War and the stress of fighting in a war, being shot at, watching your buddy being blown apart in pieces, having your buddy die in your arms from gunshot wounds from an elusive enemy that you’ve been conditioned to hate, can easily create a clouded, unfocused and warped state of mind for the average combat veteran.
There are secrets of war that sometimes come back to haunt and destroy a soldier’s life. This is the case of First Sergeant John Hatley, Sergeant First Class Joseph Mayo and Sergeant Jamie Leahy.
Interrogated by Army Criminal Investigators for the 2007 murders of four Iraqi detainees, their sin of murder and secrecy began to become unreeled and revealed.
When asked by investigators why they decided to execute all four detainees, all three soldiers stated that a military policy on holding suspected insurgents, made it too difficult for soldiers to detain suspected enemy insurgents.
Soldiers questioned in the killings said the sergeant in command of their detachment ordered the suspected insurgents killed because Army rules made it too difficult to hold them.
"They're gonna be right back on the streets," one soldier put it.
Earlier this year, Hatley, Mayo and Leahy were convicted by military General Courts-Martial of premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder in the killings of the four Iraqi detainees in March 2007.
The soldiers, all from Company D, First Battalion, Second Infantry, 172nd Infantry Brigade were engaged in the middle of a heated battle, receiving and returning small arms fire in the streets of Baghdad, during the height of the Army’s surge to take back control of the city from enemy insurgents.
By all accounts, the incident began after soldiers from the company were fired upon. The soldiers went to a house where they found four Iraqi men and a small weapons cache.
The men were loaded into the back of a Bradley fighting vehicle. But instead of being taken to the detainee housing area, they were driven in a convoy of 13 soldiers to the canal and killed, according to trial testimony and other documents in the case.
Private First Class. Joshua Hartson, who has since left the Army because of a serious injury, recalled a conversation he had with 1st Sgt. John Hatley, who was in charge that day.
"My first sergeant comes up to me, and pulls me away from everybody, then he told me that if we take them to the detainee facility, the 'DHA,' that they're gonna be right back on the streets doing the same thing in a matter of weeks." "He asked me if I had a problem if we take care of them, and I told him no."
Hartson and other soldiers said that Sergeant Hatley was frustrated by the Army's rules for evidence required to hold Iraqi detainees. Hartson was not charged and received immunity for his testimony.
All three are serving their sentences at the U.S. military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Hatley received a life sentence that was later reduced to 40 years; Sergeant First Class Joseph Mayo, who had pleaded guilty to the charges, and Sergeant. Michael Leahy, a medic, are serving 20-year terms. Hatley and Leahy are appealing their convictions, while Mayo is seeking a lighter sentence.
As always Louisianans, the Examiner.Com is interested in what you think. Are the prison sentences too harsh for these soldiers? Should special consideration be given to these soldiers during their appeal, in light of understanding what combat stress can do to a soldier’s mind? Should the military thoroughly review its policy of detaining suspected insurgents? Inquiring minds want to know. Oh...and does serving multiple combat tours increase the chances of soldiers making bad decisions? Sound off.
Until next time Louisianans, Good Day, God Bless and Good Fishing.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/18/army.tapes.wives/index.html
Comments
No, the sentences are not too harsh. Where do these soldiers get off complaining about not being allowed to hold detainees without evidence? Are they suggesting their frustration at having to follow the rules justifies murder?
I don't pretend to understand the effect war has on these soldiers. But if it leads to this, that's a reason not to go to war, not a reason to allow murder.
To John: First, thank you for reading my article. Now...I respect your opinion, however, the horrors of war and the repetitiveness of being deployed in a hostile environment, - in some instances, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are on their 3rd and 4th tour - causes a troop to live in another "mode / world" that's hard for the average civilian to understand. Yes, they messed up and should be punished, there is a code of conduct that they grossly violated, but, let's keep it real, after a couple of tours in Fullujah, you sir, may began to "lose it" yourself. In my humble opinion, the stress of multiple combat tours helped created this situation. The Bible even states that there will be wars and rumors of war. We humans will always be involved in wars. Now...if we brought back the draft a lot of the stress of soldiers experiencing 3 and 4 combat tours of duty would be eliminated. Again, thanks for your opinion. GB
I know that the stupidity of the rules placed upon these soldiers in the 'madness of political correctness' puts them in much more danger.
Not that what they did was right, but it is the natural result of the stupidity of those who sent them their to fight.
Don't you think many in the military wish they'd killed the five they captured who are now going to be on exhibit in a NYC courtroom where their defense attorney is already saying it was we Americans who at at fault?
If we are attacked and politicians send our sons to war, they should use full military force, scare them so badly they never dare do it again and then bring them right back home. Why are we still messing around there?!
It is immoral for politicians to send our sons to war and then play political games with their lives.
It is immoral for the American press to continue to vilify them and make every excuse in the book for our enemies. (Hasan at Fort Hood for example)
I say, "stop the madness."
I started this a while ago, and it's incidents like the one above that let me know I need to keep pushing this issue. I hope you will join me:
As I watch the list of enlisted persons that have died in either Iraq or Afghanistan, on, “The News Hour With Jim Lehrer, I want to cry. Their pictures are shown in silence along with their names, ranks, and ages. They are all so young. They are too young to be sent off to kill or be killed for the safety of, (fill in the blank). They are too young to even know who they are. What kind of country sends its children out to do the work of adults?
Oh I know, if many of them heard me speaking of them this way they would be highly offended. They know they are grown. I thought I was fully grown at that age too. I wasn’t.
Many have died, are dying, and will die before these conflicts are declared settled. For some who return home alive, it might be better if they hadn’t. Their minds will never be the same and no one will give them the
Raise the age of enlistment cont'd:
the treatment they need, (if it exists), to return to a, “normal”, life.
I believe the draft will come around again. I think one way to slow the, “industrial military complex”, down, (and possibly end the wars we are in now), is to raise the minimum age for enlistment into any branch of the US military to 23 years of age. I’d like to see it even higher, but I know that would be wishful thinking.
Recruiters should not be allowed any where near any type of learning institution, (K through college)
Yes, there was possibly a time in our history when an 18 year old was ready for the military. Today’s teenagers are not, they are not as mature at 18 as they used to be. They need time to ripen and mature. If they must join the military, for whatever reasons, they should be older and hopefully wiser. They would make better service persons if they were more mature. Maybe with more mature individuals in the military there wouldn’t have been an
Raise the age of enlistment cont'd:
Abu Grebe, (or a canal incident).
If we must have a military, let it be populated with people who have had a chance to see what life is about, to find out who they are, what they really stand for and perhaps to even be better educated. We should want our better qualified citizens representing us in times of conflict not our least. Not our babies.
Can anyone please tell how we might start a grass roots movement to raise the age of military enlistment? I don’t want to continue seeing my American babies turned into murderers and cannon fodder.
Thank you for your consideration and assistance.
Namaste,
To Etsaman: I hear your pain and your passion. Etsaman because you know that primarily it's old men who start wars and young adults that finish them, we as a society will probably always have this dilemma. But if you're serious about raising attention to the need to raise the minimum age for enlistment in the military to an age that is older than 17 (17 with parental signatures) then (1)find a boisterous group who feel the same way that you do, organize and keep each other motivated as to why you protest, (2)have your group invite your local representative to lunch and then civilly discuss your groups concerns with the rep. (3)Put your message on line. It's all about networking. And (4)Start some fundraising so that you can keep gasoline in your vehicles for your rallies and it'll allow y'all to get together on a regular basis so that you can discuss what works and what doesn't work as far as your campaign is concerned. Never picket recruiting stations. Such action brings discredit. GB
To Gigi: I hear your anger and your passion. Gigi, in my humble opinion I believe that we need to bring back the draft. It's that simple. Troops that are on their 3rd and 4th tour of combat are not coming back home like they originally left home. People may not want to hear that but I believe it to be very true. Just sleep deprivation alone for a period of time can cause people to be slightly "off kilt". Ask my wife. I don't sleep much and I'm bonafide crazy. :) No deferrements from serving, not this time. Bring back the draft and I also say set up a special program for convicts in prison who can earn their way back into society through service in combat arms and special forces. Remember the movie "The Dirty Dozen"? Depending upon their crime, I say why not? I'm going to write a piece next week in regard to a steady rise in military divorce. Have Americans forgotten that our nation's heroes have been in Afghanistan for almost 9 years? Now that's stress on a family. Think about it. GB
Grogory,The problem is with our politians who make military policies.These men knew that the ridiculous policies made it very likely that these enemies soldiers would be released to fight them again? They send them to war and then withhold from them, what they need to succeed in their efforts. Why did these think if they did not kill those enemy soldiers, that they would just have been let go and they'd be fighting them again in a few months?That's the problem.
The problem is the politicians!
Yes, at this rate we may have to have a draft. Who in their right mind is going to volunteer anymore when this government does not fully support their efforts when they get over there?
The latest ridiculous story out is that three members of special forces are being court marshalled for giving a bloody lip to the monster who ambushed 4 Americans, drug them through the streets, mutilated and burned their bodies and hung 2 of them from a bridge!
If we don't stop electing politicians who allow our soldiers to be treated like this we don't deserve the sacrifices made by our military.
I guess this was a bad situation to be in.In some instances you feel like it's kill or be killed.I have a younger that served two tours in Iraq.From listening to my brother it's a survival of the fittest type deal.It's just a bad place to be in.This is why our troops need to come home.
WOW!!!!! These responses amaze me. We train our soldiers to KILL!!!!! Now we are surprised when they are blatant in there display of aggression. WE AS CIVILIANS NEED TO GET OVER OURSELVES!!!!!! WAR AIN"T PRETTY!!!!!!! Like Denzel said in training day "MAN UP"!!!!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!