Pilot From Missouri Cleared Of Criminal Charges In Bombing Of Canadians

The Air Force has announced it is dismissing all criminal charges against the U.S. fighter pilot from Kirkwood who accidentally dropped a laser-guided bomb that killed four Canadians in Afghanistan in 2002. According to the Air Force, Major Harry Schmidt has accepted an offer to face administrative punishment in exchange for dismissal of four counts of derelection of duty. Schmidt had originally been charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault, but he turned down that ofer, saying he wanted to clear his name in a court-martial.