Saguaro
10-19-2007, 08:08 PM
FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Before leaving for Iraq, an Army supply sergeant had a heated argument with his strict company commander, one of two superior officers the sergeant is accused of killing in Iraq, colleagues of the men testified Friday.
"It wasn't pretty," Sgt. 1st Class Peggy Schumacher said of the fight between Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez and Capt. Phillip Esposito. "I was appalled."
Schumacher was among more than a dozen witnesses who described the soldiers' working relationship as difficult and strained, and who described the company commander, Esposito, as bringing an active-duty sense of urgency to the relaxed National Guard unit.
The testimony came at an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a civilian grand jury proceeding, where a hearing officer will decide whether to recommend a court-martial. Martinez, 40, of Troy, N.Y., is the only soldier charged with killing his commanding officer since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Esposito, 30, of Suffern, N.Y., and 1st Lt. Louis Allen, 34, of Milford, Pa., the unit's operations officer, died in June 2005 from injuries sustained when several grenades and a mine were set off in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces near Tikrit, Iraq.
Martinez is also charged with illegally giving government printers and copiers to an Iraqi and illegally possessing a firearm, alcohol and explosives. Barbara Allen has said her husband and Esposito were investigating Martinez for giving away Army office equipment.
A judge has allowed the defense to present mitigating evidence, which might include details of Martinez's mental capacity. The hearing's presiding officer, Army Reserve Col. William Deneke, will make a recommendation to 18th Airborne Corps commander Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III on whether Martinez should be court-martialed. He would face a death sentence if convicted on charges of premeditated murder.
Schumacher said Martinez was overwhelmed by an influx of equipment following the company's move to Fort Drum, N.Y., as it prepared to deploy to Iraq. The company supply room grew from a repository of equipment and weapons for about 100 soldiers in peacetime to nearly 500 getting ready for war, she said.
He eventually got some help from Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez, who served as Martinez's assistant and is now the company's supply sergeant. Rodriguez testified his past units had been stricter than the 42nd Infantry, which last deployed in World War II before its tour in Iraq.
"Everybody went by their first name," he said. "Everything seemed a little laid back."
That changed when Esposito, a West Point graduate, took over the company, he said. While other commanders let their soldiers leave at the end of the day, Esposito had long daily meetings for section chiefs — including Martinez.
"There were soldiers who weren't happy with the command at all, a lot," Rodriguez testified. "He was your typical active duty captain. When he spoke, he expected it to be done."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071019/ap_on_re_us/iraq_officers_killed;_ylt=Ak3CujroRqHjiiLrOsjj0LJv zwcF
"It wasn't pretty," Sgt. 1st Class Peggy Schumacher said of the fight between Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez and Capt. Phillip Esposito. "I was appalled."
Schumacher was among more than a dozen witnesses who described the soldiers' working relationship as difficult and strained, and who described the company commander, Esposito, as bringing an active-duty sense of urgency to the relaxed National Guard unit.
The testimony came at an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a civilian grand jury proceeding, where a hearing officer will decide whether to recommend a court-martial. Martinez, 40, of Troy, N.Y., is the only soldier charged with killing his commanding officer since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Esposito, 30, of Suffern, N.Y., and 1st Lt. Louis Allen, 34, of Milford, Pa., the unit's operations officer, died in June 2005 from injuries sustained when several grenades and a mine were set off in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces near Tikrit, Iraq.
Martinez is also charged with illegally giving government printers and copiers to an Iraqi and illegally possessing a firearm, alcohol and explosives. Barbara Allen has said her husband and Esposito were investigating Martinez for giving away Army office equipment.
A judge has allowed the defense to present mitigating evidence, which might include details of Martinez's mental capacity. The hearing's presiding officer, Army Reserve Col. William Deneke, will make a recommendation to 18th Airborne Corps commander Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III on whether Martinez should be court-martialed. He would face a death sentence if convicted on charges of premeditated murder.
Schumacher said Martinez was overwhelmed by an influx of equipment following the company's move to Fort Drum, N.Y., as it prepared to deploy to Iraq. The company supply room grew from a repository of equipment and weapons for about 100 soldiers in peacetime to nearly 500 getting ready for war, she said.
He eventually got some help from Staff Sgt. Juan Rodriguez, who served as Martinez's assistant and is now the company's supply sergeant. Rodriguez testified his past units had been stricter than the 42nd Infantry, which last deployed in World War II before its tour in Iraq.
"Everybody went by their first name," he said. "Everything seemed a little laid back."
That changed when Esposito, a West Point graduate, took over the company, he said. While other commanders let their soldiers leave at the end of the day, Esposito had long daily meetings for section chiefs — including Martinez.
"There were soldiers who weren't happy with the command at all, a lot," Rodriguez testified. "He was your typical active duty captain. When he spoke, he expected it to be done."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071019/ap_on_re_us/iraq_officers_killed;_ylt=Ak3CujroRqHjiiLrOsjj0LJv zwcF