Washington, DC - In a letter to Secretary of the Army John McHugh, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, along with four of her colleagues today requested he report to them on the Army's justification for overriding the findings of an independent re-investigation into the Battle of Wanat. Earlier this month, the Army reversed its prior decision to reprimand the commanders involved in the July 2008 battle at Wanat, Afghanistan, which claimed the life of Missouri native CPL Gunnar Zwilling and eight other brave American heroes. An initial investigation into the incident concluded with a letter of reprimand for the officers involved for leaving their units exposed deep in enemy territory with insufficient supplies and munitions.

McCaskill joined U.S. Senators Jim Webb (D-VA), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), and Patty Murray (D-WA) today in a letter to Secretary McHugh asking that the Army explain their reversal:

"General Campbell's decision to exonerate the officers identified by General Natonski as being derelict in their duties owing to inaction prior to the battle has raised a number of troubling issues," the senators wrote.

Many families of the deceased soldiers, including CPL Zwilling's, had contacted the senators to express numerous concerns with the Army's handling of the matter, including the principle of command accountability.

"Family members of the deceased who have contacted our offices have expressed their concerns over what they see as the Army's failure to hold commanders accountable and the resulting likelihood that similar tragedies will occur," continued the senators. "Given the depths of their concerns, we consider it necessary for you to address them, to inform us of your views on the principle of command accountability, and to describe how the Army is applying the lessons learned at the Battle of Wanat."

A copy of the full letter follows:
July 23, 2010
The Honorable John McHugh
Secretary of the Army
1400 Defense Pentagon
Washington DC 20301-1400

Dear Secretary McHugh,

Our purpose in writing is to request that you meet with us to report on the Army's adjudication of the U.S. Central Command's re-investigation into the Battle of Wanat. A key issue is the Army's justification in overriding the findings of an independent investigation that was specifically tasked to assess the circumstances surrounding the combat action and to make finding of fact and opinions regarding the accountability of staff and commanders.

A month has elapsed since the family members of the nine soldiers killed in action were briefed by Lieutenant General Natonski on his investigation's findings and by General Campbell on his subsequent review and related actions. General Campbell's decision to exonerate the officers identified by General Natonski as being derelict in their duties owing to inaction prior to the battle has raised a number of troubling issues.

General Campbell justified his decision to exonerate the three officers on the basis that they exercised "... a degree of care that a reasonably prudent person would have exercised under the same or similar circumstances." General Petraeus and Lieutenant General Natonski were familiar with the details of General Campbell's review and his rationale for exonerating the three officers. When asked for their reaction, General Petraeus and Lieutenant General Natonski both stated that they stood by their re-investigation and its findings. The Department of Defense Inspector General also concurred with the findings of the CENTCOM re-investigation.

Family members of the deceased who have contacted our offices have expressed their concerns over what they see as the Army's failure to hold commanders accountable and the resulting likelihood that similar tragedies will occur. As one mother said, "The Army argues that if they reprimanded the commanders, it will lead to ‘risk aversion' in battle. The reckless decisions made at Wanat were not made in battle; they occurred months and weeks before from negligence and neglect."

The fathers of two soldiers killed at Wanat have called for you or Secretary of Defense Gates to reverse General Campbell's decision. They raised numerous criticisms regarding the nature of his review, his decision to override the Central Command's findings, and his responses to questions asked by family members during his June meeting. We will share these comments with you by separate correspondence prior to your meeting with us.

Mr. Secretary, we recognize the difficulty posed in responding to the issues that families of the deceased have raised regarding General Campbell's actions. Given the depth of their concerns, however, we consider it necessary for you to address them, to inform us of your views on the principle of command accountability, and to describe how the Army is applying the lessons learned at the Battle of Wanat.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

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