Unbelievable

A US soldier was ordered to pose as a Gitmo detainee for a training exercise. He was subsequently beaten and choked. Ultimately he was discharged because he suffers from seizures that he claims are due to the brain stem injury he recieved when the soldiers bashed his head against the floor.

So logically I should be upset that soldiers would do this to any prisoner. Honestly though, it pisses me off that it happened to one of our soldiers. This poor soldier beaten, broken, and discharged is an American. I hope he realizes he has a congressperson. And I hope that congressperson fixes this. The beating was atrocious and wrong, but sadly not unexpected. What shocks me is the way the military discarded one of our own.

UPDATE: I hadn't realized how old this story is. Nov 4th 2004 evidently. The soldier, Sean Baker, has no legal recourse: as a former member of the Armed Services he is unable to bring suit against the military. It is past time hoping his congressperson will aid him. Hopefully he'll be treated at the VA for free, but he can no longer hold a job. It's tragic. Supposedly all of the other training exercises were videotaped, but for this one, there was no tape.

UPDATE II: Evidently he is suing. Perhaps only current members of the Armed Services are prohibited from suing? Also, folks have been writing about it since May 2004.

He's suing for15 million. That sound like a lot? He'll lose 1/3 to his lawyers and 1/3 to taxes. That leaves 5 mil. He's 37: 28 years from normal retirement: So that's kinda like having a 185,000/year job. He won't be working and thus won't get a decent pension/social security check, so that could be considered (if the neurologists still give him a normal life-expectancy). Consider also that people who get seizures are prohibited from driving motor vehicles: that can be a pretty big lifestyle adjustment. (Note that losing control of your body a half dozen times a day is also a big lifestyle adjustment.) So while 15 million sounds like pie-in-the-sky "jury money". I think it's about right. I hope he wins enough to at least provide for his family, and hopefully to send his child to college.