US Soldier Charged Over Killing Comrades

[Scott]

A US soldier who had done three tours of duty in Iraq has been charged over a shooting spree that left five comrades dead at a clinic in Baghdad.

The US military issued a statement saying Sergeant John Russell, from the 54th Engineer Battalion, was alleged to be responsible for the killings on Monday at Camp Liberty, a US base near the international airport on the outskirts of the city.

Russell, from Sherman, Texas, had been sent for counselling to the Liberty Combat Stress Control Centre. In a sign of the extent of the military's concern, he had had his weapon taken away last week.

Investigators are looking at reports that he had been taken to the clinic, had a row with staff, been escorted off the premises but managed to obtain a weapon and return.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the incident highlighted the need to deal with combat stress and the impact of multiple deployments.

Before the tours in Iraq, Russell had served in the Balkans. He had been due to leave Iraq in about three weeks.

Barack Obama expressed shock at what he described as a "horrible tragedy".

The dead have not yet been named, but all were military personnel. Two worked at the clinic and the other three were troops, either receiving treatment or present for some other reason.

It was the worst death toll as a result of a US soldier turning on his own comrades since the start of the Iraq war.

Russell, 44, a communications specialist, was arrested outside the clinic after the shooting. He has been charged with five counts of murder and one of aggravated assault.

The Associated Press, which obtained copies of his service record, said he had his first tour of duty in Iraq in April 2003, lasting a year, and a second in November 2005, also for a year.

He enlisted in Sherman, joining first the National Guard in 1988 and then the Army in 1994. He served in the Balkans in 1996 and 1998. During his years in service, he received several medals and commendations.

The 54th Engingeer Battalion is based in Bamberg, Germany. Much of its work in Iraq over the last year has been in southern Iraq, engaged in both engineering projects and combat duties.

One of the investigations is criminal while the other is more general, into whether the military is doing enough to address mental health problems.

[bobdina]

Flash points
In wake of soldier shootings and suicides, leaders cite the mental effects of long-term war

By Michelle Tan
mtan@militarytimes.com
Referred to counseling, his weapon taken away, Sgt. John M. Russell was escorted into the combat stress clinic on Camp Liberty, Iraq, on May 11.
Inside, the 44-year-old from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, got into an argument with the staff and was asked to leave, according to an Army official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Russell left the clinic but later returned, this time with a weapon, an Army official said. He is accused of opening fire in the clinic and killing four soldiers and a Navy officer.
Russell was detained almost immediately after the May 11 shootings and is charged with five counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault.
Just eight months before, on Sept. 14, Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich was accused of gunning down his squad leader and a fellow team leader at Patrol Base Jurf as Sahkr, about 15 miles southwest of Baghdad. After an Article 32 hearing in April, a decision is pending on whether he’ll go to court-martial.
The two shootings, along with suicide numbers that have increased steadily over the past four years and long, repeated deployments in two war zones, have led some to wonder if the Army —
and its soldiers — have reached a breaking point.
In response to the incidents, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli told Army Times the force is “into uncharted territory” in terms of what the long war is doing to soldiers.
“I think it’s hard for any of us to totally understand what the effects of seven years of conflict have had not only on soldiers but their families,” he said. “We’re into uncharted territory here. For the all-volunteer force, we’ve never seen seven years of combat. This is really difficult stuff.” The Army is tremendously resilient, but it’s also out of balance, Chiarelli said.
“If you’re a young sergeant and you’re on patrol every day, you’re going into very high-stress situations every day, particularly with [improvised explosive devices] and an enemy that doesn’t wear uniforms and is part of the population,” he said. “It is very, very difficult.” The incidents come at a time when the Army is approaching a spike in deployments, with plans to increase the number of soldiers in war zones by 10,000 later in the year. As Army leaders scramble to fill units, the pool of wounded soldiers who are no longer deployable has risen to about 20,000, an unprecedented number. The service is ending its stop-loss policy Aug. 1. The Army chief of staff acknowledged to reporters May 12 that the Army will go through a tough time, with increased deployments and growth of forces in Afghanistan that will continue for several months before the pace eases.
After the shootings, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, urged a “redoubling” of efforts to relieve soldiers’ stress.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed his “horror and deep regret” over the shooting, adding that officials were still gathering information about exactly what happened.
“Such a tragic loss of life at the hands of our own forces is a cause of great and urgent concern,” he said.
Russell was 12 months into his third deployment to Iraq. He had been to the combat stress clinic before. He was undergoing stressful tests and the counselors “broke” him, his father told The Associated Press.
Wilburn Russell said his son didn’t understand the stressful mental tests were merely tests.
It’s not clear why staff at the clinic asked John Russell to leave the clinic May 11. It’s also not clear why his commander decided Russell’s weapon should be taken away and why the sergeant should be referred to counseling. An investigation by Army Criminal Investigation Command is underway.
The Army also initiated an AR 15-6 investigation into the overall behavioral health services policies and procedures offered in Iraq, said Maj. Gen. David Perkins, spokesman for Multi-National Force-Iraq.
Preliminary reports show the suspected shooter was unarmed when he was escorted to the combat stress clinic at Camp Liberty, according to an Army official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Inside the clinic, he got into a verbal altercation with the staff and was asked to leave; the soldier and his escort got back into their vehicle and began to drive away, according to the Army official.
At some point during the drive, the soldier got control of his escort’s weapon and ordered the escort out of the vehicle, the Army oficial said. The soldier then drove back to the clinic, walked in and began shooting, the official said.
Two of the shooting victims were officers who worked at the clinic, also known as the Liberty Combat Stress Control Center, providing mental health care to deployed troops.
Maj. (Dr.) Matthew P. Houseal, 54, a psychiatrist and father of six from Amarillo, Texas, and Navy Cmdr. Charles K. Springle, 52, of Wilmington, N.C., were assigned to the Army Reserve’s 55th Medical Company.
Also killed were Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J.; Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo.; and Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md. Bueno-Galdos, who was posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, and Yates were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of Grafenwoehr, Germany.
Barton belonged to the 277th Engineer Company, 420th Engineer Brigade, of Waco, Texas. He went to the clinic for help while he grieved the loss of his mother.
Those who witnessed the shooting were provided immediate counseling from soldiers with the 55th Medical Company, Perkins said.
Questions remain as to exactly what happened and why.
“This is a continuing investigation,” Perkins said. “It will include an examination of how the incident occurred. We will also examine the steps taken to see if we can reduce the possibility of another event like it occurring in the future.”
‘Redouble efforts’
Russell joined the Army National Guard in 1988 before moving to the active Army in 1994.
Russell’s Army records show
that he was busted from E-5 to E-4 in early 2003 for going absent without leave, but otherwise he maintained military bearing and was credited with training and encouraging his soldiers.
There was no indication he could commit the kind of act he is accused of, said Army officials who asked to remain anonymous. Chiarelli told Army Times he hopes the investigation will give leaders a “much more complete picture of not only what happened, but lessons learned across the board.” Mullen noted that the tragedy occurred while service members were seeking help at the clinic.
“It does speak to me about the need for us to redouble our efforts, the concern in terms of dealing with the stress,” he said. “It also speaks to the issue of multiple deployments, in*creasing dwell time, all those things that we’re focused on to try to improve, to relieve that stress.” Every individual reacts differently to combat and stress, and many factors come into play, experts say, including the kind of stressors experienced, the length and frequency of deployments, previous psychiatric history, and support systems back home.
“A lot of different factors make someone more protected or more at risk,” said Bret Moore, a clinical psychologist and former captain who deployed twice to Iraq.
“There’s a cumulative effect with multiple deployments,” he added. “The more times you’re exposed to traumatic events, the greater chance to develop [prob*lems]. It increases your risk.” That statement is backed up by studies that show multiple deployments put soldiers at a higher risk level for combat stress and behavioral issues such as depression and post-traumatic stress, said Lt. Col. Ed Brusher, deputy director for behavioral health proponency at the Office of the Surgeon General.
“Bottom line is, we know and understand that every soldier who deploys will have a unique experience that is truly their combat experience,” Brusher said. “The Army has put a lot of effort into providing support systems that will give the tools required for soldiers to get through experiences, whatever that may be. The goal is not to take away the trauma but to provide a healthy path to go through and transition ... through tough times.” Brusher, who commanded the 98th Combat Operational Stress Control Detachment when it deployed to Iraq in 2003, said combat stress clinics have been in theater since the beginning of the war, and the Army recently reshaped its doctrine for combat operational stress control units to be more responsive to stresses unique to soldiers in the war zone. An essential ingredient to protecting soldiers’ wellness is improving the length of time at home, away from deployments. Army leaders are looking to increase dwell time, at least to one year deployed and two years at home, Chiarelli said.
“What’s critical is, we’ve got to get the Army back in balance,” he said.
On May 1, Chiarelli launched the Army Campaign Plan for Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention, prompted in part by a record number of suicides in the Army.
Efforts include additional training for chaplains and finding innovative ways to care for soldiers and their mental health, Chiarel*li said.
He said the service is focusing not only on suicide prevention but the wellness of the force and families as a whole.
“It’s not only soldiers who are stressed, it’s families that are stressed, and when families become stressed, that causes many of the issues that we’re seeing today,” he said.
Chiarelli said he hopes to glean lessons from the AR 15-6 investigation into the behavioral health services offered in Iraq.
“This case, without talking about this case, is a perfect example to show there is no one single answer,” he said. “This individual was seeking help, was being seen.”