Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

Briones, who goes by his middle name Ryan, gave a Los Angeles Times interview this week, offering some background on what happened that fateful day in Haditha. His role came following the incident; he did not take part in any of the killing. Here's some background:

Of the 12 Marines being investigated, three or four are thought to have done the killing, according to officials briefed on the investigation. The others are being investigated for failing to stop the killings or for not reporting the incident truthfully.

Briones is the first of his unit to speak publicly about the events. His account provides background on the atmosphere and activities that day in the Euphrates River town and the traumatic memories it left in its wake.

Shortly after 7 a.m. on Nov. 19, Briones, who received a Purple Heart during a previous tour in Iraq that included fierce fighting in Fallouja, said his team of five men was called to respond to a roadside bomb explosion about 300 yards outside Kilo Company's Firm Base Sparta, located in an abandoned school.

When they arrived about 10 minutes later at the smoky, chaotic scene in a residential neighborhood, he said he saw the remains of his best friend, Lance Cpl. Miguel "T.J." Terrazas, his body split in half, resting in the destroyed Humvee in which he had been riding.

"He had a giant hole in his chin. His eyes were rolled back up in his skull," Briones recalled of the 20-year-old Texan. Briones said he draped a poncho over the body of his drinking buddy and workout partner and said a short prayer over his body: "Rest in peace. You are my brother by another mother. I love you, man."

He doesn't recall when or how the killing began; he was busy along with another member of his team rescuing two other Marines -- one who'd been pinned down under his vehicle after the explosion. They transported the wounded Marines to a nearby soccer field where a Blackhawk helicopter scooped them up and out of danger.

He said he and his team then returned to the Sparta home base.

"We went back to the firm base and just waited," Briones said. "A lot of people were mad. Everyone had just had a [terrible] feeling about what had happened to T.J." Still in shock over the death of his best friend, Briones said he retreated to a dark corner of the camp to collect his thoughts. Only 20 at the time, he said he didn't want his even younger 3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon team members to see that he was grieving.

At 5:30 p.m. his team was called back and ordered to mark the bodies of the civilian casualties by number and then bodybag them. He and another Marine, Lance Cpl. Andrew Wright of Novato, were then ordered to take photos of the bodies with their own personal cameras.

He said his worst moment, and one that haunts him to this day, was picking up the body of a young girl who was shot in the head. "I held her out like this," he said, demonstrating with his arms extended, "but her head was bobbing up and down and the insides fell on my legs."

36 hours following Briones' return home from Iraq, the 21-year old Marine would be charged with "auto theft, hit and run and drunken driving in connection with the April 3 crash of a pickup into a Hanford home."

His mother, Susie Briones, told The Bee earlier this week that her son...suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and hit his breaking point when he was arrested while on leave in April, she said. ...

[Kings County District Attorney Ronald] Calhoun said he is aware of Susie Briones' concerns. He said Roel Briones has agreed to be evaluated by a psychiatrist to determine whether he has post-traumatic stress and whether it played a role in the alleged crime. Roel Briones is scheduled to appear June 19 in Kings County Superior Court.

The owner of the home Briones crashed into doesn't buy the PTSD claim:

"I've been in the military 16 years," said Dalle, a Navy lieutenant and pilot. "I was a rescue diver; I've recovered bodies. I've flown combat in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. I've seen atrocities, I've seen friends killed. ... But I have yet to go get drunk, steal a car, demolish a house and blame it all on post-traumatic stress.

As much as this Navy lieutenant may or may not have seen, his experiences are just that: his experiences. Anyone who's been following some of the stories of our troops returning from combat realizes that not everyone gets PTSD. Even those who witness the exact same event can and are affected by it in a whole host of ways.

Not everyone likes the same type of music. Not everyone falls in love with the same person. We all react to different situations and things in unique and wholly personal ways.

[Ironically, and not surprisingly, Dalle reports that his wife and daughter (who were in the home at the time) are "suffering from their own form of post-traumatic stress. They have trouble sleeping and his daughter is scared of loud noises and feels discomfort when she sees a pickup."]

reported yesterday:

Family members of two Marines say their sons were ordered to photograph and clean up corpses of unarmed Iraqi civilians that members of their unit are suspected of killing, and they have been traumatized ever since.

In separate interviews with The Associated Press on Monday, the parents of Lance Cpl. Andrew Wright, 20, and Lance Cpl. Roel Ryan Briones, 21, said their sons told them the events of last November remain seared in their memories.

Wright and Briones, both Purple Heart recipients, are now also having to cope with the additional stress of repeated military interviews regarding what happened in Haditha. It also appears that the military has been unagressive in providing care for them in the wake of the tragedy.

Susie Briones called the Nov. 19 incident a ``massacre'' and said the military had done little to help her son, who goes by his middle name, deal with his post-traumatic stress disorder. "I know Ryan is going through some major trauma right now," said Susie Briones, 40, an academic adviser at a community college. "It was very traumatic for all of the soldiers involved with this thing."

Briones' mother says her son was still in shock when he was ordered to clean up the bodies:

"He had to carry that little girl's body," she said, "and her head was blown off and her brain splattered on his boots." The Wrights declined to say whether their son witnessed the killings or what he thought of the allegations against other members of his unit.

In an interview given to the Fresno Bee, Briones' mother added:

Sitting in her Hanford home Monday, Briones said she's frustrated that the military did not provide the psychological and emotional support her son needed after the incident. "I feel it was a responsibility on my part because of my son almost killing himself," she said. "As a parent, I don't want my son going through this."

Susie Briones said she noticed a big change in her son's tone during phone conversations following the incident. He was short with her and didn't provide much information about how he was doing. "I could tell there was anxiety. There was nervousness. Something was going on," said Briones, an academic adviser at West Hills College.

When he returned to Hanford for a short leave in April, Briones said her son was very quiet. He had a hard time sleeping and was often agitated while awake. He hit his breaking point on April 4, Susie Briones said. He allegedly stole a pickup, crashed into a Hanford home while under the influence of alcohol, then left the scene.

When she alerted military authorities that her son was not doing well mentally and emotionally, Susie Briones said she was told services were available through the military. Her son could direct himself to them if needed, a staff sergeant told her.

Is the hands-off military approach working? They say to our returning troops: "We have services...you just have to come in and ask for them yourself." But shouldn't those returning from combat automatically receive some sort of reintegration assistance?

"That's what hurts. They want these kids to serve their country, but they won't back them up," she said. "These kids -- and they are kids: 18, 19, 20 -- will see things we'll never see."

Why is it that the military seems to expect those drowning to save themselves?