SEAL commando defends Navy lieutenant accused of abusing prisoners in Iraq

SAN DIEGO - A Navy SEAL commando testifying Tuesday on behalf of a comrade accused of abusing prisoners in Iraq called the defendant "the most compassionate SEAL I've ever known."

The testimony was part of an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a civilian grand jury, for the lieutenant, who is accused of assault, maltreatment and conduct unbecoming an officer for his handling of detainees.

"Sir, I know what kind of man he is and it breaks my heart that something might be taken out of context by people who weren't there," the witness, a SEAL who served in the lieutenant's platoon in Iraq, testified at a military court hearing at Naval Base San Diego.

"He's a good man," added the SEAL, wiping away tears. "He's a hero."

A Navy officer hearing the evidence will make a recommendation whether the lieutenant, who has not been identified, should face a court-martial.

The SEAL, who testified under a grant of immunity, said he witnessed the lieutenant strike or poke a detainee with the muzzle of his rifle in November 2003. The muzzle strikes, he said, were not intended to harm the handcuffed and hooded detainee he described as dangerous and noncompliant, but rather to "instill fear" and maintain control.

The enlisted SEAL, a hospital corpsman who has since returned from Iraq, said he now believes there's no reason to strike a hooded and handcuffed prisoner. He added he never witnessed anything he considered cruel.