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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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February 17th,
2007 - Lance Corporal Testifies in Hamdaniya Slaying News article by the San Diego Union-Tribune |
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Lance Corporal Testifies in
Hamdaniya Slaying By Rick Rogers San Diego Union-Tribune February 17, 2007 Camp Pendleton – Lance Cpl.
Robert B. Pennington got perhaps his final chance yesterday to explain why he
helped snatch and kill a man last April in Hamdaniya, Iraq. He said his squad felt its
survival depended on a pre-emptive strike against insurgents in Hamdaniya. “There was no clear effort
to protect us from a clear danger,” Pennington testified on the third day of
his sentencing hearing. “There was no real ability to go out there and take
down the insurgency.” Pennington called the Marine
Corps' mission in Hamdaniya “fuzzy at best and convoluted at worst” and said
he felt like a “sitting duck.” Those reasons, he said,
spurred him and seven other Camp Pendleton servicemen to carry out a murder
plot designed to put fear in the hearts of insurgents. Pennington was on his
third deployment when that plot resulted in the April 26 death of Hashim
Ibrahim Awad, a retired policeman and grandfather. On Tuesday, Pennington
pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy charges stemming from the
incident. He is expected to be sentenced today. In hindsight, he added:
“Saying I feel bad does not begin to describe it. I can honestly say that I
am sorry that I did what I did.” Pennington told the judge, Col.
Steven Folsom, that he realized the unlawful nature of his actions. He also
apologized to the Marine Corps and the victim. “I know bad things happen
during war,” he said. “My goals were not to cause any undue pain to Mr. Awad,
his family or my family.” Earlier in the day, the
defendant's mother choked up while describing the changes that multiple
combat tours in Iraq wrought on her son. Deanna Pennington testified
that he changed from being a goodhearted boy to a hardened man whom she
barely recognized after he returned from the second battle of Fallujah in
late 2004. “My Bobby was gone; his
spirit was dead,” she said. “The smile was gone. When he smiled, it never
reached his eyes anymore.” She said other aspects of
her son's behavior sometimes turned bizarre. Deanna Pennington recounted
how he and a visiting Marine buddy chased a neighbor's cat because they
believed it was a threat. They told her that insurgents in Iraq often
attacked U.S. troops by using animals carrying explosives or diseases. Pennington seemed moody and
lethargic after coming back from Iraq the second time, his mother testified. “He stayed in his room and
watched TV. He slept a lot,” she said. “This time, even getting him out of
bed was an effort. “He was so quick to get angry,
and he developed some nervous tics. He had a knife that he would stand and
flick it open.” Pennington also kept a map
of Fallujah – complete with marks showing where his comrades died – in his
pocket, his mother said. “I would only ask that he be
allowed to heal,” she implored the judge. “He has been at war during his
entire adult life; he needs time to heal.” The defense team then called
on Glenn Lipson, a clinical psychologist in North County who interviewed Pennington,
his family and others to construct a psychological profile of the defendant. Lipson said Pennington
exhibited symptoms suggesting post-traumatic stress disorder, including
emotional numbness, startled responses and the sense that nothing is real. “He had become a machine
that was capable of taking life for the mission and feeling a sense of pride
that he was able to do it effectively,” Lipson testified. Pennington's behavior turned
reckless after the Nov. 10, 2004, death of a close friend, Lance Cpl. Eric
Hodges, in Fallujah, Lipson said. “He did not care if he died
or not,” Lipson said. “He would storm houses (in Iraq) by himself.” External link: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20070217-9999-1mi17pennin.html Psychologist testifies at
trial for Marine Witnessing death of comrade hurt mental health of serviceman accused
in murder of Iraqi civilian, witness says By Thomas Watkins Associated Press February 17th, 2007 Camp Pendleton - Multiple
combat deployments, including one where he saw a close friend die, damaged
the mental health of a Marine who pleaded guilty to his role in kidnapping
and killing an Iraqi civilian, his psychologist testified Friday. Lance Cpl. Robert Pennington
"seemed to be locked in a fight mode," displaying many traits
associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, Glenn Lipson said at the
Marine's sentencing hearing. Pennington pleaded guilty Tuesday
to kidnapping and conspiracy. He was part of an eight-member squad accused of
kidnapping and murdering Hashim Ibrahim Awad, 52, in April in the Iraqi town
of Hamdania. "He thought everyone in
Hamdania was complicit in supporting the insurgency," said Lipson, a
forensic psychologist who has treated Pennington in recent months. "I
don't think he looked at those people as individuals with the same sense of
humanity." Under cross-examination from
the prosecution, Lipson said Pennington's psychological problems were not
sufficient to represent a legal defense. Pennington's squad is
accused of dragging Awad from his home and shooting him. Investigators say
the servicemen tried to cover up the killing by planting an AK-47 and a
shovel by Awad's body to make it look like he was an insurgent planting a
bomb. Pennington was the sixth
member of the squad to plead guilty in the case, though one withdrew his
plea. Pennington faces as much as life in prison, but a shorter sentence is
likely part of his pretrial agreement. Lipson said Pennington knew
at the time of the kidnapping that it was wrong, but believed it was
justifiable because he thought it ultimately would save American lives. "He thought that
something needed to be done to send a message," Lipson said. "He
thought that rumors that he'd heard of other conduct, this is something he
could get away with." Pennington, 22, of Mukilteo,
Wash., was on his third tour when he was arrested in April. Lipson said his
deterioration started after he saw a close friend get killed in Operation
Phantom Fury, the second battle of Fallujah in 2004. External link:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/nation/16721594.htm |