This Is Horrifying

Washington Post: Members of U.S. platoon in Afghanistan accused of killing civilians for sport

...According to charging documents, the unprovoked, fatal attack on Jan. 15 was the start of a months-long shooting spree against Afghan civilians that resulted in some of the grisliest allegations against American soldiers since the U.S. invasion in 2001. Members of the platoon have been charged with dismembering and photographing corpses, as well as hoarding a skull and other human bones.

The subsequent investigation has raised accusations about whether the military ignored warnings that the out-of-control soldiers were committing atrocities. The father of one soldier said he repeatedly tried to alert the Army after his son told him about the first killing, only to be rebuffed.

Winning hearts and minds.

Stories like this show how a few bad apples can make the entire military look bad, endanger fellow soldiers and jeopardize missions years in the making.