Iraq War Vet cited for fishing.......

[Multidigits]

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060521/COLUMNISTS11/605210374/1006/rss04

[Art]

The CO was just doing his job. I don't see what the fuss is about and I don't see why in the hell he should be fired.:confused:

[jarhedhntr]

I have to agree with the author of the article. I never did expect special treatment because of my veteran status. The man is just playing by the rules he was hired to enforce. Kudos to the officer.

[GSP]

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060521/COLUMNISTS11/605210374/1006/rss04

What is there to be upset about with the CO? He did his job. The CO fined him nary a penny, that is all up to the judge to decide.

[Xi Bowhunter]

I think the CO did the right thing. Your status in society, or you position in your job should have no bearing on the laws. I support the soldiers, don't get me wrong, but he should have known better. If your are going to participate in the sport then you should play by the rules, no exceptions. Kudos to the CO for enforcing the laws and doing his job. Just my .02

[watermelon3308]

imo the co should have given him a break and simply told him to go buy a ky fishing lic.he must not have much respect for someone whos been over their putting his life on the line.i know the co has a job to do but i think thats over doing it.

[Art]

imo the co should have given him a break and simply told him to go buy a ky fishing lic.he must not have much respect for someone whos been over their putting his life on the line.i know the co has a job to do but i think thats over doing it.

You could also look at it like the serviceman didn't have much respect for the CO putting his life on the line by not paying for a license that contributes to the CO's pay.

However, I don't think either senario is actually what happened. Just an ordinary break a law and face the music type deal.

[im-back]

imo the co should have given him a break and simply told him to go buy a ky fishing lic.he must not have much respect for someone whos been over their putting his life on the line.i know the co has a job to do but i think thats over doing it.

I have to disagree on that.I doubt its a matter of respect.

"Nowhere in my military career, however, did I ever think that my service exempted me from the laws of the land"

I believe that to be 100% true.Doesnt matter who you are or what you did, I was in during the first gulf war and I dont think that would fly if I was caught without a lincense. While I certainly think he should be reconized and thanked for defending our country, i dont think he should be able to break the rules first and then get away with it.

[GSP]

What if the next boat the CO checked had a guy that works for the local power company in it and the same situation? Write him a ticket or not?
The guy running power lines provides a very valuable service AND is probably more a chance in getting killed in his own line of service!

I am in no way playing down the importance, nor am I in anyway showing disrespect to the US soldiers. I am just trying to show how and why COs, KSP, local police, etc are NOT judges, juries or executors. There job is to enforce the law. The guy did not have a valid license. He wrote him a ticket. I'm guessing the guy decided to pay it and bitch. Never did the story say, THE JUDGE fined him $$$.
I would really love to know it the guy took this to court? Be willing to bet he did not.

[Multidigits]

IMO, If i had been the Officer, I would have given him no worse than a warning. The young man was legally licensed in Tn. Maybe give him the oppurtunity to leave the area and fish south of where he was? Either way, I don't believe I'd give him a citation for enjoying his R & R with a fishing rod. I guess officer discresion comes to mind....similar to looking the other way when you know a bowhunter is packing heat under his jacket or in his fanny pack?

But I don't support the letter writers asking for his head. That's out of line.

[keith meador]

the bulk of ft. campbell is in tn...the guy probably went to the nearest store and bought his license, and went fishing. not realizing his mistake....i wonder how far into ky he was when he got checked? i hope not within sight of the border...

[GSP]

I'm sure there is a lot more to the story than was released. How would it look if the paper raun a Letter to Editor from grand pappy that said. "I would really like to thank Officer Fife for his actions the other day. There were 10 of us fishing and my grandson did not have his licenses. He told us to just hone down the lake aways".
Again, I'll be willing to bet there is more to the story than what we know if grandson is holding a ticket in his hand.


While we are at it. What if grandson was holding a .270 and dragging a 180 B&C buck?

[Multidigits]

While we are at it. What if grandson was holding a .270 and dragging a 180 B&C buck?


Wasn't long ago that the topic on the forum was a Special Hunt for Vets, out of season at that, during fawning time. Most people thought it to be a good idea and a way to show support for the troops. Last I heard, F & W was considering the request in some form or fashion.

The idea of having the soldier move to a legal spot was just an idea. You have your opinions, I have mine.

[GSP]

Wasn't long ago that the topic on the forum was a Special Hunt for Vets, out of season at that, during fawning time. Most people thought it to be a good idea and a way to show support for the troops. Last I heard, F & W was considering the request in some form or fashion.

The idea of having the soldier move to a legal spot was just an idea. You have your opinions, I have mine.

I have no problem with the creation of a season for them.

As for the opinions, you are correct, we all have them.

With all that was posted, I back the CO.

[WBBP]

I think the CO did the right thing. Our CO's have so much ground to cover that when they catch a violator, they should issue a citation-assuming that there was a violation and no politics involved........

If the judge wants to take the violator's military service into account and reduce the fine, that is fine with me.

[Duster]

I would bet if the guy shows up in court with a Ky non-resident fishing licence in hand the charges would be dropped.

Was the CO doing his job....You bet cha....being a vet should make no differance. There are a lot of us out there and we don't get a free pass.

[kyhunter270]

If he was fishing in Kentucky and could produce his leave forms if he was on leave then he would be okay and should not have been cited. If he was just off duty and enjoying a nice day of fishing then he was wrong for not having the right license. I spent 10 years in the service and had to abide by the laws then and had no problem with it. The only exemption I wish that I could have had was when I was stationed overseas for 5 years and still had to pay state and federal taxes...Hope I didn't open a new can of worms....Just my thoughts...

[grouser68]

While on 15 days leave from the Marine Corps(25 years ago) I was fishing the spillway at Cave Run. A CO checked me and I produced my leave papers, he said that was'nt good enough and that I could fish but when I left to get a lic. at the local bait shop. He said he would check the next morning to see if I had, if not I would get a ticket. He said he had never heard of such a law.......that a serviceman on less than 30 days leave could hunt and fish with no lic. Well, I got my lic. under protest of course! lol Anyway, that was long ago, and I believe the CO's are better educated these days, not just handed a badge.In this case the CO was right,but, everytime I have ever been deployed in harms way, I thought and dreamt of hunting and fishing, it's calming. Then, you get home and shake all over till you get in the woods or on the water! lol Maybe the Soldier in question was excited, I know I always was! Maybe a warning would have sufficed. FOOTNOTE:As of about 2 years ago the U.S. Govt. made it mandatory that the word, or name Soldier shall here ever after be spelled with a capital "S" to show proper respect for the U.S. Army Soldier, as it should be. Good to see that because the name Marine has ALWAYS been spelled with a capital "M"!

[Pugs]

Perhaps we don't know the whole story of the the conversations between the CO and the Vet went.....

For my part I'm a vet of Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Bosnia, Kosovo and multiple trips to Iraq for Northern Watch and Southern Watch and I'm pretty sure I never saw anywhere that I didn't have to follow the Game and Fish regulations. I live in Maryland but hunt on our farm in Whitley County. The rules say I have to buy an out of state license and that's what I do even though I also pay property taxes and the farm has been in the family going on a century. Just the way it is.

[john4]

This write-up left out too much of the story for me to pass judgement either way. I will say this, Discretion can be used and in some cases it is the best policy.

Besides, why doesnt KY allow vets on leave to fish without a license? If anything comes from this story, I would hope a change in law allowing vets on leave can fish without a license, wether home of record is KY or not. Most vets on leave go home home, he probably come back to FTCKY because he is married and has kids in school that live on or near post, or something to that effect.

Here's my speculated sequence of events

CO: Hello, how's the fishing?
Soldier: Good, caught some nice bass and a few bluegills.
CO: can I see your license?
Soldier: sure, here it is
CO: this is for TN your in KY
Soldier: really, heck, I'm from Nebraska and am home from Iraq on leave. I just bought a TN license so I could go fishing today. I head back to Baghdad in two days.
CO: well that's nice, your license is good in TN and your in KY now. Guess I'll be writing you a $170 ticket. Have a nice day

[PhilpotHunter]

guy broke the law.......sucks but the CO was doing his job

[Art]

If you give one group of people special privileges then where do you draw the line?? If you allow military folks to skirt around the law then why not allow cops, fireman, teachers, doctors, nurses, ect...

I think they should just enforce the law equally for everyone and be done with it. It's not possible IMO to lable a certain group more deserving of special privileges then another group.

I have heard of people getting tickets for much less than what happened in this instance. Hell, I know a woman that got a $250 ticket for "intent to fish" because she was watching her kids fish and there was an extra pole there that nobody was using. If a CO is gonna ticket someone like that, then everyone deserves a ticket, by God.:eek:

[john4]

do you know how many ridiculous laws there are on the books?

-ever jaywalked
-spit on the sidewalk
-In Owensboro, Kentucky, it is illegal for a woman to buy a new hat without her husband trying it on first.
-In Kentucky it is also illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your pocket
-In Kentucky, "No female shall appear in a bathing suit on any highway within this state unless she be escorted by at least two officers or unless she be armed with a club." An amendment to the above legislation: "The provisions of this statuate shall not apply to females weighing less than 90 pounds nor exceeding 200 pounds, nor shall it apply to female horses.
-Frankfort, Kentucky, it is against the law to shoot off a policeman's tie.
-there is a Kentucky law that requires every citizen to take a shower at least once a year.

[Art]

do you know how many ridiculous laws there are on the books?

-ever jaywalked
-spit on the sidewalk
-In Owensboro, Kentucky, it is illegal for a woman to buy a new hat without her husband trying it on first.
-In Kentucky it is also illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your pocket
-In Kentucky, "No female shall appear in a bathing suit on any highway within this state unless she be escorted by at least two officers or unless she be armed with a club." An amendment to the above legislation: "The provisions of this statuate shall not apply to females weighing less than 90 pounds nor exceeding 200 pounds, nor shall it apply to female horses.
-Frankfort, Kentucky, it is against the law to shoot off a policeman's tie.
-there is a Kentucky law that requires every citizen to take a shower at least once a year.

There's plenty of petty laws on the books for sure. If a law is not going to be enforced then it needs to be taken off the books. Just ask Ernie Fletcher, he got nailed for breaking a law that has been shattered for the past 40 years without punishment.:D

[trust me]

-there is a Kentucky law that requires every citizen to take a shower at least once a year.

Oh geez, I'd like to see that one enforced. If you incarcerated every violator around here, you wouldn't have enough folks left to get up a good card game.

My neighborhood is, shall we say, "hygienically challenged."

[150PandY]

I think the guy should have been given a warning. It is bad that he will have to spend his time at home worring about a ticket and going to court. How many people have been let off from a traffic violation. Same thing. Some one was comparing a soldier to a person who works for the power company or a cop or other dangerous jobs. Thats fine but at night they go home to their family and sleep in their beds thats, not the same. A solider sleeps in a cot if hes lucky and endurs 100+ degree weather every day with no chance of A/C. I dont think he should be getting special privledges but should have been given a warning just like I am sure they do all the time. JMO

[Art]

I think the guy should have been given a warning. It is bad that he will have to spend his time at home worring about a ticket and going to court. How many people have been let off from a traffic violation. Same thing. Some one was comparing a soldier to a person who works for the power company or a cop or other dangerous jobs. Thats fine but at night they go home to their family and sleep in their beds thats, not the same. A solider sleeps in a cot if hes lucky and endurs 100+ degree weather every day with no chance of A/C. I dont think he should be getting special privledges but should have been given a warning just like I am sure they do all the time. JMO

I've never heard of a CO giving a warning. By your example homeless people and truck drivers should also be given warnings. I don't personally see the need to give every single person a ticket, but when you start letting one group off then you are being unfair to everyone else who gets a ticket IMO.

[watermelon3308]

I think the guy should have been given a warning. It is bad that he will have to spend his time at home worring about a ticket and going to court. How many people have been let off from a traffic violation. Same thing. Some one was comparing a soldier to a person who works for the power company or a cop or other dangerous jobs. Thats fine but at night they go home to their family and sleep in their beds thats, not the same. A solider sleeps in a cot if hes lucky and endurs 100+ degree weather every day with no chance of A/C. I dont think he should be getting special privledges but should have been given a warning just like I am sure they do all the time. JMOwell put.as i said before i know a co has a job to do but i think he over did it on this one.he should have simply given him a warning and told him to go buy a lic.and then he should have thanked him for being over their fighting for his country and puting his life on the line for us.i bet if it would of been one of the co.s buddies or family members he would have given them a break and said go get your lic.and have a nice day.jmo.