Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death
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“You take him: Payne and Lauzier, interviews.
Childhood friends: Roselia Palma, interview; Doug Hoagland, “Soldier’s Story Is Written in Contrasts,” Fresno Bee, July 30, 2006.
But as he grew: David Walker, testimony at U.S. v. Barker.
He married and joined: Barker, interview.
Private Justin Watt: Justin Watt and Lauzier, interviews.
6: Contact
Only two or three: Eric Lauzier, Tony Yribe, and Justin Watt, interviews.
Miller took Lauzier: Phil Miller, interview.
Between those duties: Watt, testimony at Article 32 Hearing.
Miller was appalled: Miller, interview.
They were dependent: John Goodwin, interview.
Miller didn’t find: Miller, interview.
“Supposedly they weren’t: Justin Habash, interview.
But Kunk wasn’t: Tom Kunk, interview.
Miller and the squad: Miller, interview.
That’s precisely the way: Kunk, interview with defense lawyers.
But to Miller: Miller, interview.
A few days after: Phil Deem, Lauzier, and Watt, interviews.
From the start: Habash, interview.
It wasn’t more: Mark Evans, interview.
“Take whoever was: Goodwin, interview.
Men up and down: Yribe, interview.
The Iraqi Army: Les Fuller, diary entry.
“It’s like someone: Ryan Hoefer, interview.
On October 25: Evans, interview.
While Kunk and the rest: Yribe and Lauzier, interviews.
Once Ebel learned: Todd Ebel, interview.
Miller was not: Miller, interview.
7: Route Sportster and Bradley Bridge
On October 29: Matt Marcelino, interview.
After toying with: John Goodwin, interview.
But the ideal: Tom Kunk, interview.
“We thought it was: Phil Blaisdell, interview.
TCP1 and TCP4 had: Goodwin, interview.
Goodwin worried: Goodwin, interview.
“Before,” said 2nd Platoon’s: Jeremy Gebhardt, interview.
Second Platoon’s platoon leader: Jerry Eidson, interview.
Kunk maintained that: Kunk, testimony at Article 32 Hearing.
In that regard: Todd Ebel, interview.
“It was obvious: Jared Bordwell, interview.
Charlie Company First Sergeant: Dennis Largent, interview.
A major component: Kunk, interview.
“Colonel Kunk put his: Bordwell, interview.
One of Edwards’s: Ebel, interview.
MacKenzie was Justin Watt’s: Justin Watt, interview.
Heading back to Mahmudiyah: John C. Stroh, “AR 15–6 Investigation: PSD IED Strike 02NOV05,” November 4, 2005; Tim Norton and Largent, interviews.
It was Ebel: Ebel, interview.
With many relief units: Norton, interview.
After the cleanup: Largent and Bill Dougherty, interviews.
“It affected everybody: Chris Barnes, testimony at U.S. v. Green.
Two days later: “AR 15–6 Investigation (A/2–101 and C/1–502 Friendly Fire Incident, 04 November 2005),” November 19, 2005; Matt Shoaf and Dougherty, interviews.
As the Bravo Company: Justin Habash, Rick Skidis, Dennison Segui, and Blaisdell, interviews.
8: Communication Breakdowns
“His reaction: Dennis Largent, interview.
The company commanders: Jared Bordwell, interview.
“We would sit down: Ibid.
“Both assumed the negative: Ibid.
“The battalion sergeant major: Chris Payne, interview.
Kunk threatened: John Goodwin, Bill Dougherty, Tom Kunk, and Todd Ebel, interviews.
When Kunk made his: Goodwin, interview.
Many company-level leaders: Shawn Umbrell, interview.
But Kunk did not: Kunk and Lou Kangas, interviews.
Umbrell tried to: Umbrell, interview.
As the battalion’s: Rob Salome, interview.
According to Salome: Ibid.
As Squad Leader Eric: Eric Lauzier, interview.
Before late June: McCarthy, “AR 15–6 Investigation Concerning Leadership Actions in Effect of B/1–502 IN on or about 12 MAR 2006,” July 10, 2006.
Squad leaders routinely: Lauzier, testimony at U.S. v. Barker and interview.
The TCPs were also: Phil Miller, interview.
The overwhelming majority: Lauzier and Justin Watt, interviews.
“Every morning before: Lauzier, letter, Army Medical Evaluation Board on behalf of Justin Watt.
“Let me put it: Watt, interview.
“How many times: Justin Cross, interview.
Lauzier, as one of: Lauzier, interview; letter, Army Medical Evaluation Board on behalf of Justin Watt.
Ebel understood that: Ebel, interview.
Lauzier would study: Lauzier, interview.
“My vehicle got hit: Bordwell, interview.
“Bullshit!” he would shout: Largent and Mark Belda, interviews.
When presented with: Largent, Dougherty, and Tim Norton, interviews.
Operations Officer Salome: Salome, interview.
Executive Officer Fred: Fred Wintrich, interview.
Salome conceded: Salome, interview.
“Several times, Kunk: Belda, interview.
Charlie’s First Sergeant: Largent, interview.
Charlie’s Executive Officer: Matt Shoaf, interview.
9: The Mean Squad
In the early days: Eric Lauzier, interview.
The Arabic interpreters: James Barker, interview.
“They’ll push your buttons: Justin Watt, interview.
“You didn’t come: Lauzier, interview.
“I would drink: Watt, interview.
Occasionally, one or: Lauzier, interview.
“It is well: Ibid.
On November 11: Watt, interview.
Six days later: Tony Yribe, Lauzier, and Watt, interviews; Yribe, testimony at U.S. v. Spielman.
Within an hour: Barton Tate, “AR 15–6 Investigation #06–25: Escalation of Force Resulting in the Death of a LN,” November 23, 2005.
10: “Soldiers Are Not Stupid”
Often, the Bravo: Eric Lauzier, interview.
“Colonel Kunk wanted: Jerry Eidson, interview.
“Area Denial” was: Jared Bordwell, interview.
“Soldiers are not stupid: Lauzier, interview.
But 2nd Platoon’s: Eidson, interview.
“If I were up: Dennis Largent, interview.
But unlike Goodwin: Largent, Bill Dougherty, and John Goodwin, interviews.
Early on, for example: Bordwell, interview.
Increasingly frustrated: Largent and Dougherty, interviews.
“If I gave Dougherty: Rob Salome, interview.
Largent had little patience: Largent, interview.
“I’m going to be honest: Matt Shoaf, interview.
“We were real: Tony Yribe, interview.
Earlier that day: Shawn Umbrell, interview.
And, after weeks: Goodwin, Umbrell, and Bordwell, interviews.
11: Nelson and Casica
After First Strike: Leo Barron and Tom Kunk, interviews.
Within Bravo’s area: Kunk, interview.
It was from these: Ibid.
Throughout November: John Goodwin, interview.
“Battalion’s idea was: Chris Payne, interview.
December 10 started: Justin Watt, interview.
Platoon Sergeant Phil: Phil Miller, interview.
Every company has: Tim Norton, interview.
Pulling up to TCP2: Miller, interview with defense lawyers; Richard Casper, “AR 15–6 Investigation #06–043, Deaths of SSG Nelson, Travis and SGT Casica, Kenith, B/1–502d Infantry Regiment,” February 2, 2006.
Not long after: Casper, “AR 15–6 Investigation.” 140 Most of the: Tony Yribe, interview.
Up at Yusufiyah: Eric Lauzier, interview.<
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Yribe, driving down: Yribe, interview.
Watt got out: Watt, interview.
Britt was still: Watt and Yribe, interviews.
Yribe’s and Miller’s: Miller, Yribe, Collin Sharpness, and Watt, interviews; Andrew Tilghman, “‘I Came Over Here Because I Wanted to Kill People,’” Washington Post, July 30, 2006.
In the back: Yribe, interview.
The Humvee pulled: Dennison Segui, interview.
Miller had to be: Miller, interview.
“The focus of the: Marc Cooper, “AR 15–6 Investigation: Quality of Mental Health Care Provided in the Iraq Theater of Operations,” July 26, 2006.
Lauzier likened them: Lauzier, interview.
“All they would do: Ryan Hoefer, interview.
“They wanted to go: Miller, interview with defense lawyers.
Upon the squad’s: Steven Green, interview.
“That was the point: Chris Till, interview.
“That’s when things: Payne, interview.
Just a few: Green, interview.
“Goddamn it, that’s not true: Kunk, testimony at Article 32 Hearing and interview with defense lawyers.
“Fuck the Hadjis: Green, interview.
The officer who: Casper, “AR 15–6 Investigation.”
“The real fault: Watt, interview.
Any argument that: Kunk, interview with defense lawyers.
“If you are the: Yribe, interview.
“Staff Sergeant Nelson: Steven Green, eulogy, Staff Sergeant Travis Nelson and Sergeant Kenith Casica Memorial, DVD, FOB Mahmudiyah, December 16, 2005.
A lieutenant from: Michael Taylor, diary entry.
Already displeased with: Kunk, “Performance Counseling Memorandum for Captain John Goodwin,” included in McCarthy, “15–6 Investigation.”
Miller heard about: Miller, interview.
Britt spoke with: Kunk and Miller, interviews.
Britt returned to tell: Miller, interview with defense lawyers.
12: “It Is Fucking Pointless”
Shortly after coming: Eric Lauzier, Justin Watt, and Shane Hoeck, interviews.
On that election day: Nimrod Raphaeli, “The Elections in Iraq—The Roots of Democracy,” Inquiry and Analysis Series No. 258. Middle East Media Research Institute, December 21, 2005.
To Abu Musab al-Zarqawi: D. Hazen, “Al-Zarqawi: A Post Mortem,” Inquiry and Analysis Series No. 284. Middle East Media Research Institute, June 30, 2006.
Al Qaeda’s senior: Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, “Letter Exposes New Leader in Al-Qa’ida High Command,” September 25, 2006; DeYoung, Karen, “Letter Gives Glimpse of Al-Qaeda’s Leadership,” Washington Post, October 2, 2006; Bassem Mroue, “Letter Criticized al-Qaida Head in Iraq,” Associated Press, October 3, 2006.
A month after: Jonathan Finer, “How U.S. Forces Found Iraq’s Most-Wanted Man,” Washington Post, June 9, 2006; Evan Kohlmann, Global Terror Alert, April 7, 2006.
On December 19: Jerry Eidson, interview.
Fuller, a devout Christian: Les Fuller, diary entry.
Eidson was now: Eidson, interview.
Lieutenant Ben Britt: Tony Yribe, Watt, and Lauzier, interviews.
He was fond: Roman Diaz, interview.
But only Green: Paul Vermillion, interview.
Everybody was frustrated: Diaz, interview.
At the prodding: Steven Green’s medical papers; Karen Marrs, testimony at U.S. v. Green.
“I told her: Green, interview.
According to Goodwin: John Goodwin, testimony at U.S. v. Barker.
Goodwin, like most: Goodwin, interview with defense attorneys.
When Staff Sergeant: Bob Davis, interview.
While Sergeant First Class: Phil Blaisdell, interview.
Second Platoon’s Sergeant: Paul Fisher, interview.
13: Britt and Lopez
“I just have a feeling: Tony Yribe, interview.
In the medic area: Collin Sharpness, interview.
They started: Paul F. Schmidt, “AR 15–6 Investigation of the 22 December IED Attack on 1/B/1–502 Infantry Resulting in the Deaths of 1LT Benjamin Britt and SPC William Lopez-Feliciano,” January 2, 2006.
Everybody started turning: Yribe, interview.
They had already: John Goodwin, interview.
“I don’t care: Chris Till, interview.
Laskoski said: Yribe, interview.
Britt was thrown: Chris Barnes, testimony at U.S. v. Green.
Within a second: Yribe, interview.
Goodwin had hoped: Goodwin, interview.
Private First Class Chris Barnes: Barnes, testimony at U.S. v. Green.
Yribe turned and said: Yribe, interview.
After a minute: Goodwin, interview.
Phil Miller also sought: Phil Miller, interview.
Goodwin went down: Goodwin, interview.
The carnage in front: Yribe, interview.
Captain Jared Bordwell: Jared Bordwell, interview.
That night: Yribe, interview.
Colonel Marrs agreed: Karen Marrs, testimony at U.S. v. Green.
Kunk and Edwards approached: Goodwin, interview.
When asked about: Tom Kunk, interview.
Other times: McCarthy, “AR 15–6 Investigation,” July 10, 2006.
Goodwin insisted: Goodwin, interview.
Around-the-clock: Shawn Umbrell, interview.
First Strike units: Kunk, interview.
Others disagreed: Goodwin, interview.
14: Leadership Shake-up
When the platoon: Todd Ebel, testimony at U.S. v. Green.
During the meeting: Ebel, testimony at U.S. v. Howard.
Ebel was reassured: Ebel, testimony at U.S. v. Green.
Green said Ebel’s: Steven Green, interview.
But scientists have been: John Keegan, The Face of Battle (New York: Penguin Books, 1976), pp. 335–36.
During World War II: Dave Grossman, On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society (New York: Back Bay Books, 1996), p. 44.
Deployments where every day: Ibid.
Foremost among their: John Diem, interview.
This “shrinkage of the: Jonathan Shay, Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character (New York: Scribner, 2003), p. 23.
Paul Cortez rated: Paul Cortez, testimony at U.S. v. Spielman.
Suspects were routinely beaten: Tony Yribe and Nicholas Lake, testimony at U.S. v. Spielman.
“If you weren’t there: James Downs, interview.
A common attitude was: Yribe, testimony at U.S. v. Spielman.
“The platoon rejected: Diem, interview.
“Having to reseed: Fred Wintrich, interview.
“Maybe we should: Ebel, interview.
“The exact words: Rob Gallagher, interview with defense attorneys.
Both Blaisdell and Gebhardt: Jeremy Gebhardt and Phil Blaisdell, interviews.
“The company commander: Gallagher, interview with defense attorneys.
“I don’t think: Chris Till, interview.
“I have been in: Gallagher, testimony at U.S. v. Spielman.
After losing four men: Phil Miller, interview with defense attorneys.
He undermined Gallagher’s authority: Wintrich, interview.
Gallagher spent: Gallagher, interview with defense attorneys.
According to Lauzier: Eric Lauzier, interview.
Kunk called Norton: Tim Norton, interview.
He didn’t demand: Phil Deem, interview.
“He merged with the: Till, interview.
That’s not exactly true: Miller, interview.
After the Britt and Lopez: Wintrich, interview.
Actually, there was one: Paul Fisher, interview.
15: Gallagher
Within a couple of days: Rob Gallagher, testimony at U.S. v. Barker.
He considered FOB: Gallagher, testimony at U.S. v. Spielman.
“I addressed that: Gallagher, interview with defense lawyers.
When he voiced: Gallagher, testimony at U.S. v. Barker.
Laskoski, for his part: Andrew Laskoski, interview with defense lawyers.
Looking more closely: Gallagher, testimony at U.S. v. Barker.
Gallagher would clear: Laskoski, interview with defense lawyers.
He began butting heads: Gallagher, interview with defense lawyers.
“He was the only: Paul Vermillion, interview.
And despite how foolhardy: Gallagher, testimony at U.S. v. Barker and U.S. v. Spielman.
Gallagher had little: Tom Kunk, interview with defense lawyers.
Many members of 1st: Tim Norton, Chris Payne, and Eric Lauzier, interviews.
“Everything that ever: Payne, interview.
Gallagher thought Norton: Gallagher, interview with defense lawyers.
Norton didn’t have: Norton, interview.
Around this time: Phil Miller, interview with defense lawyers.
Allen was all: Chaz Allen, interview.
Second Brigade’s Command: Kunk, interview with defense lawyers.
Miller didn’t see: Miller, interview.
After rotating down: Gallagher, testimony at U.S. v. Spielman.
How to properly treat: U.S. Army Field Manual 3–90: Tactics (Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army Headquarters), July 2001.
Obviously, there are: Rob Salome, interview.
Kunk asserted that: Kunk, interview; John M. McCarthy, “AR 15–6 Investigation Concerning Leadership Actions in Effect of B/1–502 IN on or about 12 MAR 2006,” FOB Kalsu, Iraq, July 10, 2006, p. 5.
Goodwin, for his part: John Goodwin, interview.
So it is unclear: Gallagher, testimony at U.S. v. Spielman.
Second and 3rd Platoons: Jeremy Gebhardt, interview.
Blaisdell would employ: Phil Blaisdell, interview.
Regardless of how: Paul Fisher, Gebhardt, Norton, and Lauzier, interviews.
Captain Shawn Umbrell: Shawn Umbrell, interview.
Their relationship: Gallagher, testimony at U.S. v. Barker.
Lieutenant Norton remembered: Norton, interview.
Gallagher could not figure: Gallagher and Lauzier, testimony at Article 32 Hearing.
Gallagher had tried: Gallagher, interview with defense attorneys.
After hearing about: Laskoski, interview with defense attorneys.
Reviewing the map: Goodwin, interview.
A soldier in Gallagher’s: Ryan Hoefer, interview.
“Rob,” Goodwin called: Norton and Goodwin, interviews; Laskoski, interview with defense attorneys.
Even before Goodwin: Kunk, Jeff Fenlason, and Eric Conrad, interviews; Kunk, testimony at U.S. v. Green.
Blaisdell and Gebhardt: Blaisdell, interview.