lewis mccord is home to 34,000 u.s. soldiers and some have four or more combat tours in iraq and afghanistan. >> nobody can take that much combat. nobody can take that much stress. they will hit the wall and explode. >> since 2010, 26 lewis mccord soldiers have committed suicide. 5,000 soldiers from the base are currently on duty in afghanistan. >>> also in the news tonight, speed free killer, wesley, says there is another burrel site with the remains of more murder victims. in a letter to our sister station in sacramento, he says there is at least one person buried in a lyndon orchard belonging to fellow killer, lauren herzog. he also said he has doubts he'll get the money promised to him by bounty hunter for revealing victim locations. he is quote, holding the best for last. suggesting that he has not revealed all of his secrets. >>> meanwhile, pg and e announced another $70 million for the city of san bruno. it's a settlement for pain and suffering caused by the disaster. the mayor says the deal emerged from long int

thuamerican accused of killing 17 afghan civilians was also based here at lewis mccord. he'll undergo a full psychological explanation. john henry brown, bales' attorney, said getting to the truth of what happened won't be easy and claims the u.s. government is whouithholding vi information. >> they promised us if we sent people to afghanistan and we have people there already, they would cooperate and make witnesses available for us, and they have violated that promise. >> in afghanistan, u.s. military officials say access to the crime screen is difficult. security and bureaucracy to blame. in australia, this woman, born in afghanistan and familiar with the culture, is among the first international journalists to report from the villages. her account broadcast on australian television, include children who say they were there. eyewitness accounts conflict. this villager told nbc news there were other american soldiers there that night. he says, the person was not acting alone, and we have proof. but an afghan guard told the australian crew, he watched bales leave the bas

mccord rushed to his optometrist. >> he said, you know, it is better. i thought, well, hallelujah. surgery and so forth. and he said, no, it's better. you don't need any surgery. >> this isn't something that just gets better, is it? >> no. it never gets better. that's the point. >> reporter: a miracle? >> i will have to say, my understanding is less than complete. i believe it, i feel it, but i'm an engineer. i don't know the causation. i don't know the mechanics of how that happened or how it could happen. all the doctors say, well, don't worry about it, because it can't happen. that's why it's a miracle. >> reporter: when sister marie kevin learned about mccord's eye, she took the case directly to dr. ambrosi in rome. >> translator: i must say, that about the story was the speed of it. he recovered his sight in just one night. >> it just sort of snow badball from there. the next thing i knew we were in indianapolis at a trial collecting evidence for submission to rome. which is really kind of cool. it was all translated into italian and in this red leather book, that's somewhere

mccord rushed to his optometrist. >> he said, you know, it is better. i thought, well, hallelujah.e going to wait and postpone the surgery and so forth. and he said, no, it's better. you don't need any surgery. >> this isn't something that just gets better, is it? >> no. it never gets better. that's the point. >> reporter: a miracle? >> i will have to say, my understanding is less than complete. i believe it, i feel it, but i'm an engineer. i don't know the causation. i don't know the mechanics of how that happened or how it could happen. all the doctors say, well, don't worry about it, because it can't happen. that's why it's a miracle. >> reporter: when sister marie kevin learned about mccord's eye, she took the case directly to dr. ambrosi in rome. >> translator: i must say, that what struck me about the story was the speed of his healing. he recovered his sight in just one night. >> it just sort of snowballed from there. the next thing i knew we were in indianapolis at a trial collecting evidence for submission to rome. which is really kind of cool. it was all translated into i

. >>> as reported, the soldier was based at joint base lewis mccord in washington. home to 100,000 military and civilian personnel. it's had a share of controversies. in 2002, the newspaper stars and stripes called it the most troubled base in the military. four lewis mccord soldiers were convicted of killing three afghan civilians in 2010. one, calvin gibbs, received a life sentence. another soldier based there, benjamin colton barnes killed a park ranger at mount rainier national park. in the past five years, about 300 patients at the base had their ptsd diagnosis reversed by a forensic psychiatry team. the seattle times reported that this month. the army is reviewing whether those doctors were influenced by how much a ptsd diagnosis can cost in terms of pension and other benefits. >>> republican presidential candidate newt gingrich said on face the nation yesterday it's time for the u.s. to leave afghanistan. >> i think we need to reconsider the whole region. our being in the middle of countries like afghanistan is counterproductive. we're not prepared to be ruth

lewis mccord, the military base where the suspect was assigned.rt from there straight ahead. that's why there's brita, to make the water we drink, taste a little more, perfect. reduce lead and other impurities with the advanced filtration system of brita. you noticed! these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories. colors are more vibrant, this good... words are pin sharp, everything is more brilliant. because when a screen becomes this good... it's simply you and the things you care about. the stunning retina display. on the new ipad. >>> a look at our top stories this hour. a series of explosions rocked the syrian capital of damascus. state-run television reports 27 people were killed. witnesses say government buildings and the air force intelligence headquarters were hit. state tv blames terrorists for the attacks. >>> at this hour, people are outsid

." >>> and we now know the shooting suspect is from the joint base lewis-mccord in washington state. the base home to more than 100,000 military and civilian personnel, has seen its share of controversies in the past. the military newspaper "the stars and stripes" calls it the most troubled base in the entire military. and this latest incident, well, it's not going to help morale. >> i mean, it's going to complicate missions most definitely, but also it's just -- i think we're all affected by senseless death regardless of how it happened. >> it's extremely important that they look at this very seriously and this is not something that they can wash away by saying i'm sorry or forgive me and it's regrettable but as the afghan people when it comes to murder they don't -- those words they do not understand. >> four lewis-mccord soldiers were convicted in the deliberate thrill killings of afghan civilians in 2010. and last year the base saw more suicides than ever before despite new prevention efforts. and you just have a feeling, t.j., that this is not going to end. you have to wonder wh

. >> reporter: at joint base lewis mccord the news weighs heavily on army reservist martin ericsson. it's a situation he says that will no doubt affect the morale of some of the troops. >> i mean, it's going to complicate missions most definitely. but also it's just -- i think we're all affected by senseless death, regardless of how it happens. >> reporter: why it happened is still unanswered, but martin wonders if stress was a factor. having served three tours, once in afghanistan, he understands how mentally and emotionally draining the war can be on a person. >> spending years away from my kids, my wife, my family, my community. you know. stressful. >> reporter: u.s. officials say it appears the soldier acted alone. and now president obama vows to "get the facts as quickly as possible and to hold accountable anyone responsible." >> again, we are looking into it. u.s. forces in afghanistan is going to conduct a thorough investigation and our thoughts and concerns remain with the families who were affected. >> yeah, thorough investigation. and you have to believe -- you don't want t

and there was a sense in january this year as new troops from joint base lewis mccord prepared to godecember, that they could put this behind them and that these units could move forward and perform well as, of course, most of the troops do. and then helper form with honor in afghanistan. >> and on that list, i'm he going to interrupt you there for a second, on that list though, in addition to what you describe coming out of joint base lewis mccord there has been a dozen sooi suicides. they were shot and killed after having mental breakdowns. a soldier killed a park ranger. all of this is very bad news for that particular base. when you talk to soldiers there, are they surprised by this killing of 16 civilians or what are they telling you? >> well, everyone is surprised at something like this. this is really a horrendous act. it appears to be one of the worst if not the worst war crime that we've seen by u.s. troops in afghanistan but the issues that have been bubbling over at joint base lewis mccord i think are reflective of broader strains on the army that have been building over a

. >> my name is macklin davis mccord. i'm 59 years old. i'm an artist, a writer, a musician, a dog handler. hey. princess. that's rude. i have recently moved to north carolina and operate a dog kennel here. and show dogs for people. and i am finishing my journey towards fully transitioning into a male body. come on, girl. in you go. yeah. good boy. >> reporter: what makes mac's story different from many transgender men is when he was living as a female, he never tried to fit the heterosexual standard of getting married and having children. he never saw the point of going through the motions. from an early stage mac, then carol, was more masculine than feminine. which is no big deal. >> i grew up until i was 6 in tennessee. and i think being a tomboy even back then was fairly acceptable up to a certain age. the older i got, the more unacceptable that behavior became. i know as i started to hit puberty, and i was pretty much appalled at hitting puberty as a female, my parents actually said at one time, you could have a sex change operation.

>>reporter: also learning that the family of the army sergeant is being moved to lewis mccord base forown protection. they have been living off base. this is abc news, washington. >> bay area politician say the massacre is another reason why the united states should get out of afghanistan. mark reports tonight about the concern over what might happen if we do withdraw. >> this just speaks to why we must hurry and end this war in afghanistan. there's no military solution. >>reporter: congresswoman lee is hopeful members of congress will sign on to her bill to stop funding. >> but protect our troops but bring them home in systematic manner. >> in this largest afghan in the country people were reluctant to talk about the shooting or impact on l relations. but if the coalition office tells me u.s. military should not withdraw right now. >> u.s. cap still operate in afghanistan in to save their own fate he and to also as obtain afghanistan from al qaeda and taliban. >>reporter: we caught up with former cia person with contact in a daily base since shooting happened. you can't go out. we are

at lewis mccord fellow soldiers express disgust. >> i can't imagine that it's okay in the world. >> reporter: they fear his actions will have terrible consequences for his fellow men and women in uniform. diane alvear. >>> are cars to blame for distracted driving? >> automakers say yes. they say smartphones and portable gps should be used. the law would require drivers from browsing the web. the devices you bring into the car are not covered. gps devices that drivers can put anywhere they want can be used while driving while the built-in navigation systems would have strict limitations. >>> ford motor company is the target of a federal safety investigation involving the throttle sticking in some models. no crashes or injuries have been reported. the cruise control cable may become detached. several had to shut off the engine or shift into neutral to stop the vehicle. no cars -- the cars have not yet been recalled. >>> watching your child take their first step is monumental, but the ones that follow could have you worried. why you need to do better to check your stairs. >>> plus a deadly scho

it could be back at his home base of joint base louis mccord. there are a number of places in the united states where it could be. i think the key is going to be there in the united states you're not worried about the cycle of deployment, where if someone is deployed overseas and it's a case that could drag on for a long amount of time, you have the issue of trying to replace people whose deployments have finished up, and it's hard to see that the military would want some sort of revolving door of officials involved in this case. >> so whether it's joint base louis mccord or elsewhere within the united states, what happens then? because you know there are these eyewitnesses, the afghan villagers back in afghanistan. if they want to testify, are they then flown here? how does that work? >> reporter: that's right, and that testimony is expected to be key. we have seen the reports from some of the afghan villagers who have told local authorities what they witnessed, what they saw. one man describing how his father was shot and killed. so those stat

state -- louis mccord in washington state.remember last month the accidental burnings of korans. that sparked protests across the country. now calls for new protests. back to you. >> thank you very much. aaron gilchrist live from the newsroom. >>> the military base the soldier comes from is one of the largest military installations in the u.s. it's seen its share of controversies and violence the past few years, as well. a former soldier shot and injured a salt lake city police officer in 2010. that same year, four lewis mcchord soldiers were convicted in the deliberate thrill killings of three afghan civilians. on january 1, a 24-year-old iraq war veteran shot and killed a mt. rainier national park ranger. >>> republican presidential hopeful newt gingrich is weighing in on the situation in afghanistan. he told fox news the u.s. may be risking the lives of young troops in that region. gingrich says the u.s. should reassess its mission in afghanistan and question if there is a deeper problem that can't be resolved with military

army staff sergeant in his mid 30s from joint base lewis mccord. he has been deployed to iraq several times. >> this is very clearly the act of one individual for motives we don't understand right now. >> soldier was taken into military custody. according to the pentagon, he will be judged by u.s. authorities and not face punishment under the afghan justice system. sunday's alleged massacre compounds the already fragile relationship between the u.s. military and the afghan people. just weeks ago, protests erupted when military personnel accidentally burned koran's. i'm elizabeth reporting. >>> coming up on 9news now at 7:00, what are the odds of getting a perfect bracket in your pool? >> we'll be taking notes. still ahead in this half hour, as prices in the pump head higher and higher, one local student thinks he has the answer to our fuel problem. >> another day in paradise and another day with above average temperatures. check it out. 72 and 45 go in the book. average is 55 and 37. look at the record high, 89 set in 1990. that's the year the cher

. >> the suspect is from joint base lewis mccord in washington state. here in the bay area the soccer club is calling the shooting shocking and sad. >> it's not good. it's not good for u.s. government not for afghan government and afghan people or for those soldiers too. they put their lives in danger. >> he teaches international relations at san francisco state university. he tells ktvu this attack will increase attention in afghanistan and leave an opening for the taliban. >>> berkeley's police chief could face more scrutiny this week. tara moriarty is live outside police headquarters. tara. >> reporter: today city council woman susan plans to meet with the city manager to discuss the police chiefs actions. this controversy all stems from an incident that happened thursday after midnight when berkeley police chief michael meehan decided to send an officers to a reporters home. doug oakley had written a story about a heated community meeting earlier that night. meehan had apologized for the departments slow response in connection with the february 18th

lewis mccord is a troubled place.se guys, from that base have deployed repeatedlyly but it would be wrong at this point to attribute to anything other than the rogue action of one soldier. we can't begin to make either policy judgments or medical judgments until anything else until all the facts are in. >> heather: the base is being investigated for the level of health care to soldiers and their family. >> there could be problems at the base. i really think it's the bigger picture, the war is going on way too long. when you have a war, last thing you want to do is go to war. a war should be a sprint. we've been there way too long. you go in there. you win and that is what we need to do. >> i think the problem is what the mission is. >> heather: only how you define victory. okay, we won, let's go. >> the problem is the military leadership has been saying for years, that we're stretched too far and we can't do this to american men and women in uniform. we have not abided by that. >> the traumatic brain injuries, this is

nbc's miguel almagar is outside lewis-mccord tonight. and we have more on what we're learning tonight about sergeant bales. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: good evening. shock is the word we keep hearing in this community. many wonder how a happily married father of two could be responsible for such senseless murders. today, 38-year-old staff sergeant robert bales is in solitary confinement at ft. leavenworth. held in the medium security section in the army's prison in kansas. accused of killing 16 afghan civilians mostly women and children. bales could face the death penalty. 1,800 miles away not far from seattle -- >> it's horrible. i wouldn't want to be over there. wouldn't want to be in his shoes. >> reporter: bales' wife and two children have been moved to a military base for their security. neighbors knew him as a family man, as a doting father they called bob. >> he was always happy. happy guy. full of life. i really wouldn't expect it. >> reporter: despite a clean military record, bales had two misdemeanor charges as a civilia

louis, base mccord.ated soldier is now being charged in this alleged murder for hire plot and the allegations first surfaced when the officer's girlfriend told authorities he was threatening to have his estranged wife and boss killed. >> his ex-wife and somebody he worked with, he made comments he was going to do something big, and he made comments to other people about blowing up the capitol. so when you add the totality of all this up, we have someone dangerous and needs to be in custody, so he's locked up. >>> also, rick santorum scoring big wins in the deep south primaries last night. but mitt romney is still far ahead with the delegates race. the number of delegates is 1,144. as of now, cnn estimates the following delegate breakdown. romney in the lead with 498, santorum with 239, gingrich with 139 and ron paul with 69 there in last place. >>> a horrific bus crash in switzerland kills 28 people. that includes 22 children. the bus was on its way back to belgium from a ski trip when it slammed into a

. >> and military officials say the shooter is 38 years old and was based in lewis mccord in washington state. >> prosecutors have dropped threat offense charges against a high school coach. of having sex with a 16-year-old girl on the cross country team. tonight speaking with him exclusively about why the case was dropped. and this answer quite surprising. >> we did learn some very surprising things while covering this story. scott spear has been the cross country coach here for almost 25 years. he has also been the boy's varsity basketball coach for about 10 years now. he was arrested last month and ever since he has been suspended from coaching as well as his full time job as a teacher. tonight he says with the charges dropped he wants all those jobs back. >> this is my community. i've lived here my whole life and this is what i do. i don't want to do anything else. >> the charges against scott spear have been dropped but he doesn't know if life will ever return to normal. >> i miss so much the kids i teach. i really miss my basketball players and when something like this happens you

an american serviceman reportedly based in fort lewis at the joint base lewis mccord in washington state is in custody accused in the slaying. afghan president hamid karzai called the incident "a terrorist act and will never be forgiven." president obama phoned karzai to express his condolences and insisted this act does not represent america's military. >> it was a senseless tragedy. the larger problem will be this is a spark landing on this tinder box of afghanistan following the koran burnings. >> reporter: those accidental burnings of the muslim holy book last month at the bagram air base in afghanistan sparked violent protests throughout the country. the demonstrations left dozens dead including six members of the u.s. forces. american officials say despite these recent incidents they are dedicated to a strong relationship with afghanistan. >> to obtain greater peace and security in the region, which is our common interest. >> reporter: but some afghanis say finding common ground is now out of the question. >> translator: this kind of action will give motivation to the people to sta

it is so greek. 2001 terrorist attacks and he lived at lewis mccord's joint base near tacoma, washington. >>> new details are emerging about robert bales' combat history. the army staff sergeant was diagnosed with tbi, or traumatic brain injury after a rollover incident. >> it's a tragedy all the way around, there's no question about that. i think it's of interest that we have a soldier who has an exemplary record, a decorated soldier who was injured in iraq to his brain and to his body and then the price that was sent back. i think that's an issue. i think it's a concern. >> more than 233,000 military personnel have been diagnosed with tbi since 2009 according to the department of. joining us now, chad battles who served in iraq and, doctor, let me start with you on this one. can you remind our viewers what tbi is and how you have specifically treated it. >> it's a mechanical injury to the brain that causes wounding. and hyper baric oxygen is a treatment for wounds. and so base odd what we have found, treating decompression sickness or the bends of the brain many years ago, we began to

. >> reporter: the suspect, an army staff sergeant deployed from joint base lewis-mccord in washington state, is in u.s. custody. but afghan leaders are demanding afghan justice. the taliban is calling for revenge, blood for blood. this threatens to reignite the violence that flared after the burning of muslim holy books at a u.s. air base. 30 people were killed, including six members of the u.s. military. the white house says president obama still plans to get u.s. troops out by the end of 2014. >> those objectives haven't changed. let me be clear. i do not believe that this incident will change the timetable. >> reporter: but there's a nagging question. can u.s. troops make a difference in less than two years? >> if the answer's no, then why take another 3,000 or 4,000 wounded and spend another $240 billion? >> reporter: even before the weekend incident an abc news/"washington post" poll showed only 35% of americans believe the war is still worth fighting. and that poll shows americans evenly split on the president's handling of the war. live in washington, i'm brian mooar. janelle,

officials is the staff sergeant based at a joint base lewis mccord in washington state he's married with two children and have already served three tours in iraq and have been in afghanistan since december now as you can imagine this incident has been a major setback in u.s. afghan relations already on extremely shaky ground after last month's incident in which u.s. soldiers burned several copies of the qur'an which muslims consider to be the holiest of books and the direct word of god and the incident over this weekend has raised questions about the psychological impact on u.s. troops the u.s. justice system and the war in afghanistan itself we want to look into this a little deeper and it's help me do that i'm joined by michael for brian the author of america's failure in iraq. michael is this the point of no return i mean is there any path to recovery for u.s. afghan relations will hoard to say this is this is a terrible thing i mean you know the as you mentioned the koran burning big big mistake i mean just it was a handy where i put it happened and then there's some more will come o

post-traumatic stress disorder so i'm very familiar with the way that it works especially at joint base with mccord i've had i think more people that i know commit suicide than died in combat after something to seek help from the military with the military function in screen its personnel it's literally a check box process and it's designed to convince the american people that there's a safety stablished to catch people that are seeking help well internally within the military it's constantly discouraged you know just a quick example of how this process works you have to go see a psychologist and after this you know about a year of going to asking for help you have to battle through your squad here so soon your company mocking you calling you a coward a traitor institutionalized in the military not allow people to get help. and lastly kevin i mean in your opinion in the wake of all this what needs to be done can president obama today issued an apology is there any way to make any kind of reparations are where do we go from here. the only way to begin making reparations for people that is an immedia

officials he's a staff sergeant based at the joint base lewis mccord in washington state he's married with two children and has already had already served three tours in iraq and had been in afghanistan since december now as you can imagine this incident has been a major setback in u.s. afghan relations already on extremely shaky ground after last month's incident in which u.s. soldiers burned several copies of the qur'an which muslims consider to be the holiest of books and also the direct word of god of the incident over the weekend has raised questions about the psychological impact on u.s. troops the u.s. justice system and the war in afghanistan itself we want to look a little deeper into this story and to help me do that i've got former u.s. marine and our team. isn't spending the last several months of studying in the u.k. hey there jake are people obviously outraged by this incident and a lot of people are now saying the u.s. should be doing everything it can to cooperate something even if that means handing this soldier over to the afghan government to be put on trial there n

officials he's a staff sergeant based at the joint base lewis mccord in washington state he's married with two children and had already served three tours in iraq and had been in afghanistan since december as you can imagine this incident has been a major setback in u.s. afghan relations already on extremely shaky ground after last month's incident in. u.s. soldiers burned several copies of the qur'an and which not which muslims consider the holiest of books and also a direct word from god the incident over the weekend has raised questions about the psychological impact on u.s. troops the u.s. justice system and the war in afghanistan itself we want to look a little deeper into this and to help me do that i'm joined by journalist and writer neal say neal i want to start actually to something that you wrote i know you've spent a lot of time in afghanistan so i want to put this up on the screen something you wrote during your time there you said describing some of the people you were around you said there were men who enjoyed it demolishing afghan houses men who shot dogs in the face th

. >> the military says the suspect is from joint based lewis mccord in washington state. a coffee shop is planning a vigil today. a worker and soldier gave his take. >> if this guy is traumatize and is a time bomb waiting to go off. they are actually there to help them. >>> a distance learning professor for troops in afghanistan, believes multiple tours of duty are taking their toll. >> i saw how many of them are on their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty. and i said what can you expect. >> senate majority leader harry reid is also weighing in. >> our troops are under such tremendous pressure in afghanistan. i think we are on the right track to get out of afghanistan just as soon as we can. >>> i'm greg black for 9news now. >>> american combat troops are scheduled to leave afghanistan by 2014. the timetable though, may be sped up after what happened on sunday. >>> it is 6:14. howard is here with our weather first. you are going to love the weather forecast. >>> hp w x if you want to follow me on tweeter. you know venus and jupiter have been in the western sky. you mig

and more than any other base in the country, lewis mccord has come under fire for the behavior of itsrouble both when it was over in afghanistan with the kill team, as it was called, of the rogue soldiers who were targeting afghan civilians. also had trouble on the home side. >> stars and stripes dubbed it the most troubled base in the military. charged with killing three afghan civilians for threes. gibbs was sentenced to life in prison in november. >> here we are, a few months later, and another soldier based at lewis mcchord and has now been accused of committing the same civilian atrocities. >> here at home, more violent acts tied to this base. staff sergeant committed suicide last june after eight deployments. benjamin barns gunned down a national park ranger. and last month, the head of the medical base center was fired. >> the hundreds of soldiers with ptsd now, the domestic violence issue have gone up, the d.u.i. cases have gone up. soldiers are being redeployed at a constant rate. there definitely is a problem and they don't have time to heal. >> we don't yet know what role,

. >> at this point, we have learned he is an army staff sergeant from joint base lewis mccord, which is in washington state. >>> the race for the republican nomination for president has moved to the deep south. the candidates are gearing up for crucial primaries tuesday in mississippi and alabama. mitt romney continues to lead but rick santorum says he is making strides and feels confident if he could go head to head with romney, he would win. newt gingrich, though, says he is not leaving the race. >> we think the folks in mississippi and alabama are going to vote for the conservative that represents their values that can present the best contrast with president obama. >> we are going to get a lot of delegates in mississippi and alabama. >> governor romney joins the others back on the trail today. santorum took a win in kansas. romney now has 454 delegates, twice as many as santorum, gingrich and ron paul combined. but a long way away from the 1144 needed to win the nomination. >>> time for the latest your money report this morning. >>> jessica doyle joins us with a look at wall stre

i want to go back a minute and touch on the lewis-mccord situation. that base. certainly that base is a place where there have been many, many very well documented problems. things that have gone through the military justice system but what we don't know right now -- we need to be careful of course -- is whether this suspect served at lewis-mccord at the time those other things happened or if he had the same commanders. we don't know when he started to serve with that base. >> let's talk about the mission in afghanistan. there's a new abc poll out that shows 60% of americans don't think the war in afghanistan was worth fighting. this is disturbing since osama bin laden and al qaeda use the country as its base. how will the pentagon handle this and congress and the president? >> reporter: you look at those numbers and it is concerning to u.s. military commanders because they have long said they can't prosecute a war that american people don't support. that's a real tenant in the pentagon since the days of vietnam. but right now the policy, the strategy remains un

. >> the decorated soldier is from the midwest but was stationed out of lowis mccord in washington state. he's married with two small children. top military officials say the 11 year veteran went in two southern afghan villages last weekend in the middle of the night and kill would 16 innocent civilians, 11 of which from one family and nine victims were children. bale is accused of setting their bodies on fire. this set off an international incident . the taliban threatened to avenge the killings and afghan ilona carson demand that the united states confine its troop to major bases in the country. friend and neighbors of bale in shock. the man they once saw playing with their children in the front yard caused all of this. >> i got to go over and spend time and we did a couple of barbecues and we went to a pizza place down the road with his family. and just a regular guy. >> the bales' family hired high profile attorney john henry brown. the day before the shooting, his client witnessed a fellow soldier's leg blown off and bale's leg was injured and he was injured twice in iraq. he didn't

it has stunned people in and around washington's joint base lewis-mccord they are having a hard time understanding how the man could be accused of this atrocity. dan lewis has more now. >> reporter: don, this is a soldier who served four tours of duty, three in iraq and one in afghanistan. there is speculation that all that time in a war zone may have contributed to him being emotionally unstable. his attorney tells cnn that two years ago robert bales suffered a traumatic brain injury when his vehicle went over a roadside bomb and the day before the alleged rampage that bales saw a soldier get seriously injured. the neighbors who live in that community where robert shared a home with his wife and two children they say they saw no evidence that he was capable of such a rampage. take a look. >> i was completely blown away. i was devastated, heart broken. i mean -- i completely shocked. i would describe him. he was super fun to hang around with. kind of the life of the party kind of guy. super loving, friendly to everybody he met. great with his kids. i just -- i don't -- i don't see ho

>> reporter: yeah, wolf, i'm outside on base lewis mccord near tacoma, washington and there's a lot ofthis base is the accused alleged shooter massacre of 16 afghan civilians over the weekend. a lot of critics of this base say this just adds to the trouble that they've been having here. one actually saying that this is actually a rogue base. a former soldier himself, who now runs a center here that caters to the needs of local soldiers. i'll you some examples, wolf. back in november, a soldier who was based here was convicted of murdering three afghan civilians. cutting off parts of their bodies as souvenirs. ten suicide -- excuse me, a dozen suicide here in 2010 alone. and the army surgeon general has launched an investigation into the alleged improper treatment of soldiers here who claim they have post traumatic stress disorder. some of those soldiers saying they believe the way they were treated was, in a way, to try to save the army money. try to get their conditions considered less serious. now, we spoke earlier this morning with a noncommissioned officer, a senior noncommissioned

. >> reporter: that soldier is a soldier from joint base lewis mccord in washington state. he turned himself into authorities after this rampage. look closely at your screen. you will see a picture of president obama calling president karzai. threating revenge on u.s. troop there is because of it. u.s. support of america's presence in afghanistan is already dwindling. a new poll shows 60%over americans don't think that war is worth fighting any longer. republican presidential cab states all of -- can dates all -- candidates all will be talking about it. >> the justice will be done. we will not to rate that kind of thing. >> reporter: we expect to hear from mitt romney in 20 minutes. in the meantime u.s. forces have boosted security even tighter in u.s. military facilities near kandahar and throughout afghanistan and amid threats of retaliation from afghanistan taliban. live in washington scott mcfarland. >>> here in the bay area members of the afghan soccer club in free mont are -- fremont are calling the civilian deaths shocking and sad. fremont has a large afghan presence