Posted on 03/19/2012 4:15:37 PM PDT by xzins
Karilyn Bales, whose husband, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is accused of killing Afghan civilians, released this statement on Monday:
What happened on the night of March 11 in Kandahar Province was a terrible and heartbreaking tragedy.
My family including my and Bob’s extended families are all profoundly sad. We extend our condolences to all the people of the Panjawai District, our hearts go out to all of them, especially to the parents, brothers, sisters and grandparents of the children who perished.
I know that all good people around the world, regardless of nationality, religion or political values, join me in grieving that such a terrible thing could happen.
Our family has little information beyond what we read and see in the media. What has been reported is completely out of character of the man I know and admire. Please respect me when I say I cannot shed any light on what happened that night, so please do not ask.
I too want to know what happened. I want to know how this could be.
I have no indication that my family’s own safety is at risk, but I appreciate the efforts that have been undertaken to protect us. I hope there will soon be no reason for protection of families, whether here or in Kandahar Province, or anywhere, because the pain inevitably inflicted in war should never be an excuse to inflict yet more pain. The cycle must be broken. We must find peace.
I know the media has a right to pursue and report news. As you do your jobs, I plead with you to respect the trauma that I and my extended family are experiencing. Please allow us some peace and time as we try to make sense of something that makes no sense at all.
All I can do now is emphasize my sadness and my condolences to the families in Panjawai for their terrible loss. The victims and their families are all in my prayers, as is my husband who I love very much.
End of Statement
“Unknowns”, my broad butt.
This is no more and no less than a setup.
I’ve been cussing about My Lai 2.0 (staged in the Sandbox instead of ‘Nam) ever since the start of OIF.
This is it, boys and girls.
According to members of nobama’s minion American military are guilty from the get to, not alleged, unless your name is hassan (a muslim) who allegedly killed 13 military in Ft Hood.
I suspect he was drunk. He admits to drinking but ... just a little bit. Kinda like “not inhaling”.
If he did this, and I hope he didn’t, he should be sentenced appropriately.
KB, why not sit back with a hot cup of tea and relax. We were not there, and you?
Shep said something to the effect that officials said not to fall for emotional turmoil [paraphrased]. That told me all I needed to know. I have noticed a point/counterpoint strategy. Anytime something comes out that makes Bale seem human, another piece of dirt is dropped.
If either of you have a ping list please add me to it.
Smooth, not much here is making sense. Who would set him up other than the Taliban? How would they know to set him up on this one night? IF (and that’s a big if) you can believe the reporting that said he admitted to killing some MAM’s, how did the “massacre” in the one village elder’s house occur at the same time. IOW, someone would have to know he was going out to get some MAM’s, then plan their own “massacre” at the same time.
I don’t know how much investigation has been done as to the number/gender/age etc. of Afghanis that were claimed murdered in these two areas. I would assume there is some validity to the numbers, but don’t know for sure.
Not questioning your idea, smooth, just trying to figure out how it would be possible.
CBS News reported tonight that his lawyer seemed to think he would be charged on Thursday.
The French have known the facts since the days of the Foreign Legion in the North African deserts:
The Foreign Legion has manufactured a special expression of its own for this mental state “Cafard.” The “cafard” reigned. The cafard of the Foreign Legion, a near relative to tropical madness, is a collective name for all the inconceivable stupidities, excesses and crimes which tormented nerves can commit. The English language has no word for this condition. In “cafard” murder hides, and suicide and mutiny; it means self mutilation and plan-less flight out into the desert; it is the height of madness and the depth of despair. All idiocy in the Legion is called “cafard”. A legionnaire is gloomy, sitting sullenly on his bed for hours, speaking to no one. If you ask him what is the matter, he will answer with a gross insult. He sits thinking all the time and does the queerest things. He has the “cafard.” His madness may turn into a senseless explosion or fit of fury; men suffering from “cafard” will run a bayonet through their comrade’s body, without any reason, without any outward cause. Sometimes they rush out into the desert, sometimes they tear every piece of their outfit into rags, just to vex themselves and others thoroughly. The “cafard” is at its worst in the hot season when the sun burns down relentlessly from the cloudless, deep blue sky, with the strange greenish coloring of the horizon peculiar to Algeria. Then the barrack-yard of the Foreign Legion lies deserted. It is so hot that the stones on the yellow clayey ground seem to move in the glimmering overheated air. The legionnaire sentries wear the flowing white neck-protector, and have stuffed wet cloths into their kepis.
Nope. That was Dash-ti-Leili.
(This isn’t directed at anyone in particular so don’t think Ima targeting anyone)
There has to be first time for everything so Ima going to tell you what I think. Mark this on your calendars.
Bales either had specific information on the whereabouts of Taliban but was unable under SOP to do something about it and took matters into his own hands. He is a highly trained, competent, EXPERIENCED COMBAT SOLDIER.
He was specifically groomed to take out certain Taliban, who, under normal SOP were untouchable.
There is reporting he was unhappy with his assignment to F ghanistan. I’m sure he was unhappy seeing ANOTHER fellow soldier wounded horribly. Just right for the picking.
Any body who knows anything about anything going on over there is gonna lawyer up, take the Presidential defense—aka—I DON’T RECALL, and let the chips fall where they may.
I don’t need “mitigating” circumstances. I DON’T CARE who he killed-—namely—”innocent women and children”.
Take a step back and ask yourself why you post on this website. Don’t like abortion? Don’t like national healthcare? Don’t like the erosion of your religious freedom? Freedom of speech? Don’t like the corruption, the greed, the lies, the the total unending BS? (This is where I really start yelling)
HOW DO YOU THINK SGT BALES FEELS?
LOLOL!
Yeah...for an encore picture Karzai’s two brothers out there handing out some feel good zoom-zooms and wham-whams when the Taliban decided to hand some back.
Betcha there was sh!+, guts, and feathers everywhere.
She is extremely grateful to all who are praying for her!
She said the press has been atrocious, making up stuff, repeating rumors without cross checking a single fact, totally misunderstanding the military lifestyle, military justice, and just plain getting things wrong and getting in the way.
Today the rest of her stuff was packed up by movers (not her) at their off-base house and brought to Lewis-McChord. She told me the movers said when the press got wind that someone was at the house, they charged IN in mass and were video taping EVERYTHING they had; the boxes, their contents, stray documents, the brick and bat of their everyday lives, their furniture—everything.
What's that song by Don Henly? Oh yeah, Dirty Laundry. Like that.
As I said earlier folks, DO NOT believe what the media says.
In any case, she thanks you one and all! God Bless you!
That’s good to hear that life is progressing for her, thanks for the report. The media are insane over this, there’s no doubt. Hell, I feel like I’m making matters worse these days. I’ve spoken to a few folks about the idiotic interpretations of Kari’s blog entries. Who knows if it’s done any good?
Add to that distrust the media, but with Obama in charge, they are basically the same as the government. The Socialist party organ, PravdaABCCBSCNNNBC....
My understanding is that collectively over 200 (200!) American GIs have been killed by Afghani police and military.
Our allies.
God help us!
Obama wants to gut the military, gut tricare, gut pensions, gut pay.
Another atrocity case appears on the scene.
Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmm.............
The Army staff sergeant accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians did not open fire in an act of revenge, and was not drunk at the time, his attorney said on Tuesday.
Lawyer John Henry Browne fired back at claims alleging Robert Baleswas drinking on the night of the attack.
“That’s a bunch of crap, “ he said. “He had a couple sips of something somebody handed him — literally, a couple sips.”
Browne also dismissed reports that said Bales had confessed.
“That’s not true either. As a matter of fact, the government’s paperwork on file doesn’t have that in it at all. I’m very suspicious about that report,” he said.
“As far as we know, there’s no eyewitnesses. The government hasn’t been back to the scene of the alleged incident. So there’s no forensic evidence. If I’m a prosecutor in this case, I’d be concerned about how you’re going to prove anything. As a defense lawyer, that’s where I go first,” he said.
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Hell, Fred, I havn’t seen any proof of anything, have you? Alot of maybe this maybe that, anonymous “official” bs, and media bloviating.
Show me a timeline, show me Bales standing over a dead body with a gun in his hand.
Tell her to keep her chin up. I can only speak for my family. In the “been there done that” category twice. She has our support.
Please show something. Show the age, gender, location of each victim. Show some rounds recovered that had have been fired from Bales assigned weapon. Show blood, fingerprints,....something.
Hearing a lot but seeing nothing sure makes a man wonder.
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