Picking Up the Pieces After My Sergeant’s War Crime

Editor’s Note: This article is the final installment of a three-part series by Travis Allen, a former U.S. Army Infantry Officer. In this conclusion, the author reflects on his return to VSP Belambai after the massacre, where he found his young soldiers hardened by combat and shaken by betrayal. What follows is his account of living through the aftermath, the trial of his first platoon sergeant, and how he came to terms with the tragedy.

If you haven’t read part one, you can find it here . What follows is the final installment of his continued story.

—Flying over Panjwai in early March was an apocalyptic image. No signs of vegetation or life, just barren fields for miles, consisting of deep farm rows, bordered by thick mud walls, with grape huts jutting out unnaturally from the landsc