Army charges 11 'Night Stalkers' in abuse of captives

[Judi Lynn]

July 29, 2005, 12:39AM

Army charges 11 'Night Stalkers' in abuse of captives
•Entire company is restricted, and their commander is suspended
By GWENDOLYN DRISCOLL and JOHN MCDONALD

SANTA ANA, CALIF. - They called themselves "Night Stalkers" for their fearsome fighting abilities, but also "angels with rifles" bent on a mission to help Iraq. A military court may decide which moniker is more apt.

Eleven men from the Fullerton, Calif.-based Alpha Company of the 1st Battalion of the 184th Infantry Regiment are charged with abusing four Iraqi insurgents captured while trying to attack a power plant in southern Baghdad.

The entire Alpha company — an elite 139-man force trained to rappel out of helicopters from 90 feet above the ground and fight with rifles and bare hands — has been restricted to base duty, and Lt. Col. Patrick Frey, their battalion commander, has been suspended, Army officials in Iraq said.

The action marks the first time an entire company has been put on restricted duty for alleged misconduct since the Third Infantry Division, to which Alpha Company belongs, arrived in Iraq.
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3287179
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[ninkasi]

1. Sounds really strange

For the entire company to be put on restricted duty and for their battalion commander to be suspended. I wonder what really happened? This whole mess that the spoiled brat started just seems to get worse and worse, and stranger and stranger.

[maxrandb]

2. Very Strange. BTW, Where are those Pictures that were due on 7/22? n/t

[DS1]

3. Heh, that just described the entire Marine Corps Infantry

What about pointed sticks? :rofl:

[GregW]

5. "Come on, come at me with that banana!"

Pointed stick? Oh, oh, oh. We want to learn how to defend ourselves
against pointed sticks, do we? Getting all high and mighty, eh? Fresh
fruit not good enough for you eh? Well I'll tell you something my lad.
When you're walking home tonight and some great homicidal maniac comes
after you with a bunch of loganberries, don't come crying to me! Now,
the passion fruit. When your assailant lunges at you with a passion
fruit...

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

8. Banannas! We want bannanas, Sgt Major!

How can we defend ourselves from them?

[redqueen]

4. Why don't they say what the soldiers did?

They just say the insurgents were assaulted...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. It's on a need to know basis only

And we common folk don't need to know the truth. :mad:

[redqueen]

7. See, I think this is kinda pertinent...

Because without knowing the details, I figure many will say "oh well that's understood... they were in the heat of battle..." and other similar bullshit rationalizations.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

9. Yep

That's exactly how most people will rationalize this.

I'm so fed up with being fed half truths at best and never knowing what the hell is really going on I could just scream. Sadly, a large part of the population don't really care for the truth when it's ugly and would rather have a pretty lie.

[Barrett808]

10. kick for justice n/t