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James Yee Wikipedia

Image:James_Yussuf_Yee.jpeg|right|frame|James Yee, Muslim U.S. Army chaplain

James J. Yee (Chinese: 余百康 or 余优素福), was a Muslim U.S. Army chaplain and held the rank of captain. He is best known for being subject to an intense investigation by the United States, but charges were later dropped.

Yee, a Chinese American, was born in New Jersey and graduated from West Point military academy in 1990. Shortly afterward, he converted from Christianity to Islam in the 1990s, undergoing religious training in Syria and meeting his wife, a Syrian.

In his appointed role as chaplain, Yee administered to Muslim detainees held at Guantanamo Bay naval base related to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, some of whom are suspected al Qaeda terrorists and members of the Taliban.

When returning from duty at the Guantanamo Bay naval base, he was arrested on September 10, 2003, in Jacksonville, Florida and charged with five offenses: sedition, aiding the enemy, spying, espionage, and failure to obey a general order. He was then transferred to a United States Navy brig in Charleston, South Carolina.

The government did not name the country or entity it suspected Yee was spying for.

All court-martial charges against Yee were quietly dropped on March 19 2004, and he was released to resume his duties. In April the noncriminal charges of adultery and storing porn on government computers were dropped; as of September, he plans to retire from the US military with an honourable discharge in January.http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=6258208 He is also seeking an apology.

Last Modified:   2005-02-25