Friday, November 11, 2011

Soldier found guilty of murdering Afghans, sentenced to life

Army Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs has been sentenced to life in military prison with eligibility for parole in 10 years. Gibbs has been found guilty of murdering AT LEAST three innocent Afghan civilians, cutting off parts of their corpses to keep as souvenirs, and also planting weapons to make the scenes look as though the civilians were Taliban fighters. The sergeant has tattoos down his leg of skulls, which each represent a person he killed while in the army. Gibbs is the highest ranking of five soldiers in all which are being charged with the crimes. His squad has been labeled a "kill squad", using their position of authority and power to kill innocent civilians which Gibbs has claimed would be easy to do and also easy to cover up. This story turns the stomach of the reader. It is disgusting to think that a soldier would use his position to carry out pointless and inexplicable murders of innocents because of his frustrations with the war. While we do not know what personal troubles led Gibbs to carry out these murders, we know that they are, to say the least, inhumane and disgusting. This story makes me think how many other instances such as this have taken place and gone unnoticed. A sad story that is really frustrating and provocative to outsiders.

Ryan Borchardt
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/10/justice/soldier-murder--rial/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

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