Two U.S. soldiers charged in civilian's death

"The U.S. military has charged two soldiers in the February killing of a civilian near Ramadi, the military said Saturday.

Spec. Nathan B. Lynn was charged with one count of voluntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting an unarmed man on Feb. 15, the military said.

Lynn and Sgt. Milton Ortiz, Jr., both of the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry (Mechanized) of the Pennsylvania National Guard, were each charged with one count of obstructing justice for allegedly conspiring with another soldier who allegedly put an AK-47 near the body of the man in an attempt to make it look as though he was an insurgent.

Ortiz also was charged with one count of assault and one count of communicating a threat for a separate incident on March 8 when he allegedly placed an unloaded weapon against the head of an Iraqi man and threatened to send him to prison, the military said."

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Iraq Slaying Probe Focuses on Pa. Guardsmen



"Two Pennsylvania National Guardsmen are being investigated in the shooting death of an Iraqi civilian earlier this year and have not returned to the United States with the rest of their unit, a Guard spokesman said Friday.

The two soldiers, Spec. Nathan B. Lynn, 21, of South Williamsport, Pa., and Sgt. Milton Ortiz Jr., 36, of Islip, N.Y., were members of a combat team whose members began returning home earlier this month after a one-year deployment.

Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver, spokesman for the Pennsylvania National Guard, said the Army is handling the investigation. He said he could not release other details."



"The allegations surfaced as seven Marines and a Navy medic are facing charges that they killed an Iraqi civilian and covered up the crime in April, and as four Army soldiers are facing murder charges in the shooting deaths of three Iraq civilians in May. Also, a group of Marines are under investigation in the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha last year."