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Cpl Morlock (l) and Specialist Wagnon (r) and 10 other infantrymen have been charged

US troops 'murdered Afghan civilians and kept body parts'

A group of US soldiers murdered a number of Afghan civilians and took body parts as trophies, documents released by military officials allege.

The charging sheets relate to allegations that five US soldiers were involved in the murders of civilians in January, February and May of this year.

A further seven servicemen are accused of a conspiracy to cover up the crimes.

Lawyers for some of the accused have denied the accusations, while the army has yet to begin a review of the cases.

'Appropriate engagements'

In charge sheets obtained from the US Army, Staff Sgt Calvin Gibbs, Cpl Jeremy Morlock, Pte First Class Andrew Holmes, Specialist Michael Wagnon and Specialist Adam Winfield are accused of murdering male Afghan civilians with grenades and firearms.

Other soldiers were accused of stabbing an Afghan corpse, taking or possessing photographs of casualties and beating other men in an effort to keep them from talking to investigators.

The soldiers were attached to the Army's Fifth Stryker brigade, which deployed to Afghanistan last year and has seen heavy fighting around Kandahar. They were based in Washington state.

Army spokeswoman Major Kathleen Turner told the BBC the cases were in a preliminary phase of investigation and military prosecutors had yet to decide whether to move ahead with proceedings.

The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Washington says the legal process is likely to be long and complex.

Among other charges, military prosecutors say Staff Sgt Gibbs possessed finger bones, leg bones and a tooth taken from Afghan corpses, and showed fingers to another soldier and threatened to kill him if he reported drug use to commanding officers.

Staff Sgt Gibbs' lawyer Phillip Stackhouse told the Associated Press news agency his client said the shootings were "appropriate engagements", and he denied any conspiracy to murder Afghans.

The case against the men is built largely around statements by Cpl Morlock, US media report.

But Cpl Morlock's lawyer told the Seattle Times his client's statements were made while he was suffering from concussion, was under the influence of prescription drugs, and was being evacuated.

Blech.

THAT'S CREEPY.

Jesus christ! Thats horrible Aboustely Horrendous! Who except this guys into recruitment!
This is like criminal minds D:

More detail
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/09/09/100321/stryker-brigade-soldiers-kept.html


Stryker brigade soldiers allegedly kept 'trophy' body parts
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More on this Story
Story | U.S. soldiers face murder charges in deaths of Afghan civilians
Story | 5 U.S. soldiers accused in Afghan civilian deaths
Story | U.S. soldiers face probe into Afghan civilian deaths
On the Web | More Afghanistan and Pakistan coverage from McClatchy
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By Mike Archbold | Tacoma News Tribune
New details in Army charge sheets released Wednesday paint a disturbing picture of depravity, deceit and savage internal discipline involving at least 12 Stryker soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-Mc-Chord in Washington state during their recent deployment to Afghanistan.

The soldiers, all from the same company in the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, are charged with a total of 76 crimes, including the premeditated murders of three Afghan civilians and the beating of one or more fellow soldiers.

Six of the men face charges of keeping trophy body parts from Afghan corpses, including a skull and fingers, according to the charging documents.

One soldier is alleged to have stabbed a corpse last December. Three soldiers face charges of wrongfully taking and/or possessing photographs of dead bodies.

The highest-ranking member of the group, Staff Sgt. Calvin R. Gibbs, is accused of showing fingers from a corpse to a soldier in an attempt to keep him from talking to Army investigators about his and other soldiers’ alleged use of drugs.

As previously reported, Gibbs and four other soldiers from Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment face charges of murdering Afghan noncombatants and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder in Kandahar province.

The other four are Spc. Jeremy Morlock, Spc. Michael S. Wagnon II, Spc. Adam C. Winfield and Pfc. Andrew H. Holmes. All five have been confined since returning from Afghanistan.

On May 5, just a few days after the last murder, seven of the defendants allegedly went after at least one fellow soldier, apparently to keep him quiet. (The documents are blacked out in parts, so it’s unclear if one or more soldiers were attacked.)

The soldiers allegedly beat up their comrade, hitting, kicking, strangling, dragging and spitting on him.

In an alleged effort to stymie Army investigators, some of the soldiers were also charged with lying or concealing evidence. Wagnon is charged with trying to get his computer hard drive erased.

Investigators looked into reports of more Afghan civilians being shot at by six soldiers in the unit in March. Staff Sgt. Robert Stevens told investigators that the Afghans were a threat “and that he observed something that resembled a rocket propelled grenade in the possession of the individuals he fired upon.” The statement was false, according to the documents, and Stevens knew it to be false.

Stevens also is charged with throwing a grenade outside his Stryker vehicle “while there was no threat to himself or other soldiers,” which might have hurt or killed soldiers in his own unit, according to the charge sheets. In March, he claimed an enemy fighter had thrown the grenade, which was also a lie, the documents allege.

Stevens is one of the seven soldiers in the unit charged in August with 35 non-murder counts, including assault on a fellow soldier, impeding an investigation and drug use. They have not been jailed.

Morlock and Gibbs are the only soldiers charged in all three murders, which occurred separately in January, February and May. The Afghan men were killed with grenades, shot, or both.

Attempts Wednesday to reach defense attorneys for comment were unsuccessful. All 12 defendants have been assigned military counsel.

At least some of the soldiers have retained civilian attorneys. Families for both Wagnon and Morlock have set up websites to support the two soldiers and raise funds for their defense.

Gibbs alone is charged with 16 crimes and is alleged to have had a strong hand in much of the criminal activity. From Nov. 1 to May 11, Gibbs is charged with possessing “finger bones, leg bones, and a tooth from Afghan corpses.” In November or December, he is charged with soliciting another soldier to cut off the finger of a corpse.

Gibbs also was allegedly one of the seven soldiers who participated in the May 5 beating of a fellow soldier. He threatened “to kill him if he spoke about hashish use within the platoon,” according to charging documents.

On another occasion, the records allege Gibbs threatened to injure Winfield by saying : “I’m going to send you home by dropping a tow bar on you.” He allegedly urged Winfield to lie to investigators about the civilian killings and drug use in the platoon, according to the documents.

The charge sheets don’t shed light on what might have driven the soldiers to kill: whether for revenge, or for sport, or something else.

More details will likely come out at pretrial hearings to be held at Lewis-McChord later this year, similar to grand jury investigations. Both the prosecution and defense will present their cases to the hearing officer, who must decide whether to refer the cases for a full courtmartial.

Staff writer Matt Misterek contributed to this report.

THE CHARGES

-- Spc. Jeremy N. Morlock: Premeditated murder (three charges); conspiracy to commit premeditated murder; conspiracy to commit assault and battery; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation; violating a lawful general order; wrongfully using a controlled substance.

-- Spc. Michael S. Wagnon II: Premeditated murder (one charge); conspiracy to commit premeditated murder; conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; assault with a dangerous weapon; conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation.

-- Spc. Adam C. Winfield: Premeditated murder (one charge); conspiracy to commit premeditated murder; conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; committing an assault with a dangerous weapon; wrongfully using a controlled substance.

-- Pfc. Andrew H. Holmes: Premeditated murder (one charge); conspiracy to commit premeditated murder; conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline; violating a lawful general order; wrongfully using a controlled substance.

-- Staff Sgt. Calvin E. Gibbs: Premeditated murder (three charges); conspiracy to commit premeditated murder; conspiracy to commit assault and battery; conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline (two charges); wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation (two charges); communicating a threat to injure; unlawfully striking another soldier; committing an assault with a dangerous weapon; dereliction of duty (two charges); violating a general order. (No picture available.)

-- Staff Sgt. Robert G. Stevens: Conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; making a false official statement; aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; wrongfully and wantonly engaging in conduct likely to cause death or bodily harm to other soldiers; dereliction of duty.

-- Staff Sgt. David D. Bram: Conspiracy to commit assault and battery; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation; unlawfully striking another soldier; violating a lawful general order; dereliction of duty.

-- Sgt. Darren N. Jones: Conspiracy to commit assault and battery; conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; unlawfully striking another soldier; committing assault with a dangerous weapon; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation; wrongfully using a controlled substance.

-- Cpl. Emmitt R. Quintal: Conspiracy to commit assault and battery; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation; unlawfully striking another soldier; wrongfully using a controlled substance; violating a lawful general order.

-- Spc. Adam W. Kelly: Conspiracy to commit assault and battery; unlawfully striking another soldier; wrongfully using a controlled substance; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation.

-- Spc. Corey A. Moore: Conspiracy to commit assault and battery; wrongfully endeavoring to impede an investigation; conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline; unlawfully striking another soldier; wrongfully using a controlled substance.

-- Pfc. Ashton A. Moore: Conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon; assault with a dangerous weapon; wrongfully using a controlled substance.



Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/09/09/100321/stryker-brigade-soldiers-kept.html#ixzz0z4EouLpX

Asherian Command wrote:Who except this guys into recruitment!

That's a good question...

Talk about some folks seriously in need of therapy. Something really out of order there.

LordofHats wrote:

Asherian Command wrote:Who except this guys into recruitment!

That's a good question...

Talk about some folks seriously in need of therapy. Something really out of order there.

Disorders and mania can form easily in high stress situations are recruiters don't really give high quality psyche evaluations.

Recruiters don't give great psych tests, but their only the first step in the pyramid. You have to take a paper and pencil psych test in recruitment that is suppose to screen for this kind of behavior and that is examined by professional psychologists.

There's either a failing in the system somewhere, or this is the result of something that happened after recruitment, maybe combat stress? Sadly why they did this probably won't get as much attention as that it happened.

I'm suddenly thinking of Full Metal Jacket...

Why look for a deeper reasoning behind it? Some people just like and get a taste for killing other human beings, and trophy-taking from a vanquished opponent is hardly abberant behaviour taken in the wider context and history of warriorhood.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - American soldiers are GREAT war fighters, amongst the very best in human history.

But peace-keepers? Useless. Well, not useless, but not great. They're being used for the wrong job out there, and this is what happens. If I were a soldier going into a full scale war I would want a Yank next to me (if I couldn't find a Brit, of course ), but if I was patrolling a village I'm not sure I would. They just don't seem to do well when they are working amongst the general populace of an occupied country. Just my perspective, not trying to start gak.

That said, the whole cover-up thing's a bit douchey. Hey ho.

Sorry if I missed it in the story, but who's doing the reporting on this?

And Corporal Morlock? Really?



Curiouser and curiouser.

You would need constant psychological testing and around the clock monitering to make sure they soldiers don't commit acts of horror like this.

The mental stress of constant combat and wartime service is strenuous, and I am not suprised this happened. People react in different ways, and if these soldiers really did butcher off parts or take trophies home, they acted barbaric and should be punished by the laws set against such actions.

Albatross wrote: They just don't seem to do well when they are working amongst the general populace of an occupied country. Just my perspective, not trying to start gak.

I really don't think it's an innate flaw in the American soldier. It's just that usually, American soldiers are asked to work in a populace with a vastly different culture than themselves and that's never easy.

All I know is that 99% of the guys that I served with were professional and generally decent human beings.

I hate that these aberrations ruin it for the rest of the other members of the Armed Forces.

burning_phoneix wrote:

Albatross wrote: They just don't seem to do well when they are working amongst the general populace of an occupied country. Just my perspective, not trying to start gak.

I really don't think it's an innate flaw in the American soldier. It's just that usually, American soldiers are asked to work in a populace with a vastly different culture than themselves and that's never easy.

It's not an innate flaw in THEM on a psychological level, obviously. I think it probably has more to do with how they're trained - perhaps peace-keeping/policing is de-emphasised in US army training. It'd be willing to bet that they don't focus on it anywhere near as much as British forces do, due to the comparitively long history Britain has of having to do that sort of work.

The media love stuff like this. Sad days. 8(

I would love to hear the stories about what the other side does to the dead of our people.

Oh yeah:

PARIS (XFN-ASIA) - An Al-Qaeda affiliated group in Iraq has posted on the Internet a video showing the mutilated bodies of two US soldiers kidnapped in June and executed to 'avenge' an Iraqi woman raped near Mahmudiyah south of Baghdad.

'Here is a film on the remains of the bodies of the two American soldiers kidnapped near Yussufiyah (south of Baghdad). We are showing it to avenge our sister who was raped by a soldier belonging to the same division as these two soldiers,' said a preamble by the Mujahedeen Al-Shura Council, an Al-Qaeda dominated alliance of armed Sunni groups in Iraq.

A 15-year-old Iraqi girl was raped and murdered along with three other members of her family in mid-March near Mahmudiyah. A US soldier, Steven Green, stationed nearby at the time, was charged with rape and murder on July 3.

Green, who has left the army, pleaded not guilty last Thursday before a Louisville, Kentucky, court.

The nearly five-minute film shows the horribly mutilated bodies of the two soldiers, who had had their throats cut. The head of one of them was held high by an armed man, like a trophy. The head of the other was being stamped on by another armed man.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2006/07/10/afx2869442.html

WarOne wrote:I would love to hear the stories about what the other side does to the dead of our people.

Oh yeah:

PARIS (XFN-ASIA) - An Al-Qaeda affiliated group in Iraq has posted on the Internet a video showing the mutilated bodies of two US soldiers kidnapped in June and executed to 'avenge' an Iraqi woman raped near Mahmudiyah south of Baghdad.

'Here is a film on the remains of the bodies of the two American soldiers kidnapped near Yussufiyah (south of Baghdad). We are showing it to avenge our sister who was raped by a soldier belonging to the same division as these two soldiers,' said a preamble by the Mujahedeen Al-Shura Council, an Al-Qaeda dominated alliance of armed Sunni groups in Iraq.

A 15-year-old Iraqi girl was raped and murdered along with three other members of her family in mid-March near Mahmudiyah. A US soldier, Steven Green, stationed nearby at the time, was charged with rape and murder on July 3.

Green, who has left the army, pleaded not guilty last Thursday before a Louisville, Kentucky, court.

The nearly five-minute film shows the horribly mutilated bodies of the two soldiers, who had had their throats cut. The head of one of them was held high by an armed man, like a trophy. The head of the other was being stamped on by another armed man.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2006/07/10/afx2869442.html

So it's ok because they do it too? How very five year old of you.

Albatross wrote:It's not an innate flaw in THEM on a psychological level, obviously. I think it probably has more to do with how they're trained - perhaps peace-keeping/policing is de-emphasised in US army training. It'd be willing to bet that they don't focus on it anywhere near as much as British forces do, due to the comparitively long history Britain has of having to do that sort of work.

In the wake of Vietnam the US military made the decision to never get involved in that kind of conflict again, to the extent that they actually set about removing the capacity to fight a guerilla war, and instead focussed on the ability to fight a conventional war. Unfortunately, the military itself doesn't get to pick and choose its engagements so they ended up being sent in to peacekeep anyway.

I think that mistake is beginning to be fully understood, and there seems to have been a steady shift towards developing counter-insurgency tactics again.

ShumaGorath wrote:

WarOne wrote:I would love to hear the stories about what the other side does to the dead of our people.

Oh yeah:

PARIS (XFN-ASIA) - An Al-Qaeda affiliated group in Iraq has posted on the Internet a video showing the mutilated bodies of two US soldiers kidnapped in June and executed to 'avenge' an Iraqi woman raped near Mahmudiyah south of Baghdad.

'Here is a film on the remains of the bodies of the two American soldiers kidnapped near Yussufiyah (south of Baghdad). We are showing it to avenge our sister who was raped by a soldier belonging to the same division as these two soldiers,' said a preamble by the Mujahedeen Al-Shura Council, an Al-Qaeda dominated alliance of armed Sunni groups in Iraq.

A 15-year-old Iraqi girl was raped and murdered along with three other members of her family in mid-March near Mahmudiyah. A US soldier, Steven Green, stationed nearby at the time, was charged with rape and murder on July 3.

Green, who has left the army, pleaded not guilty last Thursday before a Louisville, Kentucky, court.

The nearly five-minute film shows the horribly mutilated bodies of the two soldiers, who had had their throats cut. The head of one of them was held high by an armed man, like a trophy. The head of the other was being stamped on by another armed man.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2006/07/10/afx2869442.html

So it's ok because they do it too? How very five year old of you.

Thank you for the criticism.

And for context, I linked the story as a counterpoint, not to condone a cycle of violence because others did it.

WarOne wrote:

ShumaGorath wrote:

WarOne wrote:I would love to hear the stories about what the other side does to the dead of our people.

Oh yeah:

PARIS (XFN-ASIA) - An Al-Qaeda affiliated group in Iraq has posted on the Internet a video showing the mutilated bodies of two US soldiers kidnapped in June and executed to 'avenge' an Iraqi woman raped near Mahmudiyah south of Baghdad.

'Here is a film on the remains of the bodies of the two American soldiers kidnapped near Yussufiyah (south of Baghdad). We are showing it to avenge our sister who was raped by a soldier belonging to the same division as these two soldiers,' said a preamble by the Mujahedeen Al-Shura Council, an Al-Qaeda dominated alliance of armed Sunni groups in Iraq.

A 15-year-old Iraqi girl was raped and murdered along with three other members of her family in mid-March near Mahmudiyah. A US soldier, Steven Green, stationed nearby at the time, was charged with rape and murder on July 3.

Green, who has left the army, pleaded not guilty last Thursday before a Louisville, Kentucky, court.

The nearly five-minute film shows the horribly mutilated bodies of the two soldiers, who had had their throats cut. The head of one of them was held high by an armed man, like a trophy. The head of the other was being stamped on by another armed man.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2006/07/10/afx2869442.html

So it's ok because they do it too? How very five year old of you.

Thank you for the criticism.

And for context, I linked the story as a counterpoint, not to condone a cycle of violence because others did it.

Sorry, I misperceived the intent of your post. My B.

ShumaGorath wrote:

WarOne wrote:

ShumaGorath wrote:

WarOne wrote:I would love to hear the stories about what the other side does to the dead of our people.

Oh yeah:

PARIS (XFN-ASIA) - An Al-Qaeda affiliated group in Iraq has posted on the Internet a video showing the mutilated bodies of two US soldiers kidnapped in June and executed to 'avenge' an Iraqi woman raped near Mahmudiyah south of Baghdad.

'Here is a film on the remains of the bodies of the two American soldiers kidnapped near Yussufiyah (south of Baghdad). We are showing it to avenge our sister who was raped by a soldier belonging to the same division as these two soldiers,' said a preamble by the Mujahedeen Al-Shura Council, an Al-Qaeda dominated alliance of armed Sunni groups in Iraq.

A 15-year-old Iraqi girl was raped and murdered along with three other members of her family in mid-March near Mahmudiyah. A US soldier, Steven Green, stationed nearby at the time, was charged with rape and murder on July 3.

Green, who has left the army, pleaded not guilty last Thursday before a Louisville, Kentucky, court.

The nearly five-minute film shows the horribly mutilated bodies of the two soldiers, who had had their throats cut. The head of one of them was held high by an armed man, like a trophy. The head of the other was being stamped on by another armed man.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2006/07/10/afx2869442.html

So it's ok because they do it too? How very five year old of you.

Thank you for the criticism.

And for context, I linked the story as a counterpoint, not to condone a cycle of violence because others did it.

Sorry, I misperceived the intent of your post. My B.

That's okay.

But is that what you think is happening in the context that
1. We do something bad.
2. They do something bad in reponse.
3. We do something bad in response.
4. Rinse and repeat.

That's okay.

But is that what you think is happening in the context that
1. We do something bad.
2. They do something bad in reponse.
3. We do something bad in response.
4. Rinse and repeat.

It's a process that I would zealously attempt to prevent the rise of. There are certainly indices within the American and European populaces that a certain amount of revenge driven action (burn a Koran day? Justifying waterboarding? Banning minarets? Burning down islamic centers?) are beginning to take place.

It's a vicious cycle that I'm not much a fan of.

WarOne wrote:I would love to hear the stories about what the other side does to the dead of our people.

They do horrible things, but we already knew that because they're the bad guys. It's a bigger deal when the good guys do bad things.

sebster wrote:

WarOne wrote:I would love to hear the stories about what the other side does to the dead of our people.

They do horrible things, but we already knew that because they're the bad guys. It's a bigger deal when the good guys do bad things.

Okay, for this statment, I used it as a caustic and sarcastic opening to the news story I posted.

And to what extent of good do you think has the United States and various coalition forces done for Afghanistan?

Well for one thing the Afghans don't have to worry about getting stoned because of beard length anymore.

halonachos wrote:Well for one thing the Afghans don't have to worry about getting stoned because of beard length anymore.

Exactly. Did you see that beard on the guy down the street? It was almost a mustache! *picks up rock*

Perhaps they just really liked Dolph Lundgren in Universal Soldier.

This is sad. I doupt those are the same people they were in high school I remember a vet came in he said you tend to get detached from emotion and right or wrong. they may not have known what they were doing.

Im sorry guys I fail to see the big deal here. A couple of crazys killed some folk and kept some trophies. Its hardly anything new, and I think Albatross covered that and made a really good point.

1. people have killed eachother and kept trophies since the dawn of time, the only thing shocking about this is that it was American soldiers in the case, which really isnt that shocking. They could have slipped through the system during recruitment, or seen some horrbile gak that made them go nuts.

2. America really is a warrior culture. We like war deep down. It makes money, crapping out all those planes tanks and ammunition, and it gives us something to feel superior about. Canada may have a good health care system, and Germany might have a better education system, but we can kick their ass in a war.

I really cant think of anything to add to what ol'Alby said other than drill in the point. This isnt that horrbile, its not shocking, its just fething war. War is hell and its been going on since humanity began. I doubt people would be any more or less freaked out by this if it happened here in the states or in the UK or France whatever. Theres always gonna be Ted Bundys and Charles Mansons to feth up your day, no matter where or when you are.

sebster wrote:

WarOne wrote:I would love to hear the stories about what the other side does to the dead of our people.

They do horrible things, but we already knew that because they're the bad guys. It's a bigger deal when the good guys do bad things.

It still needs to be reported, else it is forgotten, and people like Shuma think we're the bad guys.

I just want to note that they are being investgated/prosecuted. It is not like this is the norm, and it sure as heck is not accepted by the Army.

Compare to the attrocities done by the bad guys. The bad guys reward that behavior, video it to use as a recruiting tool where as we punish it....


Jake