Anderson AndersonSpc. Ryan G. Anderson, who as a boy wore an "Airborne" T-shirt for days on end and dreamed of becoming an Air Force pilot, was judged a traitor Thursday by nine Army officers.
After about 4 1/2 hours of deliberation, the jury of six men and three women found Anderson guilty of attempting to provide military information to the al-Qaida terrorist network earlier this year.http://www.tribnet.com/news/story/5501881p-5440489c.html
Anderson appeared stunned when the jury president announced the decision in a Fort Lewis courtroom just before 5 p.m.
"Specialist Ryan G. Anderson, this court-martial finds you guilty of all charges and their specifications," said the jury president, an Army lieutenant colonel.
Anderson's wife of 18 months, Erin, burst into tears in the gallery behind him.
Early Friday the same nine commissioned officers from Fort Lewis who had found him guilty recommended a life prison term with the possibility of parole and a dishonorable discharge.
The Washington Army National Guardsman was arrested in February after a sting by federal agents who learned that he was posting messages on the Internet seeking to join an Islamic extremist group. The most damaging piece of evidence against Anderson was a video recording of a meeting between him and two undercover agents posing as al-Qaida operatives. In the video, Anderson tells the agents the best ways to disable military vehicles and kill U.S. soldiers.
"Everyone who wears the uniform of the United States military is a victim," prosecutor Maj. Melvin Jenks said. "What price is to be paid for being a traitor?"
Anderson, a 27-year-old tank crewman in the 81st Armor Brigade, took the stand to beg for leniency during the sentencing phase of the trial. Wiping at tears, he apologized to his family, the Army and his fellow soldiers. He implored the jury, which is responsible for determining his sentence, to "have mercy upon me and those who love me."
"I will forever be embarrassed and ashamed for what I've done to bring me here to today," said Anderson, wearing his dress green Army uniform. "Even though I wasn't very good at it, I loved being a soldier. I beg for you and your families to find it in your heart to forgive me."
Anderson's mother and father both testified on his behalf. His mother, Linda Tucker, gave an emotional testimonial to her eldest son that brought many in the courtroom to tears. She recounted his love of airplanes as a boy and his desire to join the military, even at a young age.
"Honest to goodness, if you looked under the surface of Ryan, you could see he's not a bad person," she said through sobs.
The four-day court-martial hinged on two descriptions of Anderson. The prosecution depicted the Lynnwood resident as a budding Islamic extremist eager to join al-Qaida in its so-called holy war against the United States. Anderson, raised a Lutheran, converted to Islam during his college days at Washington State University.
Defense counsel argued that Anderson's judgment was distorted by two mental disorders and the information he passed along to the undercover agents was so basic as to be worthless to a sophisticated terrorist network like al-Qaida.
In closing arguments Thursday, military prosecutor Jenks told the jury Anderson knew exactly what he was doing.
Using a computer-generated presentation that flashed images on a wall screen, Jenks showed exerpts of e-mails and text messages Anderson sent over several months to people he believed to be al-Qaida operatives and other Muslim extremists.
Jenks also played segments of a video recording taken of Anderson Feb. 9 as he met with undercover agents he believed to be members of al-Qaida. "The accused's words speak for themselves," Jenks said.
The lead defense counsel, Maj. Joseph Morse, said Anderson's actions were not in dispute. His intentions and motivations, however, were far different than those listed by Jenks, he said.
"Is that really the face of evil? Or was something else going on there?" Morse said.
The evidence, he said, shows that Anderson is a troubled young man whose mental disorders got him into a situation that soon spiraled out of his control.
Two mental health experts testified during the trial that Anderson suffers from up to three mental disorders, including bipolar disorder and a form of autism called Asperger's syndrome. The disorders cause wild mood swings and sometimes make people act inappropriately when relating to others, he said.
"It's like his good-idea filter is broken," Morse said. "There's something else going on in that guy's head. He's not wired like the rest of us."
More than 20 witnesses testified during the trial and sentencing hearing, including three soldiers from the 81st Brigade who flew home from Iraq to take part in the court-martial.
On Thursday, Maj. Patrick Barry, the executive officer of Anderson's unit, testified about the impact Anderson's arrest had on his fellow soldiers, many of whom have come under fire since they deployed to Baghdad in March.
"You need to trust your buddy out there because he's the only person who's got your back," Barry said. "The last thing you want to think about is whether the person next to you is giving information away. Trust is all you have."
During his closing statement, Capt. Geoffrey DeWeese, a member of Anderson's defense team, implored the jury to consider Anderson as a human being capable of loving and being loved, not just the man they saw on the video describing how to use a land mine to blow up a tank.
"He did betray his country," DeWeese said. "But Ryan Anderson's life is not about a bunch of sound bites. His life is a lot more than that. Ryan Anderson is a lot more than that."