afghanistan
Soldier Sentenced to 24 Years for Murder of Afghan Civilians
Max Read · 03/23/11 08:01PMRemember Specialist Jeremy Morlock, the 22-year-old Alaskan who took horrifying photos of his own war crimes? He's now pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and has been sentenced to 24 years in jail; in exchange, essentially, for not getting a life sentence, he'll testify against the four other soldiers also accused of murdering Afghan civilians "for sport." He apologized in court to his victims' families and "the people of Afghanistan themselves." [NYT]
The War-Crimes Photos the Army Apologized For
John Cook · 03/21/11 10:19AMDavid Petraeus' Libya-Bombing Quip Will Break the Ice at Any Party
Jim Newell · 03/07/11 04:05PMArmy General Sicced Crack Psy-Ops Troops on Defenseless, Stupid Senators
John Cook · 02/24/11 02:55PMRolling Stone is trying to add another general to its head count: Michael Hastings, the reporter who dispatched Gen. Stanley McChrystal last year, is reporting that Gen. William Caldwell, who is in charge of training Afghan forces, used Army psychological operations troops to try to influence VIP visitors, including U.S. senators.
Gen. Petraeus to Leave Afghan Command
Max Read · 02/15/11 08:37PMThe Times of London is reporting that Gen. David Petraeus will leave his spot as the head of the U.S. Afghan Command at the end of the year, not that anyone blames him. Petraeus replaced Gen. Stanley McChrystal in the difficult, thankless job in July of 2010 after McChrystal was fired over a Rolling Stone article; a search is apparently already on for a replacement, who would theoretically be overseeing the withdrawal of American troops and thinking a lot about how great it will be when he can retire and maybe play a little golf. [Times via The Daily Beast]
Soldier Leaves Marriage Proposal On Wrong Woman's Answering Machine
Adrian Chen · 01/26/11 11:27PMThe 90-second message ends: ""Don't ever forget I love you, I love you so much, I love you with all my heart and I was going to ask you, don't answer, obviously you can't answer, but will you marry me?""