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The War Profiteers - War Crimes, Kidnappings,
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August 8th, 2006 - Soldier Tells
of Combat Stress in Unit |
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Soldier Tells of Combat
Stress in Unit By Ryan Lenz Associated Press Aug. 8, 2006, 10:17AM Baghdad, Iraq - Frequent deadly
attacks by insurgents sapped morale and raised combat stress in a U.S. Army
unit that included soldiers accused of raping and murdering a 14-year-old
Iraqi girl, a private testified at a military hearing Tuesday. Pfc. Justin Cross recounted
the "mentally draining" living conditions of the unit in the third
day of the hearing to determine if five U.S. soldiers will be court-martialed
in the March 12 assault near Mahmoudiya. The girl's parents and sister were
also slain. "It drives you nuts.
You feel like every step you might get blown up. You just hit a point where
you're like, 'If I die today, I die.' You're just walking a death walk,"
Cross told the hearing. He said soldiers often drank
Iraqi whiskey and took painkillers to relieve the stress of not knowing
whether the day would be their last. One such drinking session preceded the
rape and murders, the hearing was told by another witness on Monday. Spc. James P. Barker, Sgt.
Paul E. Cortez, Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman and Pfc. Bryan L. Howard are accused
of rape and murder. If convicted by a court-martial, they could face the
death penalty. Another soldier, Sgt.
Anthony W. Yribe, is accused of failing to report the attack but is not
alleged to have been a direct participant. On Tuesday, lawyers for the
four main accused demanded a new hearing, accusing Yribe's counsel of
deliberately asking incriminating questions. A ruling was expected later in
the day. Former Pfc. Steven D. Green
was discharged from the Army for a "personality disorder" after the
incident and was arrested in North Carolina in June on rape and murder
charges. He has pleaded not guilty in federal court and is being held without
bond. Combat stress is likely to
be the foundation of the defense. All are assigned to the 101st Airborne Division
from Fort Campbell, Ky. Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles
south of Baghdad, is one of the most dangerous places in Iraq, where bomb and
gun attacks by insurgents take place almost daily. Under cross-examination by defense
attorneys, Cross said the unit was "full of despair," and he
himself felt he would die at a checkpoint before he could go home. While on
patrol soldiers constantly feared for their life, he said. "I couldn't sleep
mainly for fear we would be attacked," Cross said. He said the loss of
two soldiers shot at a checkpoint "pretty much crushed the
platoon." The unit went on long
rotations through the checkpoints, sometimes spending as much as several
weeks without hot food, showers, contact with family and friends back home,
Cross said. On Monday, another soldier,
Pfc. Justin Watt, testified that he heard Green say, "I want to kill and
hurt a lot of Iraqis." "I feared for my safety
at the TCP (traffic control point)," Watt said. "It's like this, I
find out that guys in my squad, guys I trusted with my life, are allegedly
responsible for one of the most brutal rapes/murders I've ever seen. And
everyone has a weapon and grenades." Army criminal investigator
Benjamin Bierce testified about a sworn statement by Barker in which he
confessed that he, Cortez and Green took turns raping Abeer Qassim al-Janabi,
14. Barker also claims in his
testimony that Green killed Abeer, her parents and their younger, 5-year-old
daughter. Cross testified that Barker
_ who arranged for the Iraqi whiskey to be delivered through an Iraqi soldier
_ drank the most, although everyone in the unit had been sipping from the
bottle, against military rules. He said he knew Green also was taking
painkillers, even though he never saw him. "Everybody was very
depressed. It was outlet to release," Cross said. Defense attorney Capt. Megan
Shaw asked whether all the soldiers were involved in the murders, or if it
was entirely Green's doing. Cross replied: "Green
does nothing by himself." Defense attorneys also
questioned the interrogation tactics of investigators when they recorded the
testimony of the accused. They honed in on clerical errors such as
misspellings of names and absent signatures to question the legitimacy of
sworn statements. The case has bolstered
allegations of misconduct by soldiers, including illegal killings, beatings
and inhuman treatment. The allegations have increased the mistrust and
resentment among Iraqis of U.S. troops and increased calls for their
withdrawal. Since the case became public
last month, U.S. officials have said they were concerned it could strain
relations with Iraq's new government if Iraqis perceive that the soldiers
receive lenient treatment. They have offered assurances
that the case will be pursued vigorously and that the soldiers will be
punished if convicted. The case has already
increased demands for changes in an agreement that exempts U.S. soldiers from
prosecution in Iraqi courts. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has demanded an
independent investigation. © 2006 The Associated Press External link: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4101969.html |