During the trial, there was criticism that British soldiers had not received any proper training in the transition period between war and peacekeeping. A high-ranking Army officer admitted a lack of planning had turned the occupation into a shambles. Guardsman McCleary, whose two friends were killed just yards away from him during his time in Iraq, said: "Iraq was terrifying. Looters were everywhere, there were too many of them for us and it was difficult to know how to handle them.We were told to put them in the canal. I was the lowest rank. We were always told we weren't paid to think. We just followed orders." Guardsman McCleary, who lives in Bootle and is a former Sacred Heart pupil, says he remembers Karheem, but he did not know that he had drowned. He said: "We had a job to do, and it was so hectic. Karheem's friend and his father said I shot at them and threw stones, but I didn't. They wanted compensation." It wasn't until nearly a year later that he was told he was being arrested for manslaughter. At the time, he was nearing the end of a tour in Northern Ireland. He said: "I couldn't understand it. There was no evidence. I don't know why the Army went ahead with the prosecution. "It was when there were reports about British soldiers mistreating Iraqis and they wanted to look like they were doing something. We were scapegoats." On his decision to leave the Army, Guardsman McCleary said: "I don't want to go back to Iraq. I feel like I've been through enough. "I have had depression and I have been on edge for so long. "I was just a kid when I joined and being in the Army is like being in a tunnel. "The first thing I am going to do is buy a season ticket for Everton. Then I want to go back to college. I can't wait to get a normal job. "And I want to travel the world. "I'm going to save up and go on lots of holidays. I want to go places with my swimming shorts and not a gun." Guardsman McCleary paid tribute to his girlfriend Christine Hennessey, his mother Lynn McCleary, step-father Carlos Pacheco and the rest of his friends and family. He has a sister Helen, 27, and a brother David, 25, who is also in the Army. "I don't know what I would have done without them all. It was so hard for them, too. I want to give something back to them." After travelling back from Colchester yesterday, Guardsman McCleary was given a homecoming party at the Old Campfield pub in Everton. His mother said: "When Joe was cleared, it was the happiest day of my life. "We were terrified for him. He is a big softie and we knew he could never have done what they said he did, but we thought he was being used as a scapegoat and they might still send him to prison." jessicashaughnessy@dailypost.co.uk Lack of planning made occupation a shambles, says officer >>> | 
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