110 Years For GI In Rape, Murder Of Iraqi

[feartheflames]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...n3133434.shtml

During their courts-martial, Barker and Cortez testified they took turns raping the girl while Green shot and killed her mother, father and younger sister. Green shot the girl in the head after raping her, they said.

The girl's body was set on fire with kerosene to destroy the evidence, according to previous testimony.

[ricoFlame]

His sister, Paige Gerlach, screamed: "I hate the government. You people put him (in Iraq) and now, this happened."

jeez, that's putting an interesting spin on it. dude did something dispicable.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by ricoFlame

jeez, that's putting an interesting spin on it. dude did something dispicable.

I agree, but there is probably more to it than 3 sicko's all being brought together by fate in one unit.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I agree, but there is probably more to it than 3 sicko's all being brought together by fate in one unit.

I don't know, it might be as simple as three awful people given a role of responsibility.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I agree, but there is probably more to it than 3 sicko's all being brought together by fate in one unit.

Like what?

[Devils'Advocate]

He plead down to 110 years? Does he really think that medicine is going to advance THAT much over the next 110 years?

Anyhow, as for what the sister said, I think she meant that sending him to Iraq, seeing people dying all over the place, learning to hate Iraqis (there are guys over there that don't differentiate between the insurgents and the general populace).... it #####s with your head and guys sometimes do what they wouldn't normally do had they not been exposed to the war. I'm thinking that what the sister is saying is that had this guy chosen to be, say, a garage mechanic rather than a soldier he may never have raped anyone.

[Superfraggle]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

He plead down to 110 years? Does he really think that medicine is going to advance THAT much over the next 110 years?

well they might have originally been going for the death penalty. Maybe he'd rather live in jail than die right away.

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

He plead down to 110 years? Does he really think that medicine is going to advance THAT much over the next 110 years?

avioding death penalty i'm sure. i don't want to interpret what she meant, but it's pretty convienent to blame the government. these guys had a plan and executed it on this poor girl and her family, doesn't sound like he was too crazy.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

He plead down to 110 years? Does he really think that medicine is going to advance THAT much over the next 110 years?

Anyhow, as for what the sister said, I think she meant that sending him to Iraq, seeing people dying all over the place, learning to hate Iraqis (there are guys over there that don't differentiate between the insurgents and the general populace).... it #####s with your head and guys sometimes do what they wouldn't normally do had they not been exposed to the war. I'm thinking that what the sister is saying is that had this guy chosen to be, say, a garage mechanic rather than a soldier he may never have raped anyone.

I think a solid grade 3 education should be able help anyone to sort that one out.

I hope this isn't in some way a justification of what happened???

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

He plead down to 110 years? Does he really think that medicine is going to advance THAT much over the next 110 years?

Anyhow, as for what the sister said, I think she meant that sending him to Iraq, seeing people dying all over the place, learning to hate Iraqis (there are guys over there that don't differentiate between the insurgents and the general populace).... it #####s with your head and guys sometimes do what they wouldn't normally do had they not been exposed to the war. I'm thinking that what the sister is saying is that had this guy chosen to be, say, a garage mechanic rather than a soldier he may never have raped anyone.

All of that may be true, but they weren't the only 3 soldiers in Iraq exposed to that stuff. Ultimately they decided to do this and the fact they worked to cover it up says to me that they were pretty much in control of their minds when they did.

Nobody is responsible but those involved. In America, there is a big movement to blame others for our problems. Not sure if it is trending that way everywhere or just here, but it's sickening.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

All of that may be true, but they weren't the only 3 soldiers in Iraq exposed to that stuff. Ultimately they decided to do this and the fact they worked to cover it up says to me that they were pretty much in control of their minds when they did.

Nobody is responsible but those involved. In America, there is a big movement to blame others for our problems. Not sure if it is trending that way everywhere or just here, but it's sickening.

No kidding, if the sister blurts out like that, I wonder if a sense of responsiblity was lost on everyone in that household growing up.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

I think a solid grade 3 education should be able help anyone to sort that one out.

I hope this isn't in some way a justification of what happened???

I don't want to get into a big argument about it, but its a little more difficult then you thing.

Most of the normal civilian males do walk around with AK-46's and dress the same way as the insurgents. There have been woman suicide bombers, and old men and kids that have been involved in the attack.

One of the things that happens after an attack is that you need to quickly identify the threats from the non threats, but its not so easy when they look the same.

[Flames_Gimp]

whats war without atrocities?

[monkeyman]

So you identify the threat, rape it, kill it’s entire family, then burn all the bodies. Sorry Captain, I have to call BS.
This guy deserves everything he gets. He made all of his own choices, he chose to join the army, he chose to rape a women, he chose to kill her family, and he chose to try and cover it up. Again, he deserves everything he gets, no, he deserves the death penalty. I think this guy would have been a sociopath, in or out of the army.

[Azure]

I don't think CC said anything about this guy NOT deserving what he got. He just basically pointed out that identifying civilians from insurgents, especially in urban areas can be really difficult.

That does in NO way imply that this guy should get off scot-free. I agree with everything you said monkeyman...these were his choices...he deserves the punishment.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by monkeyman

So you identify the threat, rape it, kill it’s entire family, then burn all the bodies. Sorry Captain, I have to call BS.
This guy deserves everything he gets. He made all of his own choices, he chose to join the army, he chose to rape a women, he chose to kill her family, and he chose to try and cover it up. Again, he deserves everything he gets, no, he deserves the death penalty. I think this guy would have been a sociopath, in or out of the army.

I wasn't talking about the rape and killing and incinerating the body, I was taking umbridge with the person that said a three year old could make out the difference between insurgents and civilians.

On the matter at hand, the GI gets all that he deserves, there's no excuse for what he did, and personally under the uniform code of justice, they should have shot him.

Soldiers are there to fight and defend people that can't fight and can't defend themselves, I've always found that intentional civilian casualties are a break in faith.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

I imagine that as the standards for recruitment get lower, the training suffers and the burnout from multiple combat rotations builds...more savagery like this can be expected...whether or not it ever gets reported or not is another story..

While these scum deserve the justice they receive (when will they be eligible for parole?)

I do feel bad for all the 'good-hearted' troops that are put into immoral situations without the training/moral compass to do the right thing...in some cases (not this one) troops could find themselves in a situation where there is no ethical option and have to live with the guilt of their actions for the rest of their lives...

[monkeyman]

I’ll concede that you can’t tell the civilians from insurgents and it must be an extremely difficult fight. You have to hand it to the Iraqi’s, it was the smartest defense to an American attack. Dissapear into the populus.
Captain, sorry if I misunderstood... I’m just so utterly disgusted by what happened.

[Devils'Advocate]

No death penalty was on the table. I found where the plea was over - it's when he can get paroled.

"A soldier convicted of rape and murder in an attack on an Iraqi teenager and her family was sentenced Saturday to 110 years in prison, with the possibility of parole after 10 years."

Seems like Canadian justice. Rape and 4 murders, get 10 years.

[Resolute 14]

I suppose if he was just the lookout

The soldiers who carried out the attack should be sentenced to hang from the central square in Bagdhad.