HDNet World Report Investigates an Alarming String of Murders Committed by Iraq War Veterans. The three-part story examines a cluster of 15 murders and attempted homicides committed by current and former soldiers at Ft. Carson, Colorado.
One base. Four years. Three attempted murders. Twelve murders. Some of the crimes involved loved ones, some were random, but what the murders have in common is that they were all committed by men just back from the war zone. Most of these men are from the same brigade that served in Iraq for a total of 24 months — the 4th combat team of the 4th Infantry.
But, what is causing these men to kill? Critics say that Iraq veterans are coming home with severe PTSD and other mental problems caused by combat stress, but the Army isn’t doing enough to ease them back into civilian life.
HDNet correspondent Carol McKinley, who reported from Iraq while with Fox News, obtained an exclusive jailhouse interview with Kenneth Eastridge, one of the men convicted for his part in a murder. Eastridge served two tours in Iraq, and says he returned from war with PTSD but was offered little if any help by the Army.
The report also focuses on specialist John Needham, a champion surfer-turned soldier.
The decorated war hero’s previously charmed life is now in a shambles — he is facing first-degree murder charges for beating his girlfriend to death. Needham’s family says that he suffered with PTSD and that they had repeatedly asked for help from the military that sent him off to war.
The World Report broadcast focuses on the Army’s new efforts to help returning soldiers cope with battle stress, including a new pilot program at Ft. Carson that aims to ease soldiers’ transitions from war. McKinley also visited a so-called ‘veterans’ court;’ special courts designed to help vets when they are first arrested for less serious crimes, before their behavior escalates, providing counseling and treatment rather than incarceration.
HDNet World Report – “Ft. Carson Killings: The New Casualties of War” premieres on HDNet, Tuesday, June 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET with a re-air midnight ET to accommodate West Coast Prime Time.