But in March 2012 on a moonlight night in Kandahar, he committed one of the worst war crimes by a US soldier in modern history. He left his base, entered two Afghan villages, and massacred 16 civilians, including nine children, then returned covered in blood. He later said, "There's no good reason for the horror I caused." He avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty. Now 51, Bales is serving life without parole at Fort Levvenworth.