[Ron Smith]

I had a Supervisor, a young guy just back from the first Gulf War. He suffered PTSD to the point that it manifested physical illnesses. He began missing too much work due to it and eventually left on a medical retirement. We shared an office, and often had private conversations about our military experiences.

Tony confided in me that while he was with his Forward Scout Recon. unit they captured a Shell Oil office building taken over by Saddam's Republican Guard. They captured about a dozen of them. An Intelligence Officer arrived to investigate. A Colonial who out ranked his Commanding Officer ordered them to kill the prisoners.

When his CO countermanded the order, the Colonial relieved him of Command and re-issued the order. He said that he and a couple of other soldiers were ordered to shoot them.
He said it had haunted him day and night every since, and was the cause of his PTSD.