SSG Bales’ lawyer meets with his client
The Washington Post published their interview with SSG Robert Bale’s lawyer, John Henry Browne, who is still clinging to the PTSD defense for his cliente who is accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians a few weeks ago. Browne talks about PTSD symptoms like he’s a doctor;
Browne, who met Bales face to face for the first time last week, said his client did, however, describe suffering symptoms strongly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his combat experiences.
“There was a time when everyone in the room was crying when he described what he saw,” Browne said of the meeting that he, partner Emma Scanlan and a military defense lawyer had with Bales. Browne said the “horror of war” become a routine backdrop for Bales, who also reported “seeing bodies all over the place” and “putting body parts in bags” in Iraq.
Those aren’t symptoms, numbnuts, it’s stuff he did. And if he was so upset by the memories, why would Bales compound the “horror” with more horrors of his own making?
And, oh, yeah, remember when we were told that Bales lost part of his foot in an IED explosion? Well, that’s not the story now;
Bales also lost a portion of his foot as a result of unsanitary conditions in his Iraq base that led to a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, infection.
I guess that answers the questions about a Purple Heart.
Bales told his legal team that he remained a loyal soldier when he was shipped out unexpectedly on a fourth combat tour but was disturbed about the lack of a clear mission in Afghanistan, Browne said. As Bales and others in his unit sought to help the Afghan police secure an area, they fended off attacks from people who appeared to be civilians and Afghan allies.
“It was dispiriting,” Browne said. “He said he was really confused about why they were” in Afghanistan.
A clear mission? Since when does not having “a clear mission” drive someone to do what Bales is accused of doing? And the mission is pretty clear to everyone except Bales.
…the lawyer said his client told him that, on the night of the shootings, he returned to his base in southern Afghanistan with only a foggy memory of what had just happened. Bales, Browne said, remembered the smell of gunfire and of human bodies but not much more.
Yeah, that’s not PTSD, that’s a psychotic break. Browne had better get some more medical training before he starts diagnosing his clients in public.
Category: Shitbags
Maybe he’ll have an accident at Leavenworth. Save us all from reading more of Browne’s Bullshit.
Wish I knew someone that could arrange that.
You should not be so hard on Mr.Browne. As the lead defense attorney it is his job to do everything he can for his client. Remember the definition of a liberal is a conservative who just got arrested. SSG Bales will get his day in court. The gov’t will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt he did it.
He’s setting up the idea that Bales did it because he was taking out the enemy guerillas that attacked him and his men at night and played innocent civilian during the day and that PTSD caused the psycholtic break meaning that he was not aware of his actions when he committed the crimes.
With what I have seen so far, it’s probably the best defense he can muster under the circumstances.
An Infantryman who didn’t take care of his feet. Very telling.
I have seen other blogs/news suggesting (just suggesting) that this whole thing might be a set-up by the Afghans themselves!
1. He left the base (how?) killed a bunch of civilians and CAME BACK?
2. He left the base (AGAIN) and killed the rest?
3. I don’t know FOB protecal (sp?), but wouldn’t there be guards on the perimeter? Did he have to “check out”?
4. We all know how wonderful the Afghans are, notice the fragging lately, but maybe they dreamed a way to get us out earlier (witness Karzi telling Obama we need to leave by 2013 not 2014)
Just sayin’, there are way too many players on the field, Iran included. For something like this to happen, a WHOLE lot of people had to be involved on some level…..?
Of course, anything is possible. He maybe a crazed killer who just snapped and was wily enough to accomplish this dastardly deed as it’s been reported…..
@ #6 – Good points there, very good points. I’ve sort of wondered the same thing. How on earth did he get past the security, is thoroughly beyond me. This dude must be one hell of a secret squirrel/ninja to do it….Makes one wonder too just how the MP’s at FLCCB are going to be able to keep him locked up!
“[Browne] is most likely making statements about PTSD and TBI that are part of an effort to negate the capacity for premeditation,” Navarre explains. “He’s trying to build a cause that’d leave the death penalty off the table.”
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/03/robert-bales-defense/
There I stood, streetsweeper: this comment from a previous thread may shed light on how Bales was able to get off his compound so easily:
http://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=29163#comment-602628
Apparently he may not have been on a FOB, but on a much smaller SF compound embedded within an Afghan village/town performing stability operations. His compound’s security may have been somewhat more lax due to that fact. As I understand it, part of the mission of such small SF detachments is to work directly with the local leaders/population to establish good rapport and get them on “our side”.
Clearly john here has never expierenced war! Hes probably some war protesting hippie! If youve never been, and never served u dont know s$:t…. Good day and goodbye
Anonymous: if by “john” you mean Jonn Lilyea, the owner of this site: the man has a CIB. If you’d have done your homework, you’d have found that out. It’s posted on this site in an easy-to-find location.
Before accusing others of “not knowing shit”, it’s a good idea to have a clue yourself.
just a few things…
1.he was most likely stationed on a COP… not a FOB, which means that his own unit was most likely pulling their own security detail… so to breach security wouldnt be any more difficult than saying that he was going to the local market to buy a gift to mail home to his wife or kid…
2. The man has not been found guilty of anything at this point. The situation sucks!! It is terrible that the actions of that day… whatever they were put a $1000 bounty on every 2ID patch that an afghan civilian presents as proof of an american kill to the insurgents.
3. We dont, and will not (any time soon) have all the facts… for instance, how is it that any lone soldier managed to make it through the town (overrun by enemy) without a buddy on his six, and managed to cause such a stir without being detected and taken out by enemy forces.
come on people… dont you find it odd that he disappeared from the media spotlight as quickly as he rose to it… without any difinitive answers. Think like the free americans that these guys go out and protect!! The answer isnt as simple as guilty or not!! The right questions arent even being asked. There is no way this was a one man opperation, and there is no way for the public to know whether this isnt collateral dammage from a completely legitimate mission.
i can tell you he was on something smaller than a COP, security was pretty much nothing if he wasn’t on it himself, you all are acting like you experienced what he did and know exactly what he was dealing with/did. Give him the benefit of the doubt, innocent until proven guilty.