LtGen Craig Franklin is the 3rd Air Force Commander and the convening authority for the court martial of LtCol James Wilkerson, the Aviano F-16 pilot who was convicted of sexual assault at court-martial.

LtGen Franklin vacated the ruling and dismissed the case, a move that has been strongly criticized.

A few have missed the fact that Gen Franklin had to make either an affirmative or negative decision on the recommendation of the court-martial — there was no neutral position.  He chose not to approve the ruling, as was his authority, and he explained why in a letter recently obtained by the press.

Most interesting, however, is the line the Associated Press chose to close their article with.  LtGen Franklin said:

It would have been exceedingly less volatile for the Air Force and for me professionally to have simply approved the finding of guilty.  This would have been an act of cowardice on my part and a breach of my integrity.

Taking a path that doesn’t rock the boat (or eliminates external criticism) may, indeed, be “easy” or “less volatile”  for the military.

Just because its an “easy” decision, however, doesn’t mean its the right one.

Fortunately, the military generally strives (sometimes successfully, other times not) to follow the lessons it teaches in its own ethics courses:  to take the harder right, rather than the easier wrong.

ADVERTISEMENT