U.S. Soldier Gets Life in Killing of Iraqi Prisoners

Staff / Truthdig Apr 16, 2009 He was one of three U.S. soldiers implicated in the execution-style shooting of four Iraqi prisoners near Baghdad in March 2007, but 40-year-old Army Master Sgt. John E. Hatley was also believed to have been the main instigator in the incident. On Thursday, Hatley was sentenced to life in prison for murder. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Soldier Found Guilty of Murder in Iraq Killings

Staff / Truthdig Feb 21, 2009 Sgt. Michael Leahy Jr. was convicted of murder Friday for his part in the shooting deaths of four Iraqis in 2007. The 28-year-old Army medic, one of a group of soldiers to face charges in the case, admitted that he shot one of the victims in the back of the head, but Leahy's lawyer argued that combat stress had destroyed his client's capacity to reason properly. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pentagon Looking to Help Shape War Films

Staff / Truthdig Jul 8, 2008 The recent spate of war movies about Iraq and Afghanistan has proved to be a hard sell with American audiences -- even more so with the U.S. military. Now, the Pentagon is combating a certain lack of nuance, as military officials see it, in flicks like "Redacted" and "In the Valley of Elah" by offering script consultation services to Hollywood types looking to make movies about the current conflicts in the Middle East. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Iraq’s Signature Wound

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Jul 3, 2008 George Ball remembers last July 4 all too well. "I spent it in my room with the windows drawn and the covers over my head," the 32-year-old Iraq war veteran says. The bottle rockets, with their shrieking whistles followed by the pop of explosions, affected him most. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Stopping the War Machine: Military Recruiters Must Be Confronted

Ron Kovic / Truthdig May 28, 2008 As a former United States Marine Corps sergeant who was shot and paralyzed from my mid-chest down during my second tour of duty in Vietnam on Jan. 20, 1968, I am sending my complete support and admiration to all those now involved in the courageous struggle to stop military recruitment in Berkeley and across the country. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

U.S. Sergeant Refuses to Serve in ‘Illegal’ War

Staff / Truthdig May 16, 2008 On Thursday, a group of U.S. soldiers spoke before members of Congress about the failings of the Iraq war and the immeasurable toll it has taken on Iraqis and American troops. Afterward, Sgt. Matthis Chiroux announced that he is refusing to serve in Iraq. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

American Veterans in Crisis

Aaron Glantz / Truthdig Feb 2, 2008 When young American men and women sign up to serve in our military, the government makes them a basic promise: If they are wounded in the line of duty, they will get the care they need. But for far too many, that's a promise that only exists on paper -- even months after the news emerged about American vets' shameful treatment at U.S. military facilities. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Army Suicide Rate Highest on Record

Staff / Truthdig Feb 1, 2008 The number of active-duty soldiers who kill themselves or attempt to is the highest it's been since the Army began keeping records almost 30 years ago. Three hundred fifty soldiers attempted suicide or injured themselves in 2002, compared with 2,100 in 2007. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

For Veterans With PTSD, Location Is Everything

Staff / Truthdig Dec 21, 2007 Of the 750,000 or so veterans who have been discharged from the "war on terror," roughly one-quarter have been recognized by the VA as mentally or physically injured. One of the leading debilitating injuries suffered by those men and women is PTSD, but how much they're compensated by the government depends a great deal on where they live, according to an investigation by McClatchy's Washington bureau. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Uncounted Casualties of War

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Aug 2, 2007 U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Lucey is not counted among the Iraq war dead. But he did die, when he came home. He committed suicide. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Gonzales Among Defendants in Iraq Vets’ PTSD Suit

Staff / Truthdig Jul 24, 2007 With the problem of post-traumatic stress disorder on the rise among American veterans returning from battle in Iraq and Afghanistan, two veterans' groups have filed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (pictured) and other defendants, citing systemwide failures in dealing with the PTSD crisis on the governmental level. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Remembering Manny Babbitt

Staff / Truthdig Jul 18, 2007 The Army has just launched a campaign to educate soldiers and officers about post-traumatic stress disorder and brain injuries. Unfortunately, this relatively minor gesture of recognition that these two debilitating conditions need major attention comes too late for veterans like Manny Babbitt, whose nightmares didn't end -- even long after his tour of duty did. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )