U.S. soldier kills 5 comrades in Iraq

U.S. soldier kills 5 comrades in Iraq

edition.cnn.com

A U.S. soldier fired on his fellow troops at a counseling center at a base outside Baghdad, Iraq, on Monday, U.S. officials said, killing five people in the worst such attack of the six-year-old Iraq war.

The shooting occurred at 2 p.m. at a stress clinic at Camp Liberty, near Baghdad International Airport, two senior defense officials said. Though initial reports indicated the attacker was killed in the incident, the U.S. command in Baghdad said late Monday a suspect in the killings was in cus

(visit the link for the full news article)

This seems to be another example of US troops suffering from psychiatric symptoms in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. PTSD is showing it's ugly head again and one hopes that Obama's decision to pull out of Iraq will help towards healing the mental wounds of this battle

This happened in front of a stress center, where soldiers were going for counseling, is what is profoundly sad

edition.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Here is a history of attacks on fellow troops

Monday's attack marks the sixth incident in which a service member was killed by a fellow service member since the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In March 2003, Capt. Christopher Seifert and Maj. Gregory Stone of the Army's 101st Airborne Division were killed in a grenade attack at Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait, that wounded 14 other officers. Sgt. Hasan Akbar was convicted by a court-martial in 2005 and sentenced to death..
Sgt. Joseph Tackett was fatally shot in June 2005 by a fellow soldier in Baghdad. Lt. Willie Brown later pleaded guilty to a charge of negligent homicide and was sentenced to 30 months in prison, the independent Army Times reported.
The same month, Capt. Phillip Esposito and Lt. Louis Allen were killed in an explosion at a base in Tikrit, north of Baghdad. The military charged a sergeant in their company, Alberto Martinez, with murder in their deaths, but a military jury acquitted him in 2008.
Two U.S. sailors based in Bahrain, Seaman Anamarie Camacho and Seaman Genesia Gresham, were shot and killed by a third sailor who then shot himself in October 2007, the Navy said.
A 39-year-old soldier was charged with killing Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson and Sgt. Wesley Durbin in Tunnis, Iraq, in September.

Source - CNN

Don't make excuses for a killer.

Lets see what happens and see if he was actually a paitent for the center before you start cying PTSD.

$hit happens. It's sad. But it does. I can recall a few times I considered just shooting up, bang bang, while in a war zone. It's all very sad, for sure. Sad for the people killed and their loved ones. Well, hell, it's horrible! There's got to be a better way to identify people such as this soldierl And to stop such things and protect others. Look folks, I came back from Iraq and had PTSD. I sought help, and I was put into a rocking chair and listened to the sounds of a waterfall for half an hour and was released to go about my business, cured, I suppose. It ain't that easy. I think that if I had stuck a knife or sword into an enemy, up close, it would actually been easier to deal with than just sitting back, far away, and killling an enemy from a long distance, without the upfront and personal experience. I don't know. I don't know anything for sure. But surely there is something else that can happen besides killing other human beings with senseless hate in your heart.

reply to post by kyred

I came back from Iraq and had PTSD. I sought help, and I was put into a rocking chair and listened to the sounds of a waterfall for half an hour and was released to go about my business, cured

Can you share some of the treatment or therapy that you underwent in detail ? (if that is something you would like to share)

I found this interesting article about how Virtual reality simulations are used in PTSD

Simulations are showing promising results at treating a variety of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders. The virtual world immerses the patient in a dynamic simulation where he can confront his most fearful memories. Based on a therapeutic approach called graded exposure, the VR system enables therapist to customize the intensity of the experience on-the-fly to match the needs of the individual patient. VR Therapy is being used with a growing range of PTSD including cases of domestic violence, civilian survivors of terrorist attacks and intense battlefield stress in war veterans.

Source: VR Therapy for PTSD

Originally posted by jd140
Don't make excuses for a killer.

Lets see what happens and see if he was actually a paitent for the center before you start cying PTSD.

And when was the last time you picked up a rifle and served your country??? Snap judgement, much???? Show some decorum and respect will you? It's easy to make a comment when all the facts aren't available to us, and when we are sitting thousands of miles from a warzone, but until you get up close and personal to it, or have EVERY fact, I suggest you don't make such rash judgements.

Now, back on topic. It's a shame when things like this happen. The stresses of war, long times away from family, sleep deprivation and all the other factors of being in a warzone add up, and unfortunately, these things happen. Always have, and until things are scrutinised closer, it's sad to say, it will probably continue to happen.

Same thing's have happened in all wars. Hell, when my old man was in Vietnam, the same kind of incident happened just before he rotated out. One of the other guys got jack of one of the green Lieutenant's, waited til he was in bed, then grenaded him to an early homecoming. Bloke that did it was given life in prison. And even though dad never really talks about it, he has actually said that he came close to doing it to one of his Platoon Commanders, because apparently he was a complete dickhead, and everyone in the unit hated the bloke. Said bloke ended up becoming a Major-General of all things.


So it is sad to have seen something like this happen, but unfortunately, like with truth and innocence being lost in war being a certainty, things like this happening are also a certainty of happening, until better Procedures and Protocols are put in place, like better Psych Screens and such. But who am I to talk. I'm no expert. Just an armchair critic.

reply to post by TerribleTeam2


Last time I picked up a weapon and defended my country was about 2 years ago. The first time was about 4 years ago.

Now that you know I have picked up a weapon, I refer you back to my original post.

You will see that I said lets see what happens to see if he was in fact a patient of the center where he shot those soldiers.

Fact is that he is a killer. He killed those soldiers. The rest of my post was to suggest that we wait and see what happened before we cry PTSD.

From the article - "Neither the suspect nor any of the victims had been identified, but a defense official with access to the latest reports on the incident told CNN that the suspect had been a patient at the treatment center."

So there we go, current reports are that the suspect had been a patient. Now if he had been discharged from the Center, does this then make the Councillor's/Center Staff then liable??????????

I recollect meeting some US military soldiers last year at Atlanta airport. They were returning from Iraq and were waiting for connecting flights. I asked them, among other things, about PTSD. Many of them were not comfortable speaking about it, and most of them said that the disorder was very common in those serving in Iraq

Originally posted by TerribleTeam2
From the article - "Neither the suspect nor any of the victims had been identified, but a defense official with access to the latest reports on the incident told CNN that the suspect had been a patient at the treatment center."

So there we go, current reports are that the suspect had been a patient. Now if he had been discharged from the Center, does this then make the Councillor's/Center Staff then liable??????????

Had been a patient for what though?

There are several reasons on why he might have been a patient.

I'm for waiting to see what he was a patient for before assuming it was for PTSD.

Does my time over there allow me to want to see why he was a patient? Now that you know my boots have hit the sand will you allow me to wait before making assumptions?

Please post any comments to this already ongoing thread.

Stressed out US soldier shoots fellow troops in Iraq

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