August 22nd, 2013
05:14 PM ET

Army sergeant says Afghan killing spree was 'act of cowardice'

The Army sergeant who admitted to gunning down 16 civilians in a 2012 rampage through two villages near his outpost in southern Afghanistan reportedly apologized Thursday, describing the massacre as an "act of cowardice."

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales pleaded guilty in June to more than 30 criminal charges, including 16 premeditated murder counts.

The plea spares the 39-year-old Bales the prospect of a death sentence in the killings. He now faces life in prison, but a jury of four officers and two enlisted personnel will decide whether he will have a chance at parole.

FULL STORY
Post by:
Filed under: Afghanistan • U.S. Army
soundoff (6 Responses)
  1. saywhat

    ij the midst of continuing death, carnage & destruction of a senseless war with no end in sight or a victory post, soldiers would undergo stresses we can't imagine.
    horrible & senseless acts are always a part of any war.

    August 22, 2013 at 5:35 pm | Report abuse |
  2. saywhat

    Iraq veterans Against War (IVAW) is an advocacy group of active US service personnel who served in Iraq, arrayed against Iraq & Afghan wars.
    Deployment,re-deployment, mental issues of soldiers returning from combat or those associated with the war are major concerns of this group.
    Such cases endorse & reaffirm what these patriotic Americans are doing.

    August 22, 2013 at 5:42 pm | Report abuse |
    • Jennifer Rubin

      Re-deploying our soldiers 7-8 times after giving them a cursory examination is clearly not working. Deploying one mental health expert for 800 soldiers clearly isn't working. End this destructive behavior.

      August 22, 2013 at 7:53 pm | Report abuse |
  3. saywhat

    blocked

    August 22, 2013 at 5:44 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Jeff Frank (R-Ohio) "Right Wing Insanity"

    Act of cowardice? Why didn't he think about that before he shot those people? Duh!

    August 23, 2013 at 1:43 am | Report abuse |
  5. hope

    No excuses. What he did was wrong and he needs to be held responsible for his actions.

    August 23, 2013 at 11:14 am | Report abuse |
« Back to main