Four U.S. troops charged with soldier cruelty

[strollingbones]

Soldiers accused of hazing Ohio teen who committed suicide, military says


WASHINGTON - Four American soldiers have been charged with cruelty and maltreatment of an 19-year-old soldier who committed suicide after being in Iraq for 10 days, the U.S. military told NBC News Friday.

The four Multi-National Division-South soldiers are accused of hazing Private Keiffer P. Wilhelm of Ohio. They abused Wilhelm with excessive physical fitness, said Lt. Col. Kevin Olson, a military spokesman.

One defense official told NBC News that Wilhelm eventually stopped going to public areas to avoid being harassed repeatedly for being overweight.

Four U.S. troops charged with soldier cruelty - Military- msnbc.com

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Soldiers accused of hazing Ohio teen who committed suicide, military says


WASHINGTON - Four American soldiers have been charged with cruelty and maltreatment of an 19-year-old soldier who committed suicide after being in Iraq for 10 days, the U.S. military told NBC News Friday.

The four Multi-National Division-South soldiers are accused of hazing Private Keiffer P. Wilhelm of Ohio. They abused Wilhelm with excessive physical fitness, said Lt. Col. Kevin Olson, a military spokesman.

One defense official told NBC News that Wilhelm eventually stopped going to public areas to avoid being harassed repeatedly for being overweight.

Four U.S. troops charged with soldier cruelty - Military- msnbc.com

I hate hazing, thats why i never joined a Fraternity.

That story makes me angry. I just told my co-worker (a medal holding marine and Iraq war veteran) about it and he had a slightly different take than mine.

He said that someone being out of shape could cause you to get killed during active duty and that they were protecting themselves and him with the harassment. He said the marines harass you about anything they dont like until you change it or quit.

I still think it isn't right to haze people though.

 

[manifold]

So a fat pussy killed himself. boo fucking hoo!

 

[Sunni Man]

This is what we get for turning the military into a gay friendly social club.

Hazing losers in your unit has always been an effective way to cull out the weak and stupid.

They either shape up or ship out.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

This is what we get for turning the military into a gay friendly social club.

Hazing losers in your unit has always been an effective way to cull out the weak and stupid.

They either shape up or ship out.

That sums up what my co-worker said nicely.

 

[geauxtohell]

Was it hazing or "training"? There is a difference.

 

[rdean]

The US has kicked out more than 12,000 gays including many in critical positions, including Arabic translators. Imagine going into an Arabic neighborhood and not being able to communicate because your fellow soldier sent a letter to another soldier ending with, "Love Steve".

The point? To replace these fine soldiers the US had to give felons waivers to enter the military. Also, change the age limit to 40 years old. And waive a GED or high school diploma.

So the fact that some US soldiers are acting in a cruel manner is no surprise. When you replace some good soldiers with some people that are felons and uneducated, it's to be expected.

Wanna bet, these guys had prior criminal records?

Funny, Republicans will say, "How can you criticize our soldiers?" and then turn around and cut their benefits. But it’s ok. You expect Republicans to act like that. They can’t help it. It’s what they do.

 

[Sunni Man]

How did you get republicans, gays, and felons, out of this news story???

 

[JakeStarkey]

I really feel for the kid, but . . .

Unit espirit de corps is everything. Soldiers fight for their buddies and themselves. Once in the field, Mom and apple pie have very little to do with anything.

We had our ways for making folks fit into so that they could work wth the unit. We were subject to the "good order and discipline" of the service not the civilian world. Not fitting in could get one or all of us killed. I heard of a senior NCO who was informed in no uncertain terms that he would not be coming home if he did not fit in with the soldiers for which he was responsible. There were officers who supposedly begged their troops to let them change for "the better" before going into the field.

Who ever was the trainers of this soldier failed in their job. I suspect the troop was a reservist, not a fulltime enlisted Marine. The crotch would have run him into the ground before he ever left the U.S. AT least the old crotch would.

 

[Gudrid]

So how does being charged with the crime of abusing fellow soldiers fit in with the whole unit harmony theory? I guess the higher ups in the US military must not understand the reality of how things need to be in the US military...or something...

 

[Gudrid]

How did you get republicans, gays, and felons, out of this news story???

You're the one who brought up gays, genius.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Put it this way. (1) I knew of a young solider who stole $100 from a fellow soldier. He got a month in the stockade and busted to two grades. Some thought he should have gone away for six months and busted out of the service. (2) I knew a staff sergeant who received seven years (total) for raping his 12 year old daughter and her friend several times.

The latter is absolutely heinous, of course, but the court-martial panel was thinking, perhaps subconciously, in terms of "good order and discipline" (the needs and safety of the unit). The young solider violated the trust of his fellow soldiers. The staff sergeant didn't supposedly, though I imagine the other child's family thought differently.

 

[Gudrid]

That's disgusting, but that's not really unique to the military. Child molesters serve absurdly light sentences on average.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Rough justice, on the other hand, can be meted out very effectively in the field.

 

[Gudrid]

So can abuse. And at the point where the military itself is charging soldiers with abuse, I stop assuming it's "field justice."

 

[Sunni Man]

We had a guy in our platoon who was screwing up and getting all of us in trouble on a regular basis.

One night several solders threw him a "blanket party".

He ended up in the hospital for a couple of days.

We never saw him again and no one was charged with his assult.

 

[Gudrid]

Ok, so got away with something. Thanks for sharing. Did you have a point with that creepy story?

 

[rdean]

How did you get republicans, gays, and felons, out of this news story???

It's quite easy. There were four soldiers in Iraq that raped a 14 year old girl and then killed her and her entire family to shut them up. However, they were caught. Turns out that all had criminal records before entering the service. A light shone on the recent practice of allowing felons to secretly serve in the military. That means that armed felons are serving next to unaware American Sons and Daughters.

Do a search on "Military accepting felons" and see what pops up.

The increased rate of violence and criminal attacks have risen as more felons enter the service.

Check out this statement: As the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have dragged on, the military also has relaxed some standards in order to meet recruitment demands. The Army, for example, increased its age limit for recruits from 35 to 42, and is accepting more people with lower scores on a standardized aptitude test.

So what we do is kick out talented gays whose only crime is they love the wrong sex. Instead, we accept the uneducated and overage felons who are putting American sons and daughters at risk because the right is more afraid of the gays than of the terrorists. They are more afraid of the gays than protecting their own sons and daughters.

There, hope that helped.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Gudrid, those who assaulted the kid will be found guilty if they actually did for which they are charged. In terms of a fair tribunal, I would trust a court martial over a regular state or federal trial. However, if the charge was that it was against a fellow soldier, I would kiss my butt good bye. Soldiers will try to cover for each other, but when it comes to having to swear an oath, they often do not lie, and when they do, they do it badly. I fully understand why the soldier was harassed, I am sorry for the outcome, the accused are going to have face the time.

I fully understand why all this happened and what the probable outcome of the court martial is going to be. The dead soldier and his attackers all violated the integrity of the unit.