Archive for May, 2011
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Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/32405/
In a Department of Defense news release Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that President Barack Obama nominated Army Cols. Roger L. Cloutier Jr. and Christopher P. Hughes of Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield for appointment to the rank of brigadier general.
Cloutier currently is serving as the 3rd Infantry Division’s chief of staff. In late January, he stepped down as the commander of the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID, which was deployed to Iraq most of 2010.
Hughes currently is serving as deputy commander of support and lives at Hunter Army Airfield.
Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/32411/
BABIL, Iraq — Suffering from a toothache in southern Iraq may land people in the chair of either of two brothers with an interesting story of adversity, perseverance and the unique bond of identical twins.
Aleksandr and Dmitry Baron, Army captains and doctors, both serve in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment as dentists on separate bases in southern Iraq. Both are augmenting the unit from their home base of Fort Stewart.
Aleksandr deployed to Contingency Operating Site Kalsu at the end of October to work with the Regimental Support Squadron, and Dmitry joined the regiment’s 3rd Squadron at Contingency Operating Site Echo in April.
Both men volunteered for the deployments, but Dmitry’s recent arrival to the same unit in Iraq was mere coincidence, the kind of common occurrence that has kept these twins together for most of their lives.
The tight bond between them was forged when their parents, Vitaly and Emma Baron of Aberdeen, N.J., decided to take them from Russia to America when they were 6 years old.
“He just wanted a better life for his children,” Aleksandr said, explaining why his father moved them from what is now the Ukraine to Brooklyn, N.Y.
“We did everything together. We got in trouble together. We’d be in the corner together. With a twin, that can be a lot of fun,” Dmitry said.
Both attended Rutgers University for their undergraduate degrees and pursued their dental degrees at New York University College of Dentistry through the Health Professions Scholarship Program, offered by the Defense Department to medical- and dental-school students in exchange for a military service obligation.
“We had a …” “… just a drive for it,” said the two, with Aleksandr finishing Dmitry’s sentence in a way that seemed to be part of their normal communication pattern.
Even when Dmitry decided to take a separate path and become a pilot in the Air Force, he jokingly described how he took the test and “never heard back.”
In their roles as combat dentists in Iraq, the two respond to dental emergencies, fill cavities and even perform cleanings to ensure soldiers remain healthy and mission-ready.
Both men recounted how their jobs seemed to spill into other, more unexpected roles, as soldiers have come in with greater needs than their dental instruments can resolve.
“I have people come in here to see me just because they want to talk,” Aleksandr said. “They sit in the chair, they talk to me about their divorce, about family issues back home, about finance problems. I want this place to be a place for people to get away and just feel comfortable.”
“People are appreciative of us,” Dmitry said, describing the fulfillment of his job as a dentist in this unique environment. “We’re like combat stress (relievers). We’re leaders. It’s a pretty big balance.”
Aleksandr has performed yet another role as a triage doctor, making decisions on priority of care based upon the severity of soldiers’ combat wounds.
A recent visit by Dmitry to see his brother at Kalsu brought the twin dentists together, thousands of miles from their Georgia homes.
Their nearly identical appearance turned several heads as they walked side by side on the base. For the brothers, it was a chance to catch up and be together again.
“He’s here. It’s unbelievable,” Aleksandr said. “I’m praying to God that he just keeps following me.”
Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/32413/
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Wounded warriors win gold, silver medals
Denise Etheridge
detheridge@coastalcourier.com
912x2D876x2D0156
May 30, 2011
x3Cpx3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3ETwo Fort Stewart soldiers brought home gold and silver medals after competing against similarly determined paralympians from the Army, Navy/Coast Guard, Air Force, Marines and Special Forces in the Warrior Games on May 16x2D21 in Colorado Springs, Colo.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3ESpc. Zachariah Smith, 23, won silver as a member of the Armyx26rsquox3Bs sitting volleyball team, and Spc. Stuart Lancaster, 28, took the gold in the discus throw.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax22It was a great experience,x22 Lancaster said. x22Everyone there was a really good competitor. It was intense competitionx3B it was phenomenal.x22x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3EThe two Fort Stewart soldiers were among 200 wounded, injured and ill activex2Dduty service members who competed in adaptive sports, including archery, cycling, wheelchair basketball, shooting, swimming, sitting volleyball and track and field, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center near Pikes Peak, Colo.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3EThe Warrior Games are organized by the U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), the Department of Defense and the USO.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3ECoaches and athletes from the U.S. Paralympics visited Fort Stewartx26rsquox3Bs wounded warriors in February and have trained Warrior Transition Battalion leaders and cadre staff, including WTB Commander Lt. Col. Bill Reitemeyer and chief occupational therapist Debra DeHart, in developing an adaptivex2Dsports program.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3ELancaster competed against 11 other throwers May 17, the second day of the games. His winning throw was 135 feet, 7 inches, he said.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3Ex22There were six teams competing in sitting volleyball,x22 Smith said. x22We lost one game and then lost the one for first place. The Marines took the gold, Army got silver and a special (forces) team got bronze.x22x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3ESmith said that going into the semifinals, all bets were on the Army and Marine teams to win.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3Ex22It was all about having fun,x22 he said, adding that the competition wasnx26rsquox3Bt fierce until the final game. x22Then the Marines came out of nowhere and began ramming it down our throats.x22x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3ELancaster and Smith supported one another during the games. Smith recorded most of Lancasterx26rsquox3Bs discus event, and both watched the Army compete in wheelchair basketball.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3Ex22That is an intense sport,x22 Smith said.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3Ex22Some of the wheelchairs fell over (during play),x22 Lancaster said.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3EThe Armyx26rsquox3Bs team took the gold in wheelchair basketball and swimming, Smith said.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3ESmith and Lancaster donx26rsquox3Bt dwell on their injuriesx3B they say itx26rsquox3Bs better to focus on improving their athletic skills and encourage other wounded warriors to do the same.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3ESmith was injured in an IED blast in 2007 while deployed to Iraq with the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team. He suffered 12 separated disks in his spine, a broken knee, a broken shoulder, traumatic brain injury and PTSD.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3ELancaster came to the WTB after being diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2009. He was preparing to deploy to Iraq with the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team when he got sick.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3ELancaster endured intensive chemotherapy treatments and received a stemx2Dcell transplant.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3EBoth Smith and Lancaster soon will return to full duty.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3ESmith is waiting on orders to mechanic school and in the meantime will help coach the WTBx26rsquox3Bs sitting volleyball team. He will be among 45 soldiers and WTB cadre members attending the Georgia Champions Sports Festival on June 8x2D9 at Warm Springs.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3Ex22Ix26rsquox3Bll be at the Warrior Games next year if Ix26rsquox3Bm not deployed,x22 Smith said.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3ELancaster currently is focusing on getting promoted and expects to be assigned to an infantry battalion within the next six months. He intends to continue his trackx2Dandx2Dfield training.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cp alignx3Dx22justifyx22x3Ex22Ix26rsquox3Bll probably start throwing like I did when I was younger within six months of training,x22 he said.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cpx3EHis goal is to reach a discus throw of 185 feet x26mdashx3B 50 feet farther than his Warrior Games goldx2Dmedal throw x26mdashx3B by the end of this year.x3C/px3Ex0Dx0Ax3Cpx3Ex26nbspx3Bx3C/px3E
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Denise Etheridge
Two Fort Stewart soldiers brought home gold and silver medals after competing against similarly determined paralympians from the Army, Navy/Coast Guard, Air Force, Marines and Special Forces in the Warrior Games on May 16-21 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
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Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/32399/
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Soldier guilty of premeditated murder
Jury moves into sentencing phase, no timeline set
Denise Etheridge
detheridge@coastalcourier.com
912x2D876x2D0156
May 27, 2011
x3Cpx3EFort Stewart soldier Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich was found guilty of two specifications of premeditated murder at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday after a military jury deliberated for about eight hours, according to Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EBozicevich, 41, was tried for murder in the deaths of Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson and Sgt. Wesley Durbin. He is accused of shooting and killing the two men Sept. 14, 2008, while deployed to Patrol Base Jurf at Sahkr, Iraq. All three men were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BThe vote to convict him of premeditated murder was not unanimous, thus leaving only life without parole and life with parole as the two available punishments,x26rdquox3B Larson said. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EHe said the jury planned to convene Thursday morning to begin the sentencing phase of the court martial. Larson said therex26rsquox3Bs no set timeline for the jury to determine a sentence.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BThe panel will deliberate as long as it needs to, to determine the appropriate sentence,x26rdquox3B he said.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EThe actual trial began in early May after nearly two years of pretrial hearings. Bozicevich pleaded not guilty in late March.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EBozicevichx26rsquox3Bs civilian attorney, Charles Gittins, told the jury during closing arguments Tuesday that his client had feared for his life and had acted in selfx2Ddefense.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EGittins also claimed a psychiatrist diagnosed the accused with a delusional disorder. This mentalx2Dhealth diagnosis meant Bozicevich was paranoid and x26ldquox3Bbelieved people were out to get him,x26rdquox3B according to Gittins. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EThe defense attorney also told the jury that investigators had conducted a shoddy crimex2Dscene investigation in Iraq, and therefore physical evidence in the case had been crossx2Dcontaminated and was not properly analyzed.x26nbspx3B x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EGovernment attorneys argued that Bozicevich clearly understood right from wrong and had intended to kill his squad and team leaders after they counseled him on poor performance in the field.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EProsecuting attorney Maj. Scott Ford described the murders as x26ldquox3Ba workplace shootingx26rdquox3B and said Bozicevich was angry, not delusional.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BHex26rsquox3Bs a man unable to accept responsibility for his actions,x26rdquox3B Ford said during closing arguments Tuesday.x3C/px3E
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Denise Etheridge
Fort Stewart soldier Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich was found guilty of two specifications of premeditated murder at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday after a military jury deliberated for about eight hours, according to Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson.
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Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/32349/
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Uniting to observe Memorial Day
Staff report
May 27, 2011
x3Cpx3ECoastal Georgiax26rsquox3Bs mixed community of civilians and military members formally will observe Memorial Day this weekend by honoring the sacrifice of the fallen and the selfless service of veterans and activex2Dduty military.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex3Cstrongx3EFriday, May 27x3C/strongx3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26bullx3B The 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division will participate in the Armed Forces Day Festival opening ceremony at 10 a.m. today at Rousakis Plaza on River Street in Savannah.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex3Cstrongx3ESunday, May 29x3C/strongx3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26bullx3B Survivor Outreach Services will hold a candlelight vigil at 8 p.m. Sunday, May 29, to honor and remember fallen soldiers. The ceremony will be held at Cottrell Field on Fort Stewart. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex3Cstrongx3EMonday, May 30x3C/strongx3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26bullx3B The 3rd ID Band Brass Quintet will participate in the Annual American Legion Posts of Chatham County Memorial Day Ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, May 30, at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26bullx3B 3rd ID Commander Maj. Gen. Robert Abrams is the featured speaker for the annual Fred L. Ginter American Legion Post 168 Memorial Day Ceremony, which begins at 11 a.m. Monday at the post home on West Highway 84 in Hinesville. The 3rd ID Band Jazz Ensemble, local highx2Dschool ROTC honor guards and two buglers also will participate. For more information, call 876x2D0168.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26bullx3B Later on Monday, Abrams will speak at the annual Savannah Vietnam Veterans Association Candlelight Memorial Day Ceremony. A firing party from the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade and the 3rd ID Band also will participate.x26nbspx3Bx26nbspx3B x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26bullx3B 3rd ID Chief of Staff Col. Roger Cloutier will speak at the annual Richmond Hill Memorial Day Ceremony, which begins at 11 a.m. Monday in Richmond Hill. The 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID will provide a color guard. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26bullx3B The 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd ID will provide a firing party and fallenx2Dsoldier memorial for the annual Sun City Memorial Day Ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday at Sun City in Hilton Head, S.C.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26bullx3B 3rd Brigade Support Battalion, 1st HBCT, 3rd ID Commander Lt. Col. Miles Townsend will speak at the annual Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW Post 3563 Memorial Day Observance at 3 p.m. Monday at Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia. The 3rd ID band and the 3rd BSB color guard also will participate.x3C/px3E
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Coastal Georgia’s mixed community of civilians and military members formally will observe Memorial Day this weekend by honoring the sacrifice of the fallen and the selfless service of veterans and active-duty military.
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Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/32357/
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Milton gives Stewart address
Smaller units expected at base
Denise Etheridge
detheridge@coastalcourier.com
912x2D876x2D0156
May 27, 2011
x3Cpx3EFort Stewart Garrison Commander Col. Kevin Milton told Liberty County Chamber of Commerce members Thursday what local residents can expect from their Army neighbor. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BWex26rsquox3Bll have the division here for a while,x26rdquox3B Milton said, referring to the onex2D to twox2Dyear reset phase the 3rd Infantry Division brigades now are in. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BWex26rsquox3Bre just training for unspecified missions,x26rdquox3B he said. The American military is undergoing a gradual pullx2Dout from Iraq and Afghanistan and therefore largex2Dscale deployments currently are not planned, the colonel said at First Baptist Church in Hinesville, site of the address, which was part of the chamberx26rsquox3Bs Progress Through People luncheon.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EMilton told area leaders and business people that smaller units will locate to Fort Stewart from now until 2014, including a chemical company and an unmanned aerial unit. He said about 240 new soldiers and their roughly 250 family members soon should call Fort Stewart home.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EMilton told the crowd the Army leadership has decided to bring a brigade back to the United States from Europe in 2015, but it has not yet been determined where the brigade will be assigned.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BWex26rsquox3Bre as likely as anyone else on planet Earth to receive them,x26rdquox3B he said.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EStill, given Fort Stewartx26rsquox3Bs size and thousands of acres of range on which to train, the installation could accommodate more soldiers, Milton said.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EAs for the 14,000 soldiers already on post, about 4,000 more from the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team will return home from Iraq x26ldquox3Bby the 4th of July,x26rdquox3B according to Milton.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EThe garrison commander said the Vanguard brigade then will move into its new area off Highway 144.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BTheir complex is its own little access space,x26rdquox3B he said. Milton said he has some concerns about traffic but added the installation is working to resolve any traffic issues. The colonel said turn lanes are being installed on Highway 144 and a traffic light will be placed at the intersection of Highway 144 and old Sunbury Road. The road improvements should be completed by August, when redeployed 4th Brigade soldiers return from block leave, he said.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EMilton also addressed budget cuts and promised that the garrison would continue to provide all necessary services to soldiers and their families despite an $8 million shortfall.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BWe, as an Army, are normalizing our spending,x26rdquox3B he said. x26ldquox3BWex26rsquox3Bll see some reduced funding, but I donx26rsquox3Bt think youx26rsquox3Bll see much of a difference.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EThe Armyx26rsquox3Bs budget for fiscal year 2011 is $239 billion and will be reduced to $216 billion in fiscal year 2012, he said. x3Cbr /x3EArmy Reserve Ambassador Luis Carreras also addressed the Defense Departmentx26rsquox3Bs budget cuts and stressed the importance of communities and employers supporting those who serve in the Reserves. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BSixty to 70 percent of (military) support x26hellipx3B is coming out of the Reserves,x26rdquox3B Carreras said. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EMilton said Fort Stewart will continue to work with surrounding communities x26mdashx3B as it has with the city of Hinesville x26mdashx3B on projects that benefit both the installation and the greater public. He said a waterx2Dusage project with Hinesville has saved about $4 million in utility costs.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EFort Stewart also will continue various construction projects, with much of the work being contracted out to local companies, Milton said.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EHe said the post has $153 million worth of construction projects x26ldquox3Bout for bid now, fiscal year 2011,x26rdquox3B and will bid out $74 million in fiscal year 2012 and $250 million in fiscal year 2013.x3C/px3E
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Denise Etheridge
Fort Stewart Garrison Commander Col. Kevin Milton told Liberty County Chamber of Commerce members Thursday what local residents can expect from their Army neighbor.
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Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/32359/
Fort Stewart soldier Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich was found guilty of two specifications of premeditated murder at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday after a military jury deliberated for about eight hours, according to Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson.
Bozicevich, 41, was tried for murder in the deaths of Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson and Sgt. Wesley Durbin. He is accused of shooting and killing the two men on Sept. 14, 2008, while deployed to Patrol Base Jurf at Sahkr, Iraq. All three men were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
“The vote to convict him of premeditated murder was not unanimous, thus leaving only life without parole and life with parole as the two available punishments,” Larson said.
He said the jury planned to convene Thursday morning to begin the sentencing phase of the court martial. Larson said there’s no set time line for the jury to determine a sentence.
“The panel will deliberate as long as it needs to, to determine the appropriate sentence,” he said.
The actual trial began in early May, after nearly two years of pre-trial hearings. Bozicevich pled not guilty in late March.
Bozicevich’s civilian attorney Charles Gittins told the jury during closing arguments Tuesday his client had feared for his life and had acted in self defense. Gittins also claimed the accused had been diagnosed by a psychiatrist with a delusional disorder. This mental health diagnosis meant Bozicevich was paranoid and “believed people were out to get him,” according to Gittins. The defense attorney also told the jury investigators had conducted a shoddy crime scene investigation in Iraq and therefore physical evidence in the case had been cross-contaminated and was not properly analyzed.
Government attorneys argued Bozicevich clearly understood right from wrong, and had intended to kill his squad and team leaders after they counseled him on poor performance in the field.
Prosecuting attorney Maj. Scott Ford described the murders as “a workplace shooting” and said Bozicevich was angry, not delusional.
“He’s a man unable to accept responsibility for his actions,” Ford said during closing arguments Tuesday.
Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/32319/
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Soldier murder trial goes to the jury
Defense, government present closing arguments
Denise Etheridge
detheridge@coastalcourier.com
912x2D876x2D0156
May 25, 2011
x3Cpx3ELines were clearly drawn in a military courtroom Tuesday as a Fort Stewart soldierx26rsquox3Bs murder trial drew closer to a verdict. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EFamily members of the late Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson and Sgt. Wesley Durbin, along with soldiers from the victimsx26rsquox3B former unit, the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, sat behind government attorneys. A smaller number of people, including defendant Sgt. Joseph Bozicevichx26rsquox3Bs somber relatives, sat behind the accused and his defense team. There were nervous whispers exchanged, some spectatorsx26rsquox3B faces alternating between expressions of sadness and relief before the judge and jury entered.x26nbspx3B x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EDefense and prosecuting attorneys then came out swinging as they presented closing arguments. Both sides attempted to poke holes in the otherx26rsquox3Bs witness testimony and analyses of physical evidence, each offering a compelling yet completely opposite version of events.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EBozicevichx26rsquox3Bs civilian defense attorney, Charles Gittins, told jurors they had to prove Bozicevich, 41, was guilty of premeditated murder x26ldquox3Bbeyond a reasonable doubtx26rdquox3B or had to acquit. Gittins reminded the jury that military Judge Col. Tara Osborn also had instructed them on a number of lesser charges. If jurors do not find Bozicevich guilty of premeditated murder, they could consider the lesser charges of unpremeditated murder, voluntary or involuntary manslaughter.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EGittins also stressed that the jury had to disprove the Sept. 14, 2008, shooting deaths were in selfx2Ddefense. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EGittins argued that Bozicevich, diagnosed with a delusional disorder, was paranoid and feared for his life following a tense, latex2Dnight counseling session with Dawson and Durbin. This counseling session was deliberately held in an x26ldquox3Bisolatedx26rdquox3B joint security station building, away from the other American soldiers, he said. Gittins displayed a sterile black and white illustration showing two soldiers, presumably Dawson and Durbin, aiming rifles at an unarmed soldier, presumably the accused. Bozicevich is accused of shooting and killing the two men while all three were deployed to Patrol Base Jurf at Sahkr, Iraq. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EIn addition, Gittins called the crime scene investigation x26ldquox3Bcriminally negligent,x26rdquox3B claiming fingerprints were not preserved, soldiers who had handled or cleared weapons were not identified and bullet trajectories were not properly measured. x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EGovernment attorney Maj. Scott Ford said because Bozicevich x26ldquox3Bchose to killx26rdquox3B rather than to put his weapon down, run away or withdraw from the situation at any point and x26ldquox3Bdidnx26rsquox3Bt stop until he was tackled,x26rdquox3B selfx2Ddefense was disproven. Ford added that Bozicevichx26rsquox3Bs actions and words, showing defiance, laughing and begging for fellow soldiers to kill him after the shootings, was not the way a solider defending himself would act. He also argued that for Bozicevich to show premeditation, all he had to do was x26ldquox3Bintend to kill and think about what he had to do to kill.x26rdquox3B x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EThe prosecution argued that the middlex2Daged Bozicevich was angry about receiving three counseling statements from Durbin and Dawson and was bitter about the 24x2Dyearx2Dold Durbin being placed above him in a leadership position.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BThis is nothing different than a workplace shooting. This is nothing exotic,x26rdquox3B Ford said.x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EBozicevich could face the death penalty if the jury of 12 commissioned and nonx2Dcommissioned officers finds him guilty of premeditated murder. He entered a notx2Dguilty plea in March.x26nbspx3B x3Cbr /x3Ex3Cbr /x3EThe jury began deliberations late Tuesday afternoon following closing arguments. A verdict was not reached by press time.x3C/px3E
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Denise Etheridge
Lines were clearly drawn in a military courtroom Tuesday as a Fort Stewart soldier’s murder trial drew closer to a verdict.
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Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/32277/
FORT STEWART — Attorneys at Fort Stewart are wrapping up their case in the court-martial of an Army sergeant charged with killing his squad leader and a fellow U.S. soldier at a patrol base in Iraq.
Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich could face the death penalty if a military jury convicts him of premeditated murder. Prosecutors and defense attorneys were scheduled to present closing arguments Tuesday morning before sending the case to the jury, which has heard testimony for more than a month.
Prosecutors say 41-year-old Bozicevich of Minneapolis fatally shot Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson of Pensacola, Fla., and Sgt. Wesley Durbin of Dallas after they critiqued him for poor performance in September 2008.
Bozicevich testified at the trial that he shot both men in self-defense after they threatened him with rifles.
Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/32273/
