Posted on 10/31/2004 6:45:30 PM PST by Dubya
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Working in a makeshift lab in a bombed-out building, an Army pathologist dipped her gloved hands into a decomposing corpse - and changed the lives of nine U.S. Marines. Running her fingers along a fragile, U-shaped bone in the throat of a dead Iraqi prisoner, Col. Kathleen Ingwersen felt a break. She concluded the man had been strangled - that Nagem Sadoon Hatab was the first victim of homicide in prisons the U.S. military set up in Iraq.
However, since the autopsy that pathologists considered surprisingly conclusive under difficult circumstances, the case has fallen apart.
Tissue samples that Ingwersen's team collected as evidence decomposed when they were left outside in 126-degree heat; Ingwersen said organs turned to "goo." The rib cage and larynx vanished, then resurfaced a year later at military labs on two continents. She conceded she doesn't know what became of the broken hyoid bone that strongly indicated strangulation.
Nine Marines faced courts-martial in Hatab's death but most of the cases were dismissed, in part because of the forensic breakdown. The sole conviction came in September, when a military panel convicted Marine Sgt. Gary Pittman of dereliction of duty and abuse of prisoners - but acquitted him of assaulting Hatab. He was sentenced to 60 days hard labor and demoted to private.
On Monday, prosecutors have their final chance to salvage the case when court-martial proceedings begin at this base north of San Diego for the last defendant.
Maj. Clarke Paulus, 35, faces up to 4 1/2 years in military prison if he is convicted on charges of aggravated assault, dereliction of duty and maltreatment.
During pretrial testimony, Ingwersen apologized for a case that has cast an unwanted spotlight on the military's coroner, the highly regarded Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, and has underscored concerns that the demands of war may be stretching the small military medical examiner system too far.
Paulus was in charge of the jail at Camp Whitehorse in southern Iraq where Hatab was taken as a suspect in the attack on an Army convoy that killed 11 soldiers and led to the capture of Pfc. Jessica Lynch. Paulus is accused of ordering a subordinate to drag Hatab by the neck. Hatab died a short time later.
The flawed medical evidence has become a major asset for Paulus' defense. The military judge hearing the case has said the bungling may prompt him to bar all medical evidence.
Christopher Kelly, spokesman for the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, which includes the AFME in Rockville, Md., said he could not comment on an ongoing case. But he said the medical examiner system is fully capable of handling its responsibilities in war.
Dr. Glenn N. Wagner, who directed the Institute of Pathology from 1999 until last year, said the military's medical examiner system - like much of the armed forces - was strained beyond its limits by operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The working conditions in these war zones often increased the likelihood of error.
"You're put into a 'MacGyver' situation more often than not and you've got to work with what you've got," said Wagner, now San Diego County's chief medical examiner, referring to the 1980s TV character who solved seemingly impossible situations, often with little more than a Swiss army knife.
Still, the forensic community holds the AFME in high esteem for work its pathologists do in extreme situations, said Dr. Michael Graham, president of the National Association of Medical Examiners and chief medical examiner for St. Louis, Mo.
"Given the conditions they're working under, it's miraculous they get anything done," Graham said.
The AFME has 13 staff pathologists, including Ingwersen, and a $7 million annual budget.
Ingwersen, a military pathologist for 10 years, testified at a pretrial hearing in early October that Hatab's case was a "difficult and challenging mission."
"It was one of the poorest places to conduct an autopsy," testified Air Force Col. Abubakr Marzouk, a pathologist who observed the procedure.
Hatab's body had been decomposing for four days when Ingwersen arrived, and she said the heat made her digital equipment malfunction. There was no ice to keep tissue samples cool.
As her team's flight out of Iraq was delayed, the tissue samples broke down, Ingwersen said.
The larynx arrived intact at Ingwersen's base in Germany - but soon was lost. Ingwersen said she intended to send it to Washington but more than a year later she found it had never left Germany.
She blamed "a miscommunication with my assistant."
"None of that is Maj. Paulus' fault," said his civilian defense attorney, Keith Higgins. "The person with the cleanest hands ... in the missing evidence is Maj. Paulus."
ON THE NET
Armed Forces Medical Examiner: http://www.afip.org/Departments/oafme/
Amazing how many months it apparently takes to write an article like this.
THE story that
ABC, AP, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, NBC, NY Times
DON'T WANT AMERICA TO KNOW!
John Kerry's Discharge
He won't sign Form 180
What is he hiding?
"There is overwhelming evidence that the Navy gave John Kerry either a dishonorable discharge
or an undesirable discharge – which is the equivalent of a dishonorable discharge
without the felony conviction – and that, as a result of such discharge,
he was stripped of all of his famous but questionable Navy awards and medals.
And the kicker? The evidence is on his website!"
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41200
BUT
ABC, AP, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, NBC, NY Times
made sure you knew about the "Bush" documents.
Q) Why did
ABC, AP, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, NBC, NY Times
NOT ask Kerry about why he wouldn't sign Form 180?
A) Because they are AFRAID of the REAL story!
Don't let ABC, AP, CBS, CNN, FOX, NBC
try to "give" the election to Kerry
like they did Gore in FL
http://tonkin.spymac.net/votefraud.html
Spread the word on the internet!
Post on internet boards AND e-mails!
Kerry's October Surprise (Missippi Press)
http://www.gulflive.com/opinion/mississippipress/index.ssf?/base/opinion/109904493874180.xml
THE Next Smoking Gun - the "proof"
http://www.combatvetsagainstkerry.com/proof.htm
Kerry's Military Discharge. What's Kerry Hiding?
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/blog-buzzcut.php?range=10/24/2004+-+10/30/2004
Kerry's Dishonorable Discharge
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/markalexander/ma20041023.shtml
Editorial Comments about Kerry's Discharge
http://www.combatvetsagainstkerry.com/dischargeeditorials.htm
Kerry Military Discharge Deception, look at the online documentation!
http://www.combatvetsagainstkerry.com/discharge2.htm
Mystery Surrounds Kerry's Navy Discharge
http://www.nysun.com/article/3107
The original article, posted 9/24/04
http://www.combatvetsagainstkerry.com/discharge.htm
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Hanoi Approved of Role Played By Kerry and VVAW
http://www.nysun.com/article/3756
Timeline of John Kerry
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Thank You
http://kerrylied.com/otherdocs/flash.htm
Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick
Yes, another breaking October 31 news story to try to milk Abu Ghraib for more Bush negatives!
It's hard when you're working with that tight, pre-election deadline./sarcasm
heres a shocker for ya'll
if it had been ME that was the pathologist, ANY news of anything but battle death, would NEVER see the light of day... its not a fair playing field...we have to obey the law, they try to kill amerians 24/7 and could care LESS about any prisioners.....
as far as Im concerned that pathologist needs her behinie kicked.....
just my opinion......
Very well said.
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