For years, Eugene Morgan didn’t talk much about his experiences aboard the USS Indianapolis.

The Seattle man served aboard the Portland-class cruiser during World War II including on July 30, 1945, when the ship came under attack from a Japanese submarine and sank in the Pacific Ocean near the Marianas Islands.

Morgan was one of 317 survivors among the crew of almost 1,200. Eventually, as the anti-war sentiment waned in the decades following the Vietnam War, he began to share his story.

Nearly a decade ago, he shared it with his grandson, Jason Witty of Puyallup.

Witty joined the Navy after graduating from Puyallup High School 11 years ago. Today he’s a machinist mate 1st class.

Morgan died of a heart attack in June at age 87. Among his last wishes was to be buried at sea near the spot of the Indianapolis’ sinking.

His grandson fulfilled that request earlier this month.

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My colleague, Adam Lynn, was at U.S. District Court in Tacoma today and reported on the sentencing of Cedar Lanmon, an Army captain who pleaded guilty to one count of accepting illegal gratuities. Prosecutors say he accepted $25,000 from an Albanian entrepreneur hoping to land work for the military in Iraq.

From the story:

Lanmon declined an opportunity to speak before his sentencing, but in an 11-page letter submitted to the judge he attempted to explain his conduct.

Operating in a war zone and a foreign culture muddled his thinking, Lanmon wrote. In addition to getting involved in business dealings that risked his Army commission, he cheated on his wife with a civilian contractor, he wrote.

"Psychologists call it cognitive dissonance when actions fall short or are in contravention to a person's moral compass," Lanmon said in the letter. "Combat does funny things to your mind. The only way I found to operate effectively was to assume that I would be dead tomorrow."

His wife reported his business dealings to Army criminal investigators when Lanmon brought his then-pregnant girlfriend home with him from Iraq, according to court documents.

Lanmon wrote in his letter that he is ashamed of his actions.

"I feel I have shamed the very country that I fought (for) and vowed to defend," he said. "I have shamed the officers and mentors who over the years have put their trust and confidence in me. I have tarnished my family's name."

Find the rest of it here.

Another day brings more bad news about the viability of a negotiated security deal between the United States and Iraq. Both countries are working against a Dec. 31 deadline, when the United Nations mandate that authorizes American troops in Iraq is set to expire.

Some Iraqi lawmakers want changes to the agreement. Sticking points include the jurisdiction over American forces and a timeline for the withdrawal of all American troops.

"The window for any kind of discussions, negotiations is rapidly coming to a close," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Thursday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military has told Baghdad it would shut down military operations and other vital services on Jan. 1 if the deal isn't passed. Those other vital services, according to McClatchy's Baghdad bureau, include "activities that support Iraq’s economy, educational sector and other areas."

This – along with American presidential elections next week and Iraqi provincial elections in January – could drastically change I Corps’ mission when it takes over day-to-day operations in Iraq in the spring.

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