SSG Robert Bales is the name you’re looking for
So there’s the man who stands accused of murdering 16 Afghans last Sunday, according to The Lookout. I got the name from somewhere else and I’ve been waiting for the media to unchain themselves, so I’m pretty sure that’s the guy.
The revelation of Bales’ identity comes after criticism from Afghan President Hamid Karzai about the lack of U.S. cooperation in investigating the massacre. Karzai also questioned whether just one American soldier was involved.
Yeah, I already checked AKO and his records have been scrubbed there, so don’t hurt yourselves trying to answer those stupid security questions. I’m pretty sure that they locked down all of his information as soon as they arrested him to keep stuff from leaking out like it did with Hasan. So we’ll never know if he did “multiple tours” or not. Remember they claimed Hasan did, too, at first.
I notice in the picture of him above, taken in August, there’s no combat patch on his sleeve. And no one I know, with any experience, would hang a smoke grenade by the spoon on their load-bearing gear. His crime already went from being PTSD to a simple drunken rampage. Just sayin’…
Category: Terror War
I’m not mentioning names but right now is the time to circle the wagons and protect one of our own because it seems like everyone else is doing everything they can to rip him apart. The media is Going to do everything they can to use this as an endictment against all of us and the more we turn our backs on SSG Bales right now the more we will give them ammo. At this point who knows if he is even guilty? Give the guy the benefit of the doubt.
And as a side note next cheese dick that invokes the name of SMA Chandler needs to go ahead and kick themselves in the nuts.
“And as a side note next cheese dick that invokes the name of SMA Chandler needs to go ahead and kick themselves in the nuts.”
Concur
Prayers for him?
Seriously?
I get the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ thing, but sorry I’m not going to pray for anyone, I don’t care what nationality, that executes in cold blood women and children.
No excuse for that. What if it was your daughter, wife, mother, child?
I wish the best of luck to this Soldier, he is a great Soldier and was my battle at WLC. Good Luck to him and his family.
All you guys bitching on here about uniform standards must not be combat arms. Really guys? Come on, there are way more important things to worry about then an ach helmet. SSG Bales has seen more combat at NTC then some of you guys on a deployment. Get real pogs.
@56 – After that stellar example of jackassery, where you impugn the service of people you know nothing about, I don’t think anybody here gives a shit if you and Bales held hands and took long walks on the beach.
Trial in the court of public opinion sucks, but if he’s guilty [and I don’t see any mitigating circumstances], then he’s an oxygen thieving piece of shit.
First,
If you have been to combat, as an INFANTRYMAN(not a cook, or supply, or a truck driver like probably the majority of those who are posting dumb shit on here about ssg bales) Then you know that all it takes is random local to go complain about something, or say that they saw and their property got damaged and theyll get cut a check, smh…its called a micro grant… the point im trying to make is that since we have enganged in this war, the objective has been to win the hearts and the minds…So Was the Afgan look out lieing? i dont know…did he kill them? i dont know… all i know for sure is who ssg bales was, and how he squared me away anytime i needed anything… i dont know about you, but i take the infantrymans creed, as well as the warrior ethos pretty seriously . I can recall a similar incident where the “pesh” jundee just started firing their weapons at dogs and claiming they were taking fire… we got all spun up and responded under the impression that we were taking fire…later we found out that it was just a distraction so that they could steal our ammo from the AHA…anyway they are a vindictive people…im pretty sure the charges will get dropped and he will go back home to his wife and kids eventually…mark my words…
its about time some of those fucks start dying… are you forgetting how man GOOD AMERICANS HAVE DIED BECAUSE OF THOSE FUCKS?!?! 57…I dont want to hear shit from you if you arent in the infantry…and kill yourself if you dont have a ranger tab…HOOAH?!
Your words are duly marked. Screw the ANP guard, how about the aerostat footage of Bales coming back to the compound, alone and just after the killings?
How about DoD’s statement of Bales saying “I did it”?
I’m all for benefit of the doubt, but someone’s going to have to produce some serious mitigation before that can be applied.
#60 was me….on a different computer.
@59 – I’m sorry…I would have responded to your previous piost if I knew you were a dipshit poseur. You aren’t worthy of the blue cord, nor the tab.
Above should read “wouldn’t have responded to your previous post….”
#$#% Tablet……
In the context that FoxMG wrote… I took it to mean that he took it upon himself to relax protective gear standards while outside the wire. There is rarely a reason for it… there are circumstances when meeting with local nationals and ANA/ANP/IA/IP that you would shake hands without the glove and possibly take your eyepro off. Roger, got it. I use strong words because lax leadership in extreme cases has lead to problems that have effected the entire war. It starts with not shaving, or taking off a groin protector, or not wearing a seatbelt, then soldiers see what else they can get away with and eventually horrible things are happening and the leadership is scrambling to figure out how this could happen. It doesn’t take an expert to know that if you instill discipline with the small, seemingly insignificant things the bigger things will fall into place. #34 and #56. I get that you are proud of being Infantry but the sense of entitlement has gotten out of hand. All I ever hear is bitching and moanin from the Infantry these days… POG this, POG that. I have been a medic in an Infantry unit my whole career and I am not of the crowd that thinks they are all stupid… but they aren’t all smart either. Do you really think that being Infantry gives you some sort of sixth sense that allows you to sniff out a conspiracy? How about you GET REAL.
Duke you lost all credibility from me when you invoked the name of the SMA, so sorry…yeah you are the cheese dick I was referring to.
Ok, Duke, did you seriously just say not shaving leads to horrible things (killing Afghan civilians)? I would fathom a guess that it is not one of the criteria the FBI uses to profile murderers. By that logic I should have gone over the deep end a while ago since I only shave every few days now that I am out. Shaving, haricuts, groin protectors, seatbelts and eyepro are not the difinitve mark of a good soldier. It is the soldier’s knowledge of their MOS and their AO when in theater that matters. Was wearing my pt belt while passing through bagram really going to change the outcome of the war? Save the shaving and haircuts for garrison. While I do agree that the current crop of young Americans are far too self entitled I also do not think that it has any relevance in this conversation. There are idiots in every MOS. I don’t believe this event is some sort of conspiracy, but suggesting the SSG’s actions were put in to motion by his not obeying the army standards in a couple photos is rediculous. To do something like that there has to be some thing far more traumatic in his past than getting yelled at by someone like you for having the audacity to go to the DFAC at KAF without shaving.
Remember, some bag of dicks thought reflective belts was a good idea too.
The uniformity mindset can be lobotomizing.
I can’t believe all the postings and arguing about uniform standards and this guys helmet based off ONE picture from NTC. It seems like alot of people are passing judgement or making preconcived notions based on one little pic. If my worth as a Soldier and promotions were based on pictures, I would never have gotten past PFC.
And why didn’t the Army release his DA photo or ‘yearbook picture’ taken before deployment? I might be a wee bit paranoid, but I can’t shake the feeling that someone wanted the worst possible picture of this guy out in public.
This is not comparable to the group that raped a girl and slaughtered a family in Baghdad. This was an experienced professional, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the shredders at mental health in Madigan ran late the night his name was announced. But I’ll leave what he did or didn’t do and the consequences of his actions to his court-martial.
And wouldn’t it be nice if Obama told Karzai where to stick it when Karzai raises heck about turning the SSG over for Afghan ‘justice’? Afhan Soldiers that shoot us and get captured are turned over to the Afghan Army and are never mentioned again.
At this point there is too much BS surrounding this that I am hesitant to even believe he did it. I’ll be damned if I am going to convict him over a photo taken at NTC, because I have a few choice stupid photos of myself taken at NTC. Once again I am not going burn a brother yet…if you want to do that Claymore puts links up to DU every Tuesday they are doing a pretty good job of doing it over there.
Just plain Jason… I could care less what you think about my credibility. I used him as a reference to the toxic leadership in the Army. Do I agree with everything that comes out of his mouth? No. I educate myself best I can on current topics in my profession. Calling me a cheese dick doesn’t hurt my feelings because when push comes to shove you only said that because you are in the comfort of your home… so it’s irrelevant. Ahem. John, it’s a progression of lack of discipline that leads to more extreme things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cause_and_effect
So it’s ok with you if your soldiers go out and shoot up heroine on the weekends as long as they know their MOS and are familiar with the AO in Theater? You obviously can’t comprehend common Army values and themes. I just gave some examples of where it starts. I’ve gotten off topic and I apologize… but I already said my piece on SSG Bales. He could be the greatest soldier ever up until the moment he makes a decision like this. This isn’t just on him… It makes us all look bad during a time in which people already think we are over there just mercilessly killing everyone we come across. Once again… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cause_and_effect
Ok duke, once again you are jumping to extreme conclusions. I said nothing about drug use. Obviously that is something soldiers must be punished and discharged for doing. But not shaving or taking eyepro off does not mean drug use is in the soldier’s future. Copying and pasting that wiki link doesn’t do anyhthing to prove your point either. Cause and effect is like the kid who is neglected by his parents kills neighborhood pets and grows up to be a serial killer. Not the joe who didn’t shave every morning in Afghanistan goes on to be a drug user or a mass murderer. Your attitude to what matters in the army is why many great, disciplined, and motivated soldiers get out before they really should. Dealing with people like you gets old. I do, in fact, have the ability to comprehend common army values and themes. I also have, which I believe you probably lack, the ability to realize when and where certain standards are applicable and when they don’t need to be harped on. It is not as black and white as either being a good soldier or being a non-shaving, non-eyepro wearing, sideburn having, drug using murderer. Get ahold of yourself.
It is unfortunate that the public is going to take this instance and group all veterans and current servicemen into this loony category.
I am sorry J.M., and dissapointed that this thread has moved to petty stuff and not the known facts at hand. Regardless of the innocence or guilt of this man we should really wait before speculating about his motives. His fate needs to be determined by a military court and not a civilian or Afghan one.
SoldierNssgbalesunit: you might want to “lurk” here for a while before you make sweeping statements concerning others who comment here. To my knowledge, there are at least 3 folks who regularly comment here who have a CIB (and likely many more), at least one with a CMB (and likely more), and God only knows how many with a CAB. A large number if not most of those who post here have “been there, done that” – either in Afghanistan or Iraq (or both), in Desert Shield/Desert Storm, or in Vietnam.
You have every right to voice your opinion and defend your friend and former colleague. But do it without personal attacks on people you don’t know a damn thing about.
And based on what I’ve seen so far, it isn’t looking good for SSG Bales. Right now, it looks like he very likely was the one who did the deed – and that it was done in cold blood.
@Hondo: Well said to the troll. And you’re right about SSG Bales. Except I disgree about it being in cold blood. The Stryker ‘kill team’ were cold blooded. This seems very different. My take is that alot of bad things happened to him in a very short period of time and he possibly snapped and did what he’s accused of doing. I’m not defending his alleged actions, I’m pointing out the difference between what he’s accused of the other other events that have come to light and painted the Army badly. And on the subject of standards; I’m all for enforcing standards. But when some posts have ‘shaving patrols’ and the new 670-1 has a block instructing Soldiers that they HAVE to wear belts while in civ clothes (if the pants have belt loops), then obviously common-sense isn’t part of the standard and someone (or a group of people) in the 5-sided puzzle palace needs a urinalysis. A SGT in my BN had a troop caught at midnight at the shopette on a work day unshaven (or more accurately, not freshly shaven, the Soldier put in a 12 hour day). The next weekend, his SGT had to accompany the courtesy patrol into town and ensure that all the Soldiers he encountered were freshly shaven as corrective training for not enforcing the standard with his Soldier. And a leader should know that there are times when it’s best not to enforce a standard. Sacriligous, I know. But I can probably think of 2 or 3 examples I’ve encountered in the past 16 years right off the top of my head. My last deployment, I was responsible for the gate guards at a camp. The uniform standard for guard duty included gloves at all times. Have you ever seen a Soldier try to operate those tiny tough books for the scanner or BATS/HIDES using gloves? So I let them remove gloves when using the keyboards to scan the local workers in. Did it violate the uniform standard? Yes it did. But it also was smarter and faster then watching Joe finger fumbling… Read more »
Gonna drop in a couple thoughts. First to those who claim to have served with the SSG…the only people I’ve seen trolling or making disparaging comments have been those not regular posters. For the most part, the regulars have been more of the “wait and see” mentality. Second, while the media has a habit of jumping on every little thing and getting shit horribly wrong on more than one occasion, they are going by what DoD is telling them. If the fact are mostly straight, it ain’t looking good for him at this point.
And I could give two shits about his chinstrap.
Just to add my two cents…I guess because I rolled my sleeves and never bloused my boots while out on patrol I guess I do heroin and so do my soldiers.
JM: Well said. Only point of contention I have is that I do see this as rather cold-blooded; the second village convinces me of that. But I could well be wrong. I’m no shrink.
Regarding your point about meaningless chickenshit often getting priority: agree totally. The Army seems to do a helluva lot of stuff for show in order to “impress” vice to enhance military effectiveness. Sometimes it seems to me that not only has the leadership confused the baby with the bathwater, but that sometimes they consider the bathwater more important.
Not that you trolls give a shit, but….Stand down. “Innocent until proven guilty” is the law. Let this work itself out instead of rolling over here, typing yer garbage and leaving. Fuck sticks…..
Some of the false information reported by the MSM: that Bales had lost part of a foot and had TBI, that he was SF.
Someone asked why this photo, instead of his DA Photo, was released. Good question.
Again, I won’t convict with the limited information available, but that information does look damning. And the person who killed women in children in the night deserves the harshest punishment we have on the books.
BTW: He currently has a bed at Ft Leavenworth.
Regarding the accuracy of released information:
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/03/army-staff-sgt-robert-bales-named-suspect-afghan-killings-031712w/
I do not see any listing for Purple Heart (I suspect that there should be two) and no personal awards with a combat distinguishing device (I’m guessing that he has at least one). So why aren’t they listed?
Damn insomnia, I need to correct my last post to say former soldier. Unfortunately (fortunately if you ask my wife) I am no longer in the army.
I am going to bow out of this on the parting though of don’t judge unless you are ready to be judged yourself. Hell I know that if a random pic of me was put up it could be either picked apart or thought it looks pretty cool depending on the context. Up until the incident SSG Bales sounds like a stand up guy. I’m not ready to throw him under a bus and I don’t think most us are. The media is playing this from their angle and it sounds like the people who know him are standing up for him. Shit talkers are going to talk shit plain and simple. I have to make a trip up to the VA in Leavenworth so I’ll see if the hippies are protesting and make a report.
#76 Hondo:
Yep. What you said.
To reiterate another’s words on this thread, something went terribly wrong and I’m praying for everyone involved, including the families here in America and in A-Stan.
From the army times article: “[Bales] is being held in pre-trial confinement at the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility, where he will be in placed special housing in his own cell. He is one of about a dozen soldiers held in pre-trial confinement at the facility.” Wow! Can you believe that?! This guy is SOOO lucky!! What if instead of smoking a few kids, women, and men on a 4th(!) deployment to a super shithole for shitty pay, stupid medals*, and permanent injuries…. What if he had, like, REALLY snapped… Ya know, in a way that makes you disseminate hundreds of thousands of pointless, POINTLESS after-action reports of incidents in theater to the public, or maybe some videos that show folks getting killed…. Ya know, ’cause if he had done that, he would’ve been straight up motherfucking TORTURED, like, forced to be naked, fore medicated, forced to give a verbal response every five fucking minutes, long-term total sensory deprivation, no pillow or blanket, all in a CIA torture tank in Quantico for over a YEAR…. All without even being convicted of a crime…. Man… he was lucky all he did was smoke a few locals. Children. Women. Men. Lucky. Ya know, TAH should turn this into an awareness campaign for all servicepersons…. Like this: “Military service got ya down? Are the stresses of the general combat atmosphere becoming overwhelming? Have you found that archetypal “good leadership” to only exist within your peer circle, and not in the actual institution of the military itself? Well, whatever you do…. DON’T YOU EVER THINK ABOUT FUCKIN’ THE MAN (cue knife hands) YOU HEAR ME SHITBAG!” Or something along those lines. I mean, our women and men in uniform need to know that vast consequential dynamics between jeopardizing the general public apathy towards lucrative, illegal wars and killing a shit ton of children, women , and men for no goddamn good reason. __________________________________________________________________ War crimes do not occur on the battlefield, they occur on paper, War crimes are committed by business suites, not combat boots. *Yup, I said. And I got my CIB-11B Baghdad… Read more »
^The taliban blew up 9 children, 4 women and 2 men with a roadside bomb not more than 24 hours after this incident. Where’s your outrage now fuckstick?
@52 “right now is the time to circle the wagons and protect one of our own”… Plain Jason…are you serious? A soldier who goes out on a killing spree? That has got to be one of the craziest posts I’ve read in a long time. Screw the picture, screw his background and screw the mantra “Innocent until proven guilty.” The “INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY” is for a courtroom and I’m not in court as I post this. There are weaker soldiers than Bales who have seen and gone through a lot more than he… and did not (chose not?) to go outside the wire and kill-murder unarmed indigenous civilians. Over the years, I’ve learned that trying to fit a crazy puzzle never works… one cannot completely comprehend-explain crazy behavior… that is for the second guessers (lawyers and psychiatrists. I refuse to circle a wagon and protect this murderer, in fact I condemn him. This is not a case rush of judgment nor a trial by media but just plain facts… more facts will come out later… it always does. As for the other soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who are serving, I circle my own wagon every day and gladly protect and honor them.
streetsweeper: Beretverde has it right above re: innocent until proven guilty. It applies in court – not here on this forum. Opinions are indeed like assholes: everybody has one, and most stink. But the First Amendment allows them to be expressed. Mine hasn’t changed: based on what info has been released so far, it doesn’t look good for the young man right now.
JustPlainJason: Circle the wagons my ass. We did that after My Lai. That’s the main reason Calley was the only one in Americal leadership to go to jail, and why he only served 3 1/2 years home confinement before being pardoned. And My Lai was organized slaughter rather than an individual soldier on a killing spree, and was at least 10x worse than this incident – literally.
@82: You’ve drunk way too much of the kool-aid, dipstick. Our enemies approve of your mindless drivel above. Just STFU.
Oh, and by the way: you’re an asshole, and an idiot as well.
@58/59: Ok, now we’re moving from “you guys clearly aren’t military” to now “unless you are/were infantry”. Keep changing the standard as trolls do and we will start ignoring anything you have to say. I suppose medics that go into combat don’t count, either? Maybe you can tell that to Doc Bailey or Sporkmaster, who have probably seen more shit than you could imagine. Another thing; do bullets fired at infantry differ from those fired at truck drivers/supply/cooks/admin? Maybe you can tell a good friend of mine that the IED that blew up the HUMVEE he was in wasn’t that bad because he wasn’t infantry. I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear that, since it only cost him his career and a 9 month stay in the hospital and rehab as he was fighting to stay in but was medically retired. Try thinking before you pull the “infantry g-d” status out next time.
@82–Go to your Supply NCO and grab the following:
“Bag, Dicks, Fat. Unit of issue: EA.”
Take your MRE heater, warm it up, and have at it.
Sincerely,
Never earned a CIB, don’t give a shit I didn’t.
Oh, and mentioning Butler around here pretty much proves you’re a fucktard.
AndyFMF: The Navy and USMC use the V device differently than the Army and USAF.
The Navy and USMC use the V device as a combat distinguishing device for the Commendation Medal, Bronze Star, and Legion of Merit. However, the Army and USAF use the V device only on the Commendation Medal and the Bronze Star; it is not used on the LOM. And in the Army and USAF, the V device is used on these two awards to identify an award made for a specific act of heroism, not to indicate an award granted for circumstances or service involving personal participation in combat.
Further, it’s also possible that SSG Bales doesn’t have any Purple Hearts. If his previous injuries in-theater were not directly attributable to enemy action – e.g., were the result of a vehicle accident not caused by enemy action or resulted from a negligent discharge incident, for example – then he wouldn’t qualify for the Purple Heart.
And before our trolls say anything: no, I’m not alleging that SSG Bales is not entitled to any Purple Hearts, was involved in any non-combat accident, or was involved in any negligent discharge incident. I’m only explaining how someone can be significantly injured while “downrange” and not rate a Purple Heart.
Old Trooper: fully agree. Yes, the Infantry has it rougher than most – probably the roughest. But they don’t operate in a vacuum, either. Just like everyone else, the Infantry needs the proverbial “beans, bullets, and band-aids” – as well as info – or they can’t do much effectively, or for long. And as you pointed out, bullet and shrapnel certainly don’t avoid Soldiers/Sailors /Airmen/Marines just because they’re don’t have an Infantry MOS.
Hondo Beretverede I am glad I have not been accused of a crime because I can tell where you guys stand in that area.
Just Plain Jason: I doubt you know where I stand on anything, youngster.
As I’ve said repeatedly: IF – and that’s one BIG if – SSG Bales is tried and found guilty, he should be absolutely hammered (just like Calley and others should have been hammered after My Lai, but weren’t). If he’s tried and found innocent, he should go absolutely free. As I recall that’s kinda the way our justice system, including the UCMJ, works.
I will also say – for at least the third time – that AT THIS POINT (caps intentional) it doesn’t look good very for SSG Bales. What’s been made public so far is quite damning, and leads me to believe – based on what I’ve seen to date – that he’s probably guilty.
But as I’ve also said repeatedly, my opinion is based on what’s been made public; I have no inside info on this incident. My opinion could well be wrong. And since I’m not going to be serving on his jury, my opinion regarding his guilt or innocence won’t affect his trial one damn bit.
I’ll make one other statement: if you were on trial, you probably would want me on your jury if you’re innocent. I tend to “pull threads” and question pretty much everything, including my own previous opinions as well as how I arrived at them. And when making serious decisions I try my damnedest to get them right – even when it means admitting I was previously out to lunch.
Don’t call me a youngster I am just like you another worn out fucking tool in the shed.
Quit reversing your fucking opinions and fucking say one thing or another. The guy is innocent until proven guilty. He has a pretty damn good record up until this incident. Right now he has enough people hammering him from all angles he doesn’t need his fellow veterans doing the same damn thing. So maybe I chose the wrong goddamn phrase when I said circle the wagons, but right now the upper leadership is pretty goddamn content to toss him to freaking wolves.
Berverde was talking shit on the guy because he didn’t sign up to be a part of a peacetime army, well sorry I was in a peacetime army for a while and I wasn’t a fan. So I got out until after we invaded Iraq and joined specifically to go to Iraq. Does that make me a shitty human being? Not everyone joins right out of high school, don’t specualte or talk shit until you know what you are talking about.
Just Plain Jason: unless you’re north of the half-century mark, I’ve frankly got standing to call you “youngster”. But since that seems to bother you, I’ll refrain. You seem to be unable to grasp the difference between individual opinion and legal principle here. Let me attempt to clarify the difference for you. In our legal system, SSG Bales is indeed considered legally innocent until proven guilty. However, my personal opinion isn’t a legal proceeding. Something – I believe it’s called the First Amendment, you might have heard of it – guarantees each of us the freedom to his/her own opinion, and to voice same. My personal opinion has absolutely no bearing on Bales’ legal innocence or guilt. I’m just a citizen voicing his/her opinion on an matter of public interest. Further: if you re-read what I’ve written on this subject, you’ll find no contradictions therein. Yes, I’ve stated that it looks to me like Bales is likely guilty. But as I’ve also clearly stated, that opinion is based solely on information that’s been made public to date. I’ve also said that IF he’s found guilty, he deserves whatever he gets – and that he should walk if he’s found innocent. What I have NOT done is to declare him guilty – or innocent. Why? Because I haven’t seen the evidence myself. And neither have you. If the information that’s been released to date about this incident is incorrect or incomplete, as I’ve repeatedly stated above it’s possible that Bales is innocent. If he is, it won’t be the first time I’ve made an initial assessment of a situation based on partial information and come to the wrong conclusion based on same. I’d guess you have as well, probably more than a few times during your lifetime. It’s called “being human”. If I were on Bales courts-martial panel or the presiding judge of same, you’d have reason to be concerned about me expressing my opinions here. But since I won’t be either judging Bales or running his trial, my opinion won’t affect his trial one iota. You have every right to… Read more »
Hondo, Lets not speculate on shit we don’t know about, that is all I have said period. There is tons of speculation going on out there let asshats speculate. You know this site is going to get schmucks of the highest order coming here and focusing on us and what we say. Don’t you think I have my own thoughts on what happened and the possibilities what could have went down that night? I am not going to put them out there and I am not going to run this guy down for doing what he may or may not have done. This is just bringing back a lot of memories of Haditha for me.
Hondo how is this we are pretty much regulars on this site and generally we tend to respect each other so if I refrain from calling you an old timer you don’t call me a youngster, because I don’t think either title fits properly.
Just Plain Jason: Agreed. We’ll doubtless have to agree to disagree again at times in the future – just as we have here – but we can indeed be civil about it.
I was a 11D/11B and did over 20 in one piss ant dispute or another on foreign soil.
I really feel for those and their families who are still deploying or have done their final deployment.
The new VA grave yard in my town (near Fort Knox) is filling far too rapidly and it breaks my heart every time traffic is stopped for one of our brothers in arms.
Many posting here have clearly never seen action, or lived with the aftermath. That’s OK. Better if you don’t. No offense meant.
Please take all the remarks about the current Sergeant Major of the Army out of here. Most here could care less about him.
As for the soldier in question, I hope he gets a fair trial. He has a good attorney from what I have read.
I for one, will donate to his Defense legal fund when/if his family starts one.
Could someone post the link here when it is established?
@93 “Beretverde was talking shit on the guy because he didn’t sign up to be a part of a peacetime army” …Wow… that surely is a leap and a jump to conclusions. That statement in itself would definitely get you struck from a jury pool!
… “he has enough people hammering him from all angles he doesn’t need his fellow veterans doing the same damn thing.” I disagree with that “comment”. I personally have a thing against people going out on a killing spree of unarmed civilians, veterans or not.
Well, it didn’t take long for the media to start pounding the PTSD drum regarding this incident and individual.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2012/0318/Sgt.-Robert-Bales-Defense-team-begins-building-case-on-PTSD
seriously, leave the man alone. it is so easy to judge. the man served our country protecting the american way of life. the least that we can give him is just to shut up. he sacrifice so much for america and giving him hateful judgement is not helping him at all. and for those who have the audacity to say how fucked up this man is, F you all! you don’t now how it is in the war zone. and on top of that, the awards that he was snatched away from him added up to his disappointments. he has served back to back tour give this man a break and just pray for him and his family.
jeff: Many if not most of those commenting at TAH do indeed know what it’s like in a war zone – see my comment #72 above. So playing the “you don’t understand” card ain’t gonna fly here.
For those visitors who land on this post straight from the search engines without investigating who they’re talking to, and want to criticize us for our opinions, read my response here.