United States v. Stone

37 M.J. 558, 1993 CMR LEXIS 180, 1993 WL 142035
CourtU.S. Army Court of Military Review
DecidedApril 30, 1993
DocketACMR 9101341
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 37 M.J. 558 (United States v. Stone) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Army Court of Military Review primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Stone, 37 M.J. 558, 1993 CMR LEXIS 180, 1993 WL 142035 (usarmymilrev 1993).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT ON RECONSIDERATION

GRAVELLE, Judge:

Contrary to his pleas, the appellant was found guilty by a military judge sitting as a general court-martial of two specifications of carnal knowledge, of “willfully and wrongfully [giving] a speech” before a high school assembly in which he gave “a false account of his actions in Iraq during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm,” and of wrongfully wearing as part of his uniform the green beret of a Special Forces soldier. The carnal knowledge offenses were charged as violations of Article 120 and the remaining offenses were charged as violations of Article 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. §§ 920 and 934 (1982) [hereinafter UCMJ]. The convening authority approved the adjudged sentence of a dishonorable discharge, confinement for eighteen months, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and reduction to Private El.

This court affirmed the appellant’s conviction in an opinion dated 25 February 1993. On 17 March 1993, appellate defense counsel petitioned this court to reconsider its decision, but only as to those issues pertaining to the revocation of waiver of the Article 32, UCMJ, investigation. In addition, after specifically disclaiming ineffective assistance of the trial defense counsel in the original pleadings, the appellant now asks us to consider a supplemental assignment of error asserting that the trial defense counsel was ineffective in that “he failed to preserve SFC Stone’s right to an Article 32 investigation of the original charges.” By order dated 2 April 1993, we vacated our opinion of 25 February 1993, granted the appellant’s petition for reconsideration, and granted the appellant’s petition to file the supplemental assignment of error. Our reconsideration is limited to Part II of this opinion, which part incorporates our decision upon reconsideration and our finding regarding the supplemental assignment of error.

In the original pleadings, there were four assignments of error raised by the appellant by written brief and elaborated upon in oral argument presented to this court.1 [561]*561Those four asserted errors were: (1) That the evidence is insufficient to support a conviction for giving a service-discrediting “false speech;” (2) That the appellant’s case was improperly referred to a general court-martial without a pretrial investigation pursuant to Article 32, UCMJ [hereinafter Article 32 investigation]; (3) That the military judge erred in failing to order a pretrial investigation when the issue was raised with him; and, (4) That the trial counsel improperly withheld information that had been specifically requested during the discovery process. In addition, this court specified an issue regarding the admissibility of a report of investigation as aggravation evidence on sentencing. With regard to the first three issues raised by the appellant and the specified issue, we found no error. Concerning issue four, we found error but also found no corrective action was required. Having now reconsidered the issues pertaining to the Article 32 investigation, we adhere to our previous decision. We also find no merit in the appellant’s supplemental assignment of error regarding ineffective assistance of counsel.

I. Sufficiency of the “False Speech” Offense

A. Facts

The appellant deployed to Saudi Arabia with the G-3 section (Operations) of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) as part of Operation Desert Shield. About the time the air war began in January 1991, the appellant returned to the United States on emergency leave because his mother was seriously ill. He never returned to Saudi Arabia.

While he was home in Vincennes, Indiana, the principal of his high school alma mater invited the appellant to describe his experiences in the desert to the students at the school. On 5 February 1991, almost three weeks prior to the commencement, of the ground war,2 the appellant appeared at the high school in his Army uniform and wearing a green beret. He addressed two student assemblies on that date. During the course of the student assemblies, the appellant falsely described his activities in Southwest Asia. He told of parachuting from 50,000 feet into Baghdad as leader of a four-man Special Forces team in the hours prior to commencement of the air war in mid-January 1991. Included in his story was the false statement that he had also been in Iraq in December, 1990, prior to the outbreak of hostilities. The appellant also told the students that they may be in jeopardy because terrorists intent on retaliation may be watching his activities.

Unfortunately for the appellant, a reporter for the local newspaper was present, took notes, and recounted the appellant’s story in the newspaper two days later.3 [562]*562Even more unfortunate for the appellant, the newspaper publisher, who was the younger brother of then-Vice President Dan Quayle, telefaxed his older brother a copy of the story, proudly pointing out the exploits of a local hero. Vice President Quayle’s office sent a copy of the newspaper story to Army officials in the Pentagon. Inquiries revealed that the appellant was not assigned or trained as a Special Forces soldier and that the story was completely fabricated.

Immediately after the story was published, the Vincennes newspaper forwarded a copy of the story to the Associated Press. The Associated Press responded with interest and with a request for additional information concerning the appellant’s alleged activities in Iraq prior to the outbreak of the air war. When the newspaper reporter contacted the appellant with these questions, the appellant expressed some concern about the story and asked that the story not be further circulated. The appellant never retracted the story or indicated that it was false; however, as a result of the appellant’s request, the editor recalled the story from the Associated Press.

At trial, the appellant did not dispute that he had misrepresented his combat service during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. The government presented evidence that students and others who heard the presentations had a lessened confidence in the integrity of the Army, once the falsity of the appellant’s story became known. The government also presented evidence of some concern about the story among special operations personnel at the time the story was published. Some believed that the story, although completely false, publicized a sensitive operational subject and could cause casualties among special operations personnel during the impending ground war. The government further introduced evidence that once the falsity of the story was confirmed, a Special Forces public affairs officer (presumably on behalf of the Army) apologized to the high school principal for the incident and suggested ways to overcome the anxiety caused by the appellant’s comments about possible terrorist activity at the school.

Following the presentation of evidence on the merits, the military judge convicted the appellant, inter alia, of making an unauthorized speech, specifically excepting the words “[t]o the prejudice of good order and discipline in the Armed forces.” He thereby found the appellant guilty only of service-discrediting conduct.

B. Discussion

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Related

United States v. Stone
40 M.J. 420 (United States Court of Military Appeals, 1994)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
37 M.J. 558, 1993 CMR LEXIS 180, 1993 WL 142035, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-stone-usarmymilrev-1993.