Washington Post on the Ramrod Five.

A U.S. Army staff sergeant dreamed up a plan for fellow soldiers to kill three Afghan civilians this year because he was motivated by “pure hatred,” another soldier accused in the slayings has told investigators

Here’s a News Tribune piece on “The Stryker Brigade” or “Ramrod Five.”

The charges stacked up against five soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord sound as if they rank among the worst war crimes in the past nine years of combat in the Middle East: killing Afghan civilians and keeping gruesome souvenirs from the attacks.

There are some comparisons with previous cases.

FayObserver reports:

A man accused of multiple rapes in the Fayetteville-Fort Bragg community is scheduled to face a court-martial Dec. 8, a military judge announced Monday. Spc. Aaron M. Pernell of Tulsa, Okla., is charged by military authorities with attempted rape, two counts of rape, assault, two counts of burglary and one count of housebreaking on Fort Bragg. The charges stem from two home break-ins on Fort Bragg and the assault on one woman.

Military.com reports a potential court-martial case under the UCMJ:

The director of the Pentagon office overseeing the treatment of troops suffering from brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder is under investigation for allegedly making unwanted sexual advances and creating a hostile work environment, The Associated Press has learned.

Military.com reports:

Hawaii State Rep. Rida Cabanilla Arakawa, an Army Reservist who beat a Democratic opponent in Saturday’s primary election, may have violated Pentagon policy on campaigning in uniform. Violations of the policy have occurred across the country, but an Army Reserve lawyer here said little can be done to political candidates who are part-time soldiers.

The military has released the name of the man allegedly shot to death by a fellow reservist at Fort Gillem.

An earlier release said that the name of the suspect would not be released until there were charges.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that:

The Army reservist gunned down by a fellow soldier at Fort Gillem spent 29 years in the military, his family told the AJC Saturday night. Master Sgt. Pedro Mercado, 47, died from multiple gunshot wounds Thursday afternoon in building 941 at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Forest Park. The married father of three was a New York native who lived in Stockbridge.

The New York Post quotes MSG Mercado’s wife:

“Pedro was a wonderful person, if you got to meet Pedro, you were truly blessed,” his distraught wife, Kimberly Mercado, told The Post. “He was all about work and family.”

A Marine reservist accused of attacking a Greek Orthodox priest with a tire iron after apparently calling him a terrorist was actually defending himself after being sexually attacked by the cleric, his defense attorney said Tuesday. Tampa Police report offered a far different account, saying Marakis was lost when he followed Bruce into the garage and asked for help, then was struck with the tire iron and chased several blocks. When officers arrived, Bruce called Marakis a terrorist and said the priest had shouted “Allahu akbar!” — Arabic for “God is great.”

A Greek orthodox priest yelled that?