In defense of Lang Sias’ honor
Re: “Lang Sias was complicit with the Tailhook coverup,” Sept. 19 commentary
I am compelled to respond to Pat Schroeder’s driveby hit piece on Lang Sias and his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor. Ms. Schroeder provided a grossly misleading and false narrative with respect to Lang Sias’ attendance at the Tailhook convention in 1991.
Lang was ordered to attend as the commanding officer’s wingman in order that the commanding officer could travel to and receive the award for the best Fighter Attack Squadron in the Navy for 1991 — a year in which the squadron participated in actual combat operations in the first Gulf War — and then get back to duty on the East Coast to prepare for another overseas deployment.
Lang Sias provided truthful testimony under oath to the NCIS when questioned. He later testified under oath at a Court of Inquiry that absolved he and his commanding officer of any wrongdoing at the 1991 Tailhook Convention.
Like most Democrats with an axe to grind, Ms. Schroeder selectively cherrypicked facts that had nothing to do with Lang Sias in order to attempt to sully his sterling reputation.
I was there. I was the defense counsel for the commanding officer at the Court of Inquiry. There was not a hint that Lang Sias or his commanding officer committed misconduct, withheld information, or lied to investigators and the Navy had every investigatory tool at its disposal to establish such conduct, if it existed. It didn’t.
Past service as a member of Congress does not provide license to lie. Charles W. Gittins, Lake Frederick, Va. Editor’s Note: Gittins is a retired Lt. Col. from the Marine Corps Forces Reserve.
One of the most evenhanded and intellectu ally honest legislators in recent years has been Lang Sias. Allowing Pat Schroeder to bring up information that is not only 28 years old, but only links Lang Sias to the event by innuendo, is disgraceful and intellectually dishonest.
Those of us who have known Lang and his family for many years, know how scrupulously honest them an is an dhow caring he is with his family.
Doesn’t it seem the best the Democrats can do with really good people is bring up incidents that may or may not have happened and far enough in the past so as to be virtually worthless?
Shame on both Pat Schroeder and The Denver Post for participating in this farfetched effort. Lang may even have spilled his milk as a toddler, shouldn’t we consider that as well? William F. Hineser, Arvada