Editor’s Note: This article is part one of a three-part series by Travis Allen , a former U.S. Army Infantry Officer. In this series, Allen recounts the shocking realization that his first platoon sergeant would later commit one of the worst U.S. war crimes since Vietnam, killing 16 civilians in Afghanistan in 2012. What follows is his account of how that story began.

—“Wait…you were his platoon leader?”

I’ve received this particular question probably about a hundred times over the last five years, and roughly 95% of the time, it’s followed by a particular look of recognition, doubt, and horror, all combined into one, washing over the asker’s face. As I recall the details of the story and explain all the caveats, for those who know me and understand how the Army works, they can see how

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