Local News

Sgt. 1st Class Barret W. McNabb (Department of Defense photo)

Sgt. 1st Class Sgt. Barett W. McNabb, a Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier on his fourth overseas deployment, died Tuesday in Afghanistan from a roadside bomb attack.

McNabb, 33, was the 12th soldier from the military base of south of Tacoma to die in Afghanistan in 2012, with most of those deaths occurring in the past few months, according to a base official

McNabb was from Chino Valley, Arizona, according to an Army statement released Thursday.

“Sgt. 1st Class McNabb was an inspirational and highly motivated leader who always put the needs of his Sappers [engineer Soldiers] before his own,” said 1st Lt. Robert Gold, executive officer of the 562nd Engineer Company, which is part of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat team, 2nd Infantry Division.

McNabb’s brigade deployed to Afghanistan in late April, and has lost four soldiers since arriving there and taking up positions in the southern province of Kandahar.

McNabb joined the Army in November, 1999. He deployed to Kuwait in 2001, and twice to Iraq before he went to Afghanistan this spring.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and the Army Commendation with Valor.

Kari Bales, the wife of the Army staff sergeant accused in the massacre of 17 Afghan civilians, has given a brief  interview to a Washington military publication and Website.

She talks about the how she and her children are doing and how difficult it has been to come to grips with her situation, and the support she’s received.

Bales and her two children, ages 5 and 3, moved from their Lake Tapps home to the security of Joint Base Lewis-McChord after receiving news that her husband, on his third combat deployment,  was in custody for the March 11 attacks near Kandahar.

The interview can be found here.

Here is a press release from the U.S. Forces on the charges against Robert Bales in the killing of Afghan civilians.

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Weather: We’ve finally struck gold with the weather forecast. Mostly sunny with temperatures hitting the 50s today, and a sunny Saturday expected. The National Weather Service forecast.

Traffic: The Alaskan Way Viaduct will close this weekend from 6 a.m. Saturday until 5 a.m. Monday for construction. The closure will surely be a nuisance to some, but the work will help prevent rock showers from falling on pedestrians and drivers under the viaduct. The map and cams.

Afghan killings: The military will formally charge Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales with 17 counts of murder Friday, according to a U.S. official. The murder charges indicate Army prosecutors have concluded that the slayings were premeditated. We’ll be following the story today.

Courthouse dog: A yellow Labrador retriever is on trial as a courthouse dog to see if an animal companion will calm people appearing in court in Pierce County.

The Hunger Games: Fans stayed up to watch “The Hunger Games,” which opened late last night in Seattle-area theaters. Times movie critic Moira Macdonald called the film a smart, tense adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ mega-best-selling novel.

Most-read stories this morning on seattletimes.com:

The Seattle lawyer for a U.S. Army sergeant suspected of killing 16 Afghan villagers says he is flying to Kansas to meet with his client, the Associated Press reported.

John Henry Browne of Seattle says he plans to meet with Robert Bales on Monday. Bales is being held in an isolated cell at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.’s military prison.

The 10-year veteran hasn’t been charged yet in the shootings, which have endangered relations between the U.S. and Afghanistan and threaten to upend U.S. policy over the decade-old war.

Weather: Scattered snow showers this morning changing to rain showers as temperatures rise. The National Weather Service forecast.

Traffic: The map and cams.

Afghan killings: Two conflicting images of Robert Bales, the Army staff sergeant accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians, have emerged: one, a picture of a jocular high-school football player who became a family man and respected soldier; the other, of someone dealing with apparent financial stress, failed advancement and previous run-ins with police.

Space treasures: A geology professor affiliated with the University of Washington and two brothers have formed an unlikely trio of treasure hunters seeking valuable chunks of meteorites scattered across the world. But, they’re not in it for the money, says one brother. “This was a form of treasure-hunting, but a lot more rewarding than just going after gold. We could hunt for something with scientific value.”

A brother gone missing:  A sister describes the heartbreak her family endured when her older brother, a charismatic musician with schizophrenia, disappeared in 1993 without a trace. The search for her brother finally ended in 2010.

David Estrada holds up three fingers to signify his hat trick, much to the delight of teammate Fredy Montero, in the Sounders' 3-1 victory. (Photo by Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)

Hat-trick victory: Sounders FC forward David Estrada scored three goals on opening night to lead Seattle to a 3-1 victory last night against Toronto FC. That takes a lot of skill, but wearing Kelly green on St. Patrick’s Day might have brought an extra stroke of luck.

Most-read stories this morning on seattletimes.com:

1. Friends call Afghan killing suspect Robert Bales trusted soldier, family man
2. Gay leaders from Israel snubbed by Seattle’s gay commission
3. Hawks sign D-lineman, while quarterback Flynn visits Miami
4. A soldier’s life: Pride and pain
5. David Estrada nets a hat trick in Sounders’ opening MLS victory

Weather: Today, you don’t need the National Weather Service to tell you the chance of precipitation is 100 percent. In fact, snow is falling in the Seattle area this morning, although it’s expected to change to rain as temperatures warm a bit. Some may see snow again overnight, though warmer temperatures during the day won’t keep the flakes around for too long. The National Weather Service forecast.

Traffic: The map and cams.

Turmoil at Joint Base Lewis-McChord: A senior U.S. official yesterday identified the suspect of the Afghan killings as Staff Sgt. Robert Bales from Lake Tapps. We’ll be updating our story today with any new developments.

Firebomb maker: 32-year-old Justin Solondz was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the 2001 arson at the University of Washington’s Center for Urban Horticulture. Solondz built a firebomb that was planted in a professor’s office and caused more than $6 million in damage. Solondz had been evading arrest by using a fake Canadian ID in China until he was arrested on drug charges in 2009.

On a lighter note: You could see Donald Duck disembark from a cruise ship this summer when Disney Cruise Line comes to town. But don’t think Mickey Mouse will be a longtime regular at Starbucks, because the cruise line will dock in Vancouver, B.C., in 2013.

Julien Behal / AP

Wearing green? If you’re not, don’t complain if you’re pinched today for violating the rules of St. Patrick’s Day. See where you can celebrate with a green beer or a more gourmet Irish meal.

Most-read stories this morning on seattletimes.com:

1. Friends call Afghan killing suspect Robert Bales trusted soldier, family man
2. Jennifer Lawrence: ‘Hunger Games’ important for ‘our generation’
3. Huskies take a step closer to winning a championship
4. Manning’s decision will undoubtedly impact Seahawks
5. Mike Daisey embroiled in ‘This American Life’ controversy

From the Associated Press:

Update 3:40 p.m. A senior U.S. official says the soldier accused in the killing of 16 Afghan civilians is Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation into an incident that has roiled relations with Afghanistan.

American officials had previously said the suspect was a 38-year-old staff sergeant and that he had spent 11 years in the Army. But they had refused to release his name, saying it is military policy to publicly name a suspect only after he has been charged with an offense.

Bales has not yet been charged. He was being flown Friday from Kuwait to a military detention center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Earlier

U.S. official: Suspect in killing of Afghan civilians identified as Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the Associated Press reports.

For more on this developing story:

• Suspect in Afghan killings identified as Staff Sgt. Robert Bales
• Lawyer: Accused soldier was reluctant to deploy to Afghanistan

An elderly Afghan man sits next to the covered body of a person who was killed by a U.S. service member in Panjwai, Kandahar province south of Kabul on Sunday, March 11 (AP Photo/Allauddin Khan).

UPDATE: 4:43 p.m.

As the national and international press continues to report on the Afghan killings, more attention is being focused on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, now increasingly described in broadcast, Internet and print reports as the most troubled base in the U.S.

Seattle Times reporter Hal Bernton’s story today, and much of his previous reporting, touched on many of the problems — and some of the stories reported by the national media draw from that story and another that ran in 2010 in the Stars and Stripes.

“As authorities investigate the circumstances of the deaths, international attention has turned to Lewis-McChord, a military base with a troubled and bloody history,” ABC Nightline reports. The news site has posted eight “infamous incidents” involving soldiers from Lewis-McChord on its website.

The Los Angeles Times is also describing the base as “one of the most troubled in the army.”  CBS News correspondent Ben Tracey is describing it as “one of the most troubled in the entire U.S. military.”  The U.K.’s Guardian describes Lewis-McChord as “no stranger to scandal.” And the International Business Times is running a lengthy timeline of problems at Lewis-McChord under the headline “Afghanistan shooting timeline: What’s really happening at Joint Base Lewis-McChord”.

Other headlines: “Afghan suspect’s US base ‘most troubled’” (Fox News), “Massacre another chapter of shame for the US military’s ‘most troubled’ base” (Sydney Morning Herald), “The Troubles at Joint Base Lewis-McChord” (KUOW).
UPDATE 3:42 p.m.

Seattle Times reporter Sandi Doughton reports from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where the mood is uneasy and journalists outnumber customers at some shops:

Many uniformed personnel shrugged off questions about the shootings in Afghanistan. Those who discussed it said they fear the consequences for their fellow troops in-country.

“I’m worried another war might break out,” said Specialist Eric Windley, of Connecticut. “They are going to retaliate.”

Coffee Strong, a pro-troop, anti-war Internet cafe near the base, had planned to hold a vigil for the 16 Afghans killed, but has since dropped those plans for fear it would be taken as a criticism of the thousands of soldiers at the base who did nothing wrong.

UPDATE: 2:56 p.m.

In two interviews with CBS News affiliates Monday, President Obama told why he doesn’t think the shooting of Afghan civilians on Sunday should prompt the U.S. to speed up its exit from Afghanistan.

“I think it’s important for us just to make sure that we are not … in Afghanistan longer than we need to be,” Mr. Obama said in an interview with Denver CBS affiliate KCNC television.

In a separate interview with Pittsburgh CBS affiliate KDKA, Mr Obama said, “it’s important for us to make sure that we get out in responsible way, so that we don’t end up having to go back in…but what we don’t want to do is to do it in a way that is just a rush for the exits.”

Meanwhile, Republican candidate Newt Gingrich has said he thinks the U.S. should leave Afghanistan as soon as possible. Candidate Mitt Romney has been critical of Obama for not being more clear about the mission’s goals, but this Washington Post analysis describes his position as not too different from Obama’s.

“As the past days have shown, Republicans face a debate within their party over what to do about a conflict whose objectives are so difficult to define and whose costs have been enormous,” Washington Post reporter Dan Balz wrote.

UPDATE 2:30 p.m.

CNN is reporting that the soldier suspected of killing 16 Afghans was a trained infantry sniper, and that he was injured in a roll-over accident in 2010 in Iraq, suffering a traumatic brain injury. However, he was found fit for duty.

CNN also reports that his family has been moved on to Joint Base Lewis-McChord for their safety.

UPDATE: 2:10 p.m.

A military defense attorney told MSNBC Monday that the solider accused of killing 16 Afghans near Kandahar could face the death penalty. The report described it as “one of the worst cases of alleged mass murder by a U.S. service member since the Vietnam War.”

“Based on what we’re hearing I suspect this will be prosecuted as a death penalty case,” Philip Cave, a Washington-based military defense attorney told msnbc.com. “You’ve got felony murder, and certainly the number of victims and the circumstances -– very young children as victims –- I think there will be sufficient grounds to move forward as a death penalty case.”

UPDATE: 1:47 p.m.

Seattle Times military reporter Hal Bernton, who covered the trial of Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs in 2011, said one of the major differences between Gibbs’ crimes and the killings Sunday is that the media had immediate access to the scene in Kandahar.

Watch a video from Pajhwok Afghan News showing aftermath of attack (Warning: graphic images):

Gibbs was convicted in the killing of three unarmed Afghan civilians on three separate occasions. All three killings occurred in remote areas of Afghanistan, and were covered up.

“We didn’t hear about those crimes until well after the fact,” said Bernton, who also knows Afghanistan first-hand — he was embedded with one of the Stryker brigades in 2010.

In the case of the killing Sunday, journalists “learned about it right away and were able to travel to the crime scene,” he said. Not only were reporters able to interview witnesses immediately, but they were also able to take photos of the scene of the crime.

UPDATE: 12:29 p.m.

The Army staff sergeant who allegedly went on a rampage and killed 16 Afghans as they slept in their homes had a traumatic brain injury at one point and had problems at home after his last deployment, officials told ABC News.

An official told ABC News that the soldier has suffered a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the past, either from hitting his head on the hatch of a vehicle or in a car accident. He went through the advanced TBI treatment at Fort Lewis and was deemed to be fine.

He also underwent mental health screening necessary to become a sniper and passed in 2008. He had routine behavioral health screening after that and was cleared, the official said.

According to the report, the man was also having marital troubles.

Here’s video from ABC News:

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