Shortly after he arrived in the Iraqi warzone six weeks ago, Staff Sgt. Georg-Andreas Pogany was faced with the reality of war when he saw the body of an Iraqi man torn in half by American fire. Now, Pogany is back in the United States facing charges of cowardice.
After seeing the body, Pogany said he began shaking, vomiting and couldn't sleep. He also reported he was suffering from panic attacks. In a very reasonable request, Pogany asked to get counseling while in Iraq so he could deal with the carnage, yet remain on active duty. Army psychologist Capt. Marc Houck concluded Pogany was suffering from normal combat stress reaction, and it was recommended Pogany be given a short time away from the action.
But shortly after, Pogany was shipped back to Colorado - his station - to be charged with cowardice.
According to a document on the army's Web site, combat stress reactions "are the result of exposure to the same conditions during military actions that cause physical injury and disease in battle or its immediate aftermath..."
If these reactions are similar to those faced in military combat, the army's charge against Pogany seems a bit extreme. When faced with a difficult situation, Pogany couldn't alter his reaction. He would not have control over his response. In fact, Pogany should be commended for seeking help with his problems. There is no way Pogany's training would have prepared him for dealing with real death.
Because the Iraqi man's body was brought into an American headquarters, Pogany was not faced in an actual combat situation when he was overcome with combat stress. If Pogany couldn't stop shaking and vomiting while he was in an actual combat situation, the situation could have gotten messy, and Pogany may have joined the growing list of soldiers killed in Iraq.
But Pogany could join the growing list of deceased soldiers anyway. The charge of cowardice has no minimum penalty, but the charge could be punishable by death. Reasonable thinking says Pogany will not be facing anything that extreme, but just having the option available seems ludicrous.
Pogany said, "What is tragic about this is the message being sent to other soldiers. It's not about me." He meant the army is sending a message to the other soldiers that they should "suck it up" and deal with being in combat. But the army also is sending a message to the American people saying the military is an uncaring, unstoppable machine that deals only in death and destruction. This is not the message the army should be sending - after all, the troops are fighting for American values. But unless the army drops this ridiculous charge, the military are the only ones looking bad.
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