ANN ARBOR, MI – Two Members of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressmen Tom Rooney (R-FL) and Duncan Hunter Jr. (R-CA), sent a letter to General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff questioning why Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Matthew Dooley was given a negative Officer Evaluation Report (OER) on the grounds his instruction of a course on Radical Islam was offensive to Muslims and Islam.
Their letter dated October 10, 2012 states in part:
“It appears that LTC Dooley led this course well within the scope of NDU's professorial guidelines, as NDU's own Faculty Handbook states: "Academic Freedom at National Defense University is defined as freedom to pursue and express ideas, opinions, and issues germane to the University's stated mission, free of limitations, restraints, or coercion by the University or external environment."
It is our understanding that LTC Dooley did not violate any established University practices, policies or DoD regulations to merit a negative OER.”
The Congressmen’s letter concerns actions taken by General Dempsey earlier in the year when he publicly excoriated Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Dooley at a May 10, 2012 news conference claiming the course LTC Dooley was teaching at the Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC) was offensive to Muslims. General Dempsey caused LTC Dooley to be fired as an instructor, ordered his course, Perspectives on Islam and Islamic Radicalism, to be discontinued and that all material considered offensive to Islam be scrubbed from military professional education within JFSC and elsewhere within his command. General Dempsey further ordered that LTC Dooley be given a negative Officer Evaluation Report—the death knell for a military career.
Click here to read entire letter.
Tom Rooney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. Prior to that time, he served four years in the United States Army Staff Judge Advocate (SJA). During his years in SJA he served as Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney at Fort Hood, TX prosecuting all civilian crimes on post. In 2002, Tom was selected to teach Constitutional and Criminal Law at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Prior to his election as a congressman from California, Duncan Hunter Jr. served as an officer in the Marine Corps. He served three combat tours overseas: two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
The Congressmen’s letter asks “[W]hy the DoD was compelled to further discipline LTC Dooley by jeopardizing his reputation and his future in the service.”
LTC Matt Dooley attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant, Armor Branch in May 1994. His assignments included deployment to Bosnia, Kuwait, and Iraq for a total of six operational and combat tours over the course of his career. He served as a Tank Platoon Leader, Tank Company Commander, Headquarters Company Commander, Aide-de-Camp (to three General Officers), and Instructor at the Joint Combined Warfare School. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College as well as the Joint Forces Staff College.
The Thomas More Law Center, a national nonprofit public interest law firm, based in Ann, Arbor, Michigan, represents LTC Dooley.
Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Law Center observed,
“The purpose of the Army is to fight and win wars. So what happened to LTC Dooley is more than a personal miscarriage of justice. When instructors are prohibited from teaching military officers about the true threat posed by Islamic Radicalism, it is a threat to our national security. Our warfighting potential is thus being crippled by the political correctness and appeasement of radical Muslims currently in vogue at the upper echelons of the Pentagon.”
A review of LTC Dooley’s OERs going back several years, including his OER as an instructor with JFSC, paint a picture of an outstanding officer with unlimited potential:
- “LTC Matt Dooley’s performance is outstanding and he is clearly the best of our new instructors assigned to the JFSC faculty over the last six months. . . . A must select for battalion command. . . . LTC Dooley possesses unlimited potential to serve in positions of much higher authority.”
- “MAJ Dooley is unquestionably among the most dedicated and hard working officers I have ever known.… Unsurpassed potential for future promotion and service.”
- “Our soldiers deserve his leadership.”
- “This officer possesses unlimited potential for future assignments. He must be promoted ahead of his peers and selected for Battalion/Squadron Command at first opportunity.”
- “Superb performance.”
- “Matt is a consummate professional with unlimited potential;”
Click here to support TMLC's defense of LTC Dooley.
LTC Dooley’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with Star, Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal with Two Stars, both the Global War on Terrorism Service and Expeditionary Medals, the Armed Forces Service Medal, the NATO Medal, the Parachutist Badge, the Air-Assault Badge, and two Army Superior Unit Awards.
Replies
Lets face the facts... Muslim think they are the smartist people on earth... But when you check their IQ levels it is below 70 and that makes them the smartist...
This is a travisty. The General should be fired, LTC Dooley should be promoted and recieve a huge bonus for this attack on him by this idiot muslim General?????
AMEN!
Over-sensitivity is a trait of alcoholism - are we now an alcoholic nation or is Islam?
I think that they should be MORE sensitive of US.
WE are in their country and WE are training their people to police THEIR people and they KILL OUR
PEOPLE, yet WE should BE TOLERANT OF THEM? I THINK NOT ANYMORE. IT IS TIME TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND DEFEND OURSELVES AND OUR MEN AND WOMEN.who are defending THEIR country!
Yes, what a great idea, let's penalize our ALL volunteer armed force for defending themselves AND doing their jobs!
Why is Dooley being penalized for doing HIS job? UMM HELLO?
IF they wanted him to do different they WOULD HAVE TOLD HIM - THEY are EXPERTS at that IT IS THE MILITARY....
Can anyone disagree that we are in serious trouble at every level of government and civilian life with the attitude of people like general dempsey. We are at war with islam and the jihadest and of course have to constantly watch our back with the presidents muslim brotherhood.He as their leader is responsible for all of the breakdown of our democracy and for the division that has now plagued our nation.It,s time to stop this traitor of the people and destroyer of the constitution.Screw islam and allah and get the hell out of that country and deport any muslim brotherhood members that we know are in the USA.
Thank you Joe, as far as I am concerned, kill them all and let GOD sort them out.
I truely wish there would be no further mention of Islam. I am tired of hearing about their in-tolerance and ill-tolerance while we; those who are non-Islam must tolerate them and theirs all the while needing to bend over backwards and turn ourselves inside out - and it is still not enough because we will not convert so they say they have the god-given right to kill us (all)
What has happened to all the nations in the world that we have allowed ourselves to become invaded by such Islamic ideas. Does anyone else see where this is eventually going to lead - - - us or them
If they are so unhappy about being in non-islamic countries they should be sent back faster than ASAP - and the hell with diplomacy - - - nothing we have done will make them cease being hostile
bty - anyone agree that there should no longer be ANY monies sent to any of their countries
they want our money and they want to kill us - the US should not be tolerant any longer
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next