NYT: For Accused G.I., Iraq Only Added to His Woe

[sabra]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/us/14private.html?hp&ex=1152849600&en=8b133f948165f951&ei=5094&partner=homepage

For Accused G.I., Iraq Only Added to His Woes

On the last day of January 2005, Steven D. Green, the former Army private accused of raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and murdering her family, sat in a Texas jail on alcohol-possession charges, an unemployed 19-year-old high school dropout who had just racked up his third misdemeanor conviction.

Days later, Mr. Green enlisted in a soldier-strapped Army, and was later assigned to a star-crossed unit to serve on an especially murderous patch of earth.

He arrived at the very moment that the Army was increasing by nearly half the rate at which it granted what it calls “moral waivers” to potential recruits. The change opened the ranks to more people like Mr. Green, those with minor criminal records and weak educational backgrounds. In Mr. Green’s case, his problems were emerging by junior high school, say people who knew him then.

Mr. Green’s Army waiver allowed a troubled young man into the heart of a war that bore little resemblance to its original declared purposes, but which continued to need thousands of fresh recruits.

[TomInTib]

1. Just one of thousands

Kind of like back in the late 60s.

[MadMaddie]

2. These waivers are history....they will have to turn to some

form of draft....they are killing the soldiers with multiple deployments mentally and physically.....

[Webster Green]

3. His woes?

Fuck that asshole!

[catnhatnh]

4. Horseshit....Star-crossed Unit, How???

Unit-B/1/502 or Bravo company,first brigade of the 502nd combat battalion,attached to the 101st Airborne....My brother was 101st and a combat Vet 70-71 (B/2/506, I believe) and oddly enough my unit ties were also 101st-though obscure-F company 704 maint battalion attached to the 4th ID Fts. Hood Texas and Carson Colorado and both attached to the 101st during Vietnam....(disclaimer:my brother was the real deal-I served in the "condo army" repairing helicopters on the last "Volar" base in the US....But whence "star crossed"???At full strength a combat battalion is about 3 brigades times three companies times 300 men...Plus logistics,clerks and jerks,etc....Anyhow-well over 3000 men (many larger)...This story details less than 20 casualties in "his unit" with no parameters....if battalion wide this is not good,but is certainly betting odds.If company wide we're talking one in fifteen...Horrendous and enough ALMOST for common atrocities, like fast on the trigger,or a couple extra rounds...
Anyhow the REAL atrocity is to take a troubled,morally deficient human and teach him that manhood is being "aggressive" for a cause...and then turning loose in an environment where his leadership tells him "anything goes".
Now let's get to the crime-5 men in an armored vehicle are sent to man a checkpoint-4, including a FULLY TRAINED Sergeant and Corporal, following the lead or orders of a troubled Private kill 3,rape 1, burn a body,and hide the evidence....Yep-it is OBVIOUSLY one bad apple and a star-crossed unit....I believe it...

[Roy]

5. For Accused G.I., Iraq Only Added to His Woes????

uhhh no, Mr Green added to the Iraqis woes....