BAGHDAD - A U.S. general in Iraq who listed pregnancy as a reason for court-martialing soldiers said Tuesday that he would never actually seek to jail someone over the offense, but wanted to underline the seriousness of the issue.

Last month, Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo issued a policy that would allow soldiers who become pregnant and their sexual partners to be court-martialed. But he appeared to back away from the policy in a conference call with reporters, saying the policy was intended to emphasize the problems created when pregnant soldiers go home and leave behind a weaker unit.

"I have never considered court-martial for this, I do not ever see myself putting a soldier in jail for this," said Cucolo, who oversees U.S. forces in northern Iraq. But since pregnant women automatically go home, their units are left short-staffed, he said.
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"I need every soldier I've got," Cucolo said. "I need them for the entire duration of this deployment."

Cucolo commands a task force of 22,000 soldiers, which oversees northern Iraq, including cities such as Tikrit, Kirkuk and Mosul. He said he has 1,682 female soldiers.

As soon as the military knows a soldier is pregnant, she is immediately sent home.

"If you are a pregnant female in a combat zone, you are redeployed, period. That is actually not my call, that is just what we do," he said.

Cucolo is believed to be the first to make the pregnancy an offense that could be dealt with by court-martial — for both the man and the woman. The ruling only applies to troops under his command. He said women who are raped would not be subject to this order.

"I have to accomplish a very complex mission," he said. "I'm going to do what it takes to maintain our strength."

Cucolo's order outlines some 20 barred activities. Most of them are aimed at keeping order and preventing criminal activity, such as selling a weapon or taking drugs.

Troops also are prohibited from "sexual contact of any kind" with Iraqi nationals. And, they cannot spend the night with a member of the opposite sex, unless married or expressly permitted to do so.

The general said he consulted with a number of women in his unit before coming up with the policy and all supported it. He also consulted with his unit's lawyer.

"It's a very difficult issue because pregnancy does impede readiness," said Genevieve Chase, the founder of American Women Veterans, an organization designed to help female veterans. "Enforcing the rule of this is what's going to be difficult."

Chase said she was especially concerned about holding both males and females responsible.

Chase also said there is already a heavy stigma on women who get pregnant in the battlefield.

"Every time a female does get pregnant there's that automatic assumption, that you're trying to get out of the deployment," she said.

WALTHAM —

World War II veteran Walter L. Peirce waited 65 years to get his Bronze Star, but he didn't seem to mind the delay.

The medal arrived Sunday, one day after his 100th birthday.

"I'm greatly honored," said Peirce, who served as a master sergeant and marksman in the U.S. Army's 42nd Infantry, known as the Rainbow Division, in Europe from February to May 1945.

He was in the cavalry prior to the war, and had served at Guadalcanal, said his oldest son, Allan.

Walter Peirce joined the National Guard when he was 18, still in high school, then the Army when the war broke out, and continued serving for 19 years, said his granddaughter, Erin Gallagher.

He was recommended for the Bronze Star, given in recognition for heroic or meritorious achievement or service, in 1945, Allan Peirce said.

"I'm proud of him because he's such a dedicated person. Whatever was needed done, he always just did it. That's the Yankee way," said his youngest son, Walter.

Sitting in his rocking chair, the elder Walter Peirce recalled his service in Russia, France, Germany and the Pacific.

"It's amazing. We always knew he was a sergeant in the war and in the Pacific. He told us some beautiful stories, but my brother and I are still kind of amazed. When I saw this award, I had tears in my eyes. What a beautiful thing it is," said the younger Walter Peirce.

"We all have a renewed respect and appreciation for Dad," he said.

As a member of the Rainbow Division's 542nd Field Artillery Battalion, the senior Peirce fought across the Hardt Mountains and broke through German defenses at the Siegfried Line. After vicious fighting, the division captured the cities of Wurzburg and Schweinfurt.

They also liberated the Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945.

The children were looking for interesting documents to create a display for their father, when Allan Peirce found paperwork from the government saying he was recommended in 1945 for the award.

"All these years, it never got processed," said Sgt. First Class William Maldonado, who works at the Waltham recruiting station.

After finding the document, Allan Peirce immediately headed to the National Archives, and sought the help of Archives Director Diane LeBlanc, who was recently elected to City Council.

"She started the ball rolling, and was quickly faxing information to Washington," said the younger Walter Peirce.

"We found out, he did have it and never actually received it. That made it even more amazing," he said.

Allan Peirce said discovering his father had an unclaimed Bronze Star "was a wonderful surprise."

"I wish it had come earlier, but I'm glad it came. He certainly deserved it," Allan Peirce said.

His family, city dignitaries and military brass crowded Walter Peirce's big porch on Waverley Oaks Road yesterday.

Maldonado and Army Capt. Glenn Cardosa, commander of the North Shore recruiting company, presented him with the award and accompanying citation.

The citation says that Peirce was "indispensable to the smooth and efficient operation" of the battalion's command post amid the chaos of combat.

Cardosa thanked Walter Peirce for his service, saying he was proud to shake his hand.

"We're honored to give a World War II veteran his Bronze Star. We didn't have any trouble to come out here and give it. It's our pleasure," Maldonado said.

Walter Peirce sat in his chair and silently took in all the fuss over him yesterday, calling it "unusual," shaking hands and accepting kisses and heaps of praise.

City Councilor Kathleen McMenimen called Walter Peirce "a true American."

Mayor Jeannette McCarthy added, "Not only is he a true American, he's a true gentleman, and the oldest veteran in Waltham."

Army Private Cody Beckwith and his fiance, Shawna Hodge, are enjoying a Disney World honeymoon thanks to a generous anonymous benefactor. The couple was supposed to be married in Orlando, but holiday blizzards stranded Beckwith in Baltimore. He eventually got a flight to Tampa, where Hodge was waiting at the airport in her wedding dess. Flanked by their wedding party, the two said their vows in the airport.

The couple wasn't planning on a honeymoon, but that all changed with a gift from a Vietnam veteran and his wife who did not give their names. The manager of the Shades of Green military resort at Walt Disney World (pictured above right) told them they could have a three-night stay, along with theme park tickets and meals, courtesy of their benefactor. Their temporarily delayed and misplaced wedding turned into a real dream.