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| Iraq |
| US files murder charges in Iraq soldier shooting |
| 2009-05-12 |
| BAGHDAD – A U.S. Army sergeant who was due to leave Iraq soon after multiple tours has been charged with murder and aggravated assault in the fatal shooting of five fellow soldiers at a U.S. military counseling clinic in Baghdad, a U.S. official said Tuesday. Sgt. John M. Russell of the 54th Engineering Battalion based in Bamberg, Germany was charged with five counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault in Monday's shooting, Maj. Gen. David Perkins told reporters. It was the deadliest case of soldier-on-soldier violence since the Iraq war began in 2003 and has drawn attention to the issue of combat stress and frequent deployments to battle zones. Russell was taken into custody by military police outside the clinic following the shooting at Camp Liberty, Perkins said. Perkins said two of the dead were officers — doctors from the Army and Navy — and the others were enlisted personnel seeking treatment at the clinic. He did not identify the victims by name. He said a probe has also begun into whether the Army has enough mental health facilities in Iraq to care for stress cases. The U.S. military is coping with a growing number of stress cases among soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan — many of whom are on their third or fourth combat tours. Some studies suggest that about 15 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq suffer from some sort of emotional problems. Perkins gave few details of the shooting since the investigation is ongoing and added that there were conflicting accounts of what happened. He said the alleged assailant had been referred to the clinic by his superiors, presumably because of concern over his mental state. Perkins said Russell was "probably" on his third tour of Iraq but was due to leave soon. Perkins said the assailant's weapon had been taken away, but somehow he got a new weapon, entered the clinic and opened fire. In Washington, a Pentagon official said the alleged assailant had been escorted to the clinic, but once inside got into an argument with the staff and was asked to leave. After he and his escort drove away, Russell allegedly took control of the escort's weapon and returned to the clinic, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #11 There are myriad flags on this one. His supervisors were concerned enough to disarm him and provide an escort. Makes you wonder what was said and done at that Mental Health clinic. The troop was already under great stress due to the fact he had been disarmed and under escort by his own commander. If the folks at the clinic treated him like an E-1 trainee with a hangnail then...... |
| Posted by: tipover 2009-05-12 17:41 |
| #10 Mental health issues have always been a career-ending problem for most military personnel. The Military really needs to re-think how they treat people who are literally "burned out". Most combat troops are given a way of expressing their "anger" by responding to attacks. Guys in the rear don't have that opportunity. There's always a few that can't find any relief, and keep everything locked up inside. They're the ones that do stupid things. Most aren't fatal to anyone, even themselves. This is the exception. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2009-05-12 16:26 |
| #9 AP says it was his third tour in Iraq: A Pentagon official says the soldier charged in the deaths of fellow troops in Baghdad is a 10-year Army veteran on his third tour of duty in Iraq. Army Sgt. John M. Russell previously did two one-year tours of duty there, one starting in April 2003 and another beginning November 2005. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak on the record. Then he shouldn't have spoken. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-05-12 14:33 |
| #8 TV news just misreported, "At a drug clinic where he was a patient". Bastards, how many will hear this and NOT the truth. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-05-12 13:15 |
| #7 It's no revelatio that when you play with fire via multiple consecutive tours of duty many will get burned. Agree. It's also a real tribute to our men and women serving that these types of incidents are rare. God bless them. |
| Posted by: Zorba 2009-05-12 12:39 |
| #6 Did I mention sorry for fat fingering duplicate posts? My 3G is set on burst apparently. |
| Posted by: GirlThursday 2009-05-12 11:48 |
| #5 Tawdry exploitation of this fratricide notwithstanding, this legal case is a definite game changer in how mental health is addressed. JAG officers Ive spoke with have maintained that the stigma surrounding mental health counseling and the Regs pertaining to the handling of soldiers needing help is is a final frontier that is inadequately ameliorated by current practices. Cracks that were already forming in the foundation of the Army now are springing leaks, and will be dealt with. Unfortunately it had to come to this. It's no revelatio that when you play with fire via multiple consecutive tours of duty many will get burned. |
| Posted by: GirlThursday 2009-05-12 11:42 |
| #4 Tawdry exploitation of this fratricide notwithstanding, this legal case is a definite game changer in how mental health is addressed. JAG officers Ive spoke with have maintained that the stigma surrounding mental health counseling and the Regs pertaining to the handling of soldiers needing help is is a final frontier that is inadequately ameliorated by current practices. Cracks that were already forming in the foundation of the Army now are springing leaks, and will be dealt with. Unfortunately it had to come to this. It's no revelatio that when you play with fire via multiple consecutive tours of duty many will get burned. |
| Posted by: GirlThursday 2009-05-12 11:42 |
| #3 From Seattle Times (written by NYT): American soldier's rampage in Iraq refocuses attention on stress Better refocus on their stress before it reaches the U.S. Population murder rate... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-05-12 11:32 |
| #2 tv |
| Posted by: Girlthi 2009-05-12 11:27 |
| #1 New hero / sweetheart for the code pink / antiwar crowd... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2009-05-12 11:07 |