A decorated Green Beret who faced U.S. Army dismissal for confronting an alleged child rapist in Afghanistan will be allowed to continue serving. Sgt 1st Class Charles Martland, a trained sniper and combat diver, served in Iraq before deploying to northern Afghanistan. In 2011, he encountered an Afghan police commander who was accused of raping a young boy for weeks. After Martland’s confrontation with the officer turned physical, the Army sent the sergeant back to the U.S. where he awaited discipline. However, Martland was so highly regarded by his colleagues that he was recognized in 2014 as a top Special Warfare Training Group instructor.
The Army cited the Privacy Act while declining to detail why Martland was separated from service. Unnamed officials felt that Martland’s intervention in an Afghan matter would have set a dangerous precedent, had he not received disciplinary action. However, several public faces, including Congressman Duncan Hunter (a Marine veteran) and — get ready — actor Harvey Keitel urged the Army to reconsider their decision. On Thursday, Fox News reported “a stunning reversal.” Martland’s former Special Forces leader, Danny Quinn, was relieved to hear that the Army will retain this Green Beret:
“This is not just a great victory for SFC Martland and his family – I’m just as happy that he can continue to serve our country and inspire his peers, subordinates and officers to be better soldiers. Charles makes every soldier he comes in contact with better and the Army is undoubtedly a better organization with SFC Martland still in its ranks.”
A grateful Martland spoke with CNN about feeling “a moral obligation to act” after hearing about the young boy’s plight and speaking with his mother, who was reportedly beaten while her son was abused. Rep. Hunter told Fox News, “The Army did the right thing.”