Report: Soldier died in joke that went too far

[unhappycamper]

Report: Soldier died in joke that went too far
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Nov 28, 2007 16:10:15 EST

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — Two 10th Mountain Division soldiers disregarded weapons safety procedures and were engaged in horseplay when one of them was accidentally shot and killed last April in Afghanistan, according to Army court martial records.

Spc. Xavier Tafoya pleaded guilty in August to manslaughter and aggravated assault in the April 28 shooting death of Cpl. Jeremy Greene, 24, of Springfield, Ohio. Tafoya, who was born in Madeira, Calif., and grew up in Gilbert, Ariz., was dishonorably discharged and is serving two years in prison, said Fort Drum spokesman Ben Abel.

The Army had said Greene was killed in an accident while cleaning his M-249 squad automatic weapon. But court-martial records show Green died after a recurring prank that violated Army weapons protocol, the Watertown Daily Times reported Wednesday.

In between combat missions, the two soldiers engaged in a game of “made you look,” that began with switching the “safe” position to the “fire” position on each other’s weapons and eventually escalated into putting live rounds in each other’s guns, according to military records obtained by the newspaper through a Freedom of Information request.

On April 28, as part of the running joke, Greene inserted two rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition into Tafoya’s weapon while he was out of the building, court documents said.

When Tafoya returned to the barracks, he violated safety procedures by failing to ensure that his weapon was unloaded, court documents said. While exchanging banter, Tafoya switched his weapon into “fire” mode, pointed it at Greene, and pulled the trigger.

Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/11/ap_madeyoulook_071128/