Afghanistan massacre: Bales was denied promotion before incident

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-robert-bales-afghanistan-massacre-20121107,0,5248298.story


Afghanistan massacre: Bales was denied promotion before incident
By Kim Murphy
November 7, 2012, 1:12 p.m.

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. — Military prosecutors Wednesday painted a picture of increasing frustration for Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales — passed over for promotion at work, unhappy with his family — in the weeks before he allegedly killed 16 civilians in a middle-of-the-night shooting rampage in southern Afghanistan.

Questioning one of Bales’ closest Army friends, 1st Sgt. Vernon Bigham, prosecutor Lt. Col. Joseph Morse repeatedly asked about Bales’ expressions of unhappiness about much of his life, including the strict rules of engagement that prevented his unit from being “aggressive” with Afghans and his strong belief that he should have been promoted to sergeant first class just before the March 11 killings.

The prosecutor also zeroed in on Bales’ negative statements about his home life, which U.S. officials have said could have been part of what motivated the attacks.

Bales, a 39-year-old veteran of four combat deployments, is the subject of a two-week preliminary hearing, accused of conducting attacks on four housing compounds in the villages of Alkozai and Najiban, killing 16 people and wounding six. The Article 32 hearing will determine whether he should be court-martialed on charges of premeditated murder, a charge that carries a potential death penalty.