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Manning wants to be a 'better person,' he told court

The young man who provided secret information to WikiLeaks apologized for the harm he had caused during the sentencing phase of his military trial on Wednesday. Bradley Manning, convicted of 20 charges last month, may receive his sentence as early as next week. 

U.S. soldier Bradley ManningÌýon Wednesday told a military court "I'm sorry" for giving war logs and diplomatic secrets to the WikiLeaks website three years ago, the biggest breach of classified data in the nation's history.

"I am sorry that my actions hurt people. I'm sorry that they hurt theÌýUnited States," the 25-year-old U.S.ÌýArmyÌýPrivate First Class told the sentencing phase of his court-martial. "I am sorry for the unintended consequences of my actions ... The last few years have been a learning experience."

Manning spoke quietly and non-defiantly in his first extensive public comments since February.

Manning faces up to 90 years in prison for providing more than 700,000 documents, battle videos and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, hurling the pro-transparency website and its founder,ÌýJulian Assange, into the world spotlight.

Defense lawyers seeking a milder sentence rested their case on Wednesday after Manning's statement. With about a dozen witnesses includingÌýArmyÌýsuperiors, mental health professionals and Manning's own sister, they sought to show Judge ColonelÌýDenise LindÌýthat commanders ignored signs of mental stress.

AnÌýArmyÌýpsychologist testified at the hearing at Fort Meade,ÌýMaryland, that Manning, who is gay, felt isolated because he was wrestling with his gender identity. Another mental health specialist testified that ManningÌýhad hoped to end war.

"I should have worked more aggressively inside the system ... Unfortunately, I can't go back and change things," Manning, wearing his dress uniform and glasses, his hair in a crew cut, said from the witness stand.

He did not appear to be reading from notes and looked at the judge and around the room as he spoke.

"I understand I must pay a price for my decisions," ManningÌýcontinued in his first lengthy public statement since February.

"I want to be a better person, to go to college, to get a degree and to have a meaningful relationship with my sister and her family."

Manning was convicted of 20 charges, including espionage and theft, on July 30. He was found not guilty of the most serious count, aiding the enemy, which carried a life sentence.

A military spokesman said the judge would most likely sentence ManningÌýnext week at the earliest.

Prosecutors, who have argued that ManningÌýwas an arrogant soldier who aided al Qaeda militants and harmed the United States with the release of the documents, will have an opportunity to rebut the defense case on Friday.Ìý

'Hyper-masculine environment'

CaptainÌýMichael Worsley, who treated ManningÌýfrom December 2009 to May 2010 during his deployment inÌýIraq, testified that the stress ManningÌýhad felt from his job as a low-level intelligence analyst was compounded by being in a "hyper masculine environment" of a combat zone.

"Being in the military and having a gender identity issue does not exactly go hand in hand," Worsley said. "You put him in that kind of environment, this hyper masculine environment ... with no coping skills, the pressure would have been incredible."

That pressure reached a peak when ManningÌýpunched another soldier, Worsley said. He said he had met infrequently with ManningÌýand had no input from his superiors until the punching incident.

Navy Reserve CaptainÌýDavid Moulton, a forensic psychiatrist, said he had diagnosed ManningÌýas having gender dysphoria, or wanting to be the opposite sex, as well as narcissism and obsessive-compulsive behavior. Those problems were compounded by the unraveling of a romantic relationship, the stress of serving in aÌýBaghdadÌýcombat base and post-adolescent idealism, he said.

"Manning was under the impression that the information he was giving was going to change the way the world saw the wars inÌýIraqÌýandÌýAfghanistan, and future wars, actually," said Moulton, who interviewed ManningÌýfor about 21 hours and spent more than 100 hours on the case.

'No war was worth it'

The psychiatrist said ManningÌýthought it "would lead to a greater good. Society as a whole would come to the conclusion that the war wasn't worth it, that no war was worth it."

Manning's sister,ÌýCasey Major, 36, ofÌýOklahomaÌýCity, testified about how her parents' alcoholism and infighting compelled her to play a lead role in raising her brother.

She recounted their early days together inÌýCrescent,ÌýOklahoma, reviewed family photos, and said, "I just hope he can be who he wants to be. I just hope he can be happy."

Troubles at home prompted a teenaged ManningÌýto move to Potomac,ÌýMaryland, to live with his aunt, said Debra van Alstyne, the aunt who took him in. She recalled that ManningÌýhad joined theÌýArmyÌýin the hope of going to college on the GI bill, after having difficulty balancing classes and a job at Starbucks.

The material ManningÌýreleased that shocked many around the world was a 2007 gunsight video of a U.S.ÌýApacheÌýhelicopter firing at suspected insurgents inÌýBaghdad. A dozen people were killed, including two Reuters news staff. WikiLeaks dubbed the footage "Collateral Murder."

Manning, described by his superiors as an Internet expert, faces the prospect of decades of monotonous prison life - with no online access - once he is sentenced.

(Additional reporting by Tom Ramstack; Editing by Scott Malone, Grant McCool and Andrew Hay)