G.I.s Discharged for Abusing Iraqi Prisoner

[XASA]

No excuse for this type of behavior in any army.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Kuwait-US-Soldiers.html

[ShotOver]

Nah, mate... copy it here. We need accounts and stuff to view it.

[XASA]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

January 5, 2004
U.S. Discharges Troops for Abuse in Iraq
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 11:19 a.m. ET

KUWAIT CITY (AP) -- The U.S. Army discharged three soldiers for abusing prisoners at a detention center in Iraq, a U.S. military spokesman said Monday.

The three soldiers, all from Pennsylvania, were scheduled to face courts-martial this month but opted instead to submit to a nonjudicial hearing, in which their conduct was judged by a commander without a jury, Lt. Col. Vic Harris said. Such hearings are common practice, he said.

Brig. Gen. Ennis Whitehead III, the acting commander of the 143rd Transportation Command, found the three soldiers had maltreated prisoners at Camp Bucca, southern Iraq, on May 12. He demoted two of the soldiers and ordered that all three forfeit their salaries for two months.

The general found that Master Sgt. Lisa Marie Girman, 35, of Hazelton, Pa., knocked a prisoner to the ground, ``repeatedly kicking him in the groin, abdomen, and head, and encouraging her subordinate soldiers to do the same,'' Harris said.

Girman received an ``other-than-honorable conditions'' discharge from her immediate commander.

Staff Sgt. Scott A. McKenzie, 38, of Clearfield, Pa., was found to have dragged a prisoner by his shoulders and then to have held his legs apart ``and encouraging others to kick him in the groin while other U.S. soldiers kicked him in the abdomen and head,'' Harris said.

McKenzie was also found to have thrown the detainee face-down to the ground and have stepped on ``his previously injured arm.''

The general also found McKenzie made ``a false sworn statement to a special agent of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division.''

McKenzie was demoted to sergeant and later received a ``general, under honorable conditions'' discharge.

Spc. Timothy F. Canjar, 21, of Moscow, Pa., was found to have made a false statement to the army's criminal investigators and to have held a detainee's legs apart ``while others kicked him in the groin,'' in addition to ``violently twisting his previously injured arm and causing him to scream in pain.''

Canjar was demoted to private -- a rank two lower than specialist -- and received a ``general, under honorable conditions'' discharge from his commander, Harris said.

The findings were handed down at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait on Dec. 29. The three soldiers have now returned to the United States.

A fourth soldier was charged in the same case, but Sgt. Shawna Edmondson, 24, requested and received an ``other-than-honorable'' discharge from the military last year rather than face a court-martial.



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[NcDeuce]

Hmm...a Master Sgt...female...E-8...dang...I wish there were more details on the parameters of the situation.

[Ratamacue]

They got what they deserve. The soldiers, that is.

[SOG]

sad they were so angry and unprofessional. any motives like lost friends or anything, or were they just "criminal soldiers"? aka ones that go military but really never grow up and lose thier old ways? sorry if i missed it in the article.

thats always concerned me on the level of recruiting nearly anyone to do a job where you need calm and brains. my uncle worked on a mil base as thier official photographer and besides taking pictures of event coverage, equipment, demonstrations, he also had to take pictures of on base fights and abuse for the records like when a bar brawl started or a wife phoned in abuse. some pretty gruesome pics which made me see some of the militarys dark side. that and you hear a bit on the local side in papers when mil personell commits crimes like robbery, rape, dui. even though i know its a blow to the majority of the servicemen and nothing on them, still sucks and it still happens.

[ShotOver]

Aaaah, no man deserves to be kicked in the groin.

But i don't know what the Iraqi's do to some of our captured troops... so i guess i have nothing to judge it on.

[Ballistic]

Any misuse of force such as this should not be tolerated, and I'm glad it wasnt. Prisoners of war do not deserve this sort of mistreatment, no matter what army they belong too. They were no longer combatants, and should have been treated with the respect that those US soldiers would have liked to be treated with. Ofcourse we dont know the full circumstances, so its a little difficult to pass judgement on the events. But its good they were discharged. Very unprofessional.

[martinexsquaddie]

One thing you get banged about when captured or you start a riot then fair dos.
But giving out some "payback" when a POW is out of the game they were lucky not to face court martial