Assigned in to an Army unit in Iraq as an intelligence analyst , Manning had access to classified databases. In early , she leaked classified information to WikiLeaks and confided this to Adrian Lamo , an online acquaintance. Manning was charged with 22 offenses, including aiding the enemy , which was the most serious charge and could have resulted in a death sentence.
Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth. Brian had joined the United States Navy in , at age 19, and served five years as an intelligence analyst. The couple returned to the U. After moving near Crescent, Oklahoma , they bought a house with five acres of land, where they kept pigs and chickens. Manning's sister told the court-martial that both their parents were alcoholics , and that their mother drank continually while pregnant with Chelsea. Captain David Moulton, a Navy psychiatrist, told the court that Manning's facial features showed signs of fetal alcohol syndrome.
The court heard that Manning was fed only milk and baby food until the age of two. As an adult she reached 5 ft 2 in 1. Manning's father took a job as an information technology IT manager for a rental car agency, The Hertz Corporation , [ 36 ] which required travel. The family lived several miles out of town, and Manning's mother was unable to drive. She spent her days drinking, while Manning was left largely to herself playing with Lego toys or on the computer.
Brian stocked up on food before his trips and left signed checks that the sister mailed to pay the bills. A neighbor said that whenever Manning's elementary school went on field trips, she would give her own son extra food or money so he could make sure Manning had something to eat. Friends and neighbors considered the Mannings a troubled family. As a child, Manning was opinionated about the intersection of religion and politics.
In a interview, Manning's father said, "People need to understand that he's a young man that had a happy life growing up. Manning learned how to use PowerPoint , won the grand prize three years in a row at the local science fair, and in sixth grade, took top prize at a statewide quiz bowl. A childhood friend of Manning's, speaking about a conversation they had when Manning was 13, said: "he told me he was gay".
