This soldier will spend very close to the sentence he received.  At least 60 years but he could do as much as 100 years.  Then, of course, he will be free to live the rest of his life out. I for one think it is a tragedy what happened to the Iraqi family and I don’t condone it but attrocities happen in all wars and most are never heard of. It’s the nature of war.  I, for one, am tired of the PC and the “We have to take the high road” in this war!  War is about killing or being killed.  Kill the enemy, don’t rebuild his country.  There is an old saying, in war, history is written by victors.  I can assure you all the past wars, losers, had a different take on things. As for all the comments about this being an illegal war, well thats your opinion.  I say fight terrorism anywhere you have to fight it.  It is much better to fight them over there then to wait for them to come here, in full force, and fight them.  Right now we have been able to track, and contain the terror cells in the United States since 911.  But if we don’t take the fight to the enemy they will bring the fight to us!  I don’t agree with the Politcal Correctness either.  I don’t agree with our troops being Police Officers and nation builders but I do support the war.  I only believe we should destroy nations and people who threaten us and then leave!  But I am a traditionalist when it comes to war.  All war is cruel!  The crueler it is the quicker it ends.  Bush is by no means perfect and he is sure as hell to PC but he beats any Democrat I have seen!  Good Day!  And Yes I LOVE THE USA.

This is why I think we need background investigations, psychological screenings, and polygraph tests for all military recruits, just like we do for police officers and firefighters, etc.

I can’t accept that these were just ordinary young men who turned into monsters because of the war. These guys had to have some serious mental and moral deficiencies before they ever enlisted. We need to screen applicants better. The political and human costs for failing to catch these types of people before they commit attrocities in uniform is too great to ignore.

Another crime commited because a false war has been started by the devil, GWB. I am so happy that our wonderful Dem congress will not give the funds to fight this phony war for oil.
Support our troops, just take all the defense & weapons away from them; handcuff them so, just like Vietnam, America run away like a whipped dog, tail between its legs in tow.
If you agree with this you are stupid. We have the best troops & strongest military on earth but because of PC we cant use them. Dont get me wrong, the animals who commited this crime should be put to death like any rapist should. Just remember their are bad people in every aspect of life & 99.9% of Americas military is fighting for YOUR right to voice YOUR opinion.
Getting stability in the Middle east is crucial for world peace, let our fine troops finish the job with the support of the president AND our PC congress.

I don’t want to discredit the brave men and women who fight and serve this country in any way (hell, I was one a long time ago) but this is another triumph for our armed forces lowered enlistment standards. We’ve continually lowered the bar and upped the pay to find enough bodies to go where and do what not many of us would want to. Sanity is in short supply on a battle field and when you’re putting people in there with little of it to start with - these are the sad results. Bu$h Inc. marches on.

This is not just one isolated incident; it just happens to be one of the very few where they got caught.  Most ordinary Iraqi citizens have stories just as bad about what American AND Iraqi soldiers have been doing.  Is it any wonder that so many young soldiers come back with serious psychological damage?

Bush and Cheney should get at least 100 years in jail themselves for starting a illegal war and putting stressed out untrained soldiers in a war zone mulitiple times causing then to lose their humanity and commit these atrocities.

One hundred years is too short a time for this man to rot in prison. I wonder if he will actually stay there for the rest of his life, or will people forget about it and let him out early “for good behavior”.

He’ll be free after several years in luxurious cell ! Big victory for Bush/Cheney dynasty !

I don’t understand why this guy should be eligible for parole in 10 years.  He should be shot in the knee caps and left to bleed to death.

This horrific crime may be an extreme example of many other cases of US forces starting to crack psychologically in current war zones.

Other cases of killing innocent civilians (including children), either close and personal with an assault weapon or through US missiles and aircraft, are probably not uncommon, yet not reported on adequately by the press.

The amoral leadership of Bush, Cheney, the necons and the war profiteers is bound to lead to further moral corruption at many levels, including the psychological health of our troops and our nation at home.

For more on this, the two articles referenced below may be of interest:

“American troops are cracking under horrors, deception and lies of Iraq war”

Steve Hammons
American Chronicle
June 2, 2006

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=10640

-  -  -

“U.S. troops in Iraq taking drugs to cope with stress, trauma”

Steve Hammons
American Chronicle
June 30, 2006

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=11079

The 6 alleged perpetrators of this crime…..when found guilty should ALL be publicly hanged.

They are an embarassment to the Nation, the Armed Forces, and their Parents.

The Chain-of-Command should have put these ‘animals’ down and saved the U.S. the shame of having to acknowledge their existence