was out drinking after curfew for their own benefit or whatever cause they are representing. That in no more crazy of a theory than those who come up with other wild ideas on this site when they weren't there and have no more proof than I do for what they claim is undeniable truth of matters. They have a strong motive to exploit this tenuous situation. I am curious how those strong anti USA folk would change their tune then if that was the case.

Though I digress in this case its most likely was the individual they have in custody who did this but I will wait for the verdict before looking for someone to hang.

One personal comment here; I truly feel bad for the kid who got hit, I hope he recovers quickly.

Next; I feel sorry for all the literally WONDERFUL folks in the US Military here on Okinawa and their families that have to suffer the consequences of this idiot, and other idiots recently screw ups.

While there are some Japanese folks and other nationalities that will constantly harp and point fingers at the military for the misdeeds of a tiny few, I hope that they all remember that there are literally tens of thousands of others that dont blame them either.

BertieWoosterNov. 06, 2012 - 04:54PM JST

There is the boy.

Funny thing is that no articles state that he identified his attacker.

And there is the media, including Japan Today.

Of course they could all be wrong.

They can be, and have been before. But in this case, they haven't said he absolutely did it (as was the case with the rape case articles a while back), instead using words like alleged and "police said". If the media isn't bashing the guy, you know that even they are thinking twice about considering this an open and shut case.

Benefit of the doubt...so unless we have surveillance video showing he punched the kid, maybe it didn't happen. Why should we believe the kid? Maybe he had beef with the dude and made it up!

@cramp...yeahhhh did I read you posted "maybe the sleeping 13 year old kid threw the drunk serviceman out of the window"... har..har..har...

He obviously wasn't as thunk as they drunk he were, hic

Of course, after drinking that cheap happoshu with Awamori, who will remember. It is a dangerous cocktail. He should be questioned about where he was and what he drank.

Matthew Simons; How does making a comment on a US serviceman punching someone for beng rowdy have to do with rape charges by other serviceman? I said sailor but I didn't mention rape charges.

@ crouching, you said sailors I was correcting the statement because i thought you may have had this incident confused with the other rape incident which were sailors. That is all.

What this scumbag did is inexcusable and it doesn't really matter what he remembers, he was there! Let him face Japanese justice FIRST, and then let the Air Force give him a little military justice on top of that.

I'm not going to doubt he doesn't remember anything. If you're so drunk you jump out of a third-story window, you are probably blacked-out. But as you say, the fact that he doesn't remember doing any of that is irrelevant.

As for the prosecution sequence, that's exactly what will happen. He was in the military hospital because he's military, but the Okinawan police have already been talking to the guy OFF-base. This tells me the U.S. doesn't have any questions that the event happened as described. Japan may prosecute or may decide to drop the case, but regardless of what THEY decide, this guy is in deep kimchi with the U.S. military. After Japan is through with him, a quick courts martial for embarassing his service and his country (yes, that's an actual courts martial offense), demotion in rank, and cycled back to the States where he will never visit another country on the government's dime again. Seems like a pretty expensive price to pay for some late-night boozing, but this guy has been drinking alcohol for at LEAST three years now so he had to know already if he's the type to get violent when drunk. Yet he still did it.

hey - i thought that excuse worked in japan

Don't get the jokes about japanese lawyers ... we all know he would of had a US military lawyer if he did have one. And we all know that the US military lawyer would be telling him the same thing.

Mathew Simon,

Bertie Ask any member of any branch of the armed force of the USA if there is a difference between the the branches there is a major one.

Mathew, I had worked it out that there would be a difference between branches of the armed forces. That was not my point.

When you're lying in bed, peacefully asleep and some great ugly brute kicks the door in, kicks the TV and slaps you around the head, do you really care if it was a sailor, soldier, marine or a gorilla?

Various facts of this case are relevant. What branch of the service the kid puncher was from has very little relevance on the story as a whole.

Did I make it clear?

Yubaru-san,

there are some Japanese folks and other nationalities that will constantly harp and point fingers at the military for the misdeeds of a tiny few

Yes, there are. And the situation would be exactly the same in reverse if the U.S.A. were occupied by another country.

What lies under this is that Okinawans want the US military OUT.

They have had enough.

THey have had enough of this kind of unnecessary violence, rape and the US military taking huge bits of the best land. They want their land back.

But I think underneath it all, they don't want to see foreign military in their country.

I'm British, so I totally understand this.

When I was a kid, living in Ceylon, Cyprus and Singapore, I couldn't ignore the anti-British feelings that the local people had toward us.

basroil,

You twist my words.

That wasn't what I said and you know it.

From the point of the 13 year old kid, sleeping in his bed, only to be woken up by some drunk who slaps him round the head, kicks in the TV and momentarily thinking he is Superman, takes a flying leap out of a third story window.

From the point of view of the kid, HE couldn't care less what branch of the services his assailant came from, he was just scared for his sister.

Now look at it from an Okinawan's point of view.

AGAIN, some drunken serviceman goes berserk on his island.

That is this is a US military serviceman has GREAT SIGNIFICANCE for him.

He doesn't see it as isolated. It's just the latest in a chain that goes back, way back to stories he heard from his grandfather.

Now switch around to the base commander's point of view.

"Why does some idiot have to do something like this right now?" he probably thinks. "The timing couldn't be worse. Just as he and people upline from him are doing their best to try to convince the Okinawans that American servicemen have hearts of gold and wouldn't hurt a fly, something like this happens.

He really cares that this has to do with the military.

I do hope this explains my point of view a little better.

BertieWooster, you are making a lot of unsupported conjecture. At no point has there been any news about the reaction of the child, testimony from the child, or that the serviceman had even been in the room where the alleged attack took place. No amount of "explaining" can change those facts. If you can find articles or police reports that further shed light on the subject, that would be a very useful thing.

And regardless, why would the kid care if it's a serviceman at all? Why are you repeating that over and over again when it is irrelevant to the assault. A man was investigated for alleged assault involving a child, not the US military. In fact, his alleged actions are covered under local jurisdiction as per the SOFA agreement and the only thing the military would be involved in is investigation of curfew violations. The kid has no need to know where his alleged assailant worked, nationality, or even age. All he needs to know is when he can be questioned, so he can state whether the person he saw was in fact the person being investigated.

basroil,

I think we are more or less in agreement.

I'm glad that you finally see my point that from the kid's point of view being assaulted is trauma enough and that it wouldn't matter one iota to him whether he had been assaulted by a sailor, soldier, marine or a rogue elephant.

All that remains now is how the US military is going to take responsibility for this action and assure Okinawan people that it will not be repeated.

BertieWoosterNov. 07, 2012 - 07:04PM JST

I think we are more or less in agreement.

All that remains now is how the US military is going to take responsibility for this action and assure Okinawan people that it will not be repeated.

You know what, I don't think we are. The point is that this man's alleged actions are completely separate from the military and all other soldiers. He is an individual, against orders from the military (if he did in fact break curfew under his own will), and should be treated as any other PERSON would. If the man is found guilty in civil courts, that's all that is needed (he will get court martialed if convicted of anything, and possibly even without that). No need to punish 50000 innocent people simply because of their employer, regardless of if it's the Japanese thing to do.

basroil,

No need to punish 50000 innocent people simply because of their employer, regardless of if it's the Japanese thing to do.

The guy who punched out the kid, kicked in a TV and leapt out of a 3rd story window is the person who employs 50,000 US military?

He is their employer?

Heavens preserve us.

In view of the fact that the US military presence in Okinawa is totally unwanted by the Okinawan people, any anti-social act or crime committed by a US serviceman is likely to be picked up, and blown up, possibly out of all proportion.

Two things come from this:

A) A single US serviceman becomes, rightly or wrongly, a representative of his country. They judge him by his actions. You may not have this point of view, but I'm sure the base commander does and I know the Okinawans do.

All are judged by the actions of one. "A chain is as strong as its weakest link."

"All for one and one for all!"

If a serviceman can't follow orders, he should find another occupation.

B) Underlying all of this is the resistance that Okinawans have bravely put up to the US seizing and occupying their land since WWII.

What's the solution?

There is only one.

The US troops go home - or to Guam, Australia or wherever.

And the land is returned to Okinawans for peaceful use.

In view of the fact that the US military presence in Okinawa is totally unwanted by the Okinawan people, any anti-social act or crime committed by a US serviceman is likely to be picked up, and blown up, possibly out of all proportion.

No "possibly" to it. Okinawans WILL blow things out of proportion if it helps their cause. But they're wailing to the wrong people. The U.S. has no interest in giving up bases that help them cover parts of the globe. Okinawa's protests need to work on the Japanese-side of the agreement. Okinawans may not want U.S. bases on their island, but Japanese do. Japan has had the ability to terminate the security agreement for some time now, but still feels more secure with the U.S. bases there and Okinawans angry than they do with the Americans gone and the Okinawans happy.

The diirty little secret that Okinawans won't admit to (at least publically) is that the bases will remain active regardless of whether the Americans leave or not. If the Americans leave, then the JSDF will move in. You're not getting your land back.

Fadamor,

Okinawa's protests need to work on the Japanese-side of the agreement.

Do you really think that Okinawan politicians haven't thought of this?

The Tokyo government is more or less a puppet government. US involvement is heavy. The Tokyo government doesn't listen because they have been told not to.

http://www.japanfocus.org/-Gavan-McCormack/2275

All the fuss about the 13 year old kid getting slapped by a berserk drunken US serviceman is due to the fact that Okinawans want US bases moved OFF their island.

A move to Guam was promised and huge money paid, but nothing happened.

Fadamor-san, please don't think that Okinawan don't know that they have to get the backing of the Tokyo government. They don't listen to Okinawa. Japanese (as opposed to Okinawan) politicians and diplomats are incapable of saying "No" to the U.S.A.

I wonder why.

BertieWoosterNov. 07, 2012 - 08:31PM JST

The guy who punched out the kid, kicked in a TV and leapt out of a 3rd story window is the person who employs 50,000 US military?

Apparently simple english was too difficult to understand the meaning of, so let's make it easier:

An individual under the employment of the armed services may have committed a crime. People including you have stated that all people in the employment of the armed services should lose their homes and jobs because of that incident. There are 50000 people being punished simply because they are under the employment of the armed services. These people did absolutely nothing wrong, yet are being punished for absolutely no reason.

basroil,

Again we seem to have misunderstood one another.

It must be my fault again.

I must try not to be so vague.

I certainly am not suggesting that 50,000 US servicemen lose their homes or their jobs because one crazy serviceman gets drunk and commits mayhem.

I and - according to a recent survey 85% of Okinawans just want them to relocate. I'm sure they would lead the same, splendid and, according to you, largely blameless lives in Guam or Hawaii.

BertieWoosterNov. 08, 2012 - 01:06PM JST

I certainly am not suggesting that 50,000 US servicemen lose their homes or their jobs because one crazy serviceman gets drunk and commits mayhem.

You yourself did state that you wanted to kick them out, even if they have family living there like normal people. For them to leave is for them to lose their homes, and for those who have jobs outside military (SOFA members that are only family of military members are able to work both on base and elsewhere) to lose their jobs.

BertieWoosterNov. 02, 2012 - 07:51PM JST

The only solution is to move these guys - all of them - and their Ospreys and WMDs OUT of here. ... Time to leave, guys.

The sentiment you've stated is quite clear, and quite irrelevant to the case at hand. It is simply a type of xenophobia, as the victims have nothing to do with an alleged crime that is no different than any other local crime.

basroil,

I can't help feeling that what you write above is more of a personal criticism of me than an address to the topic of this page.

Please excuse me for taking words from your mouth, but what does what you write above have any relevance to the case at hand?

I certainly am not suggesting that 50,000 US servicemen lose their homes or their jobs because one crazy serviceman gets drunk and commits mayhem.

Oh please like anyone here believes that. You have consistently demonized US soldiers as playing a major role or driving force behind crime in Okinawa and you keep placing unrealistic/impossible demands such as not a single crime ever happen again. Their human it isn't possible to guarantee that.

And the land is returned to Okinawans for peaceful use.

But it is not going to be returned to peaceful use, as soon as the US leaves the JSDF will move in. What makes you think the JSDF won't move into that base?