Family Stunned By Alleged Iraq Fragging Death

June 18, 2005 — -- The family of a soldier allegedly killed in Iraq by a subordinate is stunned he appears to have been victimized by a member of the military family he loved.

"We miss him terribly, and the Army was one of his great loves, besides his family," said Robert Allen, the father of one of the two victims, 1st Lt. Louis E. Allen.

Robert Allen, 1st Lt. Allen's mother Vivian Allen, and his sister, Laurene Sandstrom, spoke today with ABC News' "Good Morning America" in an exclusive interview.

Staff Sgt. Alberto B. Martinez has been charged with with two counts of premeditated murder in the June 7 deaths of Allen, 34, of Milford, Pa., and Capt. Phillip T. Esposito, 30, of Suffern, N.Y.

The soldiers all were with the New York Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division, which has been in Iraq since January, according to The Associated Press.

Military officials are referring to the incident as "fragging," a phenomenon often associated with the Vietnam War. In Vietnam, "frag" grenades that spread deadly shrapnel when detonated were used to kill fellow soldiers.

Military officials said Martinez's motive was unclear, although reports say Allen and Esposito had recently disciplined the sergeant, who is now being held at a military detention facility in Kuwait.

If Allen indeed had a problem with Martinez, his family said it is not something he would have shared.

"If he did, he probably would not have discussed it with us," said Robert Allen. "He was a very positive kid."

This is not the first time the war in Iraq has been plagued by this kind of incident. A sergeant in the 101st Airborne Division was convicted of murder and attempted murder last April for a grenade and rifle attack that killed two officers and wounded 14 soldiers in Kuwait during the first days of the 2003 invasion.

The incident in which Allen and Esposito died took place near Tikrit, in what used to be one of Saddam Hussein's palaces.