JAG CENTRAL

SGT Hasan Akbar, after first day of testimony (AP via NY Times)

From the New York Times, Trial Opens for Sergeant Accused of Killing 2 Officers ("His mental condition is a central issue. His lawyers do not dispute that Sergeant Akbar, a member of an engineer battalion at Camp Pennsylvania in the Kuwaiti desert, ambushed three tents as their occupants got ready for bed on the night of March 23, 2003. But, the lawyers say, he was too mentally disturbed to have planned the attack, which also injured 14 people. Anticipating that defense argument, prosecutors promised to provide a "unique look into Sergeant Akbar's mind" through testimony and evidence, including his diary. "When he deployed, he was going to kill these soldiers," said Capt. John Benson, a member of the prosecution team."); Sergeant Guilty of Mistreating Recruits ("An Army drill sergeant who admitted to striking a recruit, dragging another by his ankles and forcing a third to swallow his own vomit was found guilty of maltreatment and obstructing justice, but will not face jail time, a military judge ruled. The drill instructor, Sgt. First Class David Price, 36, will have his rank reduced by a grade to staff sergeant, the military judge, Lt. Col. Richard Anderson, ruled after a court-martial at Fort Knox. Sergeant Price had faced up to a year in prison and a discharge for bad conduct. Three other drill sergeants under his command are charged in the incidents and face court-martial in May and June. A captain has also been charged with dereliction of duty for allegedly failing to stop the abuse.").