James Yee
James J. Yee (Chinese: 余上尉 or 余优素福), is a Muslim U.S. Army chaplain. He holds the rank of captain
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 has not named 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. He is also seeking an apology.
