US soldier faces execution over killing spree

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

http://www.herald.ie/news/us-soldier...e-3332655.html

THE US Army is to seek the death penalty for the soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers in a pre-dawn rampage.

The announcement followed a pre-trial hearing last month for Staff Sgt Robert Bales (39) who faces premeditated murder and other charges over the attack on two villages in southern Afghanistan in March.

The killings drew such angry protests that the US temporarily halted combat operations in Afghanistan and it was three weeks before American investigators could reach the scenes.

Prosecutors said Bales left his Afghanistan base early on March 11, attacked one village and returned to the base, then slipped away again to attack another nearby compound.

Of the 16 people killed, nine were children.

No date has been set for Bales' court-martial.

His civilian lawyer, John Browne, said he met army officials last week to argue that his client should not face the possibility of the death penalty, given that Bales was on his fourth deployment in a war zone when the killings occurred.

"The army is not taking responsibility for Sgt Bales and other soldiers that the army knowingly sends into combat situations with diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, concussive head injuries and other injuries," Mr Browne said.

"The army is trying to take the focus off the failure of its decisions and the failure of the war itself, and making Sgt Bales out to be a rogue soldier."

During last month's preliminary hearing, prosecutors built a strong eyewitness case against him, with troops recounting how they saw Bales return to the base alone, covered in blood.

One soldier said Bales woke him up in the middle of the night, saying he had just shot people at one village and that he was heading out again to attack another.

I sort of feel sorry for this guy as he must have lost his mind to do this.4 war zones they sent him into.He had PTSD.Sorry for his victims also.But is the army trying to divert the blame onto a rogue soldier.Surely he would have shown signs of not being all there in the head.Surely he could have been taken out of action.

[Thorn777]

typical indeed

[I WUB PUGS]

Hmm, I'm curious if his death-benefit will pay out. I think it should. His wife and kids didn't do this, and he is still a tool of the government.

The government will be denying the support of the father even though contractually, the wife and children are deserving of the pay, at least allowances....... if this works the same way NJPs do. You take pay, but allowances aren't touched I believe.

I wonder if he's been allowed to use the old trick of putting his base pay into allotments........

[Himster]

When it comes to malfunctioning assets the fault also lies with those in charge of the maintenance of that asset.

[I WUB PUGS]

When it comes to malfunctioning assets the fault also lies with those in charge of the maintenance of that asset.

Yes, so if the government kills that asset, they should be obligated to pay off the debts of that living asset. The debts being to the wife and children.

This is definitely a PR move. We haven't executed any of our other "war criminals" lately.

[Vanoi]

I think its just PR for Afghans. I think they would like a man like him being executed for what he has done.

[Adamwestisgod]

He wasnt neccisarily forced to go onto this last deployment. In the Army we have this thing called "dwell" it means that when you deploy for a year you have about a year year and a half in some cases two years were you cant deploy. This was put into place because soliders would deploy for 15 months come back get swtiched over to a new unit and within months of them switching they go back onto another 15 month deployment, and also to prevent soliders developing some severe cases of PTSD (as this guy did). Now you have the full right (or you did till this whole thing happend) to waive your dwell time so you can go on your current units deployment, which from my understanding this man did.

Now the Army just doesn't tell soldiers with PTSD to suck it up anymore and deploy. We as soldiers are almost CONSTANTLY (literally almost every friday during our safety briefs) that if we are having problems either with suicide or PTSD to call ANYBODY in the Chain of Command for help and they will get the help they need. The Army has been really good about helping soldiers get the help they need and to get rid of the stigma that soliders used to get when they would ask for help. In fact if his PTSD was so bad he very easily could of gone to Army psychologist for help and even canceled his deployment orders (ive seen it happen alot). Which makes me think he wanted to go (which then in my mind means he is at fault for his choices) or that his Chain of Command wasnt being helpful and screwed him over (which if thats the case then I believe the blame also falls on them). While I personally dont believe this man deserves the death penalty, he does definatly deserve some form of severe punishment. In that one action he destroyed years of trust that American Soldiers and Marines sacrificed alot to get to. Much like the abu garib prision fiasco this man literally made our jobs just that much harder.

[Henry of Grosmont]

I'm kind of baffled. Why the OP feels sorry about this guy? Is the US army to blame here, really? Can anyone, in his right mind, say that?

[craziii]

kinda weird how a guy who kills 16 innocents and is still alive. on a clear cut case like this, he should have been fertilizer on the 2nd day.

[Fluttershy]

he murdered 16 people, I have no issue with them giving him the death penalty here. Although unlike the poster above me I would prefer he get his due process

[Captain Jin]

I have no issue with this either. I did three tours. Two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. I didn't go on a ing killing spree. this guy.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

Captain Jin not every body gets their head messed up.I saw a documentary about a British soldier that cant sleep at night because of nightmares and sometimes jumps on the ground thinking there are explosians going off around him.His wife was crying on TV about him not being the same person.He kept thinking people were looking at him and he was also aggressive.The guy has gone loopy and war had a part in this.He was doing his best for his country and his mind got injured.
His wife and kids have to live without him now and he is about to be executed.If he had treatment before he went awol none of this would have happened.The system may have failed him.

[Wilder]

Captain Jin not every body gets their head messed up.I saw a documentary about a British soldier that cant sleep at night because of nightmares and sometimes jumps on the ground thinking there are explosians going off around him.His wife was crying on TV about him not being the same person.He kept thinking people were looking at him and he was also aggressive.The guy has gone loopy and war had a part in this.He was doing his best for his country and his mind got injured.
His wife and kids have to live without him now and he is about to be executed.If he had treatment before he went awol none of this would have happened.The system may have failed him.

Or he was messed up un the same way that the perpetrators of mass shootings back home are. Just because he is a soldier does not give him a free pass. PTSD is serious, and I don't want to be dismissive, but there are many vets who cope with it every day without going on killing sprees.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

And many who commit suicide

[Nietzsche]

The death penalty is barbarism. I reckon Hassan had gotten better treatment and defense than this guy.

[conon394]

Captain Jin not every body gets their head messed up.I saw a documentary about a British soldier that cant sleep at night because of nightmares and sometimes jumps on the ground thinking there are explosians going off around him.His wife was crying on TV about him not being the same person.He kept thinking people were looking at him and he was also aggressive.The guy has gone loopy and war had a part in this.He was doing his best for his country and his mind got injured.
His wife and kids have to live without him now and he is about to be executed.If he had treatment before he went awol none of this would have happened.The system may have failed him.

You know I have an old family friend - who grew up right near my Parents and is practically more of an Uncle than my real ones - he did a couple tours in Vietnam in the marines. His take was 1/3 of people will be fine. 1/3 will be fine if they find some help, and 1/3 are likely going to always have issues. I consider that fair enough and maybe the system failed this guy and the dead my not catching him but than again if he resisted help how could he be helped and his crime was excessive.

Obviously we don't don't know the whole story but what we do know says calculated predetermination, he did not go nuts right after an attack or loose his marbles in the base etc. I don't see a problem with the death penalty - many soldiers may commit suicide, many have their marriages collapse but the apparent and systematic repeated execution of individuals is rather rare. In any case its not like he going to be shot tomorrow - the man will get a trial and his defense will get the opportunity to argue for mitigation either in the main trial and likely over the penalty if guilty. However I would Steven Dale Green should have faced the the same penalty in Iraq but did not which I think opens up a but of question on how the US Army makes its determinations.

All that being said I am OK with the prosecution attempt.

[Gaidin]

So, anybody complaining about the death penalty here, have you ever not seen it used as a pre-trial tool by both sides in a case like this if it were available? I mean, a damn massacre?

[Sphere]

I have no issue with this either. I did three tours. Two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. I didn't go on a ing killing spree. this guy.

^This.

I have several good friends with PTSD symptoms which screw with their lives but they don't out and kill innocent people.

Let this guy swing.

[Gaidin]

Let this guy swing.

Get back to me when they get to the sentencing hearing and go over mitigating circumstances. I'd actually be kind of amused if they let him swing given his claims on mental condition. I get the feeling the suspect's lawyer expects a conviction but also thinks he has the mitigating circumstances to pull it back from the death penalty if he plays it right.

[Sphere]

Twice the guy slipped out of base on his own and proceed to kill 9 children and their parents while they slept.

Obviously he has severe mental problems, the ones associated with cold blooded murder.