Report examines vets and killings after combat

[CommunityEditor]

At least 121 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have committed a killing or been charged in one in the United States after returning from combat, The New York Times reported Sunday.

The newspaper said it also logged 349 homicides involving all active-duty military personnel and new veterans in the six years since military action began in Afghanistan, and later Iraq. That represents an 89-percent increase over the previous six-year period, the newspaper said.

About three-quarters of those homicides involved Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, the newspaper said. The report did not illuminate the exact relationship between those cases and the 121 killings also mentioned in the report.

The newspaper said its research involved searching local news reports, examining police, court and military records and interviewing defendants, their lawyers and families, victims’ families and military and law enforcement officials.

Defense Department representatives did not immediately respond to a telephone message early Sunday. The Times said the military agency declined to comment, saying it could not reproduce the paper’s research.

A military spokesman, Lt. Col. Les Melnyk, questioned the report’s premise and research methods, the newspaper said. He said it aggregated crimes ranging from involuntary manslaughter to murder, and he suggested the apparent increase in homicides involving military personnel and veterans in the wartime period might reflect only “an increase in awareness of military service by reporters since 9/11.”

Neither the Pentagon nor the federal Justice Department track such killings, generally prosecuted in state civilian courts, according to the Times.

The 121 killings ranged from shootings and stabbings to bathtub drownings and fatal car crashes resulting from drunken driving, the newspaper said. All but one of those implicated was male.

About a third of the victims were girlfriends or relatives, including a 2-year-old girl slain by her 20-year-old father while he was recovering from wounds sustained in Iraq.

A quarter of the victims were military personnel. One was stabbed and set afire by fellow soldiers a day after they all returned from Iraq.


Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/20...combat_080113/

[The Universal Curmudgeon_guest]

Originally Posted by CommunityEditor

That represents an 89-percent increase over the previous six-year period, the newspaper said.

Are the figures truely comparable?

Originally Posted by CommunityEditor

The newspaper said its research involved searching local news reports, examining police, court and military records and interviewing defendants, their lawyers and families, victims’ families and military and law enforcement officials.

Did they do the search for the full 12 year period?

Originally Posted by CommunityEditor

The Times said the military agency declined to comment, saying it could not reproduce the paper’s research.

Is this because they simply don't have the manpower to do the same research in two days that the paper took several months to do?

Originally Posted by CommunityEditor

A military spokesman, Lt. Col. Les Melnyk, questioned the report’s premise and research methods, the newspaper said.

Is he saying that the premise and research methods are inappropriate or simply that he doesn't like them?

Originally Posted by CommunityEditor

He said it aggregated crimes ranging from involuntary manslaughter to murder, and he suggested the apparent increase in homicides involving military personnel and veterans in the wartime period might reflect only “an increase in awareness of military service by reporters since 9/11.”

Indeed, the increase in coverage might well be due to "an increase in awareness of military service by reporters since 9/11". Is he saying that this IS the case? If so, is he also saying that all the previous figures are 86% too low?

Originally Posted by CommunityEditor

Neither the Pentagon nor the federal Justice Department track such killings, generally prosecuted in state civilian courts, according to the Times.

If neither the Pentagon nor the Federal Justice Department "track such killings" how can they say that the papers' figures are incorrect? Is this a case of "If we don't pay any attention to it - then it doesn't exist?

Now the truely pertinent question. How does this compare to the general population's involvement in homicides on a per capita basis? Is it higher, lower, or about the same? For many years, the average homicide rate has been below the national norm, I beleive.