A Colonel’s Search for a Soldier’s Killer in Iraq

Re “A Death in the Family,” Column One, March 5: I am proud of Lt. Col. Roger Cloutier’s leadership of the Battle Boars of the 1st Regiment of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division. His decisive response to the death of Cpl. Jacob Palmatier was exemplary. I am glad the regiment’s response has been productive in searching out his killer while helping Iraqi soldiers and civilians root out the insurgents among them.

Erin Simons

Lompoc

It’s about time that I read that in response to a soldier’s death his commanding officer took immediate action by informing the locals what he was about to do. Either help get the people who killed my soldier or suffer the consequences.

Amazing how people, when offered life and the opportunity for prosperity rather than death and destruction, choose life and the opportunity for prosperity, even when it means turning in insurgents. Amazing how when the threat is clear, and without ambiguity, people start seeing the light of day. Now if we can only get those “liberals” to understand this and to let the military do its job. Without the politically correct crowd getting on the military’s case, we might be able to end this war quicker and with fewer casualties to those American troops for whom they seem to profess such support while hating what they are doing.

Barry Levy

Redondo Beach

Although I understand the feelings of Col. Cloutier and the soldiers of his battalion regarding the death of Cpl. Palmatier, the colonel’s response was to threaten the local civilian population with collective punishment -- tank raids on their homes and villages. Isn’t collective punishment a war crime? And why does the colonel have any confidence in the information produced through coercion?

John Yates

Los Angeles