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Captain Semrau Sentence - Dismissal from Military and Demotion
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by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | October 5, 2010 at 08:28 am
537 views | 18 Recommendations | 14 comments
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Captain Robert Semrau, the Canadian Officer that was convicted of Disgraceful Conduct, has been dismissed from the Canadian Forces and demoted to Second Lieutenant.
The judge, Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Guy Perron, said that incarceration would not be appropriate but felt that Semrau did not understand that Semrau understood the severity of his actions.
A four member military jury found Semrau guilty of disgraceful conduct for shooting a wounded, and unarmed, Afghan insurgent in October 2008.
The charge under the National Defence Act carries a maximum sentence of five years.
Captain Semrau has had an exemplary military record to this point, both in the Canadian Forces and the British military.
Semrau's dismissal and demotion will have consequences for his severance pay, which will now be paid at the lower rank and any leave he may have accumulated.
While many think that Semrau was a hero and should not even have been charged, once he was the military panel, based on the evidence had no choice but to find him guilty on the disgraceful conduct charge.
Two of Semrau's Operational Liaison Mentor Team had testified that Semrau had told him to step away as they did not need to see this. Two shots were then fired, apparently into the head of the insurgent.
The message send by the military is loud and clear, shooting unarmed combatants will not be tolerated.
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Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke
Redwater, Alberta, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (14)
at 12:09 on October 5th, 2010
It's great he don't have serve time in prison.....it's bad enough that he was even charged and dismissed from the service.......as well as demoted to a lower rank.....just for having a heart...not wanting to see a person dying when nobody seemed to care that he was suffering without any medical attention.......thank you for this story.
at 13:57 on October 5th, 2010
So true, but once the charges went forward the jury's hands were tied. There was so much conflicting evidence in this case as well. The Afghan Company Commander had left the insurgent for dead, in fact they faced his head toward Mecca.
at 13:08 on October 5th, 2010
i m not sure what else could have been done..its sad to see a good soldier go...just a very sad outcome for all
at 14:00 on October 5th, 2010
Thanks for commenting, war is hell. To sit in judgment is one thing, Semrau dealt with reality.
at 13:52 on October 5th, 2010
Those that brought the charges forward are the ones guilty of disgraceful conduct. Euthenasia is a touchy subject, but to let the Afghan die slowely, and in agony, would have been far more cruel and disgraceful. The people who charged him do not have the guts to do it, but that does not mean that it was not right. If I was the one dying in agony, I hope someone would have the stones to do it for me. I suppose that is why they were not in the infantry, too scary, better to study law, stay at home, and ruin the lives of your peers.
at 14:06 on October 5th, 2010
Once the story broke, the military had no choice but to hand the investigation over to the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service. We live in a time where everything becomes politicized. Captain Stemrau ended in the middle of this.
at 14:14 on October 5th, 2010
I agree once it was brought forward the CF had no choice. I think that the way that it was handled put Captain Semrau through far too much, however; to do what he did could not have been easy, he did it for all the right reasons, and the majority of Canadians seem to feel that he was justified. But he was crucified, by people who do not have the guts to do what he did, and cannot stand that someone else does... to use soldiers as political toys just seems wrong to me.
at 16:33 on October 5th, 2010
No one can put themselves into Semrau's mind at the time of the incident. He obviously made a very gutsy personal decision and even shielded his subordinates from it by telling them they didn't have to watch this.
I agree, in order to judge him, you have to walk a mile in his shoes.
at 17:34 on October 5th, 2010
He wasn't dismissed in disgrace which means he can apply to rejoin the Canadain Forces if he so choose to do so........I'm sure his former troops would like to see this happen.....as he was well respected even by some of his senior Officers.
at 17:47 on October 5th, 2010
Yes he can re-enlist but they don't have to take him back. There are some very senior officers in his Regiment, the Royal Canadian Regiment, that have condemned his actions and wanted the book thrown at him. His chances for advancement would be next to nil.
at 20:06 on October 5th, 2010
I guess the message for the soldier is; if anyone is suffering a horrible death, leave them to it and walk away.
at 13:05 on October 6th, 2010
or make sure the guys in the plattoon are not going to throw you under a bus for doing something they would want you to do for them if the situation was reversed. If I was the one dying in agony with no chance of survival, I would prefer the double-tap to the head over the blinding, slow wasting away
at 13:14 on October 6th, 2010
Therein lies the problem. In this case there was a video of the insurgent, even though it was inconclusive. In Somalia the perpetrators of the Somali teenager killing needed trophy pictures. I don't get it.
at 13:12 on October 6th, 2010
Yeah and in some ways that is a horrible message. It's really a sad state of affairs, that Semrau for his actions should be the first charged with murder on the battlefield.