Wife claims Bales showed no stress signs
Source: Agencies |
March 27, 2012, Tuesday
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THE wife of a US soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians said her husband showed no signs of stress before he was deployed and would not ever believe he was involved in the killings.
Karilyn Bales defended her husband, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, in an interview for NBC's "Today" show yesterday. She said she has spoken to her husband by telephone twice since he was detained, but she didn't ask her husband about the accusations he faces. "We couldn't discuss those details," she said. "He was ... seemed a bit confused, as to where he was and why he was there."
Officials say Bales wandered off base in southern Afghanistan earlier this month and killed eight Afghan adults and nine children. He was charged on Friday with 17 counts of premeditated murder and other crimes. He is being held at a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Karilyn Bales said the accusations are "unbelievable to me."
The deaths of the nine Afghan children are especially difficult. "It's heartbreaking," she said. "I can't imagine losing my children, so my heart definitely goes out to them for losing all of their children."
Her husband never had nightmares or other signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, Karilyn Bales said, and she feels like he was mentally fit when he was deployed. She said he never told her about a traumatic brain injury he suffered while in Iraq until he returned home. "Not until he came back and said that he, you know, had been blown up," she said. "He shielded me from a lot of what he went through. He's a very tough guy."
US investigators said Bales killed in two episodes, returning to his base after the first attack and later slipping away to kill again. He surrendered without a struggle.
The 38-year-old married father of two was on his fourth tour of duty in a war zone, having served three tours in Iraq, where he suffered the head injury and a foot injury. His civilian attorney, John Henry Browne, has said Bales and his family had thought he was done fighting, but he was sent to Afghanistan.
"It was a big shock because we weren't on the schedule to be deployed again, to be honest with you. He didn't want to miss out on any more of his kids' life," Karilyn Bales said.
She said she doesn't think she'll have to ask her husband what happened that night in Afghanistan because "I think he'll tell me what happened, from his point of view."
Karilyn Bales defended her husband, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, in an interview for NBC's "Today" show yesterday. She said she has spoken to her husband by telephone twice since he was detained, but she didn't ask her husband about the accusations he faces. "We couldn't discuss those details," she said. "He was ... seemed a bit confused, as to where he was and why he was there."
Officials say Bales wandered off base in southern Afghanistan earlier this month and killed eight Afghan adults and nine children. He was charged on Friday with 17 counts of premeditated murder and other crimes. He is being held at a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Karilyn Bales said the accusations are "unbelievable to me."
The deaths of the nine Afghan children are especially difficult. "It's heartbreaking," she said. "I can't imagine losing my children, so my heart definitely goes out to them for losing all of their children."
Her husband never had nightmares or other signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, Karilyn Bales said, and she feels like he was mentally fit when he was deployed. She said he never told her about a traumatic brain injury he suffered while in Iraq until he returned home. "Not until he came back and said that he, you know, had been blown up," she said. "He shielded me from a lot of what he went through. He's a very tough guy."
US investigators said Bales killed in two episodes, returning to his base after the first attack and later slipping away to kill again. He surrendered without a struggle.
The 38-year-old married father of two was on his fourth tour of duty in a war zone, having served three tours in Iraq, where he suffered the head injury and a foot injury. His civilian attorney, John Henry Browne, has said Bales and his family had thought he was done fighting, but he was sent to Afghanistan.
"It was a big shock because we weren't on the schedule to be deployed again, to be honest with you. He didn't want to miss out on any more of his kids' life," Karilyn Bales said.
She said she doesn't think she'll have to ask her husband what happened that night in Afghanistan because "I think he'll tell me what happened, from his point of view."
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