August 18, 2005

A Letter from the Parents of Private Richmond

To Whom It May Concern:

We are writing this letter on behalf of our son, Private Edward L. Richmond, who is currently serving a three-year prison term at Fort Sill, Oklahoma for voluntary manslaughter. We want this sentence appealed and our son's good name restored!

Our son Edward is a good person, perfect - no, good, yes! He chose to join the military after the 9/11 attacks. He wanted to defend his country against terrorism and help suppressed countries fight terrorism. Edward was always a bright child who questioned authority figures, teachers, etc. in an effort to always learn more. In middle school, he joined the MathCounts team and placed first in the Parish and third in the State. Edward has been in gifted classes since third grade, and was also diagnosed with ADHD at the same time. Edward quit high school in the 11th grade and immediately took and passed his GED. He took his ACT, scored a 30 and attended LSU for a semester before joining the army.

Edward comes from a family of military men. His paternal grandfather was in the marines, his maternal grandfather was in the navy, and his father was in the air force, not to mention many uncles, cousins, etc. who served their country in some respect.

Edward's military background is as follows:

• Edward joined the Army in May 2002 and earned his blue cord upon completion on 14 weeks of extended Infantry training at Fort Benning, Georgia.
• After basic training, Edward was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii from October 2002 until January 2004 with the 25th infantry division, 1-27 battalion.
• While in Hawaii, Edward earned his Expert Infantryman Badge and an Army Achievement Medal, and Soldier of the Battle Award, in which he was cited as being a "Role model for the men". He trained as a mortar-man and because of his technical and leadership skills, was moved to base gun gunner.
• Edward's platoon left for Iraq in January, 2004

After Edward's platoon arrived in Iraq, the soldiers were given various duties, from watching for enemy fire from the back of a convoy vehicle, to securing towns while other soldiers searched for terrorists. On February 27th, 2004, Edward and his fellow soldiers were ordered to shoot any male fleeing the village that would be raided the next day.

The next morning, according to direct testimony, Edward's squad arrived at the outskirts of a village. For several hours, Edward and another soldier, Sergeant W., had been watching a man moving around the outskirts of the village. During this time, Edward and Sergeant W. could hear gunfire and shouts from the village. Then they received a call over the radio to, "Secure any men outside the village". Sergeant W. chose Edward to assist him with securing this lone man moving around the outskirts of the village, so Edward and Sergeant W. approached the man, who apparently did not speak English. Sergeant W. partially patted down the civilian while Edward secured the man within his gun sights. The man was struggling violently and did not want to cooperate with Sergeant W. during this time, and Edward was ordered to go 'ready-up'. The military aged Iraqi male lunged forward, and Edward followed military rules of engagement and shot him. Military rules state that soldiers are to shoot to kill, not wound, if they feel that a fellow soldier or their own lives are in danger. Edward testified that he did not know the man was flex-cuffed and Edward felt the man was a threat to himself and his fellow soldier.

Why would this shooting be deemed unlawful? It was not done in the "heat of passion". Edward was not enraged or fearful. The orders that day, per the testimony of many soldiers, was to shoot any men fleeing the village, and the rules of engagement were changing daily. Edward knew what he was doing and felt he was following orders he was given the night before and the orders of Sergeant W. If this shooting was manslaughter, then almost all shootings in all wars, present and past, could be considered manslaughter. Then how many good men would be in prison, or given a dishonorable discharge for their actions? How many men would have chosen to not shoot to protect themselves or their fellow soldiers from an unknown risk, and consequently, been killed themselves? How many soldiers in today's war are being killed on a daily basis by trickery and manipulation?

The piece that breaks our heart more than any other is that Edward was given a lie detector test without the presence of an attorney. The test was given in a unfavorable setting for Edward, and a favorable one for the prosecution. In spite of the circumstances, Edward did not fail the test (lie detector results are either "failed" or "inconclusive", i.e, you don't "pass" a lie detector test.) Edward's results were inconclusive. The CID conducting the lie detector test told Edward that he had failed and that he should change his story about what happened that day. The results of the lie detector test were not permitted by the judge in Edward's Court Martial.

Edward's trial was held in Tikrit, August 4 and 5, 2004. Edward's father, Edward Richmond Sr., went to Iraq for Edward's trial. The flight, hotel, etc. was paid by Edward's family members, not the Army, as the Army stated that Richmond Sr.'s presence at the trial was not material.! Now we have a young man on trial for murder, facing a possible death sentence, and the presence of a family member is not material!

Edward was sentenced to three years in prison, demoted from a rank of E-3 to a rank of E-1, given a dishonorable discharge, is being made to repay his bonus he earned as a soldier, and is having all current pay taken away.

Edward, his family, and his friends feel that Edward was served on a platter to appease the Iraqi civilians. Who is defending our soldiers? Thank goodness for organizations like "Defend the Defenders".

Edward has a strong family network and we are ready, willing, and able to give him a place to live, a good job, and all of the physical and emotional support he needs to succeed in life.

This young man chose to join the Army to protect his family and country. He is currently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and will have to live the rest of his life with a felony on his record and a dishonorable discharge from the Army. Sadly, Edward's choices in life will now be limited because he tried to protect himself during a time of war.

Please help us to correct this injustice.

Edward L. Richmond, Father
Darce C. Richmond, Mother
Louisiana, USA

Copyright © 2005-2008, DefendtheDefenders.org, Inc. All rights reserved.