3 Members Of Ft. Lewis Stryker Brigade Killed In Iraq

KOMO1000 News ^ | 12/08/03 | KOMO Staff

[TexKat]

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - Three soldiers from the Stryker Brigade Combat Team were killed in an accident during a combat patrol in Iraq Sunday night, ABC News reports. A fourth soldier was injured.

The accident occurred after an embankment on an unimproved road collapsed, causing two Stryker infantry carrier vehicles to roll over into a canal. ABC News says it was not a result of hostile fire.

Heavy rainfall in the area might have been a cause, but the Army is still investigating.

The names of those killed have not been released.

[Fred Mertz]

This is not good at all. Bless the fallen.

[Howlin]

I always worry about that on here; have you seen kayak's prayer list? We get the news so fast, I worry that it might be "one of ours."

Interesting articles.

You better tell her.

[Graybeard58]

Prayers for Donald from Houston and Steve from Illinois

The last time I heard from Steve they were having abnormal amounts of rain from Kuwait to northern Iraq.

[Howlin]

I didn't mean to tell you what you should do with your own wife; obviously you know her better than I would; I was just thinking better she heard it from you, you know?

[Graybeard58]

Thanks for the ping

[Peach]

Good advice, Howlin.

[Humidston]

Tough time right now, my friend. Donald is a long time schoolmate of my granddaughter. I'm not going to tell her about this news.... She's in finals right now.

I remember Christmas shopping in a crowded mall three years ago when something poked me once, twice, in the back. When I turned to see who that "rude person" was, I saw Donald with this sweet/evil grin on his face as he pointed his umberella at me. As soon as I recognized him and smiled, he came forward and gave me a huge hug. Such a kid..... Such a young kid. His parents wanted him to mature. Today he did.

[Phil V.]

double crap!

[Humidston]

Dead, please keep your eyes open for further information on Stryker and if you do, please ping Graybeard 58 and me? I'll do the same. And prayers for Vincent as well!

[dead]

I will let you know if I hear anything. I knew Vincent was in Iraq, but I didn't know till I read those articles that he was in a Stryker brigade. (My wife wouldn't know what a Stryker brigade is.)

Prayers for all over there.

[CurlyBill]

God Bless each of these men. May he take them into his Kingdom and give their families comfort in their time of grief. Each of them a true American Hero!

[GeronL]

There is a reason Iraqi's never drove near those levee's and embankments... well, they probably been shot but... how many times have we heard this story? Those things are not safe.

[GeronL]

weneed some Stryker pics

[Proud Legions]

Hmmm,

I have been on the Strykers and didn't find them top-heavy or very high...much lower than the Brads I was on.

I think this was just a case of bad rainfall and getting too close to the edge. I guess we will see when the final report gets done.

[Samwise]

All humanity is of one Author, and is one volume; when one dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated; God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice; but God’s hand is in every translation, and his hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again for that library where every book shall lie open to one another.

-- JOHN DONNE (1572–1631)

[cavtrooper21]

As a trooper for many years, I can honestly say that mud can be just as deadly as a bullet and even worse, you can't get away from it.
Weather is a soldier's worst enemy, just ask any of the gunts or treadheads out there.
A real shame that these ment perished in such a manner, and my heart goes out to the families, and my prayers to the troops, Stryker Bde, 101ABN, 3rd ACR and and all the rest of them.
Have a SAFE and if not all that festive, a dry, warm and secure holiday season..
CT 21

[TexKat]

This happened in Balad..it's been raining there for a week and my hubby said the mud is over his ankles.

Hey mystery-ak. Two pictures for you. The first is not Balad, but Baghdad, just to give you a visual of what Mike is speaking of:

U.S. troops patrol through a flooded street after heavy rain in Baghdad December 6, 2003.

and the second is one of the Pictures of the Year 2003

PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2003 - A row of U.S. Army helmets are perched on M-16 rifles during a memorial at Al Asad air base November 6, 2003 for the 15 victims of a Chinook helicopter which was shot down by insurgents on the weekend. Against a backdrop of 15 helmets resting on M-16 rifles, American soldiers on Thursday honored their comrades, victims of the single deadliest incident for U.S. forces since they invaded Iraq. REUTERS/Chris Helgren

and I'll just throw this one in since I have been looking at it off and on today. It kind of gives one a little hope for the future of some of the Iraqi children.

An Iraqi child tosses his toy gun on to a fire during a demonstration in Baghdad, Monday Dec 8, 2003. The purpose of the demonstration was to protest the importation of military toys to Iraq and promote a healthy environment for children. (AP Photo/Samir Mizban)

[Steve_Seattle]

I am not ex-military, so can someone explain to me why there are so many "accidental" deaths [of soldiers] in Iraq (and presumably other wars)? Is it because in war the military is doing a lot of dangerous things that aren't technically combat-related? Is it poor training? Carelessness? As Donahue used to say, "Can somebody help me with this?"

[Vetvoice]

No Sarge, engineers have been warning the Army for a year that the top heavy nature of this vehicle would cause it to roll over on any angle more severe than 30 degrees. That's all it too to kill the young men.

[archy]

We just saw a pic of a tank in that same scenario here the other night.

It's weight just crumbled the bank and let it slide in, wonder if the height of the Stryker had any thing to do with this.

Travis, you know a little bit abot sand and beaches, and what they will support and won't. Comments?