The Kill Squad story continues to develop: Sport murder, human trophies, whistle blowers ignored by authorities and threatened with death, soldiers ordered to participate, parents desperate to save their child who is now charged with murder.
This isn't an "isolated incident" caused by a "few bad apples."
Resist the narrative our government will try to sell us.
Here are two previous posts if you need to catch up:
American Soldiers: Killing Randomly 4 Sport, Taking Trophies
and
Army Warned Months Ago about Kill Squad Murderers
This is the latest article and Drudge has picked it up - although not as their headline issue which is the stupid koran burning bullshit that is dominating the media cycle.
[FYI on that story - we have already shot and in the case of one man, killed people in Afghanistan who were protesting the threatened burning of Korans. Qur'an burning: Protester 'shot dead' as Nato troops open fire on demonstrators]
The aritcle is from the UK. Our M$M is resisting the story. They are "saving" it for after the orgy of muslim hating, self pity and patriotism that is the annual 9/11 kabuki.
Twelve U.S. soldiers face trial after Afghan civilians 'were killed for sport and their fingers collected as trophies'
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:43 AM on 10th September 2010
A dozen US soldiers are facing trail accused of being part of a 'kill team' that allegedly killed Afghan civilians in an arbitrary fashion - and they even collected their victims' fingers as trophies of war.
Five soldiers have been charged with the killing three Afghan men 'for sport'. And seven more are accused of covering up the murders.
In one of the most serious accusations of war crimes to come out of the Afghan war, the deaths are alleged to have been carried out by members of a Stryker infantry brigade based in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan.
But the father of one of the five accused of murder said today he tried to warn the Army that troops in his son's unit had killed civilians.
By the time suspects were arrested in May, two more Afghans were dead.
Christopher Winfield said his son Adam, 22, was so disgusted after the first killing that he sent Facebook messages home asking for help.
Winfield called the Army and a military hot line asking officials to investigate - to no avail.
His son's lawyer said he was ordered to shoot at the third victim but deliberately shot high.
An Army spokeswoman declined to comment about whether the base received any tips about the case.
The new details about Winfield's efforts to alert the Army and his son's pleas raised questions about the Army's handling of the case and its system for allowing soldiers to report misconduct by their colleagues.
The soldiers have been accused of conspiracy and premeditated murder.
The highest ranking of them is Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, who, with Cpl. Jeremy Morlock, are accused of taking part in all three killings.
Pte Andrew Holmes is charged with murder in the first killing, and Specialist Michael Wagnon is charged in another. Both deny the charges.
Winfield is charged with murder in the final killing, and his lawyer insists he was ordered to shoot after Gibbs hit the civilian with a grenade. Winfield deliberately shot high and missed, he said.
Gibbs has denied the charges. His lawyer said his client maintains that the shootings were 'appropriate engagements' and denies involvement in any conspiracy to kill civilians.
The soldiers, all assigned to the 5th Stryker Brigade, deployed in July 2009 and were stationed at a base in Kandahar Province.
Gibbs, 25, arrived in the unit late last year and soon began discussing how easy it would be to kill civilians, some in the platoon told Army investigators.
The first indication for Christopher Winfield and his wife, Emma, that something was amiss came on January 15, the day of the first killing.
'I'm not sure what to do about something that happened out here, but I need to be secretive about this,' their son wrote them in a Facebook message.
On February 14, he told his parents what happened in a lengthy internet chat: Members of his unit on patrol had killed 'some innocent guy about my age just farming.'
He said he did not witness the killing.
But, he wrote, those involved told him about it and urged him to 'get one of my own.'
He said that virtually everyone in the platoon was aware of what was going on, but no one seemed to object.
He added: 'If you talk to anyone on my behalf, I have proof that they are planning another one in the form of an AK-47 they want to drop on a guy.'
He continued that he didn't know who to trust and feared for his safety if his comrades learned he was talking to authorities.
'Should I do the right thing and put myself in danger for it. Or just shut up and deal with it,' he asked his parents.
'There are no more good men left here. It eats away at my conscience everyday.'
In statements to investigators, at least three platoon members said Gibbs directly threatened Winfield.
One soldier, Private first class Justin Stoner, who reported hashish smoking in the unit, said he was beaten by several platoon members.
Gibbs and Morlock then paid him a visit, with Gibbs rolling out on the floor a set of severed fingers, he told investigators.
Morlock told him that 'if I don't want to end up like that guy ... shut the hell up.'
The killings eventually came to light when the soldier who had reported the drug use told investigators that Morlock 'had three prior kills that none of which I believe were actually justified.'
Preliminary hearings in the case are expected to begin this autumn.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Chauncey DeVega
Winterene
def
the traveler
James and Lois Cowan
Redpossum
Salon.com
Comments
I am waiting to hear who blew off Christopher Winfield when he reported the first murder.
Atrocites are committed in every war, some are revealed others are hidden, but they always take place.
The viciousness with which a war is conducted is in direct relation to the level of control exerted over the small percentage of true killers in any unit.
Given the right circumstances nearly anyone can shed their humanity and become bloodthirsty, but that is rarely encouraged.
What is more likely is that those who seek to destroy for the pure joy of it will often find their venue to do so, regardless of how much control others think they may have.
This will never be eradicated. You can't stop human nature.
But how do you explain the cover up of these murders and the Army ignoring multiple whistleblowers' reports?
It is not always effective, but it can't be effective at all if the American public knows about it and gets their panties all in a bunch about wanting to stop it.
Cover ups are never by accident, and they're rarely about protecting individuals. This smells of strategy.
"War is hell." Sherman.
“Our” brave boys are fighting for us? No they are over their indulging their sadistic appetites and being financed by you because it is far easier to pay mercenary's to kill defenseless towel heads than to do yourself what needs to be done here!
Once again thank you BBE for showing them just what they are doing over there.These guys are mercenary's by the very definition of the word I recently confronted Kent Pitman with this and his answer was: ”As pointed out CBS News and by Michael Moore in one of his movies and probably in other places, the economic situation is such that some people have the military as their only employment option”. Dam I could have really cleaned up in my past profession if only I had Known that killing innocent people was an employment option.
We are not worse than the Nazi's you pinko scum, or you'd be the first a-hole in the ovens. The fact that you can even spout your filth proves we're better than them so stuff it on the reich-shit.
Without the warrior class, the sheep would perish. Some warriors are indeed evil, but the vast majority are good hearted kids who will never fire a shot in anger as well as those who only shoot those who present an immediate threat.
Excuse me while I go get a tissue so I can cry myself to sleep over the self loathing drivel I just injested.
Ever read James Jones' From Here to Eternity? I'll bet you've seen the screen version, with Burt Lancaster and Frank Sinatra. Both leave viewers with the impression that the full-time professional army is full of misfits and dirtbags. But both also make the point that, without these repulsive characters, the U.S. wouldn't have had any military foundation to build on when it finally started drafting nice, normal people.
I will concede this much, though: according to some articles I've read, the Army has, in some cases lowered its standards and admitted recruits with criminal records. If that's true, it hasn't done itself any favors, and I really wish it would stop.
And Max real wars have nothing to do with this one just for your own information Max the real war is coming and it will not be overseas and I have every intention of being there I would not want to disapoint Doug.
And what did the Army expect when they allowed sociopaths to enlist? The Army's answer to this will be to further lower enlistment standards.
Jack is right - Doug is wrong. I live with 50,000 if them. Their main concern is staying drunk, sexually terrorizing women and underage girls, and an eternal swagger. A bunch of rape and pillagers you'd not want to sit down and play cards with, nor share a beer with - the NEW american army.
The comments to my reprinting the article on their chatbord were comparable to what you'd hear from catnliar.
No more high school diploma required -- many felonies previously a bar to enlistment, now aceptable.
A bunch of thugs worse than the hell's angels, crips and bloods combined and all financed with YOUR tax dollars, and extravagantly so.
-R-
They also provide little or no coverage for how violence escalates starting with small incidents to big incidents like war. There are many credible experts that could tell the public about how early violence and indoctrination starts in childhood and escalates in adulthood. There are also many researchers that have studied the way the Media produces propaganda but they receive little or no attention from the mainstream media or if they’re mentioned they’re demonized.