46
votes
Looking for clarification of jury rulings at the end of A Few Good Men
Let's look at what they were charged with
Docket number 411275. VR-5. United States versus Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson and Private First Class Loudon Downey.
Defendants are charged with ...
- 136k
23
votes
Accepted
Looking for clarification of jury rulings at the end of A Few Good Men
So one could argue that it was a plot device or that the jury simply found that there was insufficient evidence to convict. Let's look at what UCMJ Article 118: Murder says:
Any person subject to ...
- 563
16
votes
Accepted
Why does Jessep say that he and Markinson both went to the academy together?
The U.S. Naval Academy trains officers of the U.S. Marine Corps in addition to naval officers:
As the undergraduate college of our country’s naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and ...
- 1,153
9
votes
Why was Lt. Col. Markinson worried that Santiago's letter would leak?
TL;DR: Benjamin Franklin once said:
Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.
PFC Santiago sent 14 letters, and many people had access to these letters. On the sending or receiving end, ...
- 11.3k
7
votes
Looking for clarification of jury rulings at the end of A Few Good Men
At Nuremberg, two distinctions made by the prosecution to combat the "Superior Orders" defense were that 1) because of the nature of the trial, the defendants had responsibility under international ...
- 1,856
7
votes
Accepted
Why was Lt. Col. Markinson worried that Santiago's letter would leak?
The three officers present in the meeting (Jessup, Markinson, and Kendrick) don't spend their time censoring the base's postal mail. There are base staff members who do the actual censoring (opening ...
- 406
6
votes
Accepted
Why does Col. Jessup say he will "keep taking cold showers until they elect some gal President"?
This is a matter of using an extreme example to showcase the point he just made.
Jessup isn't literally implying that only the president ranks above him. He's stating that he wants a woman in a ...
- 26.6k
3
votes
Why were the Marines found guilty of conduct unbecoming and dishonorably discharged in A Few Good Men?
Especially after the precedent of the Nuremberg trials, where Nazi defendants tried to present the "I was just following orders" defense (a defense that was not accepted as valid), most laws, codes ...
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3
votes
Why were the Marines found guilty of conduct unbecoming and dishonorably discharged in A Few Good Men?
Just saw the movie after 20 years. I was surprised that all of the charges were not dismissed with prejudice. Court martial charges are generally dropped when commanders are found to have exercised ...
- 31
2
votes
How did the Court prosecute Col. Jessup in A Few Good Men
I served in the Army during the late 60's when corporal punishment was no longer allowed. Marines in the movie were driving a Humvee so the UCMJ prohibition on corporal punishment was definitely in ...
- 21
2
votes
How did the Court prosecute Col. Jessup in A Few Good Men
That a Marine officer will not & cannot ignore his superiors orders under any circumstances.
Although Jessup brings up fair points during his rant (but he is criminally misguided, as the movie ...
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1
vote
Why does Col. Jessup say he will "keep taking cold showers until they elect some gal President"?
This is intended as a very revealing quote about Jessop.
As we see between his status and his later attitude he is in a key position and is full of his own importance.
His ego makes him unanswerable ...
1
vote
How did the Court prosecute Col. Jessup in A Few Good Men
Reality is it wouldn't have gone further due to his imminent promotion to NSC... Which would now of course disappear. He wouldn't be discharged but likely demoted and given a "bad" assignment where he ...
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1
vote
How did the Court prosecute Col. Jessup in A Few Good Men
What would have more than likely have happened is that that there would’ve been a General Order Memorandum of Record (GOMAR) that would’ve been issued that would have effectively stalled his career ...
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1
vote
How did the Court prosecute Col. Jessup in A Few Good Men
Having never served in the military but being a law enforcement officer, I understand the chain of command and more importantly, I understand politics. Jessup was a powerful man. IIRC Markinson made ...
- 17
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