Wife of JBLM soldier accused in Afghan killing speaks

The wife of a U.S. soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan
civilians says her husband showed no signs of PTSD before
he deployed, and adds that she doesn’t feel like she’ll
ever believe he was involved in the killings.

Karilyn Bales defended her husband, Staff Sgt. Robert
Bales, in an interview with Matt Lauer for NBC’s “Today”
show that aired on Monday morning.

The Washington state woman said her husband joined the
Army after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to
“protect his family, friends and country. He wanted to do
his part,” and added that her husband is “very brave, very
courageous.”

Officials say Bales wandered off base in southern
Afghanistan earlier this month and killed eight Afghan
adults and nine children.

The wife of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier said the
accusations are “unbelievable to me.”

She said she first heard of the incident when she was
shopping at the grocery store.

“I saw 38-year-old staff sergeant and I don’t think there
are very many of those,” said Karilyn Bales. “I probably
prayed and prayed my husband wasn’t involved and then I
received a call from the Army that said they wanted to
come out and talk to me.”

“He loves children, he’s like a big kid himself,” she
said. “I have no idea what happened, but he would not …
he loves children, and he would not do that.”

Bales was formally charged Friday with 17 counts of
premeditated murder and other crimes.

She said he never had nightmares or other signs of PTSD
and she feels like he was mentally fit when he was
deployed. She also said he never told her about a
traumatic brain injury he suffered while in Iraq, until he
returned home.

“He shielded me from a lot of what he went through. He’s a
very tough guy.”

U.S. investigators have said they believe Bales killed in
two episodes, returning to his base after the first attack
and later slipping away to kill again. He is reported to
have surrendered without a struggle.

The 38-year-old married father of two from Lake Tapps,
Wash., is being held at a U.S. military prison at Fort
Leavenworth, Kan.

Karilyn Bales has spoken to her husband by telephone twice
since he was detained. The soldier called his wife first
from overseas shortly after massacre, and then last week
from Fort Leavenworth where the two talked about family
matters and “reaffirmed their love for each other,” said
her attorney, Lance Rosen.

Karilyn Bales said that during those phone calls she
didn’t ask her husband about the accusations he faces, and
whether he was involved.

“We couldn’t discuss those details. He was … seemed a
bit confused, as to where he was and why he was there.”
She said she doesn’t think she’ll have to ask him what
happened that night in Afghanistan because “I think he’ll
tell me what happened, from his point of view.”
She said she can’t believe he was involved in the
killings.

“I don’t think anything will really change my mind in
believing that he did not do this. This is not what it
appears to be,” she said.

The couple has two young children, a girl named Quincy and
a boy named Bobby.

Bales was on his fourth tour of duty in a war zone, having
served three tours in Iraq, where he suffered a head
injury and a foot injury. His civilian attorney, John
Henry Browne, had said the soldier and his family had
thought he was done fighting.

Karilyn Bales told the “Today” show she has set up a fund
to help pay for her husband’s legal defense.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.