Sunday, July 24, 2005

Indiana Guardsman Awaits Court-Martial in Iraqi Officer's Death

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Cpl. Dustin Berg seemed to be a hometown hero in the making when he left on his 20th birthday to fight in the war that inspired him to join the military.

His family brimmed with pride two years later with news that the Indiana National Guardsman was coming home from Iraq, wounded but alive.

Then the Army accused him of war crimes.

Berg, now 22, is accused of killing an Iraqi police officer in November 2003, then shooting himself in the stomach to give the impression of a gun battle and prevent an investigation. He faces charges of murder and giving false statements with a court-martial set to begin Monday at Fort Knox, Ky.

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