U.S. Marine Generals Fired Over Taliban Attack On Prince Harry
Two United States Marine Corps generals have been forced to retire early stemming from a Taliban attack on a military base in Afhghanistan last year. Prince Harry of Wales, who was stationed at the base, was a target of the attack, according to claims from the Taliban insurgents.
According to Stars and Stripes, Maj. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus and Maj. Gen. Gregg A. Sturdevant were forced into retirement Monday in wake of the investigation into the September 14, 2012 attack on Camp Bastion. Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James Amos posited that Gurganus and Sturdevant failed to adequately protect their troops; Sgt. Bradley Atwell and Lt. Col. Christopher Raible were killed in the attack, which also saw eight others wounded and millions of dollars of damage.
Camp Bastion is a British air base and the main British base in Afghanistan. It is adjoined with U.S. Marine base Camp Leatherneck, which serves as the headquarters for the NATO-led mission in southwestern Afghanistan, according to TVNZ. Prince Harry was serving a four-month tour of duty as a helicopter pilot.
“We attacked that base because Prince Harry was also on it, and so they can know our anger,” said Taliban spokesman Qari Youself Ahmad in the wake of the assault.
“Prince Harry was never in any danger,” said NATO spokesman Martyn Crighton.
Speaking as to the four-month investigation’s determination of accountability, Gen. Amos wrote the following:
I concur. More specifically, I believe that MajGen Gurganus and MajGen Sturdevant did not exercise the level of judgment expected of commanders of their grade and experience in their decisions related to oversight of a layered, integrated, defense-in-depth force protection plan.
Gurganus and Sturdevant, both two-star generals, accepted the commandant’s request for their early retirement.
“We owe this duty to the courageous Marines like Lieutenant Colonel Raible and Sergeant Atwell, who so faithfully served our Corps,” Amos said in his official memo.
