Posted on 03/13/2012 4:18:34 AM PDT by Future Snake Eater
Long before the US soldier suspected of slaying 16 Afghan villagers was identified as an Army sergeant from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the installation had earned a reputation as the most troubled outpost in the American military.
The Army station near Tacoma, Washington, has come under scrutiny as the home of several soldiers involved in wartime atrocities in 2010 and a base scarred by a record number of suicides last year. It has deployed troops repeatedly to Iraq, and late last year, sent soldiers to Afghanistan.
The independent military newspaper Stars and Stripes in December 2010 called Lewis-McChord "the most troubled base in the military."
"This was not a rogue soldier," Jorge Gonzalez, a veteran and activist, said in a statement about Sunday's killings. He called Lewis-McChord "a rogue base, with a severe leadership problem."
In the 2010 case, Lewis-McChord was the home base of five enlisted men from the former 5th Stryker Brigade who were charged with premeditated murder in connection with three separate killings of unarmed Afghan civilians.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
This Jorge Gonzalez punk needs to be beaten to a bloody pulp. How dare he malign the incredibly dedicated Soldiers serving at JBLM due to some terrible, wholly unrelated incidents.
He has no idea what he's talking about.
If you read the article it sounds as if he’s right. I’ve served under incompetent commanders who were later fired. They caused a lot of pain and suffering before they were fired.
I read the article. 5/2 SBCT had a leadership problem. It’s been dealt with. That unit is now squared away and is the envy of the Stryker world. This latest one in Afghanistan...that’s not 3d SBCT’s fault. That’s a great unit; it has been since it’s inception. I have absolutely no idea why the NCO did what he did, and I guarantee you Jorge Gonzalez doesn’t either.
For any non-military here: Soldiers are not automatons. A Stryker Brigade has over 4,000 Soldiers (4,000 individuals) in it. An individual can make bad choices. The media loves to run with it, and this Gonzalez clown obviously has an axe to grind.
I’ve done two tours at JBLM. It’s a great post, the people are very dedicated and do a fantastic job.
I blame the CIC. It’s clearly Obama’s fault.
I don’t find anything remotely amusing about this entire situation.
What he stated was not funny it was the truth. The CIC is a major part of the problem.
British newspapers always have the best interests of the US at heart.
Fighting a war under the terms of treasonous political correctness which places the enemy’s life and dark culture above you, can’t be good for the mental and spiritual health of soldiers and the outcome of the war.
We need to get our soldiers out of Afghanistan. The elite are pulling a commie loving Viet Nam betrayal all over again!
“The elite are pulling a commie loving Viet Nam betrayal all over again!”
Losing on purpose.
Everybody here knows damn well if Bush was still in office the MSM would paint this as Abu Ghraib times 1000.
Losing on purpose.
I wasn’t trying to be funny. Why did it appear so?
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