U.S. soldiers murder innocent civilians in cold blood

[Jenn! 918]

On a January patrol in southern Afghanistan, Pfc. Andrew Holmes fired toward a farmer summoned from the fields.

At a hearing Monday, prosecutors said Holmes joined in a murder plot that took the life of an innocent man, and they want the 20-year-old soldier from Boise to face a court-martial trial.

Defense attorneys said Holmes was following orders from a team leader who ordered him to fire. They note that one witness to the shooting thought Holmes' bullets missed the mark and claim that photos of the corpse show wounds that don't match the volleys unleashed from their client's automatic weapon.

"The government, as they often do, casts a wide net," said Daniel Conway, Holmes attorney. "I think this is one of those cases where they cast the net too wide."

Holmes is the youngest of five soldiers from a Joint Base Lewis-McChord infantry platoon charged with three murders in one of the most high-profile U.S. war-crimes cases to emerge from the war in Afghanistan.

Prosecutors allege Holmes is a hashish-smoking soldier who kept a severed finger as a kind of war souvenir and joined with his team leader, Spc. Jeremy Morlock, and a squad leader, Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, in the Jan. 15 shooting death of the farmer.

Army officials have sought to keep graphic photos — some of which depict smiling soldiers posing with corpses — from public view, fearing they could trigger a backlash against U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

But Conway said a fair trial hinges on the photos becoming part of the court record, and his law firm soon will ask the Army Court of Criminal Appeals to make them public and to allow a forensic specialist to examine the images.

Holmes has been incarcerated since May. That month, in an interview with investigators, Holmes said he heard Morlock and Gibbs discuss murder scenarios, according to a Special Agent Nicole Fermanis, who interviewed Holmes and testified via a telephone Monday.

One option was to throw out candy to lure children to a vehicle, and then run them over, Fermanis testified.

Another option called for soldiers to detonate a grenade, then act as if they were attacked and unleash their weapons, Fermanis testified.

Prosecutors allege that on Jan. 15, Morlock tossed the grenade and Holmes opened fire. They say Holmes then posed with the corpse and lied about what happened to help cover crime.

But Spc. Ryan Mallett, another soldier who witnessed much of the incident, testified Monday that volleys from Holmes' automatic weapon struck a wall near the victim, who appeared to have been knocked down by the grenade.

At the hearing Monday, Holmes, made a brief statement to the Army's investigating officer.

"I ... tell you soldier to soldier that I did not commit murder," Holmes said.

Nearly a dozen of Holmes' family members and friends attended Monday's hearing, each wearing a button with Holmes' photo. They say he suffered physical and emotional wounds during a tough year in the southern Afghanistan combat zone.

"Where was the command? That's what I would like to know," said his mother," Dana Holmes, in an earlier interview. "When my son went to Afghanistan, he didn't have PTSD, he didn't have a traumatic brain injury, and he wasn't in trouble. So the way I see it, the Army made a horrible mess of his life, and now they don't want to clean up that mess. They want to throw my son under the bus."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013443477_holmes16m.html

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Sad story for all concerned hopefully the truth comes out.

[luckytxn 2,264]

Very sad and yes there are a FEW bad soldiers that should be charged with crimes but overall most soldiers are good people that would give anything they have. The title of this thread makes it seem that it is a blanket accusation of soldiers in general but I am sure that wasn't meant that way.

[Ban Hammer 13,332]

Defense attorneys said Holmes was following orders from a team leader who ordered him to fire.

insufficient for a defense. the farmer had to display some sort of hostile action to warrant being taken under fire.

enjoy the db, dude.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

insufficient for a defense. the farmer had to display some sort of hostile action to warrant being taken under fire.

enjoy the db, dude.

He hasn't been convicted just yet...

Edited December 10, 2010 by ready4ONE

[Ban Hammer 13,332]

He hasn't been convicted just yet...

one rarely goes to courts martial without there being plenty of evidence to support the charges.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Vietnam all over again. Throwing kids into a war that cannot be won...they get frustrated, angry, and then they commit murder.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68Q0JE20100927

U.S. soldier faces murder charges from Afghan war

[ready4ONE 5,400]

one rarely goes to courts martial without there being plenty of evidence to support the charges.

Quite so but they aren't completely for show so I wouldn't convict him before it is over. Gotta agree it doesn't look good at this point though.

[luckytxn 2,264]

In court martials they are already convicted beforehand.

[Ban Hammer 13,332]

Quite so but they aren't completely for show so I wouldn't convict him before it is over. Gotta agree it doesn't look good at this point though.

i'd give him about a 95% chance of being convicted.

[luckytxn 2,264]

i'd give him about a 95% chance of being convicted.

About all he can do is hope the sentence is not too long.

[alienlovechild 75]

Vietnam all over again. Throwing kids into a war that cannot be won...they get frustrated, angry, and then they commit murder.

Happens in any major conflict when bad soldiers are put in charge and nobody sees what's happening in the field. Sounds like the NCO in charge should never have been in a leadership position and his soldiers failed as well when they didn't report the NCO for issuing illegal orders they had no reason pr duty to follow.

Edited December 11, 2010 by alienlovechild

[Obama 2012 1,714]

I've said it before here and I'll say it again. The problem with these wars is we aren't killing enough innocent people....

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Yeah and it was as profoundly dubious then as now

[_Simpson_ 250]

Vietnam all over again. Throwing kids into a war that cannot be won...they get frustrated, angry, and then they commit murder.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68Q0JE20100927

U.S. soldier faces murder charges from Afghan war

Actually no its not, not even close. Step away from the doobie if its rational thoughts you desire.