European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 21, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday april 21 2007 stars and stripes pages Marine granted immunity in Laditha Case by Josh White the Washington Post Washington the Only Marine officer at the scene of the attacks on residential Homes in Laditha Iraq that left nearly two dozen civilians dead in 2005 has received immunity in the casette move precludes Marine officials from charging him with a crime and paves the Way for his Eye witness testimony in trials related to the slayings and alleged coverup Marine corps it Gen James Mattis who oversees the Laditha cases approved immunity for it William t Kallop on april 3 part of an agreement that includes an order for him to cooperate and truthfully answer All questions posed by investigators and lawyers in the Case according to documents obtained by the Washington officer to testify at trials about slayings Post Kallop became the second Central player in the shootings to be granted immunity and he is expected to testify in hear Ings for seven marines and officers charged in connection to the shootings Kallop arrived at the scene of a huge insurgent Roadside bomb nov 192005 after one Marine was killed and two others ordered five civilians out of a White car and gunned them Down Kallop and other marines said they came under Small arms attack from a nearby Home and Kallop told naval Crimi Nal investigative service officials that he or dered a team to take the House according to investigative documents marines immediately stormed two houses and killed numerous men women and children including some still in then Beds wearing Paja Mas staff sgt Frank d Wuterich who led the team and has been charged in connection with 13 deaths that Day has asserted that he and the rest of his unit were following their rules of engage ment when they entered the Homes tossed fragmentation grenades and then fired into rooms the marines cleared it the Way they Mattis had been trained to Clear it which is Frags first Kallop told investigators in 2006 he has talked with authorities since his Grant of immunity officials said later he told investigators in con Vinced that we did nothing wrong Kallop has never been charged with a crime As a result of the Laditha incident he told investigators that he reported the civilian casualties and argued that there was never an attempt to hide the situation authorities have alleged that senior Mem Bers of the Marine battalion ignored the Case and failed to properly investigate it two sources close to the Case said thurs Day that As Many As eight marines have received immunity to testify including one who allegedly shot the civilians from the White car and who has implicated Wuterich in those killings Mellenkamp will perform for troops at Walter Reed stars and stripes John Mellenkamp will perform a televised concert Friday for about 300 patients at Walter Reed army medical Center Usa today reported Friday the Washington Hospital under fire in re cent months amid reports of inadequate care opened its doors to Mellenkamp despite the in Diana Rock stars vocal stance against the Iraq War and the Bush administration 1 dont pretend to understand decisions the government makes the paper quotes Mellen lamp As saying in sure in Light of the circumstances their first inclination would have been to say no but they want to give their patients something special the catalyst for Mellencamp appearance was his Brief acoustic set at the opening in Jan uary of the Center for the intrepid a physical rehab facility in san Antonio for soldiers re turning from Iraq and Afghanistan disturbed by the Walter Reed scandal Mellenkamp initially considered staging a Large Benefit show and Funne Hng proceeds to the Hospital then it dawned on me what i really wanted to do is lighten the Load of the soldiers and workers in the Hospital so Why not just play for them he told Usa today the amount wed raise in an Arena concert is peanuts next to what the government throws around in a statement to Usa today Walter Reed spokesman Steve Sanderson said warriors in transition Are eagerly awaiting the show unique events like this provide a great forum for these soldiers to relax and enjoy themselves the performance will air in the United states at 8 pm Edt on Hodnet in the Chan Nels first broadcast of a live concert Usa today wrote a John Mei encamp says he wants to perform to lighten the Load of soldiers and workers at Walter Reed army medical Center thousands More vets visiting a Walkin clinics stars and stripes citing department of veterans affairs records Usa today reported Friday that the number of re turning Iraq and Afghanistan com Bat veterans visiting a Walkin clinics has More than doubled since 2004 while the clinics staffs increased by less than 10 percent Usa today reported that 21681 Iraq and Afghanistan Veter ans visited the centers in 2006 up from 8965 in 2004 and according last minute Lioret de mar Spain to nerf to a records the number of clinic staff members Rose from 992 to 1063 during the same period Al Batres the National director of clinic operations told the paper that he will add More staff Over time and said he has the Bud get to open 23 new centers across the country by september 2008 the vet centers Are Small storefront operations with a staff of four or five people each services include combat stress counsel ing marriage therapy Job Assis Tance and medical referrals five of the clinics in the a sur vey said they have people waiting in line for service Usa today re ported among the findings in a a sur vey of 60 centers h Twenty six centers said it takes longer to help veterans be cause of tiie increased workload b Twenty two centers reported they cannot provide family coun seling when necessary 9 fifty four centers said More sexual trauma treatment is needed two nato soldiers die in bombings the associated press Kabul Afghanistan Sepa rate explosions in Southern Afghanistan killed two nato sol Diers on Friday the Alliance said in a statement nato did not identify the dead soldiers or the exact place where they were killed Gen Dick Berhn the dutch de sense chief said Friday that a dutch Soldier was killed in an explosion in Southern Helmand province while on foot patrol As part of operation Achilles nato launched operation Achilles last month to flush out militants entrenched in the opium producing area the Soldier is the dutch Contin gents first fatality from hostile action since joining the nato mis Sion last year most dutch troops in Afghani Stan Are stationed in neighbouring uru Zgan province on a reconstruction Mission but dutch forces also have taken part in nato offensives against the Taliban further details were not immediately available the Corporal was the sixth dutch Soldier killed on afghan duty since the government sent nearly 2000 troops to uru Zgan last August three died in Avia Tion accidents one in an armoured car crash and another in an apparent suicide w 3 nights hotel with breakfast lunch dinner round trip bus and a Day trip to Barcelona Price per person based on 2 persons sharing a twin bedded room trips operated by United european airlines Ltd us Greada sout