A US Marine whose adoption of an Afghan war orphan and raised alarms at the highest levels of government will remain on active duty, the reports. A three-member panel of Marines found Tuesday that while Maj. Joshua Mast acted in a way unbecoming of an officer in his zealous quest to bring home the baby girl, it did not warrant his separation from the military.
Lawyers for the Marine Corps argued Mast abused his position, disregarded orders of his superiors, mishandled classified information, and improperly used a government computer in his fight over the child who was found orphaned on the battlefield in rural Afghanistan in 2019. Mast has since been from relatives who raised her after she was orphaned. A five-day board of inquiry hearing held partially behind closed doors at the Marine Forces Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune was administrative, not criminal, and intended to determine whether Mast was fit to remain in the military.
The worst outcome Mast might have faced was an other-than-honorable discharge. Because the board substantiated misconduct, a report will be entered into Mast's file, which could affect promotions and assignments, the Marines said Tuesday. The board's report will be sent up the ladder to the Secretary of the Navy, who will close the case against Mast.
The child's fate, however, remains in limbo. The Afghan couple who raised the child for 18 months in Afghanistan is seeking to have Mast's adoption of her undone, but the case is stalled at t.