Light Sentence

From Stars and Stripes

CAMP HENRY, South Korea — A U.S. soldier was sentenced to five months’ confinement Friday after being convicted in a court-martial of raping a close friend’s wife.

Pfc. Jason R. Warder, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, was allowed to continue his five-year career in the Army after admitting in court that a platonic relationship with the wife of one of his friends turned into a sexual relationship earlier this year.

One night when both he and the woman were drunk, he forced her to have sex, according to Warder’s statements in court.

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Warder faced a maximum of life in confinement without parole and dishonorable discharge from the military. Shortly after 1 p.m. Friday, Gross sentenced him to five months’ confinement, five months’ forfeiture of $849 monthly pay and reduction to the Army’s lowest rank, E-1.

I agree with GI Korea, this is a very odd sentence. That's unless something is being left out of the above story. Sex offenders have traditionally been drummed out of the service after spending time in confinement. Instead Warder is being allowed to stay. Why? He was deployed in Afghanistan prior to the ROK, but that wouldn't appear to be a mitigating factor.

The Army couldn't be that desperate for soliders, can they?

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