Marine Charged in Shooting Saw Death Up Close in Iraq (Los Angeles Times)

LAWRENCE, Mass. — Even before he went to Iraq, the noise from nightclubs in his neighborhood here infuriated Marine Sgt. Daniel Cotnoir. The 33-year-old reservist regularly called police to complain about raucous crowds spilling onto Broadway, one of this hardscrabble city's busiest boulevards.

But after he returned late last year from a 10-month tour in the Marines' mortuary affairs unit, Cotnoir's patience snapped. He screamed at revelers outside his family's funeral home that his wife and two kids were trying to sleep. When a bottle hurtled through his open window in response at 2:50 a.m. last Sunday, Cotnoir grabbed his shotgun and fired once — injuring a 15-year-old and a 20-year-old.

The incident did not entirely surprise those who knew Cotnoir and who had heard his stories about his grisly work in Iraq. "He was not the same person when he came back as when he left," said Bruce Reynolds, who has known the Marine since Cotnoir was 7 years old.

With Cotnoir undergoing a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation at a state hospital, the case has emerged as a beacon for the toll of stress and trauma on troops in America's latest war. Cotnoir, selected by the civilian-run Marine Corps Times as the 2005 Marine of the Year, has pleaded not guilty to charges that include two counts of attempted murder.

Just get this Marine some help, please. Don't charge him with anything. It won't help him and his family.

Semper Fi