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Four U.S. Soldiers Accused of Killing in Cold Blood

Massacres in wartime are not uncommon. When U.S. troops fought in Vietnam, the ravages of war and the freedom that some people feel when allowed to shed blood led to alleged massacres of townfolk in Vietnam either because they were suspected North Vietnamese or because the soldiers simply lost it, or because the soldiers had an urge to kill. The same thing has apparently happened in Iraq, where the daily pressure of being targeted by religious zealots for death has led to a case where the "kill or be killed" mentality has, possibly, created monsters of ordinary men...at least, that is what prosecutors say.

This past weekend, a military court was told by U.S. military prosecutors that four U.S. soldiers broke the law when they killed three Iraqi detainees "in cold blood." Closing arguments were being presented at the hearing of the four U.S. troops who stand accused of premeditated murder during a May 9 raid on a suspected insurgent camp southwest of Tikrit. The hearing`s purpose is to determine whether the soldiers in questionwill be court-martialled for the deaths.

Captain Joseph Mackey said at the hearing, "U.S. soldiers must follow the laws of war. That`s what makes us better than the terrorists, what sets us apart from the thugs and the hitmen." Capt. Mackey went on, "These soldiers did just the opposite. They cut them loose and murdered them in cold blood." If the soldiers are found guilty of the murders, they could face the death penalty. The soldiers are from the 101st Airborne Division, a storied division, and are listed as Private First Class Corey Clagett, Specialist William Hunsaker, Staff Sergeant Raymond Girouard and Specialist Juston Graber.