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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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August 6th,
2008 - Girlfriend, Friends Defend Local Soldier |
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Girlfriend, Friends Defend Local
Soldier By Mark Schlachtenhaufen The Edmond Sun August 6, 2008 Edmond - The character and
ethics of an Edmond soldier linked by the military to the shooting death of
an Iraqi detainee are not being questioned by friends who know him better
than most. Military justice officials
have charged 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, 25, of Edmond, and Staff Sgt. Hal M.
Warner, 34, of Braggs, in connection with the alleged shooting death of a
former Iraqi detainee. Ali Mansur Mohamed was
believed to have been released in May by coalition forces and shot “at or
near” the soldiers’ forward operating base in Iraq, the military said in a
statement. Behenna’s girlfriend,
Shannon Wahl, 24, said she has been dating Behenna for three years, but has
known him since the second grade when they were students at Will Rogers
Elementary School. As they progressed through
Edmond’s school system, Wahl and Behenna’s relationship continued. Behenna
transferred from Edmond North High School to Edmond Memorial where he played
two years of basketball before they both graduated in 2002. Then, at the
University of Central Oklahoma, they started dating. Wahl said she spoke to
Behenna on the telephone for about 40 minutes on Tuesday. She characterized
the conversation as “good” and said they discussed many of the things they
normally cover. “We find comfort in each
other,” Wahl said. Wahl said Behenna got into
the ROTC program at UCO and “loved it.” He was dedicated to his training and
he always wanted to be an infantry officer, she said. “He loves being a soldier,”
she said. In September 2007, Behenna
was deployed to Iraq, Wahl said. One of his most difficult days came in
April, when as platoon leader, after two of his soldiers were killed, he had
to give two families the news, she said. Wahl said Behenna is a
natural leader who is respected by his fellow soldiers. She said she got to
meet his comrades before he was deployed. “All these guys respected
him so much,” Wahl said. David Wahl, of Edmond, is
Shannon’s father. He said Behenna, a ranger, is a self- reflective, dedicated
young man, someone he would be proud to see marry his daughter. Shannon Wahl
said Behenna has a strong desire to have a large family of their own. “He’s the love of my life,”
she said. “One day I hope we will have a family of our own.” Other friends were equally
staunch in their support of Behenna. Behenna and Daniel Hodges,
25, were classmates at Edmond North. Hodges said he first met Behenna in
seventh grade when they were both students at Sequoyah Middle School. Hodges, who was at Duke
University in 2006, said Behenna’s case made him think about his friendship
with several Duke lacrosse players who were accused of rape and other crimes
they did not commit. During the ensuing year,
they were demonized in the media. In April 2007, the North Carolina state
attorney general announced that all remaining charges had been dropped
against three lacrosse players. Hodges said he was shocked
when he first learned the news about Behenna after getting a call from a
friend who told him to Google “Behenna.” “I had known Michael for
more than 10 years and he’s a good guy,” Hodges said. “If this is true I knew
there had to be something else to the story.” Many of the facts in
Behenna’s case are not known yet and Behenna is innocent until proven guilty,
Hodges stressed, as did the military. In school Hodges said he and
Behenna did many of the usual things friends do, like play sports together.
Hodges said Behenna stayed on top of his school work and that his parents
influenced him to study hard. “When you hang out with
someone a lot you can tell a lot about their character and ethics,” Hodges
said. “I never questioned his ethics.” Hodges said Behenna’s
parents kept close tabs on their sons and Behenna and his brothers followed
family rules and Michael Behenna stayed out of trouble. The Behennas also are
a religious family, Hodges said. Vicki Behenna, his mother,
is a federal prosecutor and was a member of the team that prosecuted the case
against Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. Scott Behenna, his father, is a
former Oklahoma State Bureay of Investigation special agent. Members of
Behenna’s family have not returned phone calls from The Edmond Sun. Benjamin McBride said he has
known Behenna for about eight years. They met at a gym, started working out
together and played a lot of basketball together, he said. McBride said Behenna is
driven to be successful, self-disciplined, and extremely loyal to family and
friends, a sentiment echoed by others. “He would do anything for
his girlfriend,” McBride said. An Article 32 pretrial
investigation hearing for Warner is scheduled to begin Aug. 15 at a coalition
base near Tikrit, Iraq. A date has not yet been set for Behenna’s hearing. The military said more
information about the case would be made available after completion of the
Article 32 pretrial investigations. External link: http://www.edmondsun.com/local/local_story_219225502.html |