BBC NEWS
US troops 'laughed as Iraqi died'
An Iraqi civilian has testified that US soldiers forced him and his cousin to jump into the River Tigris and laughed as his relative was swept to his death.

"He was calling my name, said: 'Help me! Help me!'" Marwan Fadel Hassoun told a military trial in Texas.

Army Sgt Tracy Perkins, 33, is on trial for an array of charges including involuntary manslaughter.

Three other soldiers have also been charged over the incident in the city of Samarra on 3 January 2004.

Mr Fadel said he and his cousin were transporting plumbing supplies from Baghdad to the city when they were approached by US troops when their truck broke down a few minutes before a 2300 curfew.

He said they were forced to the river at gunpoint.

The last time I saw my son, he was a dead body
Mamoun Hassoun
"We started to beg them not to throw us in the water," he said through a translator.

"We said in English, 'Please, please', but it was in vain.

"The soldiers had their rifles aimed at us. They were laughing."

He said he tried to save his 19-year-old cousin by grabbing his hand, but to no avail.

The court was shown a picture of a corpse which Mr Fadel's family say they pulled from the river and buried.

Body to be exhumed

"The last time I saw my son, he was a dead body," Mamoun Hassoun, the father of Zaidoun Fadel Hassoun, told the court.

The defence denies that the body is Zaidoun's, saying it believes both men made it to shore alive.

The trial of another soldier accused in the case, 1st Lt Jack Saville, has been postponed so that the body can be exhumed and examined.

Both men are charged with involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy, aggravated assault, obstruction of justice, and lying to investigators. They could receive up to 29 years in prison if convicted.

Sgt Reggie Martinez is charged with manslaughter and Specialist Terry Bowman is charged with assault.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...cas/4150429.stm

Published: 2005/01/06 01:39:44 GMT

© BBC MMV

It would appear that a few more have snapped.

Sadly, it's sometimes other than that. I have seen some in war who simply holds no compassion for man. There's a breed of humans who are into slaughters of others, no matter what country they are from. You may have heard the expression ' you've found a home in the military'? Basically it refers to those who are 'into' killing as something fun and now gets supplied and paid for what they enjoy doing.

I can only (speculating) venture saying that approx 10% are like this in any military uniform, but there's also the 'peer' pressure group syndrome that also takes place... to belong, to be accepted, as many usually has to go along with the 'action' taking place or be casted out and sometimes hurt themselves.

That's what is so dangerous with this BushCo regime who now formulates our military forces. It's this mentallity that makes it to the battle zones and do the things that we later find out about and cringe over.

So? Palestinians cheered as the twin towers fell!

doesn't make it right for one us to do the same

Of corse not. but it makes them like us doesn't it. so if you hate our actions you have to hate their actions.

If you hate peolpe like those troops, you have to hate all the Pals who cheered.

I do not believe in wishing ill on America or Americans in order to make Bush look bad. You don't but some who post seemingly anti-American stuff seem to cross the line of cheering against the home team in order to spite some on the team

see now all I kept thinking is, it makes us like them and, of course, I want so badly for us to be above that


*sigh* stupid and defeatist at best (and we should be above that)

Common sen e and common ground! What is happening here?

IMO America should stand for 'bringing out the best in people', not condoning aberrant behavior. Anyone who laughs as someone dies right in front of them does not belong in any organization that represents this country. Anyone who accepts torture and humiliation of others doesn't either.

Unfortunately you'll always find bad apples on the way to the bottom of the bushel; it's just too bad a few are in uniform, a whole lot of them are in our government or in our foreign service. The Bush administration has fostered such behavior, I call it

Bush's trickle-down moral values:

"We're right and we can do anything we want. Just stand back and watch."