U.S. Military Identifies Sergeant Charged in Baghdad Shooting

I must admit the quickness of this information release actually surprises me. I truly thought the name would be buried in some kind of NCIS type coverup.

Kudo's to the United States Military for fast information on what is certainly a sensitive issue.

The U.S. military announced on Tuesday that Sgt. John M. Russell, of the 54th Engineer Battalion, has been charged in the shooting that killed five service members at a combat stress clinic here on Monday.


Russell, 44, is from Sherman, Texas and is serving his third mission in Iraq, according to US military sources. He has now ruined his honor by being charged with five counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault.

Two of the slain service members were officers who worked at the combat stress clinic at Camp Liberty. Confirmed dead are a Navy officer and the other was in the Army. The three other victims were enlisted.

He had been asked to seek counseling and actually had taken away his weapon away. That measure is typically taken when soldiers exhibit violent or suicidal behavior.

No one is sure where he got the weapon used or what type of weapon, this information has not been released.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and President Obama vowed to conduct a thorough investigation.

"I would like to express my horror and deep regret for today's shooting incident," Gates said at a briefing at the Pentagon. "Such a tragic loss of life at the hands of our own forces is a cause for great and urgent concern."

Something must be done her President Obama...maybe, just maybe it's time to end this war and bring all of Nato's brave son's and daughter's home.