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2009-02-28 Home Front: WoT

Soldier guilty of murder in Iraqi detainee killing

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Posted by ed 2009-02-28 00:53|| || Front Page|| [11126 views ] Top

#1 "After the detainee was shot twice, once in the head and once in the chest, another Fort Campbell soldier testified that he tossed an incendiary grenade on the body."

That sure does NOT sound like an accident.

Posted by OldSpook 2009-02-28 01:18|| 2009-02-28 01:18|| Front Page Top

#2 Lets hope the rest of the men in that unit are know who the snitch is, and arrange what has to be done with care.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2009-02-28 04:48|| 2009-02-28 04:48|| Front Page Top

#3 Sorry g(r)om,

This is about good order and discipline. I've sat on Courts Martial and the interest of the panel is to get to the truth. It's not easy and shouldn't be. Better to clean your own house than allow outsiders, without any understanding of the military or tactical situations, meddle in operations and standards which will certainly happen [and has in fact been attempted recently]. Its one of the things that separate us from 'them'. 'They' rationalize their unconstrained behaviors.

Posted by Procopius2k 2009-02-28 07:51|| 2009-02-28 07:51|| Front Page Top

#4 Ditto Procopius. Nobody on a Courts Martial board wants a soldier or officer to go down. If he was convicted, he's a murderer. Mitigating circumstances, combat fatique, rage and anger, state of mind, etc, all come into play at sentencing. Summary execution of prisoners is not an option.

Posted by Besoeker 2009-02-28 07:59|| 2009-02-28 07:59|| Front Page Top

#5 I agree that Courts Martial really cuts through the legal b.s. that lawyers use in civilian courts. They are not bashful at all in pointing out when things don't add up, and heaven help a witness or lawyer who tries to pull a fast one.

Posted by Anonymoose 2009-02-28 09:02|| 2009-02-28 09:02|| Front Page Top

#6 yes, the officer should get a completely fair sentence. i have seen (while enlisted) three of my peers get radically different punishments for what would seem to a civilian to be the same crime under UCMJ due to the details that were given merit in each individual case. The court will definitely take all details into consideration and the sentence will be appropriate.

Posted by haveanoodle55 2009-02-28 09:48|| 2009-02-28 09:48|| Front Page Top

#7 Summary execution of prisoners is not an option.

Wanted this to be seen twice on Rantburg.

Posted by .5MT 2009-02-28 10:49|| www.ninme.com]">[www.ninme.com] 2009-02-28 10:49|| Front Page Top

#8 Summary execution of prisoners is not an option.

Amen to that.

Posted by Steve White 2009-02-28 12:04|| 2009-02-28 12:04|| Front Page Top

#9 Summary execution of prisoners is not an option.

Yes it is---look up Geneva conventions on illegal combatants.

p.s. How do we know a REMF from a combat veteran?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2009-02-28 12:35|| 2009-02-28 12:35|| Front Page Top

#10 Actually, you're wrong.

you can't summarily execute them. i checked with a JAG.

You have to try them, find them guilty of fighting out of uniform, then hold them for six months, and then you can kill 'em.

which means all those US GI's who summarily executed the members of certain German units or summarily executed german soldiers who wore american uniforms are or were war criminals under Geneva. discuss.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-02-28 12:48|| 2009-02-28 12:48|| Front Page Top

#11 Look up p.s.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2009-02-28 12:49|| 2009-02-28 12:49|| Front Page Top

#12 How do we know a REMF from a combat veteran?

One would have to look at the background of the seven officers who convicted him.

Posted by Pappy 2009-02-28 15:57|| 2009-02-28 15:57|| Front Page Top

#13 I'm no REMF and what he did was wrong, Grom.

Follow the procedure. After the initial attempt at interrogation, turn the Illegal over to the Intel guys, who will extract info that an amateur will not.

Summary killing like that is not only against the ruels and laws of combat, its counterproductive in that you lose a potential source that can unravel an entire cell of operatives.

I do believe that is a mistake is not trying and hanging illegal combatants in accordance with the Geneva Convention.

Posted by OldSpook 2009-02-28 16:29|| 2009-02-28 16:29|| Front Page Top

23:58 49 Pan
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