Bradley Manning's Heart in Right Place, but He Still Erred

Yahoo asked military service members, veterans and others to react to Bradley Manning's acquittal on charges that he aided the enemy when he leaked classified government documents. Manning, a former U.S. Army soldier arrested in 2010, was found guilty of lesser charges on Tuesday. Here's one perspective.

COMMENTARY | I am not sure I agree with the espionage verdict, but I am not surprised at the acquittal. Is Bradley Manning guilty on some of the other charges? I would say yes, indeed. I do agree with the guilty verdicts on computer fraud, and theft, as these were unquestionably committed for the exposal.

Still, it is not as if he was selling design plans for nuclear submarines to North Korea. His defense was that he was just trying to be a whistleblower in opening the public's eyes to our wartime procedures.

I understand Pfc. Manning's desire to make Americans aware of faulty ethics in the country's foreign policy. I am not saying I would have reacted in the manner he did had I disagreed with information I was privy to. Was his illegal publishing of material to Wikileaks the correct way to blow that whistle? Probably not.

But action needs to be taken and not swept under the rug. Sooner or later, the government is going to have to realize it cannot get away with everything. This nation's citizens deserve the right to know how its government is conducting its business.

We will continue to see more like Manning and Edward Snowden, as they are witness to absurdities in this government. And, when they unveil the truth, the government will have no choice but to attempt to throw them to the dogs and scream, "Spy!" Both sides should realize there are consequences to what they do.

As a soldier, I took an oath to protect American citizens from all enemies, foreign and domestic. I have been a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for seven years. One thing I have learned is tact. I have also learned that I will not always be happy with what I am charged to do. I will follow those orders that are legally and morally sound. Pfc. Manning chose a different path that, for him, led him to those dogs.

Michael Hedges enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2002. He served in the infantry from 2002 to 2010, when he was medically re-classed to Army Finance due to combat-related injuries. He served two tours of duty in Iraq in infantry and one tour in Afghanistan in Army Finance.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bradley-mannings-heart-place-still-erred-185300509.html

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