Staff Sgt. Robert Bales sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole for Afghanistan massacre that left 16 dead
Despite apologizing and pleading for a chance to someday be released, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales gets life.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2013
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was sentenced to life without a chance of parole Friday for slaughtering 16 Afghan villagers -- a punishment he and his attorneys tried hard to avoid.
Six military juors decided his fate after prosecutors asked them to send a message that the civilians’ lives mattered.
Describing Bales as a “man of no moral compass,” Lt. Col. Jay Morse asked the jury in his closing argument to ensure he is never released from prison. “In just a few short hours, Sgt.
Bales wiped out generations,” Morse said. “Sgt. Bales dares to ask you for mercy when he has shown none.”
read more here
Showing posts with label Afghan civilian deaths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Afghan civilian deaths. Show all posts
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales gets life in prison of two kinds
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales gets life in prison of two kinds. The first one was what was going on inside of himself before he decided to commit murder. That prison has left too many questions in what was behind this act. Was it TBI? PTSD? Medications? Alcohol or a combination of all of them that turned this hero into a mass murderer? Will we ever really know? The second prison is built with bars but like the other trial producing a guilty verdict with the Fort Hood mass murderer Hasan also found guilty yesterday there are many more unanswered questions.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales apologizes for killings, disgracing Army
Bales apologizes for killings, disgracing Army
The (Tacoma, Wash.) News Tribune
By Adam Ashton
Published: August 22, 2013
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — In his first remarks in court, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales could not apologize enough for the lives he ruined on the night he slipped out of his combat outpost in Kandahar province and slaughtered 16 civilians in their homes.
He said he let his family down. He disgraced the Army, he said. And he robbed innocent people of their families.
"I don’t have the words to tell them how much I wish I could take it back,” he said this morning in an unsworn statement on third day of his sentencing trial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Bales, 40, will receive a life sentence for his slaughter in Kandahar’s Panjwai district on March 11, 2012. He spoke to convince a six-member military jury that he deserves a chance for parole one day.
read more here
The (Tacoma, Wash.) News Tribune
By Adam Ashton
Published: August 22, 2013
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — In his first remarks in court, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales could not apologize enough for the lives he ruined on the night he slipped out of his combat outpost in Kandahar province and slaughtered 16 civilians in their homes.
He said he let his family down. He disgraced the Army, he said. And he robbed innocent people of their families.
"I don’t have the words to tell them how much I wish I could take it back,” he said this morning in an unsworn statement on third day of his sentencing trial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Bales, 40, will receive a life sentence for his slaughter in Kandahar’s Panjwai district on March 11, 2012. He spoke to convince a six-member military jury that he deserves a chance for parole one day.
read more here
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Anti-malarial drug linked to Afghan massacre a long time ago
What the hell is going on when reports do not research what they report on? Here is one more case of that.
VA issued warning on Lariam in 2004
Spc. Adam Kuligowski's problems began because he couldn't sleep, April 2010
Army curbs prescriptions of anti-malaria drug Mefloquine NOVEMBER 20, 2011 and this one the same month. After four decades of use, the U.S. Army is banning the use of mefloquine (an anti-malaria drug) because of side effects.
Is Mefloquine the new Agent Orange? from August 2012
This report claims that it is "new information" but it isn't.
MARCH 26, 2012 CNN reported Military Scrambles To Limit Malaria Drug Just After Afghanistan MassacreThat isn't the problem, even though reports on this drug go way back.
VA issued warning on Lariam in 2004
Spc. Adam Kuligowski's problems began because he couldn't sleep, April 2010
Army curbs prescriptions of anti-malaria drug Mefloquine NOVEMBER 20, 2011 and this one the same month. After four decades of use, the U.S. Army is banning the use of mefloquine (an anti-malaria drug) because of side effects.
Is Mefloquine the new Agent Orange? from August 2012
This report claims that it is "new information" but it isn't.
Anti-malarial drug linked to Afghan massacre
Soldier was taking mefloquine when he killed 16 civilians, report indicates
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer
Jul. 13, 2013
In less than a month, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be sentenced for the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians in March 2012.
His attorney, John Henry Browne, has not publicly disclosed whether he will use a mental health defense to fight for a parole-eligible sentence.
But an argument could be made that Bales, 40, was out of his mind:
■ He was treated for a traumatic brain injury resulting from a rollover accident in 2010 and possibly had post-traumatic stress disorder.
■ He admitted to using steroids, which can cause aggression and violence.
■ And new evidence suggests he was prescribed an anti-malaria drug known to cause hallucinations, aggression and psychotic behavior in some patients.
read more here
Friday, May 31, 2013
Army admits Staff Sgt. Robert Bales given steroids and alcohol
Lawyer: Army plied JBLM soldier behind Afghan massacre with booze, steroids
MyNorthwest.com
BY JOSH KERNS
May 30, 2013
The lawyer for the JBLM soldier accused of massacring 16 villagers during a bloody rampage in Afghanistan says his client suffered post traumatic stress disorder and was on steroids at the time.
Seattle attorney John Henry Browne told CNN Thursday special forces troops "pumped" Sgt. Robert Bales with steroids and alcohol regularly before the March, 2012 rampage.
"Of course nobody forces him to take it but that's how he got it. The Army admits that," Browne said.
read more here
After Staff Sgt. Bales' arrest, military tried to delete him from the Web
Dr. Frank Ochberg talks about Sgt. Robert Bales and the nature of PTSD
Military Scrambles To Limit Malaria Drug Just After Afghanistan Massacre
MyNorthwest.com
BY JOSH KERNS
May 30, 2013
The lawyer for the JBLM soldier accused of massacring 16 villagers during a bloody rampage in Afghanistan says his client suffered post traumatic stress disorder and was on steroids at the time.
Seattle attorney John Henry Browne told CNN Thursday special forces troops "pumped" Sgt. Robert Bales with steroids and alcohol regularly before the March, 2012 rampage.
"Of course nobody forces him to take it but that's how he got it. The Army admits that," Browne said.
read more here
After Staff Sgt. Bales' arrest, military tried to delete him from the Web
Dr. Frank Ochberg talks about Sgt. Robert Bales and the nature of PTSD
Military Scrambles To Limit Malaria Drug Just After Afghanistan Massacre
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Staff Sgt. Bales plea deal could cause retaliation in Afghanistan
This story leaves so many questions. Why did Bales go on the rampage? What medication was he on? There are stories circulating he had PTSD but PTSD does not usually cause anything close to this. There are reports about others committing crimes after being given Mefloquine and the Bales case caused the military so scramble to stop using it after this. There are also reports Bales had TBI and PTSD but so far there have been few answers as to why this happened. Now with troops still in Afghanistan, this plea deal could inflame retaliation against them. There needs to be answers and fast or this could get a lot worse.
Bales to plead guilty in Afghan massacre
Proposed deal would allow Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier to avoid the death penalty.
Seattle Times staff and news services
May 29, 2013
In a proposed deal to avoid the death penalty, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales has agreed to plead guilty to killing 16 Afghans during a March 2012 tour of duty with an Army unit from Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
John Henry Browne said his client has “tremendous remorse” and would enter the plea at a court hearing at the base scheduled for June 5.
“The commanding general (at the base) has approved this so the only thing left is for the judge on the 5th to accept this plea,” Browne said Wednesday.
The Army judge has set aside a day for the plea agreement, and Bales is prepared to talk about the crimes.
Bales, 39, is accused of carrying out the most serious U.S. war crimes to emerge from more than a decade of American military involvement in Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, the plea deal could inflame tensions. In interviews with The Associated Press in Kandahar in April, relatives of the victims became outraged at the notion Bales might escape the death penalty and even vowed revenge.
“For this one thing, we would kill 100 American soldiers,” said Mohammed Wazir, who had 11 relatives killed that night, including his mother and 2-year-old daughter.
read more here
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales Defense Must Decide Strategy
Bales Defense Must Decide Strategy
Apr 24, 2013
Tacoma News Tribune
by Adam Ashton
Attorneys for the Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier accused of murdering 16 Afghan civilians last spring are five weeks from a deadline for declaring whether they intend to use a mental health defense at his court-martial.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales faces the death penalty on charges that he slipped out of his combat outpost by himself twice in the early hours of March 11, 2012, to murder the civilians in their homes and to wound six more noncombatants.
His lawyers have said for the past year that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and combat-related head injuries, suggesting those ailments overcame him on what was his fourth combat deployment from Lewis-McChord since 2003.
Army judge Col. Jeff Nance on Tuesday ordered the lawyers to signal by May 29 whether they plan to argue that Bales' mental health ailments diminished his responsibility for the massacre in Kandahar province's Panjwai district.
They also must hand to prosecutors by that date a summary of a sanity review Bales recently completed if they plan to call a mental health expert to testify at any point.
"Bottom line is, on the 29th of May the defense has to advise the government if they are going to defend on lack of mental responsibility," Nance said.
read more here
Apr 24, 2013
Tacoma News Tribune
by Adam Ashton
Attorneys for the Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier accused of murdering 16 Afghan civilians last spring are five weeks from a deadline for declaring whether they intend to use a mental health defense at his court-martial.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales faces the death penalty on charges that he slipped out of his combat outpost by himself twice in the early hours of March 11, 2012, to murder the civilians in their homes and to wound six more noncombatants.
His lawyers have said for the past year that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and combat-related head injuries, suggesting those ailments overcame him on what was his fourth combat deployment from Lewis-McChord since 2003.
Army judge Col. Jeff Nance on Tuesday ordered the lawyers to signal by May 29 whether they plan to argue that Bales' mental health ailments diminished his responsibility for the massacre in Kandahar province's Panjwai district.
They also must hand to prosecutors by that date a summary of a sanity review Bales recently completed if they plan to call a mental health expert to testify at any point.
"Bottom line is, on the 29th of May the defense has to advise the government if they are going to defend on lack of mental responsibility," Nance said.
read more here
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Prosecutors seek death penalty for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales
Death penalty sought in Afghan massacre case
By Gene Johnson
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Dec 19, 2012 13:16:40 EST
SEATTLE — The U.S. Army said Wednesday it will seek the death penalty against the soldier accused of massacring 16 Afghan villagers during pre-dawn raids in March.
The announcement followed a pretrial hearing last month for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 39, who faces premeditated murder and other charges in the attack on two villages in southern Afghanistan.
Prosecutors said Bales, who grew up in the Cincinnati suburb of Norwood, Ohio, left his remote base in southern Afghanistan early on March 11, attacked one village, returned to the base, and then slipped away again to attack another nearby compound. Of the 16 people killed, nine were children.
No date has been set for Bales' court martial, which will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle.
read more here
By Gene Johnson
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Dec 19, 2012 13:16:40 EST
SEATTLE — The U.S. Army said Wednesday it will seek the death penalty against the soldier accused of massacring 16 Afghan villagers during pre-dawn raids in March.
The announcement followed a pretrial hearing last month for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 39, who faces premeditated murder and other charges in the attack on two villages in southern Afghanistan.
Prosecutors said Bales, who grew up in the Cincinnati suburb of Norwood, Ohio, left his remote base in southern Afghanistan early on March 11, attacked one village, returned to the base, and then slipped away again to attack another nearby compound. Of the 16 people killed, nine were children.
No date has been set for Bales' court martial, which will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle.
read more here
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Sergeant Robert Bales, could face death over Afghan massacre
US soldier, Sergeant Robert Bales, could face death over Afghan massacre
By AFP
Nov 14th, 2012
Washington: Prosecutors called Tuesday for a US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers to face a full court martial and possible death sentence, as a pre-trial hearing ended.
But the family of Sergeant Robert Bales insisted he was innocent until proven guilty, calling him “courageous and honorable,” while his lawyer raised questions about the role of alcohol, drugs and stress in the tragedy.
Wrapping up the case, prosecutors lashed the “brutality” of the alleged massacre in March, outlined during an eight-day hearing at a military base south of Seattle.
“Based on the sheer brutality and nature of the crimes, it is our recommendation to proceed to a general court martial,” said prosecutor Major Rob Stelle at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
He said there were two main reasons why the case should go to a court martial, namely that “something horrible happened” on the night of March 11, and that Bales was clearly aware of what he had done.
read more here
By AFP
Nov 14th, 2012
Washington: Prosecutors called Tuesday for a US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers to face a full court martial and possible death sentence, as a pre-trial hearing ended.
But the family of Sergeant Robert Bales insisted he was innocent until proven guilty, calling him “courageous and honorable,” while his lawyer raised questions about the role of alcohol, drugs and stress in the tragedy.
Wrapping up the case, prosecutors lashed the “brutality” of the alleged massacre in March, outlined during an eight-day hearing at a military base south of Seattle.
“Based on the sheer brutality and nature of the crimes, it is our recommendation to proceed to a general court martial,” said prosecutor Major Rob Stelle at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
He said there were two main reasons why the case should go to a court martial, namely that “something horrible happened” on the night of March 11, and that Bales was clearly aware of what he had done.
read more here
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will face an Article 32 hearing in Sept
Bales to face Article 32 hearing in September
By Gene Johnson
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 11, 2012 19:34:24 EDT
SEATTLE — The Army has scheduled a preliminary court hearing in September for the soldier accused of slaughtering 16 civilians during a pre-dawn rampage on two Afghan villages in March.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will face an Article 32 hearing on Sept. 17, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Gary Dangerfield said Wednesday. The location of the hearing has not been confirmed, but one of Bales’ lawyers, Emma Scanlan, said it is expected to be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle.
read more here
Military Scrambles To Limit Malaria Drug Just After Afghanistan Massacre
By Gene Johnson
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 11, 2012 19:34:24 EDT
SEATTLE — The Army has scheduled a preliminary court hearing in September for the soldier accused of slaughtering 16 civilians during a pre-dawn rampage on two Afghan villages in March.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will face an Article 32 hearing on Sept. 17, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Gary Dangerfield said Wednesday. The location of the hearing has not been confirmed, but one of Bales’ lawyers, Emma Scanlan, said it is expected to be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle.
read more here
Military Scrambles To Limit Malaria Drug Just After Afghanistan Massacre
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Wife can't believe Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is guilty
Wife of Robert Bales, soldier accused in Afghan massacre, speaks out
July 2, 2012
CBS News
The wife of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the soldier accused of leaving his southern Afghanistan base and murdering 16 unarmed civilians, believes her husband is innocent.
Kari Bales said she's in touch with her husband, but has not asked him about what happened.
"I just don't need to ask him," she said Monday on "CBS This Morning." "I know my husband, and it's not a question I really need to ask. I know him. I know what he's capable of and not capable of, so I don't need to ask the question."
When asked what life would be like if her husband were to be found guilty, Bales said, "At this point I haven't gotten that far. I truly believe that my husband did not do this. I really just want the facts to come out through the fair trial."
read more here
July 2, 2012
CBS News
The wife of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the soldier accused of leaving his southern Afghanistan base and murdering 16 unarmed civilians, believes her husband is innocent.
Kari Bales said she's in touch with her husband, but has not asked him about what happened.
"I just don't need to ask him," she said Monday on "CBS This Morning." "I know my husband, and it's not a question I really need to ask. I know him. I know what he's capable of and not capable of, so I don't need to ask the question."
When asked what life would be like if her husband were to be found guilty, Bales said, "At this point I haven't gotten that far. I truly believe that my husband did not do this. I really just want the facts to come out through the fair trial."
read more here
Friday, June 1, 2012
Army adds more charges against Staff Sgt. Robert Bales
Army drops murder charge in Afghanistan shooting rampage
SEATTLE (AP) — The Army has dropped a murder charge, but added others, including steroid use, against a soldier accused in a deadly shooting rampage in Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is now accused of gunning down 16 civilians in pre-dawn raid on two Afghan villages in March.
read more here
SEATTLE (AP) — The Army has dropped a murder charge, but added others, including steroid use, against a soldier accused in a deadly shooting rampage in Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is now accused of gunning down 16 civilians in pre-dawn raid on two Afghan villages in March.
read more here
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Tacoma VFW Post 91 helps Bales family get through nightmare
Tacoma VFW Post 91 helps Bales family get through nightmare
Kari Bales and her two young children stayed hidden in plain sight at the Daffodil Parade on April 14. They were among about a dozen people waving at the crowd from a float entered by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 91 in Tacoma.
FACT BOX
CHRISTIAN HILL
STAFF WRITER
Published: 04/28/12
Kari Bales and her two young children stayed hidden in plain sight at the Daffodil Parade on April 14. They were among about a dozen people waving at the crowd from a float entered by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 91 in Tacoma.
Despite the international coverage of their plight, only two friends in the crowd recognized the wife and two children of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier who’s charged with murdering 17 Afghan civilians, said Elmer Clark, the VFW post commander.
Clark made the arrangements for the Bales family to ride the float – one of many ways the post is wrapping its arms around family members during their nightmare that began seven weeks ago today.
read more here
Kari Bales and her two young children stayed hidden in plain sight at the Daffodil Parade on April 14. They were among about a dozen people waving at the crowd from a float entered by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 91 in Tacoma.
FACT BOX
HOW TO HELP VFW Post 91 is accepting donations for Kari Bales and her children at its post building, 2000 S. Union Ave. in Tacoma. The money will supplement the family’s living expenses while they pay mounting bills. Donations can be placed in a secured box located just inside the post’s front door. Checks should be made out to VFW Post 91. Call 253-759-6995 to see if the building is open.
CHRISTIAN HILL
STAFF WRITER
Published: 04/28/12
Kari Bales and her two young children stayed hidden in plain sight at the Daffodil Parade on April 14. They were among about a dozen people waving at the crowd from a float entered by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 91 in Tacoma.
Despite the international coverage of their plight, only two friends in the crowd recognized the wife and two children of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier who’s charged with murdering 17 Afghan civilians, said Elmer Clark, the VFW post commander.
Clark made the arrangements for the Bales family to ride the float – one of many ways the post is wrapping its arms around family members during their nightmare that began seven weeks ago today.
read more here
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Army 'sanity board' to evaluate if Bales is mentally fit for trial
Army 'sanity board' to evaluate if Bales is mentally fit for trial
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be examined within the next four to six weeks by an Army panel of doctors to determine whether he is mentally fit to stand trial on charges of murdering 17 Afghan villagers, according to an Army official briefed on the case.
By Hal Bernton and Mike Carter
Seattle Times staff reporters
April 9, 2012
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be examined in spring by an Army panel of doctors to determine whether he is mentally fit to stand trial on charges of murdering 17 Afghan villagers, according to an Army official briefed on the case.
A "sanity board" of Army doctors from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center will meet with Bales and review his files to understand more about his personal life and military experience.
The board will likely examine any prescription medications he may have taken before the March 11 killings in two villages in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan.
The doctors will determine whether Bales had a severe mental disease or defect at the time of the killings. They also will decide if he is able to appreciate the wrongfulness of his alleged conduct and whether he is able to understand the court-martial proceedings and to cooperate in his defense.
read more here
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be examined within the next four to six weeks by an Army panel of doctors to determine whether he is mentally fit to stand trial on charges of murdering 17 Afghan villagers, according to an Army official briefed on the case.
By Hal Bernton and Mike Carter
Seattle Times staff reporters
April 9, 2012
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be examined in spring by an Army panel of doctors to determine whether he is mentally fit to stand trial on charges of murdering 17 Afghan villagers, according to an Army official briefed on the case.
A "sanity board" of Army doctors from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center will meet with Bales and review his files to understand more about his personal life and military experience.
The board will likely examine any prescription medications he may have taken before the March 11 killings in two villages in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan.
The doctors will determine whether Bales had a severe mental disease or defect at the time of the killings. They also will decide if he is able to appreciate the wrongfulness of his alleged conduct and whether he is able to understand the court-martial proceedings and to cooperate in his defense.
read more here
Saturday, March 31, 2012
No evidence Bales was drinking says lawyer
Afghan suspect attorney: 'Government hiding evidence'
(2:02) Mar. 31, 2012
The attorney for the U.S. soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians says the government is "hiding evidence" and not giving his defense team the cooperation they were promised. (The Associated Press)
(2:02) Mar. 31, 2012
The attorney for the U.S. soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians says the government is "hiding evidence" and not giving his defense team the cooperation they were promised. (The Associated Press)
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Dr. Frank Ochberg talks about Sgt. Robert Bales and the nature of PTSD
Sgt. Robert Bales and the nature of PTSD
by Steve Edwards
Mar. 27, 2012
Some, including his lawyers, say Sgt. Robert Bales, the soldier accused of killing 16 people in Afghanistan, may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Others disagree.
Nevertheless, the incident, Bates' frequent tours of duty in Afghanistan and the growing violence in the country have put PTSD back in the spotlight. In fact, WBUR's On Point devoted an entire hour to the subject yesterday.
Of course, PTSD affects more than just soliders in war zones. It affects children and families living in such areas, victims of natural disasters, and some say, even affects the residents of some of Chicago's most violent neighborhoods.
Dr. Frank Ochberg was among the scientists who came to define PTSD during its earlier years.
read more here
also
Frank M. Ochberg, M.D.
Gift From Within
by Steve Edwards
Mar. 27, 2012
Some, including his lawyers, say Sgt. Robert Bales, the soldier accused of killing 16 people in Afghanistan, may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Others disagree.
Nevertheless, the incident, Bates' frequent tours of duty in Afghanistan and the growing violence in the country have put PTSD back in the spotlight. In fact, WBUR's On Point devoted an entire hour to the subject yesterday.
Of course, PTSD affects more than just soliders in war zones. It affects children and families living in such areas, victims of natural disasters, and some say, even affects the residents of some of Chicago's most violent neighborhoods.
Dr. Frank Ochberg was among the scientists who came to define PTSD during its earlier years.
read more here
also
Frank M. Ochberg, M.D.
Gift From Within
Monday, March 26, 2012
Military Scrambles To Limit Malaria Drug Just After Afghanistan Massacre
It is looking more and more like the medication Bales was on was part of this.
This was posted here January, 2008. Just goes to show what they new back then. It is a long post with some of the results of what they got wrong in human terms.
When I wrote about the connection between what Bales is accused of doing and medications he was probably on for PTSD and TBI, I didn't think about Mefloquine. Army: PTSD treatable; some diagnosed return to war,,,with meds
By most accounts, Sgt. Robert Bales has PTSD and TBI. If true, then sending him back into combat, more than likely, included medications for both. Is anyone looking into what medications he was on and if they played a role in what happened more than PTSD and TBI? Most medications the troops are given come with clear warnings about side effects.
Looks like I should have.
Robert Bales Charged: Military Scrambles To Limit Malaria Drug Just After Afghanistan Massacre
Posted: 03/25/2012
Mark Benjamin
WASHINGTON -- Nine days after a U.S. soldier allegedly massacred 17 civilians in Afghanistan, a top-level Pentagon health official ordered a widespread, emergency review of the military’s use of a notorius anti-malaria drug called mefloquine.
Mefloquine, also called Lariam, has severe psychiatric side effects. Problems include psychotic behavior, paranoia and hallucinations. The drug has been implicated in numerous suicides and homicides, including deaths in the U.S. military. For years the military has used the weekly pill to help prevent malaria among deployed troops.
The U.S. Army nearly dropped use of mefloquine entirely in 2009 because of the dangers, now only using it in limited circumstances, including sometimes in Afghanistan. The 2009 order from the Army said soldiers who have suffered a traumatic brain injury should not be given the drug.
The soldier accused of grisly Afghanistan murders on March 17 of men, women and children, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq in 2010 during his third combat tour. According to New York Times reporting, repeated combat tours also increase the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Bales' wife, Karilyn Bales, broke her silence in an interview Sunday with NBC's Matt Lauer, airing on Monday's Today show. "It is unbelievable to me. I have no idea what happened, but he would not -- he loves children. He would not do that," she said in excerpts released Sunday.
On March 20, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Jonathan Woodson ordered a new, urgent review to make sure that troops were not getting the drug inappropriately. The task order from Woodson, obtained by The Huffington Post, orders an immediate “review of mefloquine prescribing practices” to be completed by the following Monday, six days after the order was issued.
read more here
This was posted here January, 2008. Just goes to show what they new back then. It is a long post with some of the results of what they got wrong in human terms.
VA issued warning on Lariam in 2004
VA Warns Doctors About Lariam
United Press International
25 June 2004
WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs is warning doctors to watch for long-term mental problems and other health effects from an anti-malaria drug given to soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.The drug is mefloquine, known by the brand name Lariam, which has been given to tens of thousands of soldiers since the war on terrorism began. Some of those soldiers say it has provoked severe mental and physical problems including suicidal and violent behavior, psychosis, convulsions and balance disorders.
Last year the Food and Drug Administration began warning that problems might last "long after" someone stops taking it.
Fort Campbell tries to stop soldier suicides
Spc. Adam Kuligowski's problems began because he couldn't sleep.
Last year, the 21-year-old soldier was working six days a week, analyzing intelligence that the military gathered while he was serving in Afghanistan. He was gifted at his job and loved being a part of the 101st Airborne Division, just like his father and his great uncle.
But Adam was tired and often late for work. His eyes were glassy and he was falling asleep while on duty. His room was messy and his uniform was dirty.
His father, Mike Kuligowski, attributes his son's sleeplessness and depression to an anti-malarial medication called mefloquine that was found in his system. In rare cases, it can cause psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, paranoia, depression, hallucination and psychotic behavior.
Army curbs prescriptions of anti-malaria drug Mefloquine
Army curbs prescriptions of anti-malaria drug
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Almost four decades after inventing a potent anti-malarial drug, the U.S. Army has pushed it to the back of its medicine cabinet.
The dramatic about-face follows years of complaints and concerns that mefloquine caused psychiatric and physical side effects even as it was used around the globe as a front-line defense against the mosquito-borne disease that kills about 800,000 people a year.
"Mefloquine is a zombie drug. It's dangerous, and it should have been killed off years ago," said Dr. Remington Nevin, an epidemiologist and Army major who has published research that he said showed the drug can be potentially toxic to the brain. He believes the drop in prescriptions is a tacit acknowledgment of the drug's serious problems.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Staff Sgt. Bales charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder
Bales charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder
By MATT SCHOFIELD
McClatchy Newspapers
Published: March 23, 2012
Army Staff Sgt Robert Bales could face the death penalty after being officially charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. Bales, who has been held at the Ft. Leavenworth military prison for about a week also faces six attempted murder charges.
WASHINGTON — Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder Friday in a case that could lead to the death penalty.
Bales allegedly armed himself with a pistol, rifle and grenade launcher and shot men, women and children in a nighttime raid that stands as the worst American atrocity since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan.
The charges — given to Bales on Friday at the high-security Army prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. — also include six counts of attempted murder and six of assault carried out in two remote villages in southern Afghanistan on March 11. The incident has deeply shaken U.S.-Afghan relations and fueled outrage against the U.S. and its continued presence in that country.
read more here
By MATT SCHOFIELD
McClatchy Newspapers
Published: March 23, 2012
Army Staff Sgt Robert Bales could face the death penalty after being officially charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. Bales, who has been held at the Ft. Leavenworth military prison for about a week also faces six attempted murder charges.
WASHINGTON — Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder Friday in a case that could lead to the death penalty.
Bales allegedly armed himself with a pistol, rifle and grenade launcher and shot men, women and children in a nighttime raid that stands as the worst American atrocity since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan.
The charges — given to Bales on Friday at the high-security Army prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. — also include six counts of attempted murder and six of assault carried out in two remote villages in southern Afghanistan on March 11. The incident has deeply shaken U.S.-Afghan relations and fueled outrage against the U.S. and its continued presence in that country.
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Thursday, March 22, 2012
After Staff Sgt. Bales' arrest, military tried to delete him from the Web
After Bales' arrest, military tried to delete him from the Web
By DAVID GOLDSTEIN AND MATTHEW SCHOFIELD
McClatchy Newspapers
Published: March 21, 2012
WASHINGTON — Besides waiting nearly a week before identifying the Army staff sergeant accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers, the U.S. military scrubbed its websites of references to his combat service.
Gone were photographs of the suspect, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, as well as a recounting in his base’s newspaper of a 2007 battle in Iraq involving his unit, a report that quoted him extensively.
But they weren’t really gone.
Given the myriad ways that information remains accessible on the Internet, despite the best efforts to remove it, the material about Bales was still out there and available, such as in cached versions of Web pages. Within minutes of the Pentagon leaking his name Friday evening, news organizations and others found and published his pictures, the account of the battle — which depicts Bales and other soldiers in a glowing light — and excerpts from his wife’s personal blog.
So why did the Pentagon try to scrub Bales from the Internet in the first place?
read more here
By DAVID GOLDSTEIN AND MATTHEW SCHOFIELD
McClatchy Newspapers
Published: March 21, 2012
WASHINGTON — Besides waiting nearly a week before identifying the Army staff sergeant accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers, the U.S. military scrubbed its websites of references to his combat service.
Gone were photographs of the suspect, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, as well as a recounting in his base’s newspaper of a 2007 battle in Iraq involving his unit, a report that quoted him extensively.
But they weren’t really gone.
Given the myriad ways that information remains accessible on the Internet, despite the best efforts to remove it, the material about Bales was still out there and available, such as in cached versions of Web pages. Within minutes of the Pentagon leaking his name Friday evening, news organizations and others found and published his pictures, the account of the battle — which depicts Bales and other soldiers in a glowing light — and excerpts from his wife’s personal blog.
So why did the Pentagon try to scrub Bales from the Internet in the first place?
read more here
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Will anything change after Sgt. Robert Bales actions?
Will anything change after Sgt. Robert Bales actions?
by
Chaplain Kathie
To say that Bales is "accused" won't make much sense, since he said he did it when he turned himself in. The only question that has to be answered now is why he did it. No matter what the outcome of the trial he will face, all of us should understand what has been clear for over 40 years. We do a lousy job of taking care of the men and women we send into combat.
We are a nation of over 300 million people but only have about 24 million veterans. Less than one percent serve in the military today. That tiny portion of the population have been suffering but there hasn't been any kind of public outrage over the reports we've been reading since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq started. We can talk all we want about this nation, our blessings and our pride in our country, we can talk about how patriotic we are and all of that is true in most cases, but we cannot honestly say we support our troops or our veterans.
While Sgt. Bales' story is big news today, the issue is far from new. Local media stations have been reporting trials of veterans for years but cable news stations have not been interested in reporting them on a national scale. Why? The nation sends them into combat and the nation is ultimately responsible for what happens to them after combat. Aren't we? We pay for all of it with our taxes. What we don't do is pay for it with our interest and actions.
In Washington there have been countless hearings and testimonies. Organizations like the DAV, VFW, American Legion, IAVA along with an ever growing list of non-profits testify on the suffering of millions of veterans, but nothing really happens. Each branch of the military issues statements they are doing all they can to address the strain on the military but sooner or later we read that what they are doing isn't working. When we read between the lines we notice they are repeating the same mistakes, using the same failed programs and in turn, failing our troops. The VA repeats mistakes in some locations while others are thinking outside the box and coming up with programs of their own. Claims are approved in one part of the country while the same type of claim will be denied in another.
Communities may come together to help a veteran while in another part of the country, the same thing is happening to another veteran but no one notices or does anything to help. One part of the country may welcome facilities to treat veterans and help them heal while another community does all they can to keep a facility out of their neighborhood because suffering veterans don't belong there and will hurt their property values.
We have elected official after elected official showing up, talking to veterans when they want their support but avoiding their suffering the rest of the time they are in office. At most, lip service is all veterans get.
They all knew what redeployments would do but kept sending servicemen and women back for repeated tours. In too many cases, they were sent back wounded and on medication. It is disgracefully clear that nothing will change after all the reports surrounding Sgt. Bales come out for one simple reason. Nothing has changed before this.
McHugh: Army reviewing mental health programs
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Mar 21, 2012 12:26:58 EDT
WASHINGTON — The secretary of the Army on Wednesday said the service is reviewing mental health programs amid renewed attention to the stress of war after a U.S. soldier was suspected of killing 16 Afghan civilians.
John McHugh was pressed on the issue by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who said the Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington state reversed 40 percent of diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder for candidates for military retirement.
read more here
by
Chaplain Kathie
To say that Bales is "accused" won't make much sense, since he said he did it when he turned himself in. The only question that has to be answered now is why he did it. No matter what the outcome of the trial he will face, all of us should understand what has been clear for over 40 years. We do a lousy job of taking care of the men and women we send into combat.
We are a nation of over 300 million people but only have about 24 million veterans. Less than one percent serve in the military today. That tiny portion of the population have been suffering but there hasn't been any kind of public outrage over the reports we've been reading since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq started. We can talk all we want about this nation, our blessings and our pride in our country, we can talk about how patriotic we are and all of that is true in most cases, but we cannot honestly say we support our troops or our veterans.
While Sgt. Bales' story is big news today, the issue is far from new. Local media stations have been reporting trials of veterans for years but cable news stations have not been interested in reporting them on a national scale. Why? The nation sends them into combat and the nation is ultimately responsible for what happens to them after combat. Aren't we? We pay for all of it with our taxes. What we don't do is pay for it with our interest and actions.
In Washington there have been countless hearings and testimonies. Organizations like the DAV, VFW, American Legion, IAVA along with an ever growing list of non-profits testify on the suffering of millions of veterans, but nothing really happens. Each branch of the military issues statements they are doing all they can to address the strain on the military but sooner or later we read that what they are doing isn't working. When we read between the lines we notice they are repeating the same mistakes, using the same failed programs and in turn, failing our troops. The VA repeats mistakes in some locations while others are thinking outside the box and coming up with programs of their own. Claims are approved in one part of the country while the same type of claim will be denied in another.
Communities may come together to help a veteran while in another part of the country, the same thing is happening to another veteran but no one notices or does anything to help. One part of the country may welcome facilities to treat veterans and help them heal while another community does all they can to keep a facility out of their neighborhood because suffering veterans don't belong there and will hurt their property values.
We have elected official after elected official showing up, talking to veterans when they want their support but avoiding their suffering the rest of the time they are in office. At most, lip service is all veterans get.
They all knew what redeployments would do but kept sending servicemen and women back for repeated tours. In too many cases, they were sent back wounded and on medication. It is disgracefully clear that nothing will change after all the reports surrounding Sgt. Bales come out for one simple reason. Nothing has changed before this.
Lawyer on Bales: 'There may be explanations'
By Adam Levine, Chris Lawrence and Michael Martinez CNN
Tue March 20, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Charges against Bales are expected Thursday, his attorney says
The military's administrative review is in addition to a criminal investigation
U.S. general tells Congress probe will look at why Bales was sent to Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is the suspect in 16 Afghan villagers' deaths, including nine children
Washington (CNN) -- A lawyer for Sgt. Robert Bales said Tuesday "there may be explanations" for the alleged shooting this month by his client of 16 Afghan civilians, but -- even if that is what happened -- the government will have a difficult time making its case.
"I don't know if the government is going to prove much," lead attorney John Henry Browne told CNN about the shootings of nine children, three women and four men in a village in southern Afghanistan. "There's no forensic evidence, there's no confessions."
He added, "Nothing really justifies killing women and children in a noncombat situation. But there may be explanations if that's true. And right now I want to say once again, I'm not sure that's true."
Bales, who had served three tours of duty in Iraq before being sent to Afghanistan, may have been suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, Brown said. Bales suffered a traumatic brain injury during a roadside bomb explosion and lost part of his foot in separate tours in Iraq, his attorney has said. "Anybody that has seen what he's seen and done what he's done at the request of the military -- and I'm not talking about these allegations -- I think would have PTSD ... Dragging parts of bodies around is not something you forget very often."
read more here
McHugh: Army reviewing mental health programs
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Mar 21, 2012 12:26:58 EDT
WASHINGTON — The secretary of the Army on Wednesday said the service is reviewing mental health programs amid renewed attention to the stress of war after a U.S. soldier was suspected of killing 16 Afghan civilians.
John McHugh was pressed on the issue by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who said the Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington state reversed 40 percent of diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder for candidates for military retirement.
read more here
Monday, March 19, 2012
At Home, Asking How ‘Our Bobby’ Became War Crime Suspect
At Home, Asking How ‘Our Bobby’ Became War Crime Suspect
By JAMES DAO
Published: March 18, 2012
He was not the star, just a well-regarded young man who seemed to try to do the right thing.
That was Robert Bales, “our Bobby,” friends said. He was a busy, popular kid, but he made time for the autistic man down the block. Other neighborhood boys admired him. As a high school linebacker, he was good enough to be captain, but also gracious enough to help a more talented player take over his starting position. It was good for the team, he said.
That solid-guy reputation followed him into the Army infantry. He joined at the relatively seasoned age of 27, just a few weeks after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and became respected for his maturity and calm, including in battle. “He was a damn good leader and a damn good soldier,” said Zachary Parsons, who served with Staff Sergeant Bales in Iraq in 2007.
So when many of his old neighbors from Norwood, Ohio, and former battalion mates from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State heard the news that Sergeant Bales had been accused of coldbloodedly shooting to death 16 Afghan civilians on March 11, nine of them children, they were not simply shocked. They grieved.
Michelle Caddell, 48, who knew Sergeant Bales when he was growing up, watched a video clip of the news over and over and over again, mesmerized by disbelief. “I wanted to see, maybe, a different face,” she said, fighting back tears. “Because that’s not our Bobby. Something horrible, horrible had to happen to him.”
Friends, relatives and his lawyer say they have an idea of what that horrible thing was: war.
Three deployments in Iraq, where he saw heavy fighting, and a fourth in Afghanistan, where he went reluctantly, left him struggling financially, in danger of losing his home.
read more here
By JAMES DAO
Published: March 18, 2012
He was not the star, just a well-regarded young man who seemed to try to do the right thing.
That was Robert Bales, “our Bobby,” friends said. He was a busy, popular kid, but he made time for the autistic man down the block. Other neighborhood boys admired him. As a high school linebacker, he was good enough to be captain, but also gracious enough to help a more talented player take over his starting position. It was good for the team, he said.
That solid-guy reputation followed him into the Army infantry. He joined at the relatively seasoned age of 27, just a few weeks after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and became respected for his maturity and calm, including in battle. “He was a damn good leader and a damn good soldier,” said Zachary Parsons, who served with Staff Sergeant Bales in Iraq in 2007.
So when many of his old neighbors from Norwood, Ohio, and former battalion mates from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State heard the news that Sergeant Bales had been accused of coldbloodedly shooting to death 16 Afghan civilians on March 11, nine of them children, they were not simply shocked. They grieved.
Michelle Caddell, 48, who knew Sergeant Bales when he was growing up, watched a video clip of the news over and over and over again, mesmerized by disbelief. “I wanted to see, maybe, a different face,” she said, fighting back tears. “Because that’s not our Bobby. Something horrible, horrible had to happen to him.”
Friends, relatives and his lawyer say they have an idea of what that horrible thing was: war.
Three deployments in Iraq, where he saw heavy fighting, and a fourth in Afghanistan, where he went reluctantly, left him struggling financially, in danger of losing his home.
read more here
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