More abuse tied to Reservists in Iraq

The LA Times ran a very strange story about a California Guard (reservist) battalion accused of abusing detainees in Iraq. In specific, the allegations surround a June incident at a Baghdad power plant, in which seven detainees were tazed with stun guns, all of whom were almost immediately released as "non-combatants." (The Alpha Company appears to have ties to the infamous Iraqi "Wolf Brigade" — it is unclear whether Iraqi forces were involved in the June stun-gun incident.)

The Alpha Company, of the 1st battalion of the 184th infantry regiment, is commanded by a very bizarre officer from Northern California, who has served in Vietnam and also worked as a mercenary in Rhodesia. Lt. Col. Patrick Frey has many eccentricies, including a practice of "knighting" his soldiers receiving promotion with a hatchet.

The story raises the question as to whether the culture of the Reserves: lack of oversight, proper training, and permissive attitude toward "eccentricities" has somehow created an environment ripe for abuse in Iraq, where all most all of those charged with abuses so far have been reservists.