Staff Sgt. Robert Bales checking identity papers during a training exercise at a mockup of an Afghan village at the National Training Center in California last August. The photo appeared in a military publication, High Desert Warrior. | U.S. Army
Former Lewis-McChord Soldiers Weigh In On Bales -- McClatchy News
Two former Stryker soldiers who've gone on multiple combat deployments and dealt with the trauma that can follow them offer divergent perspectives about whether such experiences could have played a role in Staff Sgt. Robert Bales' alleged massacre of Afghan civilians.
“It’s not shocking to me,” said Kevin Baker, a former staff sergeant with Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers who are screaming for help, but they aren’t getting it. And this was what, his fourth deployment? That’s pretty ridiculous.”
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My Comment: What`s my take .... I cannot even imagine what was going through Staff Sgt. Robert Bales mind when he left the base and committed these acts. What I do know is that suicide rates, PTSD, drug and alcohol abuse, broken families .... this is going to be the American legacy of the Iraq and Afghan wars .... and as for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales`s and his crimes .... that will represent the worse part of America`s legacy in these wars.