Wife defends soldier accused in Afghan rampage

[March 26, 2012]  SEATAC, Wash. (AP) -- The wife of a U.S. soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians says her husband showed no signs of PTSD before he deployed, and adds that she doesn't feel like she'll ever believe he was involved in the killings.

Karilyn Bales defended her husband, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, in an interview with Matt Lauer for NBC's "Today" show that aired on Monday.

The Washington state woman said her husband joined the Army after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to "protect his family, friends and country. He wanted to do his part," and added that her husband is "very brave, very courageous."

Officials say Bales wandered off base in southern Afghanistan earlier this month and killed eight Afghan adults and nine children.

The wife of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier said the accusations are "unbelievable to me."

"He loves children, he's like a big kid himself," she said. "I have no idea what happened, but he would not ... he loves children, and he would not do that."

He was formally charged Friday with 17 counts of premeditated murder and other crimes.

She said he never had nightmares or other signs of PTSD and she feels like he was mentally fit when he was deployed. She also said he never told her about a traumatic brain injury he suffered while in Iraq, until he returned home.

"He shielded me from a lot of what he went through. He's a very tough guy."

U.S. investigators have said they believe Bales killed in two episodes, returning to his base after the first attack and later slipping away to kill again. He is reported to have surrendered without a struggle.

The 38-year-old married father of two from Lake Tapps, Wash., is being held at a U.S. military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Karilyn Bales has spoken to her husband by telephone twice since he was detained. The soldier called his wife first from overseas shortly after massacre, and then last week from Fort Leavenworth where the two talked about family matters and "reaffirmed their love for each other," said her attorney, Lance Rosen.

Karilyn Bales said that during those phone calls she didn't ask her husband about the accusations he faces, and whether he was involved.

"We couldn't discuss those details. He was ... seemed a bit confused, as to where he was and why he was there."

She said she doesn't think she'll have to ask him what happened that night in Afghanistan because "I think he'll tell me what happened, from his point of view."

She said she can't believe he was involved in the killings.

"I don't think anything will really change my mind in believing that he did not do this. This is not what it appears to be," she said.

The couple has two young children, a girl named Quincy and a boy named Bobby.

Bales was on his fourth tour of duty in a war zone, having served three tours in Iraq, where he suffered a head injury and a foot injury. His civilian attorney, John Henry Browne, had said the soldier and his family had thought he was done fighting.

The family has set up a defense fund to help pay for Bales' legal fees.

The Bales family had a Seattle-area home condemned, struggled to make payments on another and failed to get a promotion a year ago. Karilyn Bales put the family's Lake Tapps, Wash., home up for sale days before the rampage.

The youngest of five brothers, Bales grew up in the working class Cincinnati suburb of Norwood, Ohio, and has been described as cheerful, all-around good guy. He joined the Army two months after 9/11, after a Florida investment business failed and after he had worked with a string of securities operations.

Karilyn Bales told the "Today" show she has set up a fund to help pay for her husband's legal defense.

[Associated Press]

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