For Returning US Soldiers, War Crimes in Iraq Translate to Murders and Violence Back Home

Six other slayings involving unit soldiers occurred in Colorado and other states since 2005.

Nationally, at least 121 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have committed a killing in the United States or been charged in one.

Army investigators compared the Fort Carson unit of about 3,700 soldiers with a similarly sized unit and found it suffered more combat deaths in Iraq and was deployed there longer.

The task force report released Wednesday said more study is needed on the links between combat and aggressive behavior. It suggested the Army find a way to identify soldiers who have been exposed to fierce combat.

Investigators focused on the cases of 14 soldiers accused of murder, manslaughter, attempted murder and aggravated assault, mostly with firearms. They found the accused had experienced heavy combat in Iraq and that half of those interviewed reported witnessing war crimes, including the killing of civilians.

Back home, the soldiers carried weapons with them because they felt “naked” and unsafe and had difficulty transitioning to civilian life. Some said they felt “weird” and didn’t fit in, the Army report said.

“There, we were the law; here, the cops are the law,” one of the accused told investigators.

The Army report said the accused claimed their commanders and fellow soldiers did not encourage them to seek help at home.