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Soldiers in Colorado slayings tell of Iraq horrors
Some Fort Carson, Colo.-based soldiers have had trouble adjusting to life back in the United States, saying they refused to seek help, or were belittled or punished for seeking help. Others say they were ignored by their commanders, or coped through drug and alcohol abuse before they allegedly committed crimes, The Gazette of Colorado Springs said. The Gazette based its report on months of interviews with soldiers and their families, medical and military records, court documents and photographs. Several soldiers said unit discipline deteriorated while in Iraq. "Toward the end, we were so mad and tired and frustrated," said Daniel Freeman. "You came too close, we lit you up. You didn't stop, we ran your car over with the Bradley," an armored fighting vehicle. With each roadside bombing, soldiers would fire in all directions "and just light the whole area up," said Anthony Marquez, a friend of Freeman in the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment. "If anyone was around, that was their fault. We smoked 'em." Taxi drivers got shot for no reason, and others were dropped off bridges after interrogations, said Marcus Mifflin, who was eventually discharged with post traumatic stress syndrome. "You didn't get blamed unless someone could be absolutely sure you did something wrong," he said. Because AP has got its panties in a bunch about copying their work, I'll stop there with the teaser and let you click on the link to read the rest of the story and to find out how hard the folks at AP worked to substantiate the soldiers' stories. Maybe they didn't really need to go to such great lengths since everyone knows that all Iraq veterans all come back transformed into wild-eyed knuckle-dragging homicidal maniacs. Perhaps they should pull a soldier after few dozen kills or near-death injuries, whichever comes first. Of course, if we did that, we wouldn't have anyone left to fight! Posted by: gorb 2009-07-27 |
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| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=275193 |