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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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October 16th, 2006 - Mother of
Marine says Iraqi Murder Case Taking Mental Toll |
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Mother of Marine says Iraqi Murder
Case Taking Mental Toll Thomas Watkins Associated Press Oct. 16, 2006 Camp Pendleton, Calif. - The
mother of a Marine charged with kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi civilian
said Monday the stress of going from combat to the brig has taken a toll on
her son's mental health. Lance Cpl. Robert B.
Pennington, 22, has become withdrawn, paranoid and depressed since he was
placed in custody in May, Deanne Pennington said. Before his three deployments
to Iraq, her son was an energetic, happy-go-lucky young man who enjoyed
reading and video games, she said. "You see him shut
himself down," Deanne Pennington said. "He sleeps more than he's
awake, that's his defense." The defendant's parents were
at Camp Pendleton to attend a hearing for squad leader Sgt. Lawrence G.
Hutchins. He and Pennington are among seven Marines charged in the killing of
Hashim Ibrahim Awad on April 26 in the town of Hamdania. An investigating officer
delayed a ruling on whether to order a court-martial for Hutchins until he
reviews written evidence in the case. Robert Pennington was
originally scheduled for a hearing on Monday but waived that right and will
instead go straight to a court-martial. On. Oct. 6, Petty Officer
3rd Class Melson J. Bacos, a Navy corpsman on patrol with the Marines,
pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy under a deal with prosecutors in
which he agreed to testify at his court-martial and during upcoming
proceedings about what he witnessed. Bacos testified he saw
Hutchins fire three rounds into Awad's head after checking to see if he was
dead. Bacos also said Pennington put the victim's fingerprints onto an AK-47
and on a shovel to implicate him as an insurgent who had fired first. Bacos was told to fire an
AK-47 into the air to simulate the sound of a firefight. Deanne Pennington said her
son had done nothing wrong and decried conditions in the brig. She said Pennington is
strip-searched every time he sees a visitor, and guards routinely read his
journal, even when it is supposed to be protected by attorney-client
privilege. "Everything is done to
create a level of total paranoia," she said. The Marine Corps said it
ensures prisoners are treated with care and respect. In an e-mail, Marine
spokeswoman Capt. Carrie Batson said that all prisoners are subject to strip
search to prevent them from bringing contraband into the brig. Batson said
guards have the right to screen phone calls, but had not listened to any of Pennington's
conversations. With regard to private
notes, Batson wrote: "Guards may search privileged correspondence and
journals for contraband; however, guards are not authorized to read this
material. The fact that this material is searched may lead inmates to believe
the material was read." Terry Pennington said he
wanted his son to be released from the brig so he would be in the best mental
state to get ready for the court-martial. "Unless they get out
the brig to prepare for the defense, it's going to be a much bigger hill to
climb," the Marine's father said. Attorney David Brahms said
he would file a motion seeking Pennington's release. A similar motion filed
earlier on behalf of another Marine was rejected. Deanne Pennington said her
son has developed nervous mannerisms, constantly tugging at his ears and
squeezing his fingers one by one as he speaks. He is seeing a psychologist
provided by his defense team, and brig doctors have offered him
antidepressant medication, she said. "It's hard to keep
going," she said. "We're facing the possibility that this young man
who I raised to do right may waste his life in a military cell." © 2006 AP Wire and wire
service sources. All Rights Reserved. External link:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/15774793.htm |