"The way to have good soldiers is to treat them rightly...
A private soldier has as much right to
justice as a major general."
Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865
Defend a Man, A Son, A Brother, A Husband, and A Father.....
DEFEND A SOLDIER
Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan and his wife, Alyssa have two children, a son, Jarom, who is four years old, and a daughter, Blair, who just turned a year old on March 13th. In 2004, at the age of 21, Sgt. Vela Carnahan volunteered to join the Army and was planning on making the military his career.
Sgt. Vela Carnahan immediately showed his dedication and commitment to succeed in the Army by completing Airborne, Expert Infantry, and Ranger training. He was then assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, which is based out of Fort Richardson, Alaska.
In Iraq, Sgt. Vela Carnahan served as a member of a sniper squad which operated behind enemy lines for over nine continuous months in one of Iraq’s most dangerous areas, a hostile Sunni Arab region south of Bagdad near Iskandariyah, known as the “Triangle of Death”. In the spring of 2007, Staff Sgt. Michael A. Hensley, an expert marksman became team leader of the sniper squad. By that time, the sniper squad was under tremendous pressure from field commanders who were disappointed with the kill rate and were seeking higher enemy body counts; the squad had taken heavy casualties with very few confirmed kills. Shortly after Staff Sgt. Hensley became team leader, the sniper squad began racking up kills.
The increase in kills, according to Staff Sgt. Michael Hensley’s testimony, was due in part to the reduction of the restrictive Rules of Engagement. The new standard given to him by commanding officers was that anyone deemed a threat was to be eliminated, regardless of whether they were armed or unarmed.
In addition, the kill rate also increased because of a classified new baiting technique that used fake explosives and detonation wires as “bait” to lure and kill suspected insurgents. In late January this “baiting program” was introduced to Staff Sgt. Hensley and a select few members of the 1st Battalion.
According to sworn statements from former platoon leader, Captain Matthew Didier, the U.S. Military’s Asymmetric Warfare Group visited the unit in January 2007 and asked about placing weapons at locations near Iskandariyah. In Didier’s statement, “A few days later the Battalion Operations officer came to us with items (fake detonation cord, C-4, wires, AK-47 rounds, AK-47 magazines) we could place in or around known cache areas or likely cache spots". “If we happened to see the individuals take the items we would engage the enemy to destroy an enemy." The Army has declined to confirm that the baiting program exists.
In May 2007, Staff Sgt. Hensley was leading a five-man sniper unit, which included Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan, on a pair of back-to-back missions. The unit hiked under the cover of night carrying 150-lb. rucksacks and crossing several marshy canals with chest-high water to reach their destination by dawn. At their destination, they immediately broke into two or three man teams to conduct surveillance all day long in the 120 degree heat, while trying to conserve the three or four liters of water per man they had carried in. Some of the men, in order to just stay mobile and to fight off severe headaches began administering hydrating IV’s. By the end of the second day, in addition to suffering from exhaustion, the men were suffering from dehydration and the effects of acute sleep deprivation. The soldiers were not allowed to sleep more than fifteen minutes at a time, and by the fourth day, the day of the shooting, they had slept no more than 3-4 hours over the previous 78-hour period.
On Friday May 11th, 2007, still deep in hostile territory, the ailing squad consolidated and holed up to try to get a few hours of uninterrupted rest in their “hide”, which is an area where snipers can observe targets without being seen. The “hide” in this case was overlooking a village that was suspected of being controlled by Sunni insurgents. Each man took turns guarding the others for an hour, but despite his best efforts, Sgt. Vela Carnahan fell asleep during his one-hour turn. When Sgt. Vela Carnahan awoke, he found Al-Janabi, an Iraqi national, standing just a few feet from him. Sgt. Vela Carnahan immediately started trying to wake-up the rest of the men, informing them that their position had been compromised. When Staff Sgt. Hensley awoke and understood the seriousness of the situation, he immediately took charge and pinned Al-Janabi to the ground and searched him. Shortly thereafter, Al-Janabi’s 17-year old son followed his father into the “hide” area.
Al-Janabi and his son were held captive by Staff Sgt. Hensley and his men until Staff Sgt. Hensley spotted several Iraqi military-aged men in the distance. Al-Janabi started to become very loud and was thrashing about making a lot of noise and Staff Sgt. Hensley became concerned that Al-Janabi would alert the other Iraqi’s in the area. Staff Sgt. Hensley testified that Al-Janabi was making too much noise and he thought the only way to protect his men was to take Al-Janabi’s life. He released Al-Janabi’s son and ordered everyone except Sgt. Vela Carnahan to leave. Staff Sgt. Hensley then ordered Sgt. Vela Carnahan to load his 9-millimeter pistol and made four calls to command post to support a cover story. After completing the calls, Staff Sgt. Hensley ordered Sgt. Vela Carnahan to fire, and Sgt. Vela Carnahan being a sniper who was conditioned to pull the trigger on the order to shoot, reflexively complied.
After the shooting, Staff Sgt. Hensley pulled out an AK-47, a weapon favored by insurgents, and placed it near Al-Janabi’s body. At Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan’s trial, Sgt. Hensley testified, “It wasn’t uncommon for us to have to plant stuff like that out there” and that they often carried incriminating items to plant on Iraqi’s as “insurance”, in case they needed to create a cover story for American investigators after a shooting. The “insurance” was needed, because even though their superiors were pressing the squad to increase their kill rate, they held out the threat of prosecution for “unjust shootings” based upon Rules of Engagement. These Rules of Engagement are frightening our soldiers into having to carry “insurance” because of their fear that they will be charged by their own Country with murder or war crimes for making decisions to defend themselves.
The Army CID investigation of the shooting of Al-Janabi was initiated in June 2007 after two specialists in the sniper unit were caught sleeping. Facing reprimands, the two men alerted Army officials to what they suspected was a baiting program. One of the soldier’s who came forward with the allegations later told the court that he believed the classified items were for dropping on people the unit had killed, "to enforce if we killed somebody that we knew was a bad guy but we didn't have the evidence to show for it."
In his testimony at Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan’s trial, Staff Sgt. Hensley, endeavored to justify the killing, saying that Al-Janabi would not stop yelling, crying and "flopping around like a fish" despite repeated efforts to silence him. It was then that Hensley says he decided, for the safety of his men, that Al-Janabi had to die. "I thought that he was trying to alert insurgents," Hensley said. "I felt like I had no choice or we would be further compromised." He says he asked Sgt. Vela Carnahan, who had a pistol trained on the man, if he was ready, and then he told him to shoot. Sgt. Vela Carnahan pulled the trigger and the man died of that single bullet to the head. When asked why he didn't shoot Al-Janabi himself, Hensley said, "Vela happened to be the one with the pistol. I would have gladly shot him myself."
Staff Sgt. Michael Hensley was tried in Bagdad and acquitted of murder but convicted of planting evidence. He was sentenced to 135 days confinement, which was equal to time served, received a letter of reprimand, and was reduced in rank to Sergeant.
Specialist Jorge G. Sandoval, Jr. was acquitted of murder of Al -Janabi, but convicted of planting command wire to mislead investigators in a separate incident. He received a sentence of five months, which was equal to time served, a letter of reprimand, and was also reduced in rank.
Prior to the trial of Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan, his family felt that the Sergeant had become a political sacrifice to U.S.-Iraqi relations. According to Sgt. Vela Carnahan’s father, Curtis Carnahan, who, along with Sgt. Vela Carnahan’s wife flew to Baghdad to attend the trial, "My son's commanding generals want somebody to be guilty of something so they can appease their Iraqi counterparts. They have tried this killing two times already and have no murder convictions to show for it. I know my son did not do anything wrong and I am optimistic the jury will agree."
Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan’s trial was held in Bagdad shortly after Staff Sgt. Hensley’s trial. High-ranking members of the Iraqi government and Al-Janabi’s son attended the trial on a daily basis, and Curtis Carnahan believes that their presence influenced the panel in reaching the final verdict. Sgt. Vela Carnahan was convicted of murder without premeditation, aiding and abetting in the planting of evidence, and of lying to military investigators about the incident. He was sentenced to 10-years in Prison.
Sgt. First Class Steven Kipling, Sergeant Vela Carnahan’s former platoon commander, said the shooting of Al-Janabi was a result of Iraq’s violent environment and the often difficult and confusing choices that servicemen have to make on a daily basis. He said that if the actions of every combat serviceman in Iraq were subjected to the same scrutiny as Sergeant Vela’s, “we would have thousands” of cases.
Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan volunteered for the Army during a time of war, and fought for our Country behind enemy lines under extreme conditions. Sgt. Vela Carnahan followed the direct orders of Staff Sgt. Hensley, who at the time he gave the order to shoot, felt it was the only option he had to protect his men. For his bravery, for volunteering to serve his Country during a time of war, and for following orders, we reward Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan with 10-years in prison.
Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan’s parents are proud Americans, with four children, two who serve our country in the Armed Forces; Evan in the Army and Cory who is a six year veteran in the Navy. They fly our Country’s flag with pride at their home and are a hard working, blue-collar family that has always believed that they could take care of their own problems, as well as those of their children. Yet in this instance, they have exhausted all of their resources. They have mortgaged their home, drained their savings accounts, and gotten as much help from family and friends as possible. They have given their children and their financial security to this war.
Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan is not a murderer, he is a brave American Soldier who has served his Country and deserves to be pardoned so that he can go home and resume his life with his family.
In closing, I would like to think that this is an unfortunate and isolated case. However, that is apparently not the truth. There are now numerous men who have volunteered and served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan who are facing prison for following orders, and / or for making difficult decisions during a time of war. People who are not on the frontline of the war have the luxury of second-guessing, they are not in the heat of battle or behind enemy lines having to make life and death decisions. These soldiers represent the very best of America, they have volunteered to fight the war on terror for our Country, they have put their bodies and lives on the line for us. They deserve to be recognized as the heroes they are, and not be imprisoned by their own Country.
Sgt. Vela Carnahan immediately showed his dedication and commitment to succeed in the Army by completing Airborne, Expert Infantry, and Ranger training. He was then assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, which is based out of Fort Richardson, Alaska.
In Iraq, Sgt. Vela Carnahan served as a member of a sniper squad which operated behind enemy lines for over nine continuous months in one of Iraq’s most dangerous areas, a hostile Sunni Arab region south of Bagdad near Iskandariyah, known as the “Triangle of Death”. In the spring of 2007, Staff Sgt. Michael A. Hensley, an expert marksman became team leader of the sniper squad. By that time, the sniper squad was under tremendous pressure from field commanders who were disappointed with the kill rate and were seeking higher enemy body counts; the squad had taken heavy casualties with very few confirmed kills. Shortly after Staff Sgt. Hensley became team leader, the sniper squad began racking up kills.
The increase in kills, according to Staff Sgt. Michael Hensley’s testimony, was due in part to the reduction of the restrictive Rules of Engagement. The new standard given to him by commanding officers was that anyone deemed a threat was to be eliminated, regardless of whether they were armed or unarmed.
In addition, the kill rate also increased because of a classified new baiting technique that used fake explosives and detonation wires as “bait” to lure and kill suspected insurgents. In late January this “baiting program” was introduced to Staff Sgt. Hensley and a select few members of the 1st Battalion.
According to sworn statements from former platoon leader, Captain Matthew Didier, the U.S. Military’s Asymmetric Warfare Group visited the unit in January 2007 and asked about placing weapons at locations near Iskandariyah. In Didier’s statement, “A few days later the Battalion Operations officer came to us with items (fake detonation cord, C-4, wires, AK-47 rounds, AK-47 magazines) we could place in or around known cache areas or likely cache spots". “If we happened to see the individuals take the items we would engage the enemy to destroy an enemy." The Army has declined to confirm that the baiting program exists.
In May 2007, Staff Sgt. Hensley was leading a five-man sniper unit, which included Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan, on a pair of back-to-back missions. The unit hiked under the cover of night carrying 150-lb. rucksacks and crossing several marshy canals with chest-high water to reach their destination by dawn. At their destination, they immediately broke into two or three man teams to conduct surveillance all day long in the 120 degree heat, while trying to conserve the three or four liters of water per man they had carried in. Some of the men, in order to just stay mobile and to fight off severe headaches began administering hydrating IV’s. By the end of the second day, in addition to suffering from exhaustion, the men were suffering from dehydration and the effects of acute sleep deprivation. The soldiers were not allowed to sleep more than fifteen minutes at a time, and by the fourth day, the day of the shooting, they had slept no more than 3-4 hours over the previous 78-hour period.
On Friday May 11th, 2007, still deep in hostile territory, the ailing squad consolidated and holed up to try to get a few hours of uninterrupted rest in their “hide”, which is an area where snipers can observe targets without being seen. The “hide” in this case was overlooking a village that was suspected of being controlled by Sunni insurgents. Each man took turns guarding the others for an hour, but despite his best efforts, Sgt. Vela Carnahan fell asleep during his one-hour turn. When Sgt. Vela Carnahan awoke, he found Al-Janabi, an Iraqi national, standing just a few feet from him. Sgt. Vela Carnahan immediately started trying to wake-up the rest of the men, informing them that their position had been compromised. When Staff Sgt. Hensley awoke and understood the seriousness of the situation, he immediately took charge and pinned Al-Janabi to the ground and searched him. Shortly thereafter, Al-Janabi’s 17-year old son followed his father into the “hide” area.
Al-Janabi and his son were held captive by Staff Sgt. Hensley and his men until Staff Sgt. Hensley spotted several Iraqi military-aged men in the distance. Al-Janabi started to become very loud and was thrashing about making a lot of noise and Staff Sgt. Hensley became concerned that Al-Janabi would alert the other Iraqi’s in the area. Staff Sgt. Hensley testified that Al-Janabi was making too much noise and he thought the only way to protect his men was to take Al-Janabi’s life. He released Al-Janabi’s son and ordered everyone except Sgt. Vela Carnahan to leave. Staff Sgt. Hensley then ordered Sgt. Vela Carnahan to load his 9-millimeter pistol and made four calls to command post to support a cover story. After completing the calls, Staff Sgt. Hensley ordered Sgt. Vela Carnahan to fire, and Sgt. Vela Carnahan being a sniper who was conditioned to pull the trigger on the order to shoot, reflexively complied.
After the shooting, Staff Sgt. Hensley pulled out an AK-47, a weapon favored by insurgents, and placed it near Al-Janabi’s body. At Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan’s trial, Sgt. Hensley testified, “It wasn’t uncommon for us to have to plant stuff like that out there” and that they often carried incriminating items to plant on Iraqi’s as “insurance”, in case they needed to create a cover story for American investigators after a shooting. The “insurance” was needed, because even though their superiors were pressing the squad to increase their kill rate, they held out the threat of prosecution for “unjust shootings” based upon Rules of Engagement. These Rules of Engagement are frightening our soldiers into having to carry “insurance” because of their fear that they will be charged by their own Country with murder or war crimes for making decisions to defend themselves.
The Army CID investigation of the shooting of Al-Janabi was initiated in June 2007 after two specialists in the sniper unit were caught sleeping. Facing reprimands, the two men alerted Army officials to what they suspected was a baiting program. One of the soldier’s who came forward with the allegations later told the court that he believed the classified items were for dropping on people the unit had killed, "to enforce if we killed somebody that we knew was a bad guy but we didn't have the evidence to show for it."
In his testimony at Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan’s trial, Staff Sgt. Hensley, endeavored to justify the killing, saying that Al-Janabi would not stop yelling, crying and "flopping around like a fish" despite repeated efforts to silence him. It was then that Hensley says he decided, for the safety of his men, that Al-Janabi had to die. "I thought that he was trying to alert insurgents," Hensley said. "I felt like I had no choice or we would be further compromised." He says he asked Sgt. Vela Carnahan, who had a pistol trained on the man, if he was ready, and then he told him to shoot. Sgt. Vela Carnahan pulled the trigger and the man died of that single bullet to the head. When asked why he didn't shoot Al-Janabi himself, Hensley said, "Vela happened to be the one with the pistol. I would have gladly shot him myself."
Staff Sgt. Michael Hensley was tried in Bagdad and acquitted of murder but convicted of planting evidence. He was sentenced to 135 days confinement, which was equal to time served, received a letter of reprimand, and was reduced in rank to Sergeant.
Specialist Jorge G. Sandoval, Jr. was acquitted of murder of Al -Janabi, but convicted of planting command wire to mislead investigators in a separate incident. He received a sentence of five months, which was equal to time served, a letter of reprimand, and was also reduced in rank.
Prior to the trial of Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan, his family felt that the Sergeant had become a political sacrifice to U.S.-Iraqi relations. According to Sgt. Vela Carnahan’s father, Curtis Carnahan, who, along with Sgt. Vela Carnahan’s wife flew to Baghdad to attend the trial, "My son's commanding generals want somebody to be guilty of something so they can appease their Iraqi counterparts. They have tried this killing two times already and have no murder convictions to show for it. I know my son did not do anything wrong and I am optimistic the jury will agree."
Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan’s trial was held in Bagdad shortly after Staff Sgt. Hensley’s trial. High-ranking members of the Iraqi government and Al-Janabi’s son attended the trial on a daily basis, and Curtis Carnahan believes that their presence influenced the panel in reaching the final verdict. Sgt. Vela Carnahan was convicted of murder without premeditation, aiding and abetting in the planting of evidence, and of lying to military investigators about the incident. He was sentenced to 10-years in Prison.
Sgt. First Class Steven Kipling, Sergeant Vela Carnahan’s former platoon commander, said the shooting of Al-Janabi was a result of Iraq’s violent environment and the often difficult and confusing choices that servicemen have to make on a daily basis. He said that if the actions of every combat serviceman in Iraq were subjected to the same scrutiny as Sergeant Vela’s, “we would have thousands” of cases.
Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan volunteered for the Army during a time of war, and fought for our Country behind enemy lines under extreme conditions. Sgt. Vela Carnahan followed the direct orders of Staff Sgt. Hensley, who at the time he gave the order to shoot, felt it was the only option he had to protect his men. For his bravery, for volunteering to serve his Country during a time of war, and for following orders, we reward Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan with 10-years in prison.
Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan’s parents are proud Americans, with four children, two who serve our country in the Armed Forces; Evan in the Army and Cory who is a six year veteran in the Navy. They fly our Country’s flag with pride at their home and are a hard working, blue-collar family that has always believed that they could take care of their own problems, as well as those of their children. Yet in this instance, they have exhausted all of their resources. They have mortgaged their home, drained their savings accounts, and gotten as much help from family and friends as possible. They have given their children and their financial security to this war.
Sgt. Evan Vela Carnahan is not a murderer, he is a brave American Soldier who has served his Country and deserves to be pardoned so that he can go home and resume his life with his family.
In closing, I would like to think that this is an unfortunate and isolated case. However, that is apparently not the truth. There are now numerous men who have volunteered and served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan who are facing prison for following orders, and / or for making difficult decisions during a time of war. People who are not on the frontline of the war have the luxury of second-guessing, they are not in the heat of battle or behind enemy lines having to make life and death decisions. These soldiers represent the very best of America, they have volunteered to fight the war on terror for our Country, they have put their bodies and lives on the line for us. They deserve to be recognized as the heroes they are, and not be imprisoned by their own Country.
You can also send a pardon or clemency letter to the following address:
Curtis G. Carnahan
P.O. Box 167
Parker, ID 83438
Directions for a Clemency/Pardon Letter are on the
left side of page under how to help.
Please add your comments below!
Thank you and God Bless.
Curtis G. Carnahan and Anna Vela
