Sergeant Evan Vela, 23, has seen his five-month-old baby daughter once during his time as a sniper in some of the most dangerous areas of Iraq.

Vela's family wonders when the St. Anthony native and Rigby High School graduate will see his children again. He's currently being held in a field confinement facility in Iraq, facing the possibility of life in prison.

The military says Vela shot an Iraqi man, planted a weapon on the deceased body, gave a false official statement, and obstructed justice.

Curtis Carnahan says his son is innocent, and has retained the most respected military law team in the country.

Carnahan: "They've given me some odds on what they feel we can achieve, and they aren't the best odds we'd hope for, but we feel like we have no option but to move forward."

But a law team like that doesn't come cheap. He and his family have mortgaged their home and exhausted all resources for military lawyers with experience dating back to Vietnam.

Carnahan: "I'm just appealing to everyone that can help us, we do desparately need help with finances to get this thing taken care of."

Vela was orginally appointed two JAG lawyers, but the family says they were fast-tracking their son to plead guilty.

Carnahan: "My son Evan doesn't feel like he can stand up and plead guilty to something he's not guilty of."

Money is needed also because Curtis and his lawyers might have to fly to Baghdad if Vela is appointed a new preliminary hearing, followed by a trial.

Carnahan: "We're trying to get government to give us a change of venue to bring trial back to us instead of a foreign country, because we feel like we need to get this story in front of the American people."

Vela's father says any unfortunate incident that may have happened is part of the risky, classified missions Army rangers must endure.

Carnahan: "It was part of the mission and the NCO of the unit he was on was the one issuing the orders."