Military board substantiates misconduct but declines to fire Marine who adopted Afghan orphan

Source: Associated Press

Military board substantiates misconduct but declines to fire Marine who adopted Afghan orphan

By JULIET LINDERMAN, CLAIRE GALOFARO and MARTHA MENDOZA
Updated 9:35 AM EDT, October 9, 2024

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — A U.S. Marine whose adoption of an Afghan war orphan has spurred a yearslong legal battle and raised alarms at the highest levels of government will remain on active duty.

A three-member panel of Marines said Tuesday that while Maj. Joshua Mast acted in a way unbecoming of an officer in his zealous quest to bring home the baby girl, it did not warrant his separation from the military.

Lawyers for the Marine Corps argued Mast abused his position, disregarded orders of his superiors and mishandled classified information in his fight over the child who was found orphaned on the battlefield in rural Afghanistan in 2019.

The board found that the government provided enough evidence to substantiate some of the bases for misconduct, including misuse of a government computer. Mast was cleared of allegations he made false official statements and failed to obey an order or regulation.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/afghan-baby-adoption-military-marines-0600f1da2b7af43490784aa27cd3e597