NY Soldier shoots himself in the leg to avoid returning to Iraq

[Tender Branson]

A soldier who spent 10 months in Iraq has admitted he paid someone $500 to shoot him in the leg rather than return for another tour.

"As far as being shot at every day, I think it's better," Jonathan Aponte, 20, told WCBS-TV in an interview that aired Friday. "Mentally I can't do it anymore. I can't handle it anymore."

Aponte was charged with conspiracy and falsely reporting an incident, according to the criminal complaint filed in state Supreme Court in the Bronx.

His wife, Alexandra Gonzalez, 22, was charged with assault, conspiracy and harassment.

Aponte, who recently returned from Iraq and was facing another eight-month tour, said he had been robbed and shot but eventually changed his story when he was questioned by police, authorities said. He had been scheduled to leave last Monday.

According to the complaint, Aponte had joked with his wife about getting shot in the leg so he could avoid another tour in the war torn country. But his wife took the off-the-cuff remark seriously, and said she knew a man named Felix who could do the job.

"I decided I wasn't going to go back, one way or another," he said.

Early Monday morning, the pair met with the man, who agreed to do the job for $500.

"I smoked a cigarette and kept my eyes closed because I did not want to see it coming," Aponte told an investigator. "Next think I knew I was shot in the knee."

The couple was arraigned Thursday and released on their own recognizance.

Aponte's lawyer has said the self-inflicted shooting was an act of desperation, and Aponte suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He said the military will evaluate his client and decide if he is fit for duty, provide counseling if needed and send him back overseas, or discharge him.

The suspected shooter, Felix Padilla, 24, was arraigned Thursday and charged with assault, weapon possession, conspiracy and harassment.

"I shot him in the knee," according to the criminal complaint against Padilla. "After that I went home and hid the gun outside."

A spokesman with the Bronx District Attorney's office didn't know whether Padilla had been released.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--soldier-self-infl0713jul13,0,902675.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

[StateBoiler]

A soldier who spent 10 months in Iraq has admitted he paid someone $500 to shoot him in the leg rather than return for another tour.

"As far as being shot at every day, I think it's better," Jonathan Aponte, 20, told WCBS-TV in an interview that aired Friday. "Mentally I can't do it anymore. I can't handle it anymore."

Aponte was charged with conspiracy and falsely reporting an incident, according to the criminal complaint filed in state Supreme Court in the Bronx.

His wife, Alexandra Gonzalez, 22, was charged with assault, conspiracy and harassment.

Aponte, who recently returned from Iraq and was facing another eight-month tour, said he had been robbed and shot but eventually changed his story when he was questioned by police, authorities said. He had been scheduled to leave last Monday.

According to the complaint, Aponte had joked with his wife about getting shot in the leg so he could avoid another tour in the war torn country. But his wife took the off-the-cuff remark seriously, and said she knew a man named Felix who could do the job.

"I decided I wasn't going to go back, one way or another," he said.

Early Monday morning, the pair met with the man, who agreed to do the job for $500.

"I smoked a cigarette and kept my eyes closed because I did not want to see it coming," Aponte told an investigator. "Next think I knew I was shot in the knee."

The couple was arraigned Thursday and released on their own recognizance.

Aponte's lawyer has said the self-inflicted shooting was an act of desperation, and Aponte suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He said the military will evaluate his client and decide if he is fit for duty, provide counseling if needed and send him back overseas, or discharge him.

The suspected shooter, Felix Padilla, 24, was arraigned Thursday and charged with assault, weapon possession, conspiracy and harassment.

"I shot him in the knee," according to the criminal complaint against Padilla. "After that I went home and hid the gun outside."

A spokesman with the Bronx District Attorney's office didn't know whether Padilla had been released.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--soldier-self-infl0713jul13,0,902675.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

Idiot. Why get shot in the knee? Get shot in the leg or in the arm. Less potential for long-term damage at those parts.

[Everett]

Idiot. Why get shot in the knee? Get shot in the leg or in the arm. Less potential for long-term damage at those parts.

Well the chosen location wasn't particularly good, but it's still sad that someone was reduced to hiring another person to shoot him so that he hopefully wouldn't be forced to return to Iraq.

[??????????]

Idiot. Why get shot in the knee? Get shot in the leg or in the arm. Less potential for long-term damage at those parts.

Well the chosen location wasn't particularly good, but it's still sad that someone was reduced to hiring another person to shoot him so that he hopefully wouldn't be forced to return to Iraq.

Injuring ones self is quite common throughout the history of warfare.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Idiot. Why get shot in the knee? Get shot in the leg or in the arm. Less potential for long-term damage at those parts.

Well the chosen location wasn't particularly good, but it's still sad that someone was reduced to hiring another person to shoot him so that he hopefully wouldn't be forced to return to Iraq.

Injuring ones self is quite common throughout the history of warfare.

Only "quite"?

[minionofmidas]

Second only to killing your commanding officer.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Should have chewed some Bullet Casings.

[??????????]

Idiot. Why get shot in the knee? Get shot in the leg or in the arm. Less potential for long-term damage at those parts.

Well the chosen location wasn't particularly good, but it's still sad that someone was reduced to hiring another person to shoot him so that he hopefully wouldn't be forced to return to Iraq.

Injuring ones self is quite common throughout the history of warfare.

Only "quite"?

Pretty common I'd imagine. Someone I know had an ancestor who shot his trigger finger off to stay out of the Civil War.

[© tweed]

FF

[CPT MikeyMike]

If I was his commander, I would give him the Article 15 because of his actions. Seeking mental health would have been the correct action for the Solider to take.

Simply a stupid move for a Soldier to take.

[AkSaber]

Injuring ones self is quite common throughout the history of warfare.

I was wondering that myself, if that was the case.

If I was his commander, I would give him the Article 15 because of his actions. Seeking mental health would have been the correct action for the Solider to take.

Simply a stupid move for a Soldier to take.

Is Article 15 a dishonorable discharge?

[CPT MikeyMike]

Is Article 15 a dishonorable discharge?

That would fall under a court-martial. Article 15 would give the commander a right to punish the Soldier themselves. A commander could recommend him for a court-martial.  A court-martial would probably give him a dishonorable discharge plus a fine and reduction to E-1 and even the chance for jail time.

I would, as a commander, give him an Field Grade Article 15. Assuming he was a Specialist or below, I would reduce his rank to E-1 (private), restriction for 60 days  (meaning he could only go to his normally place of duty, barracks, place of worship, mess hall, and medical facilities), forfeit 50% of pay for two months and 45 days extra duty. These are the maximum punishment for a Soldier with a field grade Article 15.

More than likely, he's get medically discharged from this, depending on the commander. Of course, I'm a hard ass officer and I wouldn't do that. 

[??????????]

Injuring ones self is quite common throughout the history of warfare.

I was wondering that myself, if that was the case.

In the CW soldiers that did that were either jailed or put into the invalid corps (guards, laborers, etc).

[True Democrat]

Yay for extreme cases in trying to point out how soldiers are protesting the war!

[AkSaber]

That would fall under a court-martial. Article 15 would give the commander a right to punish the Soldier themselves. A commander could recommend him for a court-martial.  A court-martial would probably give him a dishonorable discharge plus a fine and reduction to E-1 and even the chance for jail time.

I would, as a commander, give him an Field Grade Article 15. Assuming he was a Specialist or below, I would reduce his rank to E-1 (private), restriction for 60 days  (meaning he could only go to his normally place of duty, barracks, place of worship, mess hall, and medical facilities), forfeit 50% of pay for two months and 45 days extra duty. These are the maximum punishment for a Soldier with a field grade Article 15.

More than likely, he's get medically discharged from this, depending on the commander. Of course, I'm a hard ass officer and I wouldn't do that. 

Oh. So he could get a court martial if his commanding officer wanted to. I think the way you would want to go is how they should go about punishing him. Court martial seems like the easy way out. Thanks for the info!!

In the CW soldiers that did that were either jailed or put into the invalid corps (guards, laborers, etc).

Ah. So basically, any soldier who shot himself could expect to be scrubbing latrines for the rest of his enlistment. I never knew such a thing like "invalid corps" existed. But hey, you're the Civil War expert around here.

[??????????]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invalid_Corps

Check it out Saber.

[AkSaber]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invalid_Corps

Check it out Saber.

Hmmm. Interesting. Muchas gracias!!!

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

FF

[CPT MikeyMike]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invalid_Corps

Check it out Saber.

Hmmm. Interesting. Muchas gracias!!!

Today we call them "Broke Dicks."

[AkSaber]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invalid_Corps

Check it out Saber.

Hmmm. Interesting. Muchas gracias!!!

Today we call them "Broke Dicks."

Ouch. Hilarious, yes. But still ouch.