Part 2 of the investigation of Tiger Force brutalities in Vietnam in 67.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03293/232624.stmSeven years after leaving Vietnam, James Barnett broke down.
Haunted by the killing of civilians, the former Tiger Force sergeant invited Army investigators to his home to offer a surprise confession.
He admitted to shooting a young, unarmed mother. He admitted to his platoon's cruel treatment of villagers.
He asked for immunity from prosecution, but in the end, he never needed the legal protection.
No one would.
Though the Army substantiated 20 war crimes by 18 Tiger Force soldiers committed in 1967 -- with numerous eyewitnesses -- no charges were filed.
An investigation that should have brought justice to the longest series of atrocities by a U.S. fighting unit in Vietnam reached the Pentagon and White House but never a court of law -- or the American public.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03293/232624.stmA sergeant's concerns fell on deaf ears
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03293/232578.stmTwo officers clashed over treatment of civilians
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03293/232579.stmHearsay account triggered the probe
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03293/232590.stmPart One:
Part 1 of a 4 Part Series from Toledo Blade and Pittsburgh Post Gazette-No one was safe when the Tigers entered the Central Highlands in 1967
For the 10 elderly farmers in the rice paddy, there was nowhere to hide. The river stretched along one side, mountains on the other.
"The commander told me, "What goes on here, stays here. You never tell anyone about what goes on here. If we find out you did, you won't like it," recalls Kenneth Kerney. The Tiger Force soldier witnessed but did not take part in any atrocities.
Approaching quickly in between were the soldiers -- an elite U.S. Army unit known as Tiger Force.
Though the farmers were not carrying weapons, it didn't matter: No one was safe when the special force arrived on July 28, 1967.
No one.
With bullets flying, the farmers -- slowed by the thick, green plants and muck -- dropped one by one to the ground.
Within minutes, it was over. Four were dead, others wounded. Some survived by lying motionless in the mud.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03292/232357.stmThe Players
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03292/232358.stmIn Their Words
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03292/232356.stmHardest of Hard Haunted by Ghosts
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03292/232360.stmHabit of atrocities culminated at My Lai
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03292/232362.stmThe Blade's Team About the Series
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03292/232361.stm
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