Yesterday I had the opportunity to witness a court martial at Fort Knox. I went as media, but hadn't realized that court martials were open to the public as well. The accused was a soldier- Private First Class James Burmeister, who was charged with going AWOL from his unit stationed in Iraq. Burmeister pleaded guilty to this charge. He admitted that he left without telling his superiors or asking for permission.
If that's all someone knew about the story, I could see where they would not approve and/or possibly look down upon this action. One thing I've learned from being a part of this business so far, however, is that you can't always jump to conclusions when you don't have all the facts.
Burmeister's story is not simply that he didn't want to be in Iraq any longer. He had survived three I-E-D (improvised explosive devices, or roadside bombs) attacks. He's been diagonosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But the thing that he claims made him flee (while on leave in Germany) were tactics used by his unit.
Burmeister said, and this was not disputed by the prosecution (for reasons I'm not sure of), that his unit engaged in "bait and kill" tactics. This was described as leaving 'bait', such as fake AK-47's and fake surveillance cameras, in the road and waiting until someone came by and picked up an item. As soon as that happened, it was presumed the person taking the bait was an insurgent and they would be shot.
Burmeister said that he opposed this illegal tactic, and told his superiors this. He claimed that he was told to stay quiet about it or he'd be labelled a 'hippie'. He said he felt like his moral duty thereafter was to get to Canada and begin telling media about this, in the hopes that it would put an end to the killing of innocent people. The judge asked him repeatedly if he knew there were other options of leaving the unit, but he chose not to take them. He said yes.
Burmeister did talk to the media. He wasn't extradited back to the U.S, as another soldier who fled Iraq has been since. He left Canada and turned himself in to military police at Fort Knox after having a conversation online with a friend still within the unit, who told him that his unit had stopped the small kill team practices because they decided they were immoral (a copy of this conversation was submitted as evidence by the defense).
After Burmeister pleaded guilty in the courtroom, the prosecution and defense presented
their evidence and questioned witnesses to help the judge determine what sentence he would recommend. His parents had flown in from Oregon to testify as to their son's character. It is unimaginable to me the problems that his family was dealing with on top of James' troubles. His mom has multiple sclerosis. His older brother is schizophrenic and his younger sister has diabetes and osteoporosis. James himself is in his early 20's with a wife, newborn baby and step-child.
His father asked the judge, during his testimony, to let his son come home so he could help take care of his family. He said that a bad-conduct discharge would do enough damage (about as much as a felony) to this man's record and confinement on top of that was unnecessary. The prosecuting attorney, Captain Christopher Cross, disagreed. He asked the judge to give Burmeister 10 months in confinement.
The way the military system works is that the judge doesn't know the terms of the plea agreement before he gives his recommendation on sentencing. Whichever is less-what the prosecuter agreed to in the plea deal, or what the judge recommends-is the sentence the defendant will recieve. The judge deliberated for over an hour, before giving his recommendation of nine months in confinement and a bad conduct discharge.
The plea agreement was six months in confinement, with a bad conduct discharge. That is what Burmeister recieved, but he may only serve about four months with good behavior. Most soldiers only recieve a dishonorable discharge for going AWOL.
There are many sides to this story. There is an incredible amount of loss. The troops in Iraq lost a member of their unit when Burmeister decided to go AWOL. According to Burmeister, some innocent people lost their lives in Iraq. The statement he read during the proceedings made it sound like Burmeister lost a piece of himself in Iraq when he witnessed and took part in events there that continue to haunt him. Burmeister's family lost a necessary member of their group when he was taken to confinement yesterday.
Some have suggested that the government wanted to make an example out of Burmeister, to show other soldiers the punishment for leaving Iraq without permission and for talking to the media. I'm not sure if that was their intention or not. I just felt that this story deserved some attention, and it certainly has been on my mind. As the stories coming out of the conflict in Iraq continue to pile up-of our soldiers, of Iraqi civilians, of the families of both- it leads me to wonder if anyone can really "win."
Nadia,
I thought that this is an important story for everyone to hear. I think that you are right that there is two sides to every story. I hope that there is more coverage on stories like this one. I enjoyed reading your blog.
~Alicia
This is a powerful event to witness and detail because it highlights the destructive effects that this war has taken on american citizens. Most americans don't see the effects of this war because it's not on american soil. When soldiers such as Burmeister return with such mentail conditions- we see how it is, in fact, a war at home as well. It also displays certain military and government officials lack of compassion for these young people they are so willing to send off for the sake of america. We will be seeing the affects of this war for a long time to come.