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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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January 22nd,
2008 - New Armored Truck Sees First Iraq Death News article by the Associated
Press |
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New Armored Truck Sees First
Iraq Death By Associated Press January 22, 2008 Baghdad - A soldier killed
over the weekend south of Baghdad was the first American casualty in a
roadside bomb attack on a newly introduced, heavily armored vehicle, a
military spokeswoman said Tuesday. The V-shaped hull of the huge
MRAP - Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected - truck is designed to deflect blasts
from roadside bombs, a weapon that has killed more American soldiers than any
other tactic used by Sunni insurgents and militia fighters in Iraq. The soldier who died
Saturday was the gunner who sits atop the MRAP vehicle. Three crew members
tucked inside the cabin were wounded. The vehicle rolled over after the blast
and it was not clear how the gunner died - from wounds in the explosion or in
the subsequent roll-over. Maj. Alayne P. Conway,
deputy spokeswoman for the 3rd Infantry Division, said the attack and the
death were under investigation. There now are more than
1,500 of the costly vehicles in service in Iraq and the Pentagon is working
to get at least 12,000 more, using $21 billion provided by Congress. MRAPs
cost between $500,000 and $1 million, depending on their size and how they
are equipped. The sophisticated vehicles
are being built and put into service in a bid to provide soldiers and Marines
more protection than is offered by armored Humvees, which have flat bottoms
that absorb the shock waves from a blast. The bottom of an MRAP also is 36
inches above the ground, while Humvees sit much closer to the roadway. External link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080122/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_armored_vehicles_death Posted by Bill Roggio Weekly Standard January 22, 2008 The New York Times reported
today an attack on the MRAP, or Mine Resistant Armored Vehicle, resulted in
the first death of a U.S. soldier inside the vehicle. This is categorically
false. Three U.S. Army soldiers were killed in an IED attack in Ramadi and Karmah
in early 2007, and other soldiers were killed in MRAPs in 2006. Earlier today I forwarded
the article to my friend, Captain Eric Coulson, who is currently serving his
second consecutive tour in Iraq (voluntarily). Before moving to Tallil Air
Base, Captain Coulson commanded a company of Army engineers dedicated to
route clearance in and between Ramadi and Fallujah, and outlying areas like
Karmah during the end of 2006 and throughout 2007. Captain Coulson’s company
from Task Force Badger cleared some of the toughest roads in Iraq. In February 2007, Captain
Coulson’s Badgers lost three soldiers in a complex deep-buried IED ambush.
His troops were clearing the roads to facilitate the rescue of a helicopter
downed by an al Qaeda anti-aircraft team. Captain Coulson posted about
the inaccurate New York Times report at his blog, Badgers Forward. The New York Times gets it
wrong. Corporal Stephen Shannon of Company C, 397th Engineer (Task Force
Pathfinder) was killed in Ramadi in January 2007 while riding in an RG-31 and
of course Sergeant James Holtom, Sergeant Ross Clevenger, and Private First
Class Ray Werner of Company A, 321st Engineer (Task Force Pathfinder) were
killed 8 February 2007 while riding in an RG31. A Soldier form the unit we
replaced had a Soldier killed while riding in an RG31 in July of 2006 and
there have been several incidents of Soldiers getting killed while riding in
Buffaloes. Captain Coulson said either
the New York Times failed to do its research, or the Marines failed to report
on the Army casualties: There are two possibilities
(1) crummy research on the part of the New York Times or (2) lack of
information at the MNF-I Press Center. The reason I was never able to post
articles like this one is the MNF-W deemed our mission too sensitive to have
press riding along. Of course they let Bill Roggio do it and it was going on
else where in theater as demonstrated by the above article, so I have other
thoughts I why they would not let the press ride with us. MNF-W might never
have let MNF-I know that people had been killed in MRAPs. The record should stand
corrected. The Danger Room notes two
other minor screw-ups in the Times piece. External link: http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/01/no_deaths_in_mraps_in_iraq.asp |