Editor's note: This story originally ran Dec. 7, 2008.

Troy Ball said he knows his brother Donald Ball is innocent of charges related to a 2007 shooting at a traffic circle that left 17 Iraqis dead.

"I'm very confident the truth will come out. I believe he will be totally exonerated of all charges," said Troy Ball, a 38-year-old Kearns resident and middle school teacher.

Donald Ball, 26, of West Valley City, is one of five Blackwater Worldwide guards accused in the shooting. Indictments against the five will be unsealed in a 1:30 p.m. hearing Monday at the Salt Lake City federal courthouse, where all five are expected to surrender to the FBI

A decorated Marine, Donald Ball had completed three tours of duty in Iraq when he decided to return as a guard. He originally joined the U.S. Marines after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Troy Ball said, to honor their father after his 1999 death of a heart attack.

"It was his way of making a difference in the world," Troy Ball said, calling his brother a hard worker and Eagle Scout who had a great love for his country.

After three tours of duty, Ball returned to Iraq as a Blackwater guard.

"He was doing what he felt was right," he said.

His brother viewed the U.S. army as a liberating force, and respected the Iraqi people, Troy Ball said.

Donald Ball grew up in Utah with older brother Troy and three sisters. He is not married and has no children, his brother said. His mother lives in the Salt Lake City area.

The family is planning to attend the guards' hearing Monday, as are several of Donald Ball's friends, some of them fellow veterans.

military@sltrib.com