Oct 4, 2012 No Comments ›› Pat Dollard
Excerpted from WND: The plaudits in the military records regarding the performance of one Lt. Col. Matthew Dooley, a 1994 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, are startling:
“Exceptionally superb performance from a professional, innovative and enthusiastic officer”
“He is clearly the best of our new instructors … already cited by his students as an outstanding instructor. … A must select for battalion command. … Dooley possesses unlimited potential to serve in positions of much higher authority.”
“Unquestionably among the most dedicated and hard working officers I have ever known. … He can always be counted on to deliver top-north results. Select immediately for battalion/squadron command. Unsurpassed potential for future promotion and service.
“Absolutely spectacular officer. … He has the highest work ethic of any officer in this command.”
These, then, were the military’s own descriptions of Dooley in the service periods leading up to a complaint by Muslims that he was teaching “Perspectives on Islam and Islamic Radicalism” at the National Defense University.
Then, according to Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, who “publicly excoriated” the officer at a public news conference, Dooley’s teaching was “totally objectionable” and “against our values.”
Dooley was ordered fired from his instructor’s position and given a negative Officer Evaluation Report, a death knell for a military career.
The Thomas More Law Center has agreed to represent Dooley in his battle over the abrupt change in attitude on the part of the military. The legal advocacy group said it decided to release a number of documents about the officer “to give the public an idea of the loss to the army and our nation.”
Like many of his peers serving alongside him in the military, Lt. Col. Dooley has served honorably and with distinction through a number of complex operating environments, Thomas More explained.
Evaluations are required at least once a year and are normally completed by two superiors, a rater and a senior rater.
“As is clearly shown by the OERs below, Lt. Col. Dooley’s raters and senior raters all considered him an outstanding officer and advocated his rapid promotion and advancement to the highest levels of responsibility,” the legal group said.
