Nightline: phone interview with jailed GI - accused of premeditated murder

[Bozita]

Aug. 2, 2006 --

Shoot to Kill

After two internal inquiries into a mission that had taken place in northern Iraq on May 9, the 22-year-old Pfc. Corey Clagett and three other soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division expected to return to their duties without a stain on their characters. Within a month, however, three of the four had been arrested, accused of premeditated murder, and placed in a U.S. military jail in Kuwait.

Speaking by telephone from his prison cell, in an exclusive interview with "Nightline" anchor Martin Bashir, Clagett defended his actions and expressed anger toward the military for pressing charges against him. "I was trained to do the right thing," he said, "and I did do that. And it's like I was a hero one day, and I was being treated like that one day, and now I'm in a prison facility in Kuwait."

Too Hot

"Nightline's" Vicki Mabrey has been on the road today reporting on the heat wave. She traveled to Boston to visit the control room of the energy company NSTAR as it tries to manage its power grid with temperatures hitting triple digits. Vicki will also report live from the streets of Times Square in New York, which has dimmed many of its lights in an effort to conserve power.

White House Renovation

You've seen it many times on "The West Wing" and in movies like "The American President" and "Patriot Games." It always seems so glamorous -- the blue curtain, the bright lights and the hoards of journalists firing questions. Well, in real life, it's a dump. It's cramped, dirty and overcrowded. So the president stopped by the briefing room to tell the press corps, "We feel your pain." White House Correspondent Jessica Yellin takes us on a tour of the real White House briefing room on the day it's closing for renovation.

We hope you'll join us.

Dan Green, Senior Producer
and the Nightline Staff
ABC News Washington Bureau

[laststeamtrain]

1. Thanks for the heads up. n/t

[Bozita]

2. Story runs for the first 12 minutes. It ain't pretty.

Troops claim that orders were given to kill all males of military age.

This shit is intolerable.

[Selatius]

3. Serb units did the same to Bosnians and others

There would be such orders as, for example, the rounding up of all males older than 14 for execution. This and other reasons are why several former high-ranking members of the Serbian government have been indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

[Bozita]

4. With the Serbs, blame moved up the command chain

At My Lai, the blame went as high as Lt. William Calley.

IMHO, this will be a lot more like My Lai than Bosnia.

[Selatius]

5. It shouldn't be.

If this guy is telling the truth that he was just "following orders," then he should be imprisoned but not before those who gave the orders are also put into prison. If justice compels us to reconvene a 2nd Nuremberg Trial, then it should be done.

[Bozita]

6. Other grunts in the unit have told ABC that those were the orders

We're talking about soldiers who are not part of this case.

[Bozita]

7. Check out the first 12 min. LEFTCOAST ALERT

Our great-grandchildren will be paying (in more than dollars) for this.