Capt. Robert Semrau Charged With Murder in Afghanistan
- Thread starter darmil
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Technoviking said:
...whole-lotta tax-free cash and incentive pay, though!
Plus they'll probably have to cycle through decompression for a couple days in "host nation" and a couple days in Cyprus for all their troubles though. :
J
jollyjacktar
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My first trip was as part of a long WIISK TAV. We all got the medal.
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jollyjacktar said:
WIISK? That's a new one for me ... but then most of what's happened in the past 15 years is new to me.
J
jollyjacktar
Guest
Technoviking said:
Not sure, but I know other folks from the Navy side who have gone there on TAV and received the medal. It's true though we were not on the regular radar and did not get some of the goodies that the Roto folks did. However we made up for it during the couple of BBQs that were held (NHL visit, July 1) when we did not appear on the muster sheet for beer. We were able to get a second helping or so owing to the confusion on our status amongst the Roto folks.
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Hey! This is the Internet! No facts allowed.
OldSolduer
Army.ca Relic
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You three above must be ossifers......sheesh. ;D
Court martial of soldier to resume Saturday:
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The court martial of Capt. Robert Semrau, charged in the shooting death of an Afghan militant, has been adjourned to Saturday.
Today's proceedings at Kandahar Airfield dealt with procedural matters, which are the subject of a publication ban.
The first witness scheduled to testify is an interpreter nicknamed Max, who was at the scene of the alleged shooting.
Semrau has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the October 2008 fatal shooting of an injured insurgent in Helmand province, west of Kandahar.
The prosecution has said Max will testify that he heard two distinct shots and turned around in time to see Semrau firing the second shot, the barrel of his assault rifle pointed at the wounded man.
The defence has not put forth its case as it's not obliged to, according to court martial rules.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100617/national/semrau_court_martial
(Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act)
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The court martial of Capt. Robert Semrau, charged in the shooting death of an Afghan militant, has been adjourned to Saturday.
Today's proceedings at Kandahar Airfield dealt with procedural matters, which are the subject of a publication ban.
The first witness scheduled to testify is an interpreter nicknamed Max, who was at the scene of the alleged shooting.
Semrau has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the October 2008 fatal shooting of an injured insurgent in Helmand province, west of Kandahar.
The prosecution has said Max will testify that he heard two distinct shots and turned around in time to see Semrau firing the second shot, the barrel of his assault rifle pointed at the wounded man.
The defence has not put forth its case as it's not obliged to, according to court martial rules.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100617/national/semrau_court_martial
(Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act)
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Saturday??? You can't have anything at KAF on Saturday; it's Market Day!
It was the only thing that made my 221 days there any different and not like Groundhog Day. In fact, I got so excited about Market Day I would count down to it, starting with Saturday night saying "...well, I'm still here but only seven more days until Market Day."
It was the only thing that made my 221 days there any different and not like Groundhog Day. In fact, I got so excited about Market Day I would count down to it, starting with Saturday night saying "...well, I'm still here but only seven more days until Market Day."
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Jammer said:
KAF is where the HQ arranges the air support and gun support. Feel free to fight the war without those if you want Mr Smartypants
Capt. Semrau did 'good job' shooting insurgent, witness tells court martial
By: Tara Brautigam, The Canadian Press 19/06/2010
Article Link
An Afghan interpreter commended a Canadian soldier for allegedly shooting a wounded, unarmed Taliban militant to death after seeing smoke emanate from the barrel of his rifle, a court martial heard Saturday.
The interpreter — who testified under the pseudonym Max because his identity is protected by a publication ban — said Capt. Robert Semrau told him to "Stay back," moments before the injured insurgent was shot dead.
"I was happy because he was Taliban," Max said. "I told Capt. Rob, 'You did good job.' "
Max, who was working for the Canadian Forces, said he was on a relatively calm patrol along a cornfield on the evening of Oct. 19, 2008, with Canadian soldiers and the Afghan National Army when they came across a badly injured member of the Taliban.
A grainy cellphone video played for the court martial showed the man lying on the ground with his arm draped across the lower part of his face, a blanket over most of his body.
Max said the man had blood on his body and his eyes were shut.
Capt. Thomas Fitzgerald, the prosecutor, asked Max how he knew the insurgent was still alive.
"He was moving, sir," Max replied.
Shortly later, while he was standing about five to 10 metres away from Semrau, Max heard a single gunshot blast and saw the soldier's gun pointed at the head of the insurgent, the court martial was told.
"I saw the smoke out from his barrel," Max told a four-member panel inside a tent at Kandahar Airfield. But he later added he did not see the bullet enter the man's body.
Max said he was certain the insurgent was dead at that point, even though he didn't check his vital signs and avoided eye contact.
"I was afraid of him," he told Maj. Steve Turner, Semrau's lawyer.
Semrau, 36, is believed to be the first Canadian soldier charged with a battlefield murder. He has pleaded not guilty to four charges, including second-degree murder in the fatal shooting in Helmand province, west of Kandahar. No body was ever recovered.
At times, Max's blunt account of events contradicted past testimony.
He testified repeatedly that the only gunshot he heard that "very calm" day was the one fired at the insurgent. But the court martial has heard that Semrau's military team and fellow ANA soldiers encountered a series of ambushes while on a foot patrol and called in an Apache helicopter strike.
Max said a helicopter shot the insurgent, blowing one leg completely off and leaving the other mostly gone. He said the man also had a gaping wound in his stomach.
More on link
By: Tara Brautigam, The Canadian Press 19/06/2010
Article Link
An Afghan interpreter commended a Canadian soldier for allegedly shooting a wounded, unarmed Taliban militant to death after seeing smoke emanate from the barrel of his rifle, a court martial heard Saturday.
The interpreter — who testified under the pseudonym Max because his identity is protected by a publication ban — said Capt. Robert Semrau told him to "Stay back," moments before the injured insurgent was shot dead.
"I was happy because he was Taliban," Max said. "I told Capt. Rob, 'You did good job.' "
Max, who was working for the Canadian Forces, said he was on a relatively calm patrol along a cornfield on the evening of Oct. 19, 2008, with Canadian soldiers and the Afghan National Army when they came across a badly injured member of the Taliban.
A grainy cellphone video played for the court martial showed the man lying on the ground with his arm draped across the lower part of his face, a blanket over most of his body.
Max said the man had blood on his body and his eyes were shut.
Capt. Thomas Fitzgerald, the prosecutor, asked Max how he knew the insurgent was still alive.
"He was moving, sir," Max replied.
Shortly later, while he was standing about five to 10 metres away from Semrau, Max heard a single gunshot blast and saw the soldier's gun pointed at the head of the insurgent, the court martial was told.
"I saw the smoke out from his barrel," Max told a four-member panel inside a tent at Kandahar Airfield. But he later added he did not see the bullet enter the man's body.
Max said he was certain the insurgent was dead at that point, even though he didn't check his vital signs and avoided eye contact.
"I was afraid of him," he told Maj. Steve Turner, Semrau's lawyer.
Semrau, 36, is believed to be the first Canadian soldier charged with a battlefield murder. He has pleaded not guilty to four charges, including second-degree murder in the fatal shooting in Helmand province, west of Kandahar. No body was ever recovered.
At times, Max's blunt account of events contradicted past testimony.
He testified repeatedly that the only gunshot he heard that "very calm" day was the one fired at the insurgent. But the court martial has heard that Semrau's military team and fellow ANA soldiers encountered a series of ambushes while on a foot patrol and called in an Apache helicopter strike.
Max said a helicopter shot the insurgent, blowing one leg completely off and leaving the other mostly gone. He said the man also had a gaping wound in his stomach.
More on link
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