U.S. soldier found not guilty of Iraq murders

Source: Reuters

U.S. soldier found not guilty of Iraq murders
Sat Nov 10, 2007 10:05am EST

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. solider has been acquitted
of three murder charges after investigations into the
unlawful killings of three Iraqis earlier this year, the
U.S. military said on Saturday.

A U.S. court martial, however, found Staff Sergeant
Michael Hensley, a sniper from the 1st Battalion, 501st
Airborne, guilty of wrongfully placing an AK-47 rifle
beside the body of an Iraqi man.

Hensley was one of three U.S. soldiers charged with the
killings of three Iraqis in separate incidents during U.S.
operations between April 14 and May 11 near the town
of Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad.

The charges stemmed from complaints made by other
U.S. soldiers to authorities.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL1065285020071110

I went to middle and high school with Michael Hensley. From what he, his family and witnesses have said he was ordered to do the things he did. They were baiting civilians into picking up abandoned weapons and then shooting them. I know that following orders does not absolve one of wrong doing, but I hated seeing this happen to Michael, he was a good kid.

don't shoot unarmed civilians and then make it look like battle with insurgents. At some point he lost it.

And where's the justice for his victims? They were probably good kids, too.

Of murdering savants

Wait til these guys really get "Re-integrated" into society

(Damn I wish we had a little more space in the title bar.)

Ignoring for a moment the "He was just following orders" bit since you acknowledge it is not a defense, my friend was a "good kid" right up until he decided to do something he knew was a crime. I felt horrible for him (and the family whose teen daughter he killed) but I fully expected and wanted him to go to jail for what he had done. I still care for him and miss him, but the good news is the system worked in his case.

I'm sorry about your friend, but being absolved of this is not good news for justice.

Using that as a standard, no one would be in jail for any wrongdoing whatsoever, you can find ANYONE who will claim everyone who commits a crime was a "good kid".

How sad the way militarism and chauvinism have destroyed our traditional values.

He was pressured and threaten, but it is no excuse. It is harder for me to admit this when I know the person involved. Had he been a stranger, I would have said much worse about him.

We hung several of them at the end of World War II, and America will be well served if we hung a few more again.

all cases, but also because it would be the very worst fate for bush & his criminal cartel.

In fact, since waterboarding is "not torture", waterboard them all, and any other "not torture" torture, and lock them up in Gitmo for life.

That would be nothng more, nor less, than total justice.

They were baiting civilians into picking up abandoned weapons and then shooting them.

:wtf: What possible reason could there be to issue these kinds of orders? What purpose do these kinds of orders serve?

Has our "mission" there become so blurred and convoluted that officers are just giving bullshit orders to pass the time...?

Well, what do you want to do today?
Oh, I dunno...I guess we could order the troops to entice Iraqi civilians to pick up weapons, then they could blow them away?
YES, SIR!!!

I don't understand how or why such an order would be made. I mean, I know that fucked up crazy orders are issued at time, but usually you can see the possible reasoning behind it. Even if the reasoning is flawed, inhumane and wrong. However, in this case I can't figure it out.. Maybe I'm missing something.

:eyes:

135 days in jail and busted one stripe.

As a combat vet, I find this totally disgusting and unjust.

There is a complete breakdown of discipline in our combat units.

They're not even kicking this asswipe out.

I wonder what the verdict might have been if instead of his comrades in arms, the civilians of the country he was occupying sat in judgment of Mr. Hensley?

Refresh my memory: What is honorable about joining the U.S. military? I mean, besides the killing unarmed civilians with impunity part.

Maybe you would like to be drafted.

What is honorable about joining the military?:
- Taking on a dangerous, low-paying job to serve your country.
- Earning a paycheck and supporting your family in desperate economic times.
- Taking care of soldiers and doing your job the best you can.
- Protecting non-combatants in a war zone and doing the best in a bad situation.
- Making the military better by reporting crimes during war (the crimes of this sniper were reported by other soldiers).
- For many, the only choice to obtain money for a college education.
- Catching bullets for those who choose not to serve.

There are lots of crooks and criminals in the military, Guess what? There's the same amount, proportionally, in the civilian community. Many civilians get off with improper sentences. OJ Simpson murdered two people and walked. So tell me, what is so honorable about being a civilian when there are so many criminals? Why not join up and try to make the military better?

www.goarmy.com

Based on the few given facts from this article, I am angry that the sentence was not more severe. I am appalled at the damage done to our military by the Bush cabal but I do not make stupid blanket statements about the entire military.

I just didn't carry a gun. I didn't have to shoot anyone. I did have to face folks with bad intent carrying sidearms and rifles. I went to an occupied zone with other people similarly situated. Nobody had to die while we were there. Nobody had to be "protected" in the bad situation. I didn't get paid, and I did have to raise money as well as pay out of my own pocket. But the situation got better instead of immeasurably worse by our presence.

Sorry you're such a true believer in redemptive violence. Almost as laughable and foolish as believing in the way of peace.

It's Vet's Day!

I wouldn't have expected a Japanese military court to find Tojo guilty of war crimes, so why should we expect differently from our military courts?

of course he gets off....he was following orders!!!!

this thread would have 150 posts and 20 recs.

I mean, someone above said they were ordered to do this. If that was the case, then what would tbe reasoning behind such orders? Obviously go against common sense if you're trying to win in a situation like Iraq...

I'm going to assume they guys were nuts to begin with or they went crazy because of the war.

They're there doing the job our country sent them to do. He has been acquitted...

Which site did you come here from?

Illegal does not equal good.

Btw, "our country" did not send them to an illegal invasion and genocide. The neocons did.

Are you a neocon?

most of the country was behind this sh*t at first. Let's not rewrite history.

You could not be more wrong.

One hundred and forty six of our representatives voted Nay.

There were protests in the lead up to the invasion that were attended by hundreds of thousands of American citizens.

10 million people across the planet protested the war on the Sunday before Shock and Awe.

That is not re-writing history. It is a fact backed by photos and world wide reports.

10 million people = what % of the planet

"Hundereds of thousands"

"World wide reports"


Im glad you could be so specific.

Most of America was for this shit (Most = > 50%) when it happened. Maybe you should check some opinion polls from that era? It wasnt until after the 2004 election that people woke up.

Most of America was NOT for this illegal crap. Too bad you weren't paying attention. But that's your uninformed problem.