Front Toward Enemy: A Slain Soldier’s Widow Details Her Husband’s Murder and How Military Courts Allowed the Killer to Escape Justice

309 Pages·2011·2.28 MB·English

by  Barbara Allen

TESTIMONIALS
“This true story is one of our military justice system turned upside down.
That it occurred threatens the reputation of all our services.
As you read this well written first person story you can’t help but become
outraged; It is hard to put down. It begs the question of accountability at the
highest levels. The book should be required reading to assure nothing like this is
allowed to happen again. The families of Lt. Allen and Capt. Esposito deserve
nothing less, as do our country and the finest service men and women in the
world.”
RADM H. Denny Wisely USN Ret
Admiral Wisely background: Flew 350 missions in F–4 Phantom in
Vietnam; first to shoot down 2 airplanes. He was shot down and rescued over N.
Vietnam; Commanded Fighter Squadron from Carrier based in Japan; Lead Blue
Angels: Ran Legislative Affairs Office in Washington: Commanded USS
Sylvania (Supply Ship) and John F. Kennedy (aircraft carrier). Hosted Bush–
Gorbachev Summit aboard 6th Fleet Flagship in Malta. After Navy, retired as
VP Business Development from General Dynamics.
“Front Toward Enemy, resonates because it goes beyond an exploration of
our military and judicial system; it’s also about motherhood, love, loss, and the
American spirit which drives us to seek triumph against all odds. There is a
humanity to the author’s lens that makes the narrative so compelling.”
Kimberly Guilfoyle
Guilfoyle served as an Assistant District Attorney at the San Francisco
District Attorney’s Office from 2000 to 2004. She is currently a regular
contributor on Geraldo at Large, a weekend show that airs on the Fox News
Channel, as well as host of an internet–only crime–related program for Fox
News.
“Barbara Allen has written a heart rendering documentary of her three and a
half years of her frustrating struggle for bringing justice to the criminal,
premeditated explosion resulting in the death of her husband, First Lieutenant
Louis Allen, and his friend, Captain Phillip Esposito. Regrettably, prolonged
military justice resulted in “butchered justice,” emphasizing the clarion need for
the reform of military justice in cases of this nature.”
Benjamin A. Gilman, CEO The Gilman Group
Former Congressman and Former Chairman of the
House International Relations Committee
FRONT
TOWARD
ENEMY
A SLAIN SOLDIER’S WIDOW DETAILS
HER HUSBAND’S MURDER AND
HOW MILITARY COURTS ALLOWED
THE KILLER TO ESCAPE JUSTICE
BARBARA ALLEN
FRONT TOWARD ENEMY
A SLAIN SOLDIER’S WIDOW DETAILS HER HUSBAND’S MURDER
AND HOW MILITARY COURTS ALLOWED THE KILLER TO ESCAPE JUSTICE
by BARBARA ALLEN
© 2010 Barbara Allen. All rights reserved.
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on my website, www.unconventionalenemy.com
ISBN 978-1-60037-829-4 (paperback)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2010931844
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A portion of the author’s proceeds from FRONT TOWARD ENEMY will be
donated to Camp Better America. Camp Better America is a 501(c)(3)
foundation whose mission is to reconnect military families, giving them the
tools they need to create, build and achieve their dreams. To make a donation
or to find out more about Camp Better America, please visit
www.CampBetterAmerica.org
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DEDICATION
To Lou, for crossing your heart and never letting go. It was my honor and
blessing to be your wife, and I am a better person because of you.
To Phillip Esposito, for taking Lou under your wing and helping him become
that soldier he wanted to be. He was proud to know you and call you his friend,
as I am proud to have come to know you through the ones you left behind. Your
deaths were senseless, but your lives were extraordinary.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would not have come through these years as I have without the enormous
support of countless people. The steadfast presence of family and friends has
been invaluable. To my parents and family, thank you for putting up with me
and always being ready to help. To Lou’s family, thank you for welcoming me
as you did, and working through the pain to reestablish a place in my life.
To Siobhan Esposito, thank you for the times you pulled me through and
lead the way. To Steven Raiser, thank you for peeling me off the floor and never
refusing my call. Meg Foreman, thank you for trailblazing the communication
between us and the government, and for sticking with us long after the
government tucked tail. To John Benson, thank you for fighting the way you did.
This book would never have come to be without the assistance of a talented
support group. Paul von Zielbauer, thanks for pushing me until I saw the light.
You are inspirational. Corinne Jacob, thanks for grabbing on and running with it.
Kathleen Gagg, Jim Preston, and William “Monsoon” Mimiaga, thank you for
spreading the word and opening doors for me, as well as calling me your friend.
To those who provided off–the–record support and guidance, thank you. Bill
Eastwick, thank you for the time and energy spent helping me on this, and for
minimizing the amount of potentially dull moments in our lives. Joyce Bone,
Margo Toulouse, and the Morgan James team, thank you for making my work a
reality.
To Terri Seifert, thank you for reaching out to me, and helping me navigate
the world we have been thrust into. To Roy White, Virginia Link, Dan Barto,
Phil and Lisa Taylor, and Mike Kerr, thank you for being part of experiences
that have impacted my boys and I tremendously. To the countless others who
have done so, please know my thanks extends to you.
Jason Lamphier, thank you for seeing something special in me. I am excited
about life again because of you. And to Trevor, Colin, Sean and Jeremy, thank
you for the privilege of being your mom. You are everything that is good in this
world.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Chapter One JUNE 8, 2005
Chapter Two NINE MONTHS BEFORE THE DOORBELL RANG
Chapter Three STAFF SERGEANT ALBERTO MARTINEZ
Chapter Four MILITARY HONORS
Chapter Five FROM MRS. TO MS.
Chapter Six LEARNING TO NAVIGATE THE MILITARY
JUDICIAL SYSTEM
Chapter Seven KUWAIT
Chapter Eight LIFE WITHOUT LOU
Chapter Nine THE NEW YEAR