DEFENSE PUTS 'GO PILLS' ON TRIAL

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE - Pilots using stimulants in combat is the Air
Force norm, a government official testified at a high profile hearing here
Thursday.

The hearing, similar to a civilian grand jury, will determine if two F-16
pilots should face courts-martial for a bombing that killed four Canadian
soldiers in Afghanistan on April 17.

Majs. Harry Schmidt and William Umbach used dexamphetamines or 'go-pills,'
to stay alert during their patrol on the night of the incident. They
spotted what they believed to be hostile fire and Schmidt dropped a
laser-guided, 500-pound bomb. Four Canadians paratroopers were killed,
eight were injured.

The pilots, who defense lawyers say probably won't testify, face up to 64
years in prison.

The proceeding, called an Article 32 hearing, is being held at Barksdale
Air Force Base because of the men's affiliation with the 8th Air Force
headquartered here. Extensive testimony about communication procedures,
fatigue issues, and alternatives to bombing was also given Thursday.

Col. Lawrence Stutzriem, assistant director of plans and programs with Air
Combat Command, was the first person in three days of testimony to say 'go
pills' are used by pilots to stay alert. Further testimony on the issue by
Stutzriem was cut and considered irrelevant by the presiding officer in the
case.

Defense attorneys claim the military endorsed drugs can impair judgment and
are hanging a significant part of their strategy on the controversial
issue. The lawyers have declared its usage a key factor in the fatal bombing.

Col. Peter Demitry, an Air Force surgeon general and subject matter expert
in the counter fatigue program, said fatigue is a killer for aircrews.
Stimulants have been used as a counteractive measure for more than 60
years, Demitry said.

Government officials say using the drug saves lives and enhances
performance. "It's legal, ethical and moral," Demitry said about stimulant
use. "It's a life and death measure for our people."

Stimulant use is voluntary and no one is pressured to take them, Demitry
said. However, he says performance is enhanced when they do.

On other issues, Stutzriem reluctantly testified that pilots have the right
to respond if they perceive they are in danger, and also that communication
procedures in Afghanistan could have been better.

He said no one knew the Canadians were training on the night of the
incident, though it was common knowledge that friendly forces use the
compound. The area was also designated a restricted operation zone, meaning
pilots can engage but they have to get permission first, witnesses said.

He also testified that colleagues were concerned about not being able to
distinguish between friendly and enemy forces before April 17.

"Throughout the war, everyone wanted to have a better defined role of where
friendlies were," Stutzriem said.

Stutzriem said he talked to many people about the need for a ground liaison
officer to cover the region. Though the suggestion may have been
disregarded, the officer would have improved ground to air communications,
he said.

"It's a very good idea," he said. "But, there is no regulations that says
you have to have a ground liaison officer."

During a redirect, Stutzriem said there were reasons why the pilots should
have known friendly forces were at the compound, just a few miles from
Kandahar Airfield. The field is a major logistical hub, and U.S. forces own
space around it. Tarnak Farms, the bombing site, falls within the space,
Stutzriem said.

In discussing other options the pilots could have taken, Maj. John Milton,
who is in the same squadron as the accused, said pilots can fly higher or
faster to minimize threat conditions. He said Schmidt's actions appeared as
if he were protecting Umbach when he declared self-defense.

Milton said, even experienced pilots don't execute perfectly every time.

Defense attorneys are expected to cross-examine Milton today.