Army Private Daniel Alcantara was only 19 years old when he was sent to Fort Leavenworth for a 25 year sentence. During the Obama administration's war on sexual assault, the military began to send many of our fighting men to prison. Thankfully, many of them have had their cases overturned in courts, but like Daniel, some are still in prison.

The culture this war created within the military is still present today. To be sure, nobody should ever be sexually assaulted.

This is a case of a goofy kid who sought discipline and structure by joining an army that only cared about hunting its own soldiers and imprisoning them to appease activist members of congress.

Instead of a drill sergeant teaching him how to be a soldier, his drill sergeants caused the soldiers to focus on sexual assault 24/7. For a group of 18 and 19 year old kids, in a mixed gender training class, the solution created the problem. 

Hypersensitive recruits were on the hunt for the silent enemy. Like an Easter egg hunt, everyone wanted to find it first. Enter practical joker and ever-curious boundary-testing Daniel.

If there is ever a soldier deserving of mercy, Daniel is it. Even the Army Court of Criminal Appeals thought so, when they reduced his sentence from 25 to 19 years. 

Daniel is well known as a goofy kid. He was directionless, and he realized that and joined the Army. Daniel may deserve, at most, an administrative discharge from the Army, but not a two-decade long prison sentence. 

We ask you to exercise your immense power to show mercy and let our young soldier come back home to our community.