FT. BRAGG, N.C. — Before soldiers leave on missions in Iraq or Afghanistan, they often are ordered to do everything in their power to bring their buddies back. "Leave no man behind" is the motto.
But does that military ethos apply to soldiers heading out for a rowdy weekend in the United States?
That question is being raised at an unusual court-martial on this massive Army base, where a young paratrooper who struggled to bring a combative, drunk soldier back to the barracks has been accused of causing his death.
Pfc. Luke Brown died after a night of drinking at the Ugly Stick Saloon in nearby Fayetteville, N.C., in July 2008. Sgt. Justin Boyle, whose lawyer has said he was only trying to help an incapacitated buddy, was charged with involuntary manslaughter after using a chokehold to subdue Brown.
The case, which is expected to go to the jury today or Monday, is providing a rare inside look at how unit solidarity and commanders' orders play out in noncombat situations.
During testimony this week, soldiers described a wild, hourlong chase through dense woods at night as Boyle and fellow soldiers in his intelligence unit tried to corral Brown, 27, a hulking soldier built like an NFL lineman.
They also talked about their regular Friday safety briefings, in which they said commanders order those bound for weekend revelry to "do whatever it takes" to bring everyone back to base. One soldier testified that commanders have told troops "to choke someone out if you have to."
And that, according to testimony, is exactly what Boyle did after an enraged Brown threw one soldier into a pickup, choked and dragged another under a chain-link fence, and punched a third in the face.
But military prosecutors have said Boyle went far beyond orders, continuing to choke Brown after he stopped resisting.
"This is a case where the ends do not justify the means," said Capt. Richard Gallagher, the lead prosecutor. "Sgt. Boyle choked Pfc. Brown to death."
Even as Brown was gasping and begging to be let go, Gallagher said, "Sgt. Boyle ignores those pleas."
But Anita Gorecki, Boyle's civilian lawyer, said the soldiers believed they had a duty to bring Brown home. They feared he would hurt someone, or himself. And Boyle felt a special responsibility because he was the senior noncommissioned officer present.
"The question really is the buddy system: Are we our brother's keeper at the end of the day?" Gorecki told the jury of four officers and five senior noncommissioned officers.
