The U.S. Army has retained a decorated Green Beret that it had planned to kick out for confronting an Afghan commander accused of sexually abusing a child.
Sgt 1st Class Charles Martland will be allowed to stay in uniform, months after he was punished for roughing up a local police commander in Afghanistan who allegedly confessed to raping a child and then beating the child’s mother for telling authorities.
The incident took place in 2011 in northern Afghanistan. In August, the Army announced it was planning to boot Martland.
According to the Army Times:
He was to be booted out of service, a casualty of the Army’s Qualitative Management Program, an involuntary separation measure for soldiers with black marks on their records. Since then, the soldier has been fighting to remain in the Army.
“I am real thankful for being able to continue to serve,” Martland told Fox News, which broke the story, on Friday. “I appreciate everything Congressman Duncan Hunter and his Chief of Staff, Joe Kasper did for me.”
Martland got high-profile supporter from a number of people, including “Bad Lieutenant” and “Pulp Fiction” actor, Harvey Keitel. Last week, he issued a statement about Martland.
