Pentagon must reinstate Army sergeant who tried to stop child rape in Afghanistan, says Rep. Vern Buchanan

Rep. Vern Buchanan of Bradenton, Florida, wants the Pentagon to stop delaying its decision on the forced retirement of Army Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland, who tried to protect Afghan children from sexual assault by U.S.-backed police commanders while he was stationed in Afghanistan.

Martland, a Special Forces member and two-time Bronze Star recipient, was supposed to be discharged from active duty in November 2015 after he and Army Capt. Dan Quinn assaulted an Afghanistan police commander in 2011 who allegedly kept a young boy chained to his bed for sexual purposes.

Martland, part of an elite unit from Joint Base Lewis-McChord outside Tacoma, Washington, later wrote to Army officials that the incident was the third time an Afghan police commander had done something morally repugnant during his deployment, according to a report by the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune.

The other incidents involved a teenage girl’s rape by a police commander and another commander’s decision to allow the honor killing of a 12-year-old girl who had kissed a boy.

Quinn and Martland “felt that morally we could no longer stand by and allow our (Afghan local police) to commit atrocities,” Martland wrote in a January 2015 letter to Army Human Resources Command.

A report by The New York Times claimed the Army had a policy of looking the other way on sex assault allegations involving its Afghan allies, even though some of the alleged attacks may have occurred on military bases.

Quinn was relieved of his unit command after the incident in 2011.

Former Army Secretary John McHugh postponed a decision on Martland’s discharge for 60 days so that Martland could seek reinstatement by appealing his case to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records.

A final decision was expected on Tuesday, March 1, but a statement from Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson, an Army spokeswoman, said the decision was postponed again until May 1 to allow more time to consider Martland’s appeal.

Buchanan, a Republican who has championed Martland’s cause, says the military is dragging its feet.

Buchanan wants the House of Representatives to adopt his bipartisan resolution, H. Res. 451, which would immediately reinstate Martland. Nearly 50 members of Congress support the measure, along with groups like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Veterans, or AMVETS.

“Sgt. Martland stands ready to once again serve his country,” Buchanan said. “The Pentagon and Congress should do everything in their power to make that happen as soon as possible.”

Buchanan has written a letter to McHugh calling for Martland’s reinstatement. He has also asked Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to reverse the Army policy of ignoring the attacks by U.S. backed Afghan forces.

Buchanan has also asked the House and Senate Armed Services Committees investigate the policy.

This story was originally published March 2, 2016 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Pentagon must reinstate Army sergeant who tried to stop child rape in Afghanistan, says Rep. Vern Buchanan."