Military [Hero] to Be Tried in Robbery

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-04-28 07:35am

Associated Press wrote: April 26, 2004

ST. PAUL, Minn. - An ex-sailor credited with saving hundreds of his shipmates from an explosion is about to stand trial on charges he robbed a credit union, then escaped by donning scuba gear and hiding for hours in the Mississippi River.

Mark W. Samples, who fled with his son for more than a year while awaiting trial, has blamed his actions in 2001 on post-traumatic stress disorder exacerbated by the extreme side effects of medications.

Jury selection begins Monday in his trial on federal bank robbery charges.

Military officials say Samples, then 24, saved more than 200 shipmates by preventing an explosion on the USS Stark after the vessel was accidentally hit by two Iraqi missiles while in the Persian Gulf in 1987. He spent 13 hours in a darkened magazine, spraying water on 36 missiles as a 2,000-degree fire raged only a bulkhead away.

For his efforts, Samples was awarded the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Medal of Heroism, the highest peacetime honor; and the Vanguard Award, which recognizes noncommissioned officers' heroism.

According to a memo from his defense, Samples was traumatized by the incident but sought no counseling because he feared it would jeopardize his military advancement.

In 2001, he was "actively suicidal," and tried to devise a plan that would allow his wife and son to collect on his life insurance policy. He opted to rob a bank, the court document stated.

On May 3, 2001, according to police, Samples robbed a southern Minnesota credit union at gunpoint. Dressed in diver's clothing, he fled on a mountain bike with about $70,000. He spent eight hours in the Mississippi River before heading to the Wisconsin residence he shared with his wife and son, police said.

The FBI tracked a handgun dropped during the robbery to Samples, who fled with his 2-year-old son while awaiting trial in 2002.

The two were found 15 months later in a small Ohio town near the West Virginia border.

[Title fixed- DW]

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-04-28 07:41am

Damn. The title was supposed to say, "Miltary Hero to be tried in Robbery

KrauserKrauser · Post by **KrauserKrauser** » 2004-04-28 12:19pm

Bah blame the entire military, it'll make the trial more interesting.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2004-04-28 12:24pm

Well, I'm quite sure any lawyer will use his PTSS as an excuse. Weather or not its a valid one, I'm not sure.

I will say that his E&E tactic was quite clever.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2004-04-28 03:00pm

Knife wrote:Well, I'm quite sure any lawyer will use his PTSS as an excuse. Weather or not its a valid one, I'm not sure.

I will say that his E&E tactic was quite clever.

As someone who suffers with PTSD from military service, I can tell you that it will make you do things that you would NEVER do if you were normal. The problem is that your view of the world is distorted and often leads you to do things that are dangerous to yourself and others. I can sympathise with this man's predicament, and I can see why he never came forward about having PTSD as it helped kill my career.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-04-28 03:03pm

I must admit I do feel sorry for the guy. You get the impression of someone whose life was collapsing around him. There must have been tremendous unhappiness in that whole family, and I can't imagine what it would do to your head to be trapped in hell on the brink of destruction for 13 hours.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-04-28 07:12pm

May I just ask how you "accidentally" get hit by two Iraqi missiles?

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-04-28 07:29pm

Stofsk wrote:May I just ask how you "accidentally" get hit by two Iraqi missiles?

That was during the Iran/Iraq war and the Iraqis were taking out Iranian oil tankers with Exocet Missiles.

There's a lot more to the story and there are some questions as to whether it was really a mistake or not, although it's generally assumed that the Stark really wasn't the target. Some people like to think the White Plains, which had been in the Starks general position for quite awhile may have been the actual target but it been briefly relieved.

There is a lot of stuff behind the Stark getting hit with those missiles regardless of who the Iraqi's were trying to hit (errors on the part of the crew). A lot of USN policies changed because of the Stark incident. No corofram shoes while underway (some people had their shoes melt to their feet) etc...

IIRC at least one of the missiles didn't detonate but it did punch a hole in the ship igniting and spreading fires everywhere.