U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar has asked the U.S. Army to review possible links between service by Fort Carson soldiers in Iraq and violent acts they are accused of committing, including the murder this month of a 19-year-old developmentally disabled woman.
Salazar sent a letter to Army Secretary Pete Geren asking that he personally visit the base and initiate a comprehensive review of all violent acts of Fort Carson soldiers since serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The Colorado senator also asked the Army to do several other reviews, including whether soldiers allegedly involved in recent murders had been given criminal or medical waivers to fulfill recruitment quotas.
Robert Hull Marko, 21, is being held in the El Paso County jail without bail for investigation of rape and murder in the slaying of Judilianna “Judi” Lawrence, 19, whose body was found Monday on Old Stage Road.
At least six other soldiers or former soldiers from the 4th Brigade at Fort Carson have been charged with murder.
After a tour of duty that ended in February, Marko was earmarked for psychological counseling because of an “over-active imagination.” He was cleared for combat before he admitted to El Paso County Sheriff’s investigators Monday that he slashed Lawrence’s throat.
“I am writing to ask for your personal and immediate attention to a set of tragic incidents at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs,” Salazar’s letter says.
Salazar not only asked that the records of the soldiers charged with homicide be reviewed but records of any other soldiers involved in violent crimes after returning from Iraq or Afghanistan.
His letter says that the Army has increased the number of waivers to recruits to meet quota. He said the Army should see whether these soldiers have been involved in the murders or other violent offenses. He asked the Army to determine whether any of those soldiers were flagged for further mental-health counseling before they committed their crimes.
“I am also deeply troubled that in the seventh year of combat operations in the Middle East, the Army continues to struggle to provide quality mental-health care for our soldiers,” the letter says.
Salazar also mentioned an increase in Army suicides.
In a series of reports in August, The Denver Post reported that 16 Fort Carson soldiers have committed suicide since the beginning of the Iraq war.
“I have become convinced that because of the scope and nature of the problems related to combat stress, Army medical providers alone are unable to effectively address these challenges,” Salazar said.
His letter recommends that the Army review a Senate bill proposal that would allow Fort Carson to tap outside providers to help manage combat stress outcomes.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
