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Naggsty Butler

Soldier convicted of war crimes, pardoned by Trump, leaves behind trail of suicides

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https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/For-the-forgotten-men-of-1st-Platoon-Trump-s-15381879.php

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Lorance had been in command of 1st Platoon for only three days in Afghanistan but in that short span of time had averaged a war crime a day, a military jury found. On his last day before he was dismissed, he ordered his troops to open fire on three Afghan men standing by a motorcycle on the side of the road who he said posed a threat. His actions led to a 19-year prison sentence.

He had served six years when Trump, spurred to action by relentless Fox News coverage and Lorance's insistence that he had made a split-second decision to protect his men, set him free.

The president's opponents described the pardon as another instance of Trump subverting the rule of law to reward allies and reap political benefits. Military officials worried that the decision to overturn a case that had already been adjudicated in the military courts sent a signal that war crimes were not worthy of severe punishment.

For the men of 1st platoon, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, the costs of the war and the fallout from the case have been profound and sometimes deadly.

Traumatized by battle, they have also been brutalized by the politicization of their service and made to feel as if the truth of what they lived in Afghanistan - already a violent and harrowing tour before Lorance assumed command - had been so demeaned that it no longer existed.

Since returning home in 2013, five of the platoon's three dozen soldiers have died. At least four others have been hospitalized following suicide attempts or struggles with drugs or alcohol.

The last fatality came a few weeks before Lorance was pardoned when James O. Twist, 27, a Michigan state trooper and father of three, died of suicide. As the White House was preparing the official order for Trump's signature, the men of 1st Platoon gathered in Grand Rapids, Mich., for the funeral, where they remembered Twist as a good soldier who had bravely rushed through smoke and fire to pull a friend from a bomb crater and place a tourniquet on his right leg where it had been sheared off by the blast.

They thought of the calls and texts from him that they didn't answer because they were too busy with their own lives - and Twist, who had a caring wife, a good job and a nice house - seemed like he was doing far better than most. They didn't know that behind closed doors he was at times verbally abusive, ashamed of his inner torment and, like so many of them, unable to articulate his pain.

By November 2019, Twist, a man the soldiers of 1st Platoon loved, was gone and Lorance was free from prison and headed for New York City, a new life and a star turn on Fox News.

 

"BYU is like a 4-year-long church dance with 20,000 chaperones all waiting for you to forget to shave one morning so they can throw you out." -GeoAg

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Trump's pardoning of murdering psychopaths isn't talked about enough.

On 12/1/2016 at 12:26 PM, WyomingCoog said:

I own a vehicle likely worth more than everything you own combined and just flew first class (including a ticket for a 2 1/2 year old), round trip to Las Vegas and I'm not 35 yet. When you accomplish something outside of finishing a book, let me know. When's the last time you saw a 2 year old fly first class in their own seat? Don't tell me about elite.  

28 minutes ago, NorCalCoug said:

I’d happily compare IQ’s with you any day of the week.

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There’s a Netflix documentary on this guy that’s pretty damning. His entire platoon says his story is bullshit. He should’ve never been pardoned.

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18 minutes ago, NevadaFan said:

War is a scary thing. Young, dumb kids all excited to prove how brave they are live a nightmare the rest of their lives. 

Having been there, thats a false statement. Maybe a few idiots, but most know what they are getting into and don’t relish it. 

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Tragic.

And Donny will receive SS protection and a Guv pension. For Life.

His Superpower is being shameless.

"We don't have evidence but, we have lot's of theories."

Americans Mayor

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