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Feb. 8, 2013
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Jewish World Review
March 23, 2011/ 17 Adar II, 5771
Another Military Scandal
By
Arnold Ahlert
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Even as America is engaged in its third war in the Middle East, our military is on the verge of enduring its worst scandal since Abu Ghraib. Twelve American soldiers are facing charges that they allegedly belonged to a secret "kill team" which randomly murdered Afghan civilians and collected severed fingers of the victims as trophies. Five of the soldiers are charged with murdering three civilians, while the other seven have been accused of covering up the crime, as well as assaulting another American soldier who revealed the murders as part of a report on other abuses. Pictures of the incident were ostensibly sealed, but German magazine Der Speigel published a portion of the 4000 photos that were reportedly leaked to that publication.
The released photos, taken by a rogue army unit, show two soldiers standing over the body a half-naked and bloodied corpse. Each man grabs the victim's hair to lift his face up, and each poses for a photograph. One of the soldiers is shown to be grinning. A statement released by the Army said such "actions repugnant to us as human beings and contrary to the standards and values of the United States Army...The actions portrayed in these photographs remain under investigation and are now the subject of ongoing U.S. court-martial proceedings, in which the accused are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty."
The accused are part of the 5th Stryker Combat Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division based in the Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan. Charging documents in the case reveal that the soldiers involved in the crime had contemplated the the "kill team" idea beginning in December of 2009 when, according to statement given to investigators, Staff Sgt. Calvin R. Gibbs, 25, of Billings, Montana became the newest member of the platoon. Described as the ringleader by other defendants, Gibbs allegely bragged that it was easy to get away with "stuff" when he served a tour of duty in Iraq in 2004.
Contemplation gave way to action on January 15, when a lone Afghan, Gul Mudin, approached the troops in the village of La Mohammed Kalay. One of the soldiers, Cpl. Jeremy N. Morlock, 22, of Wasilla, Alaska, allegedly tossed a grenade on the ground to create the false impression that the Americans were under attack. At that point, Pfc. Andrew H. Holmes, a 19-year-old from Boise, Idaho, fired on Mudin, and when the grenade exploded, other members of the unit joined in, killing the innocent Afghan civilian.
Thus began what the court documents characterize as a "months-long shooting spree," resulting in two more murders committed by five soldiers in the same Kandahar province between January and May. The subsequent allegations are undeniably gruesome: aside from the severed fingers saved as trophies and the photographing of soldiers posing with corpses, the troops were also accused of hoarding the bones of their victims, including a human skull.
What did the Army know and when did they know it? On Feb. 14, Christopher Winfield, a former Marine from Cape Coral, Florida, had a Facebook exchange with his his son, Adam, a member of the 3rd Platoon in Afghanistan. The younger Winfield revealed what had occurred, adding that other platoon members had threatened him because he disapproved of the slaying, even as they boasted about targeting another victim. "I was just shocked," Christopher Winfield said in a phone interview with the Washington Post. "He was scared for his life at that point." Mr. Winfield attempted to notify several officials, leaving voicemail messages with Army inspector general's 24-hour hotline, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), and Army's criminal investigations division. He also spoke to a sergeant on duty at the Fort Lewis command center, who advised him that, unless his son reported his accusations directly to his superiors in Afghanistan, "there was little the Army could do."
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The next killing allegedly occurred on On Feb. 22, when Marach Agha was executed near Forward Operating Base Ramrod. Gibbs, Morlock and Spec. Michael S. Wagnon II of Las Vegas are charged with that murder, and Wagnon is also being charged with having "a skull taken from an Afghan person's corpse." The Third killing occurred on May 2, when Gibbs, Morlock and Adam Winfield--whose father had alerted the Army--are accused of tossing a grenade and then fatally shooting an Afghan cleric, Mullah Adahdad, also near Base Ramrod.
Despite ostensible warnings from Christopher Winfield, the Army is officially reporting that they learned of the killings tangentially, as part of an investigation into hashish use by 3rd Platoon members. The unnamed informant in that investigation was allegedly beaten severely by several members of the platoon, with Sgt. Gibbs waving one of the trophy fingers at him for intimidation purposes.
On Wednesday, one of the soldiers involved, Jeffrey Morlock, decided to plead guilty to murder charges."My client is admitting on the record to three counts of murder, plus one count of conspiracy to commit assault and battery and one count of illegal drug use," said Morlock's lawyer Geoffrey Nathan. Morlock is hoping his testimony will result in a shorter prison term. The four other soldiers accused of murder and conspiracy have denied the charges, and Adam Winfield's lawyer, Eric S. Montalvo, who claimed his client was ordered to shoot but fired high and missed, wonders why he is being charged at all, since his father attempted alert officials about the plot. A military judge has ruled that Winfield can present evidence at his court martial that he tried to expose the plot.
In addition to the coverup, the other seven soldiers are charged with mutilation of corpses, drug abuse, and the possession of images of human casualties--which were allegedly "passed around like trading cards," according to the Wall Street Journal.
The trial is taking place in Seattle and is likely to generate a firestorm of worldwide protests reminiscent of the Abu Ghraib debacle. Already many organizations in and around Kabul who employ foreign staff are in lockdown mode, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been in contact with officials in Kabul to mitigate the damage, with administration officials reminding Afghan leaders that these soldiers are being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Regardless of these and other subsequent efforts, it is almost certain that the crime will be a propaganda bonanza for America's enemies, who will undoubtedly use them as both a recruiting tool, and to reinforce the prevailing meme in the Arab world that America is at war with all of Islam--which is precisely what Muammar Gadaffi accused coalition forces of as attacks against Libya continue. How this story will affect the ongoing mission there is anyone's guess. But once again, a small number of American soldiers has done enormous damage to our entire military's international reputation. That such damage is in "stark contrast to the discipline, professionalism and respect that have characterized our Soldiers'performance during nearly 10 years of sustained operations," as an Army statement put it, is unlikely to mitigate the repercussions that will ensue.
If, as it has been said, timing is everything, the timing of this story couldn't be worse.
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Previously:
03/21/11: Barry, Joe, Helen and Wisconsin Teachers
03/16/11: The Inevitable Viability of Conservatism
03/14/11: Progressives in Their Own Words
03/09/11: $61 Billion in Cuts --- Vs. $223 Billion in One Month of Spending
03/07/11: Bean Bag B.S.
03/02/11: A Green Catastrophe in the Making
02/28/11: Ain't Noting Like the Real Thing
02/23/11: Progressive Rot vs. the ROTC
02/21/11: Wisconsin: Progressivism in All its Ugly Glory
02/18/11: News reporters --- or Narrative Shapers?
02/16/11: The Presidents Budget Proposal: An Obamination of Progressive Profligacy
02/14/11: Only Another 9/11 Will Alter the Illegal Immigration Status Quo
02/10/11: Is O'Reilly losing his touch or is he just irresponsible?
02/07/11: Tossing Britain Under the Bus
02/03/11: Starving the World In Order to Save It
01/31/11: Walking the Middle East Tightrope
01/27/11: Small-scale Terrorist Attacks: Big Strategy?
01/24/11: Jeffery Immelt: A Crony Capitalist In Charge of Job Creation
01/20/11: An Intimate Prime-time Interview
01/17/11: Progressives: Always Angry, Newly Desperate
01/12/11: Twain vs. the Totalitarians
01/10/11: Politically Correct Passports?
01/05/11: Showdown at the Fiscal Corral
01/03/11: Reading the Constitution Aloud is a Good Start
12/30/10: Getting Our Moral Mojo Back
12/27/10: PC Airport Safety is an Oxymoron
12/23/10: Getting America Back On Track
12/20/10: A Collectivist Coalition of Convenience
12/15/10: The President Who Wasn't There
12/13/10: Tech-No!
12/08/10: A Lethal Military, Inclusive or Not
12/06/10: The Unexpected Consequences of Progressivism
12/01/10: Leakers and Losers
11/29/10: We Won, Part One
11/22/10: Keep Your Hands Off My Constitution
11/17/10: Grope and Change
11/14/10: Taking Back Our Country, One School At a Time
11/11/10: Checks (and Balances), Please
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11/04/10: Last Chance, Republicans
11/01/10: By Their Own Words Shall Ye Know Them
10/28/10: Progressive Determination to Undermine American Elections
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10/18/10: Healthcare: Alice in Wonderland vs. The Constitution
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10/11/10: Dems: Running From Clarity
10/07/10: Hypersensitive Hogwash
10/04/10: Comprehensive Con Artists
09/29/10: Why Dems Are Going Down in November
09/27/10: The Unholiest of Unholy Alliances
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09/15/10: Recovery Arms Race
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09/09/10: Giving Voters Something to Vote For
09/07/10: Irresponsible Dems, Incomprehensible Bills
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08/25/10: American Bigots Versus Media Propagandists
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06/30/10: Calling YOUR Bluff, Mr. President
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04/15/10: Personal Integri-tea
04/12/10: Fools, Tools and Ghouls
04/08/10: (Tea) Party On
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03/15/10: A Light Bulb Moment of Clarity
03/10/10: Little Things Mean A Lot
02/03/10: Budgetary Fork in the Road
02/01/10: Liberal Economic Illiteracy
01/27/10: Roe-ing and Wade-ing Back to Reason
01/25/10: Arrogance When Up, Denial When Down
01/20/10: Connecting the Educational Dots
01/19/10: The Next Tea Party?
01/15/10: The Myth That Keeps on Giving
01/13/10: Airport Security Begins Away From the Airport
01/11/10: Secrets and Lies
01/08/10: Embracing Bigotry or Rejecting Bullying?
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01/04/10: Our Wonderama Bureaucracy
12/30/09: A Day Off
12/28/09: Dangerous Myths
12/25/09: I, Me, Mine
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12/18/09: The Party of Repeal
12/15/09: Privileged Exemption
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11/04/09: American Vampires and Their Political Enablers
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10/07/09: Incremental Insidiousness
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09/01/09: A Paper Trail Challenge for the Mainstream Media
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08/26/09: The Republican Recovery Program
© 2010, Arnold Ahlert
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