Note: The following is a letter to President George W. Bush on behalf of Sgt. Evan Vela, the Idaho soldier convicted of murder. For details on how you can help Vela, visit www.freeevanvela.com.

Dear President Bush,

The Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., military prison holds a man in his 20s convicted of murder ­— Army Sgt. Evan Vela of southeastern Idaho. The conviction was wrong, and we are asking you to pardon him.
Mr. Bush, Vela is not a war criminal. He is a political prisoner. Here’s why.
Vela did kill Iraqi civilian Genei Nasir al-Janabi. We do not deny this. But we invite to you take a look at the circumstances surrounding the incident. It was not a random act of violence or rage.
Vela was part of a five-man sniper team in Iskandariya in May 2007. The team stumbled onto al-Janabi and his son.
Staff Sgt. Michael Hensley, Vela’s commanding officer, ordered him to shoot al-Janabi, and Vela followed the order.
Your first reaction to this may have been, “What was Vela thinking? How could anyone, soldier or not, shoot a civilian point blank?” That was ours.
But consider this: Hensley was concerned al-Janabi would reveal the team’s position to insurgents. Hensley later told a court that al-Janabi was making a lot of noise and might draw approaching militants to their secret camp, from which they were conducting a military operation. In other words, even though al-Janabi was not an insurgent per se, he was endangering the team’s lives.
Also, Vela had previously been exposed to concussive blasts from roadside bombs on two occasions and had less than five hours of sleep in the 72 hours before the shooting.
He was hardly in a position to debate with his commanding officer. Vela was in a damned-if-you-do-or-don’t situation. He admitted on the stand that he had been scared. Mr. Bush, what would you have done?
The worst part of the situation is that Hensley got off with a comparative slap on the wrist — he got 135 days confinement, was demoted to sergeant and received a letter of reprimand for planting evidence on dead Iraqis. The man who gave the order was not convicted of murder, but Vela got 10 years in prison.
We are not asking you to go after Hensley. But as a leader yourself, don’t you think the person who gives the orders should be responsible for them? Who’s more accountable — the person who carried out the order or the person who gave it?
We don’t know fully why Vela was singled out, but we agree with U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo’s assessment: “It is difficult to remain confident that local Iraqi influence did not affect the outcome of this case to Sgt. Vela’s detriment. While similar trials have been held stateside, Sgt. Vela’s remained in Baghdad, despite the redeployment of his division to Fort Richardson, Alaska.”
Mr. President, Evan Vela is not a chess piece to use in diplomatic relations with the Iraqis.
Big headline items like wars and bailouts may define a president. But what defines a person is different — it’s what he goes out of his way to do when he doesn’t have to do anything. We hope your legacy is a good one.
Remember Evan Vela.
Remember his wife, Alyssa, and his two young children, Jarom and Blair.
Remember Vela was following orders.
Please pardon him.

— Robert Patten

Our View represents the majority opinion of the Standard Journal editorial board.

(Appeared in Saturday's, 12-20, Standard Journal)