27 December 2002
Exit right
Washington Times
(from 'Inside the Ring' column)

Maj. Harry Schmidt and Maj. William Umbach were on go-pills the night in April when they mistakenly bombed and killed four Canadian soldiers conducting a live-fire exercise in Afghanistan. Their lawyers, Charles Gittins and David Beck, plan to raise the issue when a pretrial hearing for the two men is conducted next month. The Air Force has charged both with manslaughter. A court-martial could result in a criminal conviction and prison time for an accident that happened in the "fog of war."

What "20/20" did not show was Maj. Gen. Daniel P. Leaf pulling out his earpiece and walking out of an interview as ABC's Brian Ross pressed him on one issue.

Air Force pilots must sign a form called "Informed Consent for Use of Dextroamphetamine as a 'Go Pill' in Military Operations." The two men flew to Afghanistan from Kuwait and were typically in the air more than 10 hours on each mission. Not signing the form could result in a commander designating them as "unfit to fly a given mission," the form states.

Mr. Ross wanted to know why the form did not contain the manufacturer's stated warnings that "Amphetamines may impair the ability of the patient to engage in potentially hazardous activities such as operating machinery or vehicles. The patient should therefore be cautioned accordingly."

An Air Force spokesman yesterday said Gen. Leaf, director of operational requirements, only ended the interview because Mr. Ross had used up his allotted one-hour time limit. ABC ate up nearly 30 minutes filming Mr. Ross and Gen. Leaf walking in the Pentagon. It took another five to 10 minutes to set up the interview, leaving about 20 minutes for questions before the general had to meet his next appointment.

"It could be perceived like he left early, but he used up his allotted time," the spokesman said.