That would work if they could keep enough people in voluntarily. But not possible until they initiate a draft. There's just not enough people to spread out the tours like that. And not just getting people to stay. it's having to hold the manning levels to a set limit (that is constantly being reduced) and still having to fullfil the same ops tempo as if they were 100% manned.

You must be a democrat - for some unknown reason they always want a draft. They would never go - but they want a draft. We don't need one. We just need to expand our military with volunteers. They are there. Volunteers fight better than draftees. The volunteers choose to be there.

I think we need to stop butting our nose into the rest of the world's problems.

We need to get our guys out of these god forsaken countries and back home where they belong.

Hello folks, the more information that comes out the more suspect I am of the entire story. The media is in full on demonizing mode of this guy. Afghan villagers where the murders took place and President Karzai are saying that more than one soldier was involved. They are saying it was a dozen to twenty soldiers. I don't know what the real truth is. What I do know is that we were lied to about the Jessica Lynch rescue and the Pat Tillman killing. It probably will be some time before the entire story comes out but I hope it will be the truth.

Judge Bill- no its the political reps that are the problem. When Obama/the whitehouse in general are reviewing and playing statego with this war taking upwards of 8 months to approve a battle plan submitted by your general on the ground then you can only blame the people in office. Military wants a quick strike war, get in, do your business and get out. Hard to do that when everybody on the hill has an agenda....

EWUSNRET - I don't see anywhere where Chef80 "wanted" a draft in that post. You must be a Republican due to your art of assumption and false reflection of what others have actually said.

EWUSNRET.

We absolutely need the draft back. We have turned into a nation of Chicken Hawks starting wars at every opportunity - all the while knowing they, or their kids, won't have to go.

If the Chicken Hawks knew they were going, they would start thinking.

Secondly, we have been at war for a decade now. Who is really affected? ONLY those who volunteer.

The rest of us run around not even thinking about what we are doing.

EWUSNRET, obviously, you have a military background. If the volunteer force is so great, why are we in a position to put guys like this one back in the zone over & over? How do you get more people to join up? I think as long as we are putting kids -- and many of our soldiers are practically that -- in harm's way on a constant basis, there should be a draft, for both men & women. I believe everyone in this country should have skin in the game, my family included, if we want to be in constant war status

.

Well Id say a draft would be a horrible idea. I served 7 years active duty, and went on numerous deployments. Got out in 2006. Id say the lack of people joining has to do with the recruiters and partly on the laziness of basic training now. Back in 2008, i went in to join the reserves. The recruiter started the usual talk assuming I was going active again. I told him I wanted to join the reserves and his whole demeanor changed. Started treating me like a second class citizen, kinda irked me. He setup an appointment for me to comeback the next day. I showed up, he wasnt there, he went off with some new recruit to take care of him/her. After that I asked myself, "Do I really wanna deal with people like this again?" Answer was no. They would rather deal with fresh new recruits rather than decorated veterans it seems.

Judge Bill, we have to get out of Afghanistan. Military commanders will never admit defeat, it's like Vietnam, Obama is like Johnson. Bring our troops home!

Sign and share the petition, send a message to Congress and President Obama.

http://www.change.org/petitions/bring-our-troops-home-from-afghanistan

Thanks for supporting our troops! They are willing to die to protect us. What are we willing to do to protect them from a misguided foreign policy?

We should have never invaded Iraq and it has been time to bring our troops out Afganistan for awhile now. It is obvious by the present Iraq no one can change a culture so old & besides it is not the United States place to ocuupy & force democracy on others.

Sorry...but you can't blame the military when the elected goverment gives them the missions and decides how big the Army can be. When Bill Clinton came into office there were 17 divisions. He took the "peace dividend" and left with 10 divisions.

Freqn----you see how your post didn't come right under EWUS? He was replying to a different poster...the one with the reply button and if you had a clue instead of just to stick your foot in your mouth you would realize that his post makes absolute sense considering who and what he was replying to. But, then again I wouldn't expect you to know wtf you're talking about

I was an RA (volunteer), am a Democrat and do think that one of the worst things we did was end the draft. We probably would never have gone to either Iraq or Afghanistan if the Bush and Cheney people needed to go. The mistake in the draft was all of the available deferments. No deferments, universal service, no bull@!$%# wars. Do you think that "Deferment Dick" would take a chance with his blood? Not on this planet.

EWUSNRET

I did not say(or otherwise insinuate) that i wanted the draft as it was pointed out by other posters. I simply stated that to prevent or cut down on multiple deployments bringing the draft back would give the military a "temporary" force to rotate through in conjunction with it's regular and reserve forces. I agree that draftees are worse than volunteers; but, you get what you pay for and if you are cycling a bunch of people through that won't stay in and retire then you end up with what they are trying to push for now. Congress sets active duty manning levels to account for budgeting and if they can create a "disposable" force (people that only serve one or two terms and get out instead of retiring) it saves them a bunch in the long run. Most people that get "cut" due to "over-manning" try and go guard or reserve to at least stay affiliated with the military and collect retirement.

DarwinG

Freqn does in fact state in the post that I didn't say that i wanted a draft. maybe read the post before YOU put foot in mouth.

The new democratic budget proposal doesn't expand the military even voluntarily it cuts 100,000 troops. They will not have more time between tours but less under the democratic budget. They have been using the National Guard to maintain force commitments to Iraq and Afghanistan as it is. In 2009 they called up the 34th infantry entirely for the first time since Korea and sent them to Afghanistan. That for your information is the Guard units of Iowa and Nebraska. So even if they finish tours and go to the guard that doesn't insulate them from going back.

We should cut military spending across the board. We should stop playing World Dominated by invading sovereign countries just because we can and by making up lame excuses and/or creating Boogie Men. We should bring our soldiers home from these ridiculously errant wars against some ambiguous enemy called "terrorism." We should take care of our homeland right here, at home. We should stop lining the pockets of war mongers, private war contractors, robber barons, oil barons and the like. Yes, there are some very, very, very bad people out there who don't like U.S. Whether or not they actually pulled off the 9-11 attack is still in question for many millions of Americans and non-Americans, however, and that is a fact. Another inconvenient fact: The events of 9/11 gave politicians a blank check to create some of the most Draconian freedom killing legislation in our country's history. We've seen an unprecedented change in our country's liberty landscape since that fateful day, and non of it is good. Here's a novel idea: Stop the wars and stop the madness!

unfortunately that's the same "isolationism" idea that occurred between WWI and WWII. After that we promised never to not get involved in maintaining relative peace in the world and NATO and the UN were born <tada!> to run the worlds problems.

Bring back to Draft to stop these four and five tours.

I enlisted during the Vietnam conflict, got out after Desert Storm. I do believe we need a draft. The problem is, too many kids don't have the education needed for the military now, it is so high-tech. Yes, we need to get out of Afghanistan, we've lost the ability to maintain a mission that is acceptable. I had my share of "fun and games" during a variety of incidents during my many years, but nothing like what these guys are going through - the constant rotation into a combat zone and back out. Wrong way to fight a war. Rotate them in, then into a safe zone, but from wife and kids and into combat and back is bad for a person's mental state. Isolationism a la Ron Paul is dangerous, but so is this current idiocy. Obama asked during the primaries in 2008 what should a person do when the hole is too deep, and the answer was to stop digging. Well, nobody has stopped digging. The hole is too deep already!

can someone explain to me again why we're writing sob stories disguised as "news" and making special exceptions for this guy to "see his family" when hes accused of heartlessly butchering several innocent families...? is this seriously how bad our ego problem has gotten here in the US?

Your debate about voluntary military service vs. drafting all eligible is completely moot. The cuts to military spending have been rapidly employed and are already being seen. College educated, physically and mentally fit applicants are being turned away from the enlistment centers, because already, the personnel are not in the budget.....If the claim is that this tragedy happened because our cutbacks have already resulted in too few soldiers serving and hence being the victims of unrelieved violence over a dangerous period of time....then get ready for more of the same. Capitol Hill has a scapegoat in this poor guy. Nobody, collectively or individually, can go along randomly killing householders like that and possibly be in a normal state of mind and emotion.

Sue, you are badly informed. You must get all your news from Fox Conseravtive Entertainment Faux News. The military strength is higher than it was in 2002--by about 150,000 and that does not include the plus ups in the reserve and national guard forces. The total defense budget has doubled. The problem is the force would have to increase by half yet again to reduce the rotations to the level that is accepatable. That would require a lot more revenue. Revenue that the Republicans oppose. They are the ones driving up the debt by not paying for the wars up front. They are the ones who scream and yell about defense budget cuts that are necessary to rein in spending and begin to reduce the debt. If they are unwilling to pay for wars and defense in general on top of what it takes just to maintain civil government then they should not be allowed to bankrupt America putting it on the national debt. We should not have our military forces deployed on the ground anywhere right now. There is no existential threat to our national security that requires their use. Bring them all home, including Korea and Europe. Reduce the active fore to what is needed to provide defense, not offensive opperations. America needs to stop starting wars. The only one benefitting from this are the rich who bankroll the military-industrial complex and never send their own off to war. Think Dick Cheney.

Susie Cue-4302731

Does your heart always go out to serial killers? Do you feel the same for Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and David Berkowitz?

My heart goes out to the people he murdered including innocent woman and children. That's just me.

Susie Cue - Uh, that didn't work before - 9-11 was planned from there.

Susie you are a terrorist sympathizer.... baaaaaaazing

Susie - Couldn't agree more. Do not listen to these three, your comments were spot on.

QC: THis is not the same as Ted Bundy, Jeffery Dahlmer. And 9-11 could happen again even if we stay in Afghan. He is a soldier that has been on too many tours, seen too much, and I don't hear Karzai blasting his troops to get the death penalty for killing our soldiers that are suppose to train them. We need to get out and stay out.

QC Guy - The whole situation is bad. Have you ever served? Do you understand what three tours and a head injury can create for a person? He's not a serial killer. Check your definition. He should have never been sent there in the first place.

No, he is not a serial killer.

He is a mass murderer - of women and children.

bFromNJ..Sad to say that I once lived in NJ when I see comments like yours. My father was almost killed by the Germans, my older brother and my cousin are Vietnam vets, my oldest brother was at the Bay of Pigs and my sister's fiance was killed in Vietnam, just to give you the right to call me a terrorist sympathizer, so if it makes you feel good have at it.

EWUSNRET....What has the massacre of children and women have to do with 9/11 having been planned from there? Also voluntary armies never work. While I am against the draft, sometimes that is the only way we can get enough personnel to send to complete the war. I'm sorry if this upsets you sensiblilty, but that is the way the world is today.

chuckzul and Been There... Thank you for your support.

The afghans kill their own people every day with car bombs and suicide bombers they are the mass murderers of their own people. So why do they think since we where trying to help train their soldiers and stop the craziness that it might get to one of the troops that has seen too much. We need to get out now.

Been There-406834 - I agree that we should not be there. I didn't want to send troops there in the first place for this type of mission. I especially did not want to send troops to Iraq. Did you support sending our troops there? When I voiced these opinions long ago, people suggested that I was not patriotic. Were you one of those people? If you supported going to war, do you now regret it?

Also, he chose to join and unless he has no brain he should have know what that would entail. He also chose to re-enlist and make a career of the military. That is why he has been on 4 tours of duty in a war zone. He alone is responsible for that.

There is no excuse for murdering civilian woman and children. Period.

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FreqnLoDown - I agree that the situation is bad. I also knew it would be bad for all involved if we waged these two wars. It seemed like common sense to me at the time. Did you think this would be a vacation for our troop?

And no - I didn't server in the military. One does not need to serve in the military to understand the situation. And it doesn't make me any less patriotic.

Maybe serial killer was not the best definition. How about "mass murderer of woman and children." Is that better for you? Does that give you a warm fuzzy feeling?

Mostly good and valid points here, even if some seem to be contradictory. Nobody should serve as much or as hard duty as this soldier. Yes, Bush/Cheney are to blame. We do need to maintain a substantial force at the ready, but we also need lifers (volunteers) who will make it their career so expertise can be past down. A military career has to be attractive enough to bring them in. Maybe a different pay scale between volunteers and draftees would do it. We do need a draft, but not like the one we had in Viet Nam where only the poor had to go, and people like Bush got to stay home and party. All physically able-bodied men and women should be compelled to serve. No school exemptions. They can go to school in the military or after they get out on the GI Bill. Why should someone get to jumpstart their career while others are putting their lives on the line to keep them safe? All children of public servants should be compelled to serve on the front lines if they want to keep their jobs. No favoritism. That way politicians will really understand the sacrifices of the families that serve instead of just giving them lip service while they take camera-ops. How dare any president (Bush) send our citizens into harm's way while his own kids are partying and getting DUIs. Nobody should be considered for a public service job above dog catcher unless they have served in the military. A big Thank You to this hero, and a big Thank You to President Obama for getting us out of Iraq and for starting to process for getting us out of Afghanistan, although I wish he'd speed up the process. Afghanistan will revert to the heroine and terrorist producing dunghill it's always been the minute we leave, just as Iraq is doing. Wasting any more money and American lives there makes no sense. We killed Bin Laden and his hierarchy. Our job is done. Mission Accomplished (as opposed to when Bush photo-oped under that banner).

@ Ed McT-2404427

I have to agree with you on the draft. I think we should have one and it should have no exemptions. Everybody regardless of race or class should have to serve in the military if our leaders decide to send us to war. I also like your idea on the different pay rate based on whether you volunteered or were drafted.

If people were to know that their own loved ones might die because of their support of a war, it will make them think twice. They might actually questions those claims of WMD or the costs to wage the war.

Remember how the Bush administration claimed the war would cost $300 Billion and be paid for by oil revenue? They could not have been more wrong on this. These two wars will be costing us upwards of $4.7 Trillion. That is a shocking amount of money. I wonder if people knew the $300 Billion claim was a lie if they would have still supported the idea of going to war. If their sons and daughters lives were on the line, they sure as hell would have asked more questions.

No I did not support either wars. No sense in trying to drag a country into the 16th Century - let alone 21st. We could have learned from the Russians not to go - but history repeats itself and we had to prove it to ourselves. But I have 2 kids that served in the army in Iraq. They don't come home the same but the Army gives them a PTSD stamp and sends them back. Go figure, I voted for Obama because he said he would get us out. And he would have left troops in Iraq if they gave them immunity but the Iraqies wouldn't so he brought them all home. It's all politics, smoke and mirrors for someone elses agenda.

@ Susie, You can thank, on my behalf, all your family members who served the nation, I am truly grateful. However none of that has anything to do with the fact this guy is a terrorist, in fact with all that history in your family, you should be pretty upset at this stain on our armed forces. He is a terrorist, your heart "goes out to this young man" therefore you are Terrorist sympathizer!. Don't be sad for NJ we are doing great and we are glad you left, the last thing we need is terrorists and their sympathizers.

FreqnLoDown

QC Guy - The whole situation is bad. Have you ever served? Do you understand what three tours and a head injury can create for a person? He's not a serial killer. Check your definition. He should have never been sent there in the first place. Post 2.6

Three tours is bad. The (closed) head injury makes things worse. Brain injury is very problematical, unstable, and 'connections' can cascade and 'make and break' like a pachinko ball. A person can do and/or say things which are out of character and have no memory of doing or saying those things. One can have memories of things which never occurred.

Being in a constant combat situation-especially where one has no clear categorization of friend and foe-makes things even more difficult. Medical science is just beginning to scratch the surface of the brain and the diagnostic tools are well beyond crude. One can seem to stabilize only to deteriorate later. Critical knowledge can be there one moment and gone the next. It might be back again then gone again at odd intervals.

There may be difficulty in personal analysis and one might think their at the peak of capability then something small tells them things are in fact opposite. Things would be easier if a person could 'step outside them-self' and observe.

'Information overload' can render the brain's 'data crunching' ineffective to where things won't 'resolve'. The gentleman should have been removed from combat operations and reassigned. It can be a personal nightmare. In time, it might become clear a medical discharge with disability is the proper course of action. It all depends.

I find it sickening that we have couch arm judges and jurors on here. This man has not yet been tried so you can not sit there and call him a mass murderer. I pray that none of you ever get accused of anything, guilt by public opinion is a bad thing.

yes, we can all sympathise with this soldier's repeated tours of duty...a definite mistake to subject anyone to this treatment and policies must change

but folks,

did you note the financial mess he created long before he enlisted?...he left town by enlisting with the military before fixing that mess he helped to create...left a senior citizen victimized

I think there is much more to this story than what we know right now...

I know a lot of guys who join to escape problems they had at home. That doesn't make them crazy or killers. Stupid in the case of my friends joyriding in a chicken delight truck ( it looks like a chicken) But the case in point is not his financial problems and some of the later problems should have told a competent psychiatrist not to release him for combat duty. But the incident in Afghanistan and whether he was competent mentally at the time that should be the only question and we should wait for the trial just as Texans have been waiting 2 years for the trial of Major Hassan who killed our people and is going with an insanity defense.

Perhaps, although I favor a draft, the correct answer to military service is the one proposed by the author Robert HeinLein. You may have seen the movie "Starship Troopers." The movie leaves out many important points, so I would strongly recommend the book. Military service creates a veteran. A veteran is one who has completed his service to his country. You must be a veteran to be a citizen. Residents are not citizens, but they have all rights except one. Only citizens can vote. Originally, voting was restricted to landowners, because landowners had a vested interest. Most Americans today are mules. They have no real vested interest. George Bernard Shaw, the playwright, said that when you rob Peter to pay Paul, Paul will always vote for you. Paul's interest is only in what Peter's loss provides him, However, if Peter is forced out of business because he is being constantly robbed, then Paul is going to lose all his goodies when his benefactor fails.

Go easy soldier..... I wonder if it was too much for him to accept that some kill indiscriminately such as an I.E.D, burning of the Qur'an or suicide bombings? I would have to walk a mile or so in his shoes to fully comprehend the unbridled rage this soldier demonstrated. Maybe all of us should be enraged that our leaders will continue sending America's sons and daughters needlessly to places that don't want our help but rather our money.

Blaming Bush/Cheney for Afghanistan is inappropriate-escalation of that conflict came about at the mandate of Obama's administration, and as such is his fiasco. Secondly, I am still waiting for one liberal to explain to me why being involved in Iraq was sooooo wrong, and why being involved in Afghanistan is a good thing. In other words, Iraq, because it was under the Bush/Cheney watch is by definition bad, but Afghanistan, while under Obama's watch is OK.....I fail to see the real difference in the two, and if Iraq was a war without purpose, then the Afgahnistan conflict which dates back at least 30 years and was abandoned by the former Soviet Union is even more useless.

Finkleballs - The rest of the U.S. Military should be brought home immediately? Why not just dissolve the military? You can protect the United States by yourself. Jeeze!

Does that mean you would turn major Hassan over to Texas because 2 years ago Texans were looking for a rope and a convienent tree for him after he killled Texas citizens? Or is the killing of Texans by a muslim some how better than the killing of Afghans in a war zone. We have waited 2 years for justice from the military and so can you.

You forgot the following he is also a dirty criminal and a low life. He abused a former girl friend and like any other dirty banker he robbed honest working people of their money: From other articles on this d-bag terrorist:

"The Washington Post reported Monday that Bales joined the military months after he was accused of financial fraud involving the retirement account of a client in Ohio. A ruling by a disciplinary board for brokers and brokerage houses found that Bales and the owner of the firm took part in unauthorized trading, the Post reported."

"An arbiter ordered Bales and the owner of the firm owner to pay the elderly man $1.4 million. The man told the Post he “never got a penny,” and Bales never attended an arbitration hearing in the case. "

He got probation for beating his ex girl friend.
He had a hit and run.

The press is just mudding the waters so we can keep the interest in staying in Afghanistan. We all did stupid things in our past, The retirement account was not his firm - he worked there, so who knows the whole story. He could have taken out bankruptcy and gotten rid of that debt - he didn't look like he has 1.4 million. Stop being a sheep for the press, he was 38 and we are all different as we age. Look at this crime - not his past - or look at his service record and military experience. Watch your friends leg get blown off and see what happens to your brain.

TexasArmadillo - Every mass murderer and serial killer has reasons and excuses for their actions. These reasons and excuses don't make their actions right, however.

And every mass murderer and killer deserves a trial. It just seems that all the people who were saying Texas shouldn't try major Hassan don't have the same care when the mass murderer isn't muslim. Most of you are hypocrites. Live by the rules you demand others live by. OC guy it did happen here in Texas two years ago but that soldier was a medical doctor psychiatrist no less who served no time in combat. So in June or july 2 years after the fact he goes to trial. Lets see how his insanity defense works.

You said it better than I did.

CatChick74 & Susie Cue-4302731 - Experiencing horrors doesn't give you a free pass to do whatever you want - including murdering woman and children. Sounds crazy doesn't it?

Would you feel the same had he returned to the US after his 4th deployment and committed this atrocity at home? How you you feel if he slipped out of base at night, broke in a house near the base and murdered an entire American family? We we hear you supporting him and his actions online if that were the case?

What if that family was yours? Change anything for you?

Also, most child molesters were molested themselves as children. Does that mean they are not responsible for their actions?

QC Guy...if you read what I wrote you would know that I had found his actions inexcusable, that doesn't mean that I can't feel for him as well as his family and the families of his victims. I don't condone murder of any living person. Period. By the way (you should be careful what you ask for), my faher-in-law was murdered and they never found the person responsible. So I know of what I speak. And yes, like my mother-in-law did, I found it in my heart to forgive the person responsible. It takes a bigger person to forgive than to carry around the hate. Hate eats you up.

He has been accused of he hasn't been convicted yet, and there are still many questions left unanswered.

Spot on, QC Guy.

I don't feel sorry for this guy. He didn't need to kill innocent people - and children? When he has children of his own? And now he's worried about his buddies. He should be - they are definitely in more danger because of his actions. And since the French shooter now claims it was retaliation for the Afghanistan killings - then I hope Bales gets the news. What a selfish POS. Child killer.

The real tragedy here is that he recovers his normal sensibility, now that he is no longer exposed to the threat of daily violence and injury....and then he has to live with what he has done....And for any normal individual, this alone could be enough to drive you over the edge into insanity all by itself. I agree that the soldier and his family deserve prayers, because this horrific incident is just the beginning of the nightmare journey for them all.

Why? thousand sof foreign nationals have been tried and convicted in the kangeroo court of public opinion here in the US based on the word of thw US army...the army says this guy did it and that should be good enough right?

Rick, you do know you're an idiot, right?

No, that is not right. People deserve the right to a trial here. In case you are unaware that has been how the US has operated for a while now. Half the people commenting on here are more condemning of this soldier than the families of the people that he supposedly killed. They even say he didn't act alone. Why are we only interested in convicting this man instead of finding out if there was anyone else involved and what really happened?

The process is leading to a full trial with all the evidence. While it will be a public trial, I doubt they will let Rick in the door.

Mario 69.....I don't believe that the trial will be public. He will most likely be tried under the UCMJ and Rick would never be permitted to enter the base.

This a country soooo backwards it still beheads people, stones people, wemon have their noses and ears cut off by their husbands when they try to leave because of abuse. We should just get out of the country and protect our borders. No he shouldn't even be in jail, he should be in a hospital,

Been There-406834 Said: "No he shouldn't even be in jail, he should be in a hospital,"

Had he done this to your entire extended family would you still think he should be in a hospital?

Yep I would. I don't believe hurting someone will avenge what they did to me. You can not bring my child back, they are priceless. But we have too many veterans suffering and commiting crimes they don't even remember bring them home and get them help.

There are those who still believes in Justice and not letting this soldier be the sacrificed American for the Tilaban's hate filled propaganda. Just because some Officer in the Military or higher states a person is quilty does not mean it is the truth, it call covering your butt at all times. Still waiting for Physical evidence not just statements made by the enemy of our nation.

If he is guilty then may justice be served

Right on Gloria, the so called military strategists and war councils should be the ones up front LEADING the troops not sitting on their behinds in nice safe offices

IT was the firm he worked for that bilked the guys money. And nobody "flees" by joining the army. They are actually responsible for debts on their credit and will have money taken out to repay any debt. And - a lot of people lost their retirement a couple years ago. So I think the press is just trying to demonize the guy and scew the facts.

Bales would not have been able to "flee" to the Army if he had been guilty of the bilking of that couple. Anybody found guilty of civil charges is not acceptable to the military. If he had been accepted while owing money, all debts that he had outstanding would have been garnished from his pay.

@ Hugh Class +

Very well put. I am so sick and tired of hearing people talk about this guy like he was a "good guy" that did something out of character. He has a long history of being a horrible person. Good people don't steal from elderly couples. They don't get arrested for beating their girlfriends, and they aren't involved in hit and run accidents. These are all red flags and he should have been sent to jail a long time ago.

He is a horrible person that just happened to be in the military. If he was a civilian, he would be the guy we read about who decides to shoot up his work place because of "stress" or "financial problems."

His actions are not the actions of the military. He is a psychopathy and he needs to be treated as one. He is not worthy of the uniform he wore.

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@ Been There-406834

You need to read a little more about the swindling situation. He specifically was found responsible for stealing money from an elderly couple. Not the company he worked for.

So this is President Obama's fault for not "standing behind" his soldier? Are you that far off center that you shift the responsibility of a mass murderer of women and children to the President? Pretty good hater, Anonymous User. Drink some more of that Tea Party kool aid.

I blame obama because he promised we would be out of there. And now he is in office he just drags his feet.

A stockbroker in Columbus from 1996 to 2000, Bales and his partners were ordered to pay Gary Liebschner and his wife $1,274,000 in compensatory and punitive damages

Read more: #ixzz1pmRhZjk5

There is more to this story.

Then remove the Friggen Army right along with him! Nobody and I mean nobody who has an eighth of brain in their head, would of sent this walking time bomb,on another tour of duty RIGHT AFTER getting off 3 tours in Iraq! Having serious tramatic brain injury, and was mentally unbalanced! The FRIGGEN ARMY knew this, but no, some ass hole had to go put him on a list and sign his deployment orders.

I'm really getting sick of THIS LYNCH MOB POINTING THE FINGER AT THIS GUY AND NOT AT ARMY ALSO!

If you people are going to point a finger, and I don't condone what happened nor what he did,but I'll be dammed if only ONE PERSON IS GOING TO GET THE BLAME! The whole Friggen army and IT IDIOTS ARE TO BLAME ALSO FOR LETTING HIM GO THERE IN THE FIRST!

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! For once let's just TELL THE DAM TRUTH SHALL WE?

Jonathan....you know for a fact that all the people defending the Sgt. are Republicans? How astute of you. I really think that people should get their facts straight before they spout off.

Gloria where in the hell, besides the media are you getting your stories, facts, lies??? He did not deploy one tour after another, good lord, you said you weren't in the Army, so please DO NOT state facts you don't know..1 tour, a rest tour, 2nd tour 2 rest tours, etc, and actually Afghanistan was his FIRST combat tour. He did not have a brain injury, was in a car accident a few months before he deployed and had a mild concussion. You say let's tell the DAMN truth, well YOU need to SHUT UP, because your spreading LIES!!!

Air Force Vet and mother of a FT Lewis Combat Soldier HOOAH!!!

A brain injury is a brain injury, regardless of where it was at. And 4 tours even with a rest? is too many when you see what these people do to each other and their buddies. I have 2 children who are combat soldiers, one came back fine, one has been diagnosed with Severe PTSD. So the "rest" tours aren't all their cracked up to be and he was told he wasn't going back then had to leave his family again.

Listen up Steelermama! He had 3 tours in Iraq and he thought he was going back over seas,at least that's what these STUPID JACKASSES told him and Poof he's off to Afghanistan!

Which part of the equation of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome,or a Traumatic Brain Injury don't you understand?

One more time madam,HE WAS A WALKING TIME BOMB AND THE ARMY DAM WELL KNEW IT! MOST SOLDIERS DON'T GO OUT AND KILL JUST BECAUSE!THERE'S SOMETHING RADICALLY WRONG WITH THEM,IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER!

So what qualifies you MS Gloria to talk so much smack??? Because bitch I understand more of the F--KING equation then you do, I'm a Vet and my son is a Combat Soldier...give me your call sign???

Steelermama - you were an Air Force right? Not the same as foot soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan. You sound about my age - what war did you see someone blown apart? I have 2 combat soldiers for kids, I don't think you understand the equation because this is a different kind of war, one where you don't know if you can sleep at night. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the service to our Country but you don't know PTSD at all.

I have a kid in the Active Army, was at Helmond Province, Camp Leatherneck, Scout, saw plenty, did plenty, buddies blown apart, dead, remembers plenty...nephew a marine, Iraq, a Purple Heart, PTSD, told me enough @!$%#, Gloria still hasn't answered because she does not know @!$%#, she's screaming with emotions...I'm emotional because I am a mom, but a veteran is a veteran, I didn't say combat.

Don't make it more than your career was. We all have Vets in our families but until Iraq and 9/11 our generation didn't see a whole lot like what is going on in the middle east. You just get all emotional and every soldier has their own experience. The guy deserves a trial - fair punishment but also some help. I think he is just the start.

Steelermama,you're talking about being emotional?Holy Crap your name calling SAYS IT ALL!

By the way Sweety, my Husband was in the Army and he got shot up, and saw plenty of people die !When he went in, they use to tell him,don't get to close to anyone, because he may not be there the next day!So don't tell me about purple hearts and all the other medals!

Some of the information you're ranting about is in the interview with the Guy's Lawyer.

So I know a Veteran is a Veteran!

Oh and one more thing sweety pie the head of the Army just announced that they are going to investigate the clowns in the Chain of Command that sent this Whack Job over to Afghanistan!

So don't get your panties in a bunch, and calm down, it's better for your health!

He suffered his head injury in Iraq in a vehicle roll over, and lost part of his foot in a seperate accident in Iraq

He's in that medium/ minimum facility b/c he has yet to be convicted of a crime. Remember the presumption of innocence that we all try to bend our minds around?

Odd how that presumption of innocence didnt apply to people held at Gitmo, eh?

Justice, in US terms, has become a concept based on nationality. If you're not US, then justice isn't for you. If you're US, then how dare anyone treat you as guilty before trial.

Well talk to Obama - he promised to close it when he got elected. I voted for him to fix this crap but it was all talk like most politicians.

Dawn -

He is in pre-trial confinement. Being not yet convicted, he is not yet being punished. You are WAY jumping the gun.

Sinuhe: While I agree with you to a large extent, I do not believe that this soldier is a "barbarian" by nature. I think the "powers that be" created a monster: We also have a responsibility to our men and women fighting in these extreme circumstances. (See my comment -- #20 -- for details.) Yes, Bales needs to be punished if he is guilty -- but the blame for this incident can be equally placed on the shoulders of the policymakers who sent a ticking timebomb back into the fray.

We have no definitive report on his head injury. There have been loose language reports that he had NO BRAIN injury, to he did have a brain injury. In short, we don't know. But please let's not jump into the same crap as with Lt. Calley at My Lai when he personally put women and children in a ditch and shot them while ordering his platoon to do likewise. Although he got a life sentence, appropriate for a mass murderer, the fools who "supported the war and supported the troops" kept pushing until he served less than four years and all of that under house arrest. Bull@!$%#: our entire nation of law is built upon Individual Responsibility. The murder of those Afgan women and children is not a crime committed by the Army or by the United States of America. If the evidence sustains the reporting and his admission that "he did it", then this SSgt is solely responsible as a murderer.

I agree with what you're saying, believe me. I'm simply saying that (in my opinion) these sorts of incidents would happen less often if more attention were paid to treating those with brain injuries with a little more care and caution -- IF in fact that's a factor in this case.

I have taken care of a man - my brother in law that had a closed brain injury. The part of his brain that was damaged was no bigger than the end of your thumb. But the location made it so he would get violent in a second. I took him to TIRR in Houston and they did the best that they could. He walked and talked like he was okay but was never the same.

Yeah - seeing your friends leg blown off isn't traumatic. Being a sniper wouldn't affect you, And PTSD is a fairy tale.

The term PTSD is loosely used and docs at Madigan where he and my son were treated is now under scrutiny, so I'd hold off on your fairy tale @!$%# scenario if I were you...not all snipers, special forces, rangers, seals, multiple tour combat vets go out and MURDER.

No not all, but you can not lump them all together. Each has a different experience, witnesses different atrocities, etc. So just hold off until he is charged and has a trial.

Again he had a rollover in Iraq, and lost part of a foot in a seperate incident

I agree, but the majority of you are all READING accounts and WATCHING on TV, trying living here at Ft Lewis (Joint Base McChord) in Tacoma Washington, my son is stationed there.

Steelermama -

I've been there. It's about average for a military base.

Do we hear the names of the people blown up everyday by a car bomb? Nope, becasue they commit these trocities everyday. I didn't hear the women were raped, probably came from the villagers themselves that say it was 20 soldiers. We just need to get out and let them finish killing each other.

Best comment yet!

@ justBfair

The only metal he should be receiving is from a firing squad. Period.

Worst comment yet. Really, murder of 16 people, including nice kids, deserves a medal and pension? BS. That is not my America and shouldn't be yours either. And you have proved my point that I made here before, if this was a Muslim soldier killing nine American children you would be calling for blood. Your clear double standard is sickening and pathetic.

We should never have gone. This isn't about a Muslim or Christian or any other Religion. It's about being in a country that is stuck in a different century, kills it's own citizens with car bombs etc., THis is not just an American living in Afghanistan who killed a person. This is an Army - who has been in two wars for ten years. We should come home, they killed our soldiers that were trynig to help make their country better and they like the status quo they have.

We are all wee wee-ed up over the death of 16 afgans and there is not one word anymore about the muslim that killed 13 of our finest.

Yeah, every time one of our guys gets killed the logical thing to do is to just find the nearest woman and child and shoot them in their sleep. Tit for tat, that's justice!

/sarcasm

Btw, I think what's most disturbing about your comment is you're basically saying you want a religious war.

Thanks but no thanks.

All of you who are so upset about my comment, were you as upset when the muslim in Texas killed the 13 soldiers? We are in a he!! hole of a country that loves living in the very past.

They have no problem with one of their own packing up a automobile with explosives and putting off the bomb and killing countless men, women, and children, I think they just killed some today, and I am to be outraged that one of our soldiers, on his 4th tour got crazy and killed some afgans. You all say I should be outraged.

What I am outraged about is that those people have killed over 4000 of our finest soldiers/citizens, blown the arms and legs off thousands of others while we are trying to give them a better life and Karzai is worst of them all. We should have every soldier out of their immediately and let Karzai put his country together on his own. He deserves what ever he gets.

They have no problem with one of their own packing up a automobile with explosives and putting off the bomb and killing countless men, women, and children

So we should stoop to their level? Is that what you're saying?

I do not look at it that way. When someone blows up 50-60 people there, the people do not protest and burn Afgan flags and effigies of Karzai because they know it gets them nothing except maybe dead or time in prison. If some Afgans are killed by the American, they do all of the above because they know the disfuctional american government will give them cart loads of money.

enough said!