[Peace-discuss] Ask the military recruiter to explain this...

[Robert Naiman]

Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
August 24, 2009

Iraq Cruelty Probe Stuns GI's Family

By Meghan Barr, Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - When Adrian Wilhelm learned that his son committed
suicide just four days into his deployment in Iraq, he knew right away
that the facts didn't add up.

His son, 19-year-old Pvt. Keiffer Wilhelm, had been excited and upbeat
just weeks earlier as he prepared to ship overseas. He was exercising
diligently, shedding at least 20 pounds in time for boot camp.

Then, suddenly, he was dead. Now his family is struggling to process
the stunning news that four of Wilhelm's fellow soldiers stand accused
of abusing him and other soldiers in his platoon with excessive
physical fitness and cruelty before his death.

"They just acted like they were a bunch of street hoods," Adrian
Wilhelm said from his home in Plymouth, Ohio. "They thought they were
above the law."

The soldiers have been charged with cruelty and maltreatment of
subordinates, among other charges. The military says there is no
direct evidence that the soldiers' alleged misconduct caused Wilhelm's
death, which remains under investigation.

Wilhelm died Aug. 4 of a gunshot wound to the head in Maysan province
in southern Iraq.

"There's no way he could do what he did without being pushed to the
limit," Adrian Wilhelm said.

In recent days, Wilhelm's family has watched as unconfirmed reports of
the abuse leaked out in the media. Adrian Wilhelm says he's read that
his son was forced to crawl in the dirt until his legs bled and that
he was harassed about his weight.

The military identified the four accused soldiers as Sgt. Enoch
Chatman, Staff Sgt. Bob Clements, Sgt. Jarrett Taylor and Spc. Daniel
Weber of B Troop, 2nd Squadron, 13th Calvary Regiment from Fort Bliss,
Texas.

--
Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org

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