Indiana guardsman begins sentence for Iraqi's death

FERDINAND, Ind. -- An Indiana National Guard soldier convicted in the shooting death of an Iraqi police officer has begun serving his 18-month sentence in a military prison at Fort Knox, Ky., an Army spokeswoman said.\nCpl. Dustin Berg's sentence was approved last week by Maj. Gen. Robert Williams, said Connie Shaffery, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Army base.\nUnder the universal code of military justice, Berg's sentence had to be approved by a senior military officer.\nAs part of a plea bargain in July, Berg, 22, pleaded guilty to negligent homicide, intentionally shooting himself in the stomach and providing false statements.\nDuring his court martial hearing, Berg said the November 2003 shooting was rash judgment. He said it was a mistake to try to cover up the incident by shooting himself in the stomach.\nBerg was deployed with the Indiana National Guard's 1st Battalion, which was in Iraq from February 2003 to February 2004.\nDuring an investigation into the shooting, Berg gave prosecutors multiple versions of the shooting.\nAt one point, Berg said he was shot because he was trying to report suspected insurgent activity. During his July court appearance, Berg admitted shooting himself on purpose in an attempt to make it appear he was defending himself against the officer with whom he was on patrol.\nAfter his sentence, family and friends in Berg's southwestern Indiana hometown started a letter-writing campaign, hoping to persuade military officials to reduce his sentence.\n"We all put forth effort to get the sentence reduced but we are just thankful he will not be there any longer (than 18 months)," Fleck told The Herald of Jasper.