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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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March 14th,
2007 - Sailor, First to Plead Guilty in Iraqi Killing, is First Set Free |
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Sailor, First to Plead Guilty
in Iraqi Killing, is First Set Free Thomas Watkins Associated Press March 14, 2007 San Diego - Hero, healer,
rat. Navy corpsman Melson J. Bacos has been called them all in the last year.
Now he's got a new moniker: "Free man." His jail time for his role
in murdering an Iraqi civilian over, Bacos is trying to put his life and
military career back together. But that April day last year in the dusty town
of Hamdania when an Iraqi man was dragged from his home, dumped in a hole and
shot never is far from his thoughts. "It will always be a
part of my life," the soft-spoken 21-year-old told The Associated Press. Bacos gave his first
interview since being released from the Camp Pendleton brig last Thursday
after serving 10 months for his role in the killing of Hashim Ibrahim Awad. Seven Marines and Bacos were
charged. Bacos was the first to plead guilty. Four other squad members later
cut deals with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to lesser charges. Bacos and the others must
testify in upcoming courts-martial against the remaining three, all of whom
are charged with murder and could face life in prison. The lawyer for Bacos did not
let him answer questions about Awad's death or the ongoing criminal cases. Bacos said he was extremely close
to the Marines, and testifying against them is hard. "I am nervous and I
have anxiety every time," said Bacos, who has testified at several
pretrial hearings. "I understand how they feel if they have some anger
toward me, I really do understand. But I also feel that they understand me
too, they understand why I did it." After initially denying any
wrongdoing, Bacos admitted he and three others from the squad seized Awad
from his home and marched him to a roadside hole, where he was tied up and
gagged. Bacos said several squad members opened fire and the squad leader,
Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III, fired several rounds into Awad's head, then Cpl.
Trent Thomas fired seven to 10 more rounds into his chest. Bacos fired an AK-47 machine
gun into the air to simulate the sound of a firefight. Afterward, the troops
planted a gun and shovel on Awad's body to make it appear he was an insurgent
preparing a hole to plant a bomb. Bacos, who is married with a
2-year-old daughter, pleaded guilty last October to kidnapping and conspiracy
charges and was reduced in rank from petty officer 3rd class to recruit.
Murder, assault and other charges were dropped and he received a reduced
sentence of 12 months. With good behavior credit, he was out two months
early. Sitting aboard "The
Alibi," a 37-foot sailboat belonging to his attorney Jeremiah Sullivan
III, Bacos reflected on his decision and the reaction to it inside and
outside the military. "People saw both
ways," the sailor said. "They saw me as a rat, and they saw me as
being courageous for telling the truth. ... I had people in the brig that
would come up to me saying 'I would do the same thing.' They were my friends,
they knew who I was." Bacos couldn't have imagined
himself in such a situation when he joined the Navy right out of high school
in Franklin, Wis., his sights set on a job in the nuclear propulsion program,
one of the most demanding and academically challenging programs in the
military. But he was disqualified after learning he was colorblind and joined
the Hospital Corps instead. Bacos was assigned to Kilo
Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines and deployed to Iraq in 2004 for the
battle of Fallujah. Also in the company on that tour were Thomas, Cpl.
Marshall Magincalda and Lance Cpl. Robert Pennington, all co-defendants in
the Hamdania case. Nine members of his company
were killed in firefights in Fallujah, and two died in Bacos' arms. The Awad
killing happened on Bacos' second tour, when his company was sent to run
security patrols in Hamdania. Bacos said initially it was
hard to gain acceptance from the Marines. But after caring for the wounded
and participating in combat, he fit in and started to see himself more as a
Marine than a sailor. "It felt good to have
Marines look up to me and trust me with their lives," Bacos said. A defining
moment came when the Marines started calling him "Doc," a name he
said must be earned by any corpsman. "It still feels good
now when guys call me Doc," Bacos said. Now on a 30-day leave, Bacos
is getting reacquainted with his family in Oceanside. Under terms of his
pretrial agreement, Bacos does not face a discharge and has at least one year
left on his enlistment. He's still assigned to Camp Pendleton, though that
likely will change. Bacos said he is not certain
what he'll do with his life but hopes to stay in the medical field. "I'm living it day by
day right now," he said, sipping a can of Mexican beer, one of his first
legal drinks. He turned 21 in the brig. External link: http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/state/16903074.htm |