Army man gets sick at sight of corpse

[Jobber of the Week 0]

The Army dismissed a cowardice charge but filed another count against an Army interrogator who sought counseling after he saw the body of an Iraqi man cut in half by American fire.

 

Staff Sgt. Georg-Andreas Pogany was charged with dereliction of duty, according to a statement released Thursday afternoon by Fort Carson officials. A military court hearing set Friday for Pogany was canceled.

 

The new charge was filed by the company commander, the statement said. "He believes that this charge is most appropriate to address the alleged misconduct based upon the evidence that is currently available," the statement said.

 

Army officials did not immediately return phone calls for comment, nor did Pogany's attorney return a telephone message.

 

After seeing the mangled corpse, Pogany says he began shaking and vomiting and feared for his life. Soon, Pogany says, he had trouble sleeping and started suffering what he thought were panic attacks.

 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...1852EST0802.DTL

[NoCalMike 0]

Ok let me get this straight. A man sees a corpse cut in half, becomes ill, has some nightmares, and that is grounds to be brought up on criminal charges?

[Guest JMA]

I don't blame the guy...

 

[Ace309 0]

After seeing the mangled corpse, Pogany says he began shaking and vomiting and feared for his life.

 

On the battlefields? What a completely left-field response. I can't imagine where he'd get that from.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

Staff Sgt. Georg-Andreas Pogany... An Army of One.

 

Seriously, the Army should mentioned the psychological battle scars in the adverts. That'll draw the kids in.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Next thing you know they'll court-martial some guy for busting up a terrorist plot by firing his gun with an Iraqi prisoner in the room.

 

Oh, wait...

[Guest Anglesault]

I had no clue that if I ENLISTED in the army there was a somewhat outside chance that I'd see a body on a battle field.

 

Thank to Staff Sgt. Georg-Andreas Pogany, I am now aware of this well kept secret.

 

Thank you, Staff Sgt. Georg-Andreas Pogany!

[Highland 0]

It's called shell shock, and while he's suffering from it he's a danger to his fellow soldiers. The article is obviously not telling the whole story, mainly what the misconduct was. I really doubt that having the shakes, getting sick and having nightmares is "misconduct", but then I could be wrong.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

The article is obviously not telling the whole story, mainly what the misconduct was.

From an older article before the charge was changed:

 

After seeing the mangled corpse, Pogany says he began shaking and vomiting and feared for his life. Soon, Pogany says, he had trouble sleeping and started suffering what he thought were panic attacks.

 

Six weeks later, Pogany, 32, was charged with cowardice, a count that he said was filed after he sought counseling. Pogany denies that he acted in a cowardly way.

 

"What is tragic about this is the message being sent to other soldiers," Pogany said recently. "It's not about me."

 

Cowardice violations can be punished by death. Military code does not include a minimum sentence.

 

Army officials have declined to discuss the case.

 

Cowardice charges are rare. The last such conviction in the Army occurred during the Vietnam War. Charges were filed against a married couple during the Gulf War, but reduced to mistreatment of public property, said Eugene Fidell, president of the National Institute of Military Justice.

 

"You have to look pretty hard to find any of these cases," Fidell said. "We have a well-trained army that is a motivated one."

 

(...)

 

Assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group, Pogany was attached to a team of Green Berets on Sept. 26 when he departed for Iraq. He declined to discuss his responsibilities, citing security issues.

 

Three days later, he was standing in a U.S. compound near Samarra north of Baghdad when soldiers brought in the Iraqi man's bloody body. The soldiers told Pogany the man was killed after he was seen shooting a rocket-propelled grenade.

 

Pogany said he was shaken, couldn't focus and kept vomiting. He told his commanders he believed he was suffering from panic attacks or a nervous breakdown and requested counseling.

 

At least one officer suggested he consider what such a request would do to his career, Pogany said. When he sought help, "I was told that I was wasting their time," Pogany said.

 

Pogany was examined by psychologist Capt. Marc Houck, who concluded he had signs consistent with normal combat stress reaction. Houck recommended Pogany be given a brief rest before returning to duty, but he was sent home to Fort Carson in mid-October and charged with "cowardly conduct as a result of fear."

 

Pogany said he asked three times to be given time to adjust and complete the recommended treatment while in Iraq.

 

Pogany said he can offer a credible defense. "If the Army decides to go down the route of character assassination, I have plenty to show I have been a good soldier for five years," he said.

 

His attorney, Richard Travis, speculated that Pogany may have received more help if he had been assigned to another unit.

 

"All he wanted was some help dealing with the physical reaction he was having, including vomiting, shaking and inability to sleep," Travis said.

 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...1516EST0684.DTL

[Highland 0]

It sounds to me he's being made an example of to the other soldiers.

[Guest MD2020]

Man, Patton must be rolling in his grave...

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Well if the guy's having panic attacks, he's no longer useful and needs to be discharged.