Bales' military town knows stress of multiple tours
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
No one here knows what might have happened to Staff Sgt. Robert Bales in Afghanistan, but most in this military town do know about the stress of multiple tours in war zones.
"I hear that in World War II they only did 11-month tours of duty and then they rotated out," says Fred LaMotte, 63, who teaches soldiers at Central Texas College.
"That's nothing compared to what these people are doing. Four tours of duty. That erodes the soul. For most soldiers, it's just too much," he says. "Imagine coming home from Iraq and hardly being able to breathe for a few months and then you're sent back?"
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Showing posts with label Afghan civilian deaths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Afghan civilian deaths. Show all posts
Monday, March 19, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Still no details about JBLM soldier accused in Afghanistan slayings
Still no details about JBLM soldier accused in Afghanistan slayings
Days after the slayings in Afghanistan, the military has kept under wraps one of the most salient details — the name of the sergeant.
March 15, 2012
By Seattle Times news services
The Joint Base Lewis-McChord sergeant suspected of killing 16 Afghan villagers was flown to Kuwait from Afghanistan on Wednesday, U.S. officials said.
New evidence emerged to support the case that the sergeant acted alone, but days after the slayings, the military has kept under wraps one of the most salient details — his name.
It also is not clear where he will be held or tried, and nothing has been disclosed about his state of mind or any possible reason for his actions.
Already, details of the sergeant's identity and background and particulars of the judicial process he faces have been withheld longer than might be routine.
Military officials said it was military policy not to release the name until charges are filed. But military experts said this case seems unusual.
Eugene Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale Law School, said it was unusual for the sergeant's identity to be concealed for so long, adding, "It's very strange."
Among the reasons for initially withholding the sergeant's identity, Fidell said, may have been that the military wanted to protect his family from possible reprisal.
read more here
Days after the slayings in Afghanistan, the military has kept under wraps one of the most salient details — the name of the sergeant.
March 15, 2012
By Seattle Times news services
The Joint Base Lewis-McChord sergeant suspected of killing 16 Afghan villagers was flown to Kuwait from Afghanistan on Wednesday, U.S. officials said.
New evidence emerged to support the case that the sergeant acted alone, but days after the slayings, the military has kept under wraps one of the most salient details — his name.
It also is not clear where he will be held or tried, and nothing has been disclosed about his state of mind or any possible reason for his actions.
Already, details of the sergeant's identity and background and particulars of the judicial process he faces have been withheld longer than might be routine.
Military officials said it was military policy not to release the name until charges are filed. But military experts said this case seems unusual.
Eugene Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale Law School, said it was unusual for the sergeant's identity to be concealed for so long, adding, "It's very strange."
Among the reasons for initially withholding the sergeant's identity, Fidell said, may have been that the military wanted to protect his family from possible reprisal.
read more here
JBLM soldiers urged to stay focused on mission
JBLM soldiers urged to stay focused on mission
by MEG COYLE / KING 5 News
Posted on March 14, 2012
TACOMA, Wash. -- Soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan now face retaliatory attacks. But they also face other pressures that could undermine the mission.
With all the negative news out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord lately including the recent massacre of Afghan civilians, the PTSD controversy, the officer and alleged death threats, it's easy to lose sight of the ongoing fight.
"It just astounds me...how they're talking about this installation," said retired Army Colonel Mike Courts.
Col. Courts was the first infantry division's chief of staff out of JBLM. A highly decorated career military man who was twice deployed to Iraq. So he has a very real understanding of a day in the life of a solider.
read more here
by MEG COYLE / KING 5 News
Posted on March 14, 2012
TACOMA, Wash. -- Soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan now face retaliatory attacks. But they also face other pressures that could undermine the mission.
With all the negative news out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord lately including the recent massacre of Afghan civilians, the PTSD controversy, the officer and alleged death threats, it's easy to lose sight of the ongoing fight.
"It just astounds me...how they're talking about this installation," said retired Army Colonel Mike Courts.
Col. Courts was the first infantry division's chief of staff out of JBLM. A highly decorated career military man who was twice deployed to Iraq. So he has a very real understanding of a day in the life of a solider.
read more here
U.S. troops numb, uncertain after Afghan massacre
Peter Henderson and Bill Rigby
Reuters
March 15, 2012
LAKEWOOD, Washington (Reuters) - Around the home base of the American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians there is a sense of dedication to a tough job, but stress from years of battle in repeated tours in the "sand box" of Iraq and Afghanistan is eating away at troops.
"A lot of the guys, especially those with a lot of deployments, have built up a numbness to people being killed or hurt," said one veteran of six tours abroad, including Iraq and Afghanistan, describing his own reaction to the weekend shooting. "The people who hate us are going to put a bad spin on us no matter what we do."
The 33-year-old sergeant says he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. He asked not to be identified, since the base has told soldiers not to speak with media.
"These things happen," Vietnam veteran John Haddick, an elder at Lake City Community Church in Lakewood, Washington, said of the weekend killings in Afghanistan.
"It's not going to change individuals that much, this one incident, or their attitude to deployment. They understand it's a hazardous place," said Haddick, who speaks to many serving soldiers and veterans in his role at the church, a 10 minute drive from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and helps them overcome their ordeal.
read more here
Reuters
March 15, 2012
LAKEWOOD, Washington (Reuters) - Around the home base of the American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians there is a sense of dedication to a tough job, but stress from years of battle in repeated tours in the "sand box" of Iraq and Afghanistan is eating away at troops.
"A lot of the guys, especially those with a lot of deployments, have built up a numbness to people being killed or hurt," said one veteran of six tours abroad, including Iraq and Afghanistan, describing his own reaction to the weekend shooting. "The people who hate us are going to put a bad spin on us no matter what we do."
The 33-year-old sergeant says he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. He asked not to be identified, since the base has told soldiers not to speak with media.
"These things happen," Vietnam veteran John Haddick, an elder at Lake City Community Church in Lakewood, Washington, said of the weekend killings in Afghanistan.
"It's not going to change individuals that much, this one incident, or their attitude to deployment. They understand it's a hazardous place," said Haddick, who speaks to many serving soldiers and veterans in his role at the church, a 10 minute drive from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and helps them overcome their ordeal.
read more here
Veterans say war mismanagement may have contributed to Afghanistan soldier’s rage
Veterans say war mismanagement may have contributed to Afghanistan soldier’s rage
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Citizen Warrior by Tiffany Madison
DALLAS, March 14th, 2012 – In southern Afghanistan, an Army Staff Sergeant on his fourth deployment left his base in the middle of the night to execute 16 Afghani civilians while they slept.
As the media analyzes the story and politicians apologize, the military community is reeling. This soldier, whose name has not yet been released, takes primary blame for the atrocity while many point their fingers secondly at Washington.
Most understand the war is won by “hearts and minds,” and are grieved, angered and disappointed in this soldier’s actions. Soldiers and concerned citizens fear the damage may be irreversible and are quick to remind onlookers that he doesn’t reflect the Army mentality. “He should’ve thought of the team and not his own sick path of revenge,” posted Mike Matthews on a U.S. Infantryman Facebook page. “This was one man acting alone. We are better than this and we are not homicidal maniacs. I hope he gets the death penalty.”
Many agreed with Matthews, pointing out that this lone shooter blackens the efforts of the 90,000 troops and Marines still in-country, many of which are building successful relationships with the Afghans. This angers civilians, too, particularly those who have a loved-one deployed and fear retribution and more violence.
Nearly everyone agrees the soldier is primarily responsible for his actions, but across social networks - peppered between rants, condolences, and questions – many combat veterans are also laying blame at Washington’s feet.
read more here
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Citizen Warrior by Tiffany Madison
DALLAS, March 14th, 2012 – In southern Afghanistan, an Army Staff Sergeant on his fourth deployment left his base in the middle of the night to execute 16 Afghani civilians while they slept.
As the media analyzes the story and politicians apologize, the military community is reeling. This soldier, whose name has not yet been released, takes primary blame for the atrocity while many point their fingers secondly at Washington.
Most understand the war is won by “hearts and minds,” and are grieved, angered and disappointed in this soldier’s actions. Soldiers and concerned citizens fear the damage may be irreversible and are quick to remind onlookers that he doesn’t reflect the Army mentality. “He should’ve thought of the team and not his own sick path of revenge,” posted Mike Matthews on a U.S. Infantryman Facebook page. “This was one man acting alone. We are better than this and we are not homicidal maniacs. I hope he gets the death penalty.”
Many agreed with Matthews, pointing out that this lone shooter blackens the efforts of the 90,000 troops and Marines still in-country, many of which are building successful relationships with the Afghans. This angers civilians, too, particularly those who have a loved-one deployed and fear retribution and more violence.
Nearly everyone agrees the soldier is primarily responsible for his actions, but across social networks - peppered between rants, condolences, and questions – many combat veterans are also laying blame at Washington’s feet.
read more here
Sunday, September 12, 2010
We need to look deeper into FOB Ramrod story
"Now, 12 soldiers at this Army post stand accused of more than 70 charges including premeditated murder, illegal drug use and assaulting a fellow soldier." This sounds really bad. It is a horrible story and they should be brought to justice. Not just for the sake of the Afghans they killed but for the sake of the rest of the troops risking their lives trying to help the Afghans.
Some may be thinking back to the days during Vietnam and reports like this came out. Back then no one was really thinking beyond the story itself, thinking of how a few out of so many managed to reflect on the whole or even how they could go from being willing to die for the country to becoming murderers, but the media being the media never seem to want to look deeper into anything at all. Since they are the ones letting the rest of us know what is going on, we usually leave the thinking up to them.
So let's look at this story and wonder what was not reported.
The men and women serving today are all volunteers. They wanted to join unlike Vietnam or the previous wars, no one was drafted. That takes a special person. They know that they very well could die doing their jobs or being wounded. They know there would be deployments taking them away from their families and friends. They knew there would be harsh conditions to live with. With all they knew, they still wanted to serve. So how does a man go from having that much devotion to being accused of doing what these men did?
With thousands of other troops in Afghanistan, how is it that these 12 did what they did while the rest are dying for the sake of the Afghans? What made them so different? Were they like this before they deployed? How many times have they been deployed into combat? One of them talked about being Iraq and "what he got away with" but this report does not say what he was like there, what he went through or what he was like as a civilian.
Some may be thinking back to the days during Vietnam and reports like this came out. Back then no one was really thinking beyond the story itself, thinking of how a few out of so many managed to reflect on the whole or even how they could go from being willing to die for the country to becoming murderers, but the media being the media never seem to want to look deeper into anything at all. Since they are the ones letting the rest of us know what is going on, we usually leave the thinking up to them.
So let's look at this story and wonder what was not reported.
The men and women serving today are all volunteers. They wanted to join unlike Vietnam or the previous wars, no one was drafted. That takes a special person. They know that they very well could die doing their jobs or being wounded. They know there would be deployments taking them away from their families and friends. They knew there would be harsh conditions to live with. With all they knew, they still wanted to serve. So how does a man go from having that much devotion to being accused of doing what these men did?
With thousands of other troops in Afghanistan, how is it that these 12 did what they did while the rest are dying for the sake of the Afghans? What made them so different? Were they like this before they deployed? How many times have they been deployed into combat? One of them talked about being Iraq and "what he got away with" but this report does not say what he was like there, what he went through or what he was like as a civilian.
Allegations swirl around Lewis-McChord platoon
5 soldiers are accused of killing Afghan civilians, and 7 are charged with assault, drug use and more; most were members of 3rd Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment
By Jon R. Anderson - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Sep 11, 2010 15:41:48 EDT
JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. — At Forward Operating Base Ramrod, Afghanistan, some members of 3rd Platoon spent their downtime partying, smoking hash and drinking bootleg liquor.
When Staff Sgt. Calvin R. Gibbs arrived in November 2009, he joined the fun, regaling his new buddies with stories about the things he’d gotten away with in Iraq, one soldier would later tell agents from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command.
And soon, Gibbs, of Billings, Mont., was joking about how easy it would be to “toss a grenade at someone and kill them.” He proposed organizing a “kill team” to do it, according to court documents.
By around Christmas 2009, officials now believe, Gibbs had hatched a plan with Spc. Jeremy Morlock, of Wasilla, Alaska, and three other soldiers to do just that.
By May, three Afghan civilians were dead and at least one platoon member kept fingers as trophies. And several knowledgeable people say there are “gruesome” photographs of the soldiers posing with the dead.
It all came to a halt, however, when one young soldier decided to speak up. Accused of being a snitch, the soldier was beaten by Gibbs and his crew, court documents say.
Now, 12 soldiers at this Army post stand accused of more than 70 charges including premeditated murder, illegal drug use and assaulting a fellow soldier.
read more here
Allegations swirl around Lewis McChord platoon
Monday, August 9, 2010
Taliban publicly flog, then execute pregnant woman in Afghanistan
Taliban publicly flog, then execute pregnant woman in Afghanistan
By Agence France-Presse
Monday, August 9th, 2010 -- 11:46 am
HERAT, Afghanistan — The Taliban publicly flogged and then executed a pregnant Afghan widow by firing three shots into her head for alleged adultery, police said on Monday.
Bibi Sanubar, 35, was kept in captivity for three days before she was shot dead in a public trial on Sunday by a local Taliban commander in the Qadis district of the rural western province Badghis.
The Taliban accused Sanubar of having an "illicit affair" that left her pregnant. She was first punished with 200 lashes in public before being shot, deputy provincial police chief Ghulam Mohammad Sayeedi told AFP.
"She was shot in the head in public while she was still pregnant," Sayeedi said.
Sayeedi said a local Taliban commander, Mohammad Yousuf, carried out the execution before the woman's body was dumped in an area under government control.
read more here
Taliban publicly flog, then execute pregnant woman in Afghanistan
By Agence France-Presse
Monday, August 9th, 2010 -- 11:46 am
HERAT, Afghanistan — The Taliban publicly flogged and then executed a pregnant Afghan widow by firing three shots into her head for alleged adultery, police said on Monday.
Bibi Sanubar, 35, was kept in captivity for three days before she was shot dead in a public trial on Sunday by a local Taliban commander in the Qadis district of the rural western province Badghis.
The Taliban accused Sanubar of having an "illicit affair" that left her pregnant. She was first punished with 200 lashes in public before being shot, deputy provincial police chief Ghulam Mohammad Sayeedi told AFP.
"She was shot in the head in public while she was still pregnant," Sayeedi said.
Sayeedi said a local Taliban commander, Mohammad Yousuf, carried out the execution before the woman's body was dumped in an area under government control.
read more here
Taliban publicly flog, then execute pregnant woman in Afghanistan
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