U.S. Soldier Reprimanded for Marriage

PENSACOLA, Fla. - An American soldier has been reprimanded and will be discharged for taking a break from a foot patrol in Baghdad to marry an Iraqi woman, his lawyer said Monday.

Sgt. Sean Blackwell, 27, is being punished for divulging the time and location of the patrol to his bride and the Iraqi judge who married them, his attorney said. The Florida National Guardsman avoided a possible court-martial for dereliction of duty and disobeying orders.

(snip)

Florida Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Ron Tittle said he had no word on disciplinary action against Blackwell or a second Florida guardsman, Cpl. Brett Dagen, 37, who married another Iraqi woman in a double ceremony during a break on the same patrol Aug. 17. Both women are physicians.

(snip)

The Army has not permitted Blackwell to see his bride since the wedding but recently allowed them to resume contact by telephone, McKee said.

"He's a little ticked off at the government right now," she said. "I'd hate for him to get a dishonorable discharge because he fell in love."

McKee said her son told her Dagen and his bride are divorcing under pressure from the wife's parents. Gwen Tutton, Dagen's cousin, said he has told family members to stop speaking to the media.

Alvoid said Blackwell's bride, Ehdaa, has received anti-American threats and may leave the country by Christmas to go to western Europe, where the couple could be reunited. It would take much longer to get her into the United States, he said.

The couple met while Blackwell was on guard duty at the Iraqi Health Ministry.

Alvoid said he soon expects to complete a book deal for Blackwell and his wife, and that a movie may follow.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26307-2003Dec1.html

That's nice that U.S soldiers are marrying Iraqi women; hopefully this will improve their treatment of Iraqi civilians.

I'll bet that soldier ain't voting Republican this year.

the Phillipines and marrying Filipino women.

Did you read Doonesbury last week--the guy was courting Honey to get his US citizenship--probably something like that going on here.

wouldn't it?

So make up their damn minds - is a marriage between a man and a woman or a man and a woman from the same country?

Jeeeezzzzzzz......

... that he disobeyed orders. he got married WHILE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON A PATROL. imho the guy deserved punishment of some kind, and was lucky not to be court-martialled.

were supposed to be working, it is mainly that they
violated whatever...trust, standard operating procedures
and endangered everyone's life when they told the
women and the minister *exactly* when and where
the patrol would be on that day.

Many Arab women are stunningly beautiful. Educated ones often speak better English than our ill-educated youth. I can see the soldier's desire to latch onto a good thing; however, UCMJ sez soldier must have CO's permission to marry foreign national. So..... stupid, horny soldier!

Doesn't he know this isn't happy love time? No, it's angry hate time...us against the evil doers, bring it on, risk your life, cut your benefits, lose a limb, re-elect bush in '04!

Obviously faux didn't give him the memo.

*feeling a little sick now*

We can give this marriage the benefit of the doubt, but we have to ask the question: can a woman in a nation being terrorized by an occupying foreign power grant her consent freely?

Could you marry the man or woman whose army Shocked and Awed your people to smithereens?

The society under colonization would reply no, and in a sense, would be correct: that's cultural suicide. But survival impels all kinds of acts of colloboration with the enemy. Think of the French women, after liberation, heads shaved, paraded through the streets...

Then again, marriage is seldom rational...

Alvoid said he soon expects to complete a book deal for Blackwell and his wife, and that a movie may follow.

...but it is often mercantile. ;-)

where the oppressed identify with the oppressor out of a need for
security. But true love can bloom, I suppose.