Corpsman who'll testify in death of Iraqi man details life at war

By: GREG RISLING - Associated Press | Thursday, October 5, 2006 7:08 PM PDT ∞

LOS ANGELES -- During two tours of duty in Iraq, Navy corpsman Melson J. Bacos said he experienced everything combat had to offer -- fire fights with insurgents, soldiers dying in his arms, thoughts of whether he'd live another day.

Now he's got another unnerving assignment. On Friday, the 21 year old is scheduled to give testimony that military prosecutors hope will help them convict seven Marines accused of kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi man in the town of Hamdania.

Bacos, a medic who patrolled with the Marines, will have similar charges dropped in exchange for testimony during his court martial, his attorney, Jeremiah Sullivan III, told The Associated Press.

After graduating from high school in Franklin, Wis., Bacos joined the Navy in 2003. He was first deployed to Iraq in July 2004.

Bacos recounted his time at war in interviews that were videotaped in August at Camp Pendleton, where he has been held pending his court martial. The clips, which span more than 25 minutes, show a somber Bacos, talking slowly, sometimes with his head down.

After five months on the ground, Bacos said he was involved in a major fire fight in which several Marines were killed.

"It's so hard to speak of what I saw," Bacos said.

"I think I could have died so many times," he said. "I thank God I have my life today. I realize how precious life is."

At another point, Bacos described eating with bloodied hands.

"I remember thinking to myself that today was going to be a memorable day," he said. "I'm going to eat with blood on my hands, another person's blood on my hands that died earlier."

The military has said Bacos was with the Marines in April when 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad was kidnapped and murdered. Some of the troops are accused of stealing an AK-47 assault rifle and a shovel and placing them in a hole with Awad's body, apparently to make it appear he was an insurgent planting a bomb.

Bacos was accused of firing the AK-47 in the air to expend some shell casings as part of the cover-up. He was charged with murder and kidnapping under a legal principle that anyone who didn't try to stop the crime is as culpable as the triggerman.

After his first tour, in April 2005, Bacos reunited with his wife Heather, also a Navy corpsman, for the birth of their daughter, Alyssa. He shipped out to Iraq in January.

In the videos, Bacos said was initially kept in a cell 23 hours a day and was deemed by the military as "potentially violent and dangerous." He said the last several months have been hard on him and his family, who were heartbroken seeing Bacos handcuffed and kept behind glass. Bacos and the other Marines were granted a more lenient level of restraint in June.

"It was so embarrassing," he said on one of the video clips. "It's psychologically stressful on me and my wife because we didn't even get to spend one loving moment together."

Friends have posted messages of support on his MySpace.com page. His wife said on another Web site that her husband's lawyer had received numerous calls from people wanting to help the family.

"My husband and I are sincerely grateful for the overwhelming support our family has received during this difficult time," she said. "Words cannot express my husband's gratitude for the many kind words and support."

On the Net:

http://www.jeremiahsullivanlaw.com/HM3MelsonBacosUSN.html