A SPECIAL CLASS OF PEOPLE

For this father, the military in combat can do no wrong. This is perhaps a reflection of the attitude that we shouldn't closely question a 4-star general.

Father of soldier charged with murder says son did nothing wrong
The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 09/28/2007 01:58:49 PM MDT
Posted: 2:01 PM- IDAHO FALLS, Idaho - Curtis Carnahan is convinced his son did nothing wrong. He's also certain the horror of war is to blame for the legal troubles facing Sgt. Evan Vela, a U.S. Army sniper who was serving in Iraq.

This summer, Vela and two other soldiers were charged with crimes related to the April and May shooting deaths of unarmed Iraqi men and subsequent efforts to cover it up. ... Army lawyers say Vela took part in the May shooting, placed a weapon on the man's remains, made false statements to investigators and obstructed justice.

Carnahan, 44, said it's unbelievable his son could be charged with such crimes during a war. "If we're going to start prosecuting our soldiers for this type of thing, we might as well just roll the whole show up," Carnahan told the Post-Register before leaving this week for Iraq, where he intends to testify in his son's upcoming preliminary hearing.

"It's absolutely wrong to prosecute soldiers who are in combat," he said.