Posted on 06/16/2005 8:04:10 PM PDT by XHogPilot
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Army National Guard staff sergeant has been charged with premeditated murder in a “fragging incident” that killed two senior officers at a U.S. base near Tikrit last week, the U.S. military said Thursday.
Army officials told NBC News that Staff Sgt. Alberto B. Martinez had been disciplined by the two officers, a possible motive for the attack. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not disclose the nature of the disciplinary action.
(snip) A military statement said that Martinez, 37, a supply specialist with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 42nd Infantry Division, was charged Wednesday in the June 7 deaths of the two officers at Forward Operating Base Danger, near Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown 80 miles north of Baghdad.
The 42nd Infantry Division is a New York-based National Guard unit.
The slain officers were Capt. Phillip T. Esposito, 30, of Suffern, N.Y., and 1st Lt. Louis E. Allen, 34, of Milford, Pa. They were assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division. Esposito was company commander, and Allen served as a company operations officer.
Martinez, of Troy, N.Y., currently is at a military detention facility in Kuwait.
Not a mortar attack The statement, issued by the Multinational Task Force in Iraq, said Esposito and Allen died “in what was initially thought to be an indirect fire attack,” which involves enemy artillery or mortar rounds fired from a location some distance away.
“Upon further examination of the scene by explosive ordnance personnel, it was determined the blast pattern was inconsistent with a mortar attack,” the statement said.
(snip)
Martinez, who joined the New York Army National Guard in December 1990, deployed to Iraq in May 2004. He has been assigned a military attorney and has the option of hiring a civilian lawyer.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Heinous crime..Hope they have the right guy and good evidence...It is a death penalty crime IMO..May God be with the grieving families of the soldiers.
The Christian Radio station around here spent some airtime last week regarding these officers. I don't think it was mentioned that they were killed by an American, though.
Firing Squad... but put panties on his head and take pictures first, just to be sure. That will demonstrate to the world that we are not giving terrorist prisoners special treatment.
Amen, MEG! This is beyond horrible!
Wow. I didn't hear about this. Good to see the Military acting so quickly and so seriously.
Firing Squad
I think it would take EOD about 2 1/2 seconds to tell it was a frag grenade and not a mortar.
And they say that the satanic possession is a myth...
If so, I'm outraged he's still alive. What the heck is taking so long?
Firing squad is too good for him. Let him die like a dog.
< sarcasm> Oh no, you can't do either of those... they're cruel and unusual punishment... < /sarcasm>
The flag from my father's funeral flies over FOB Danger HQ. Just before the Rainbow Division deployed from Fort Drum I took the flag down to Ground Zero and we (A PA Cop and I, with my grandson in attendance) ran it up there one Sunday morning. It flew over the site for a minute. We saluted it and then lowered it again. The next day I donated it to the 42ID's CSM who carried it into Iraq. I know a lot of these "citizen soldiers", almost all of whom are New Yorkers.
LP/xzins - meant to ping you to my previous post on this thread.
That is a great story, wtc.
Calpernia....ping to #15
The Left might make a hero out of this guy...after all, he did just what they want: "We support our troops when they shoot their officers."
Not a mortar attack The statement, issued by the Multinational Task Force in Iraq, said Esposito and Allen died “in what was initially thought to be an indirect fire attack,” which involves enemy artillery or mortar rounds fired from a location some distance away.
“Upon further examination of the scene by explosive ordnance personnel, it was determined the blast pattern was inconsistent with a mortar attack,” the statement said.
Thanks for the ping!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.