Reuters Now Showing Photos of Dead US Troops

Reuters ^ | 6/21/2004

[oblomov]

RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - Four U.S. soldiers have been found dead west of Baghdad, apparently killed in an attack by Iraqi insurgents, witnesses said on Monday.

[BagCamAddict]

But the locals always loot whatever usable gear our guys were wearing, so the lack of gear may or may not be indicative of posing.

[nicko]

"Perhaps feigning to be friends of the soldiers and thereby putting them off guard..."

I learned a long time ago, there are no friendlies...

[BagCamAddict]

Yep. If pictures of the Holocaust had been shown around the world, perhaps a few million people could have been saved.

We NEED to see this stuff. We NEED to understand the stakes. We NEED to use these images to stiffen our resolve to FINISH THE JOB that these brave souls died for.

God bless them and their loved ones.

And I hope everyone already noticed that terrorists have ANOTHER 10 more hostages, in addition to the South Korean... and these are American contractors and European journalists.

[CyberAnt]

Yes .. I'm sure that's true .. but the PC press tries to tell our soldiers we can be friends if we're just nice to them they won't hurt us - garbage!

[BagCamAddict]

What am I missing? Why are people demanding that the beheadings of Nick Berg, Paul Johnson, etc. be shown to the American people, but photos of our dead troops are taboo?

Admittedly naive, will someone please explain why the difference in attitude towards military deaths vs. non-military deaths?

I think all Americans should understand the enemy that we face and the price of war... and perhaps then, more people would get behind a more decisive (disproportional) response. Hiroshima killed alot of people, but it saved alot of lives in the long run.

[b4its2late]

How do they get into a situation where it appeared they couldn't defend themselves.

Who knows. I'm as frustrated as you are. Just a SWAG, but maybe they were suckered into what looked like a non-hostile situation? I wouldn't put anything past the bastards that did this, including using children as pawns.

[cgk]

Videotape delivered to Associated Press Television News showed the four, still in uniform, lying dead near what appeared to be a walled compound

Videotape. Provided by the terrorists or Reuters? Oh wait. Same-same as Cheney would say.

[river rat]

If this photo is real...
If these are Marines...
If it is what it appears to be, a "journalist" witnessed ambush, or execution.
If these were Reuters "journalists"....
I strongly recommend that Reuters "photo-journalists" avoid all future contact with Marines....

My Marine Corps would NEVER have allowed a "journalist" to photograph their dead brothers in this manner....
The "journalists" were either WITH the killers, at the time of killing, or brought there by the killers, BEFORE the recovering Marines arrived....

In either case....in my world, these "journalists" are seriously "endangered"....

Semper Fi

[Positive]

"No US Marine would allow these guys to take those photos. Just when did Reuters take the photos?"

That Reuters published the pictures doesn't mean Reuters took the pictures.

I'm no fan of Reuters and I wouldn't put it passed them to have hired Al Quaeda types as their own version of "inbeds".

But if you have a $99 digital camera you could email a jpeg to Reuters and they could then decide whether to use it...within minutes.

[SLB]

Our policy should start having these "so called" journalists join our patrols. They can walk point and ride in the lead vehicle on convoys.

[Positive]

My guess is the scumbags stole their vests and weapons, obviously this would require moving the guys around.

From what I understand, it's highly unusual for 4 marines to be on patrol alone without support...I'm sure there are going to be more details.

[Positive]

"The simple fact is that blood and death sell."

There is actually a saying in TV news: "If it bleeds, it leads."

[SAMWolf]

Our policy should start having these "so called" journalists join our patrols. They can walk point and ride in the lead vehicle on convoys.

Sounds like a plan

[kellynla]

"so called" journalists join our patrols. They can walk point and ride in the lead vehicle on convoys.
As one who walked "point" in '69&'70, you definitely don't want journalists walking "point"...they'd just walk you right into an ambush!
These "journalists" need to be in the "rear" and out of the way.

Semper Fi, Kelly

[nicko]

it would be impossible for us back here to determine exactly what happened there, but rest assured, no one in theater harbors any illusions that no one means them harm...

[kellynla]

Reuters may have just wore out their welcome.
Publishing these photos was way "over the line!"

Semper Fi,
Kelly

[SheLion]

We are not little children. We see worse things on our TV screens, and in the movies. We need to SEE what our enemy is doing .. we will never win the war at home if we refuse to show the public what these killers are doing.

I agree one hundred and ten percent.

By hiding our eyes and not seeing photos, will not make it go away. But it will show the truth of what is really going on.

One picture is worth a thousand words.

[SheLion]

And I hope everyone already noticed that terrorists have ANOTHER 10 more hostages, in addition to the South Korean... and these are American contractors and European journalists.

Is there a thread on this? I haven't heard much about this. Is this posted on FR, or somewhere in the news?

Thanks!

[SLB]

they'd just walk you right into an ambush!

Bet they only do it once.

[jimbo123]

http://www.11alive.com/news/usnews_article.aspx?storyid=48399

BAGHDAD (AP) — Four U.S. service members were killed Monday — shot repeatedly in the head during an ambush while they were on patrol in the Sunni Muslim stronghold of Ramadi.

The four Americans killed in Ramadi had failed to check in at an appointed time, and a search was launched, Kimmitt said, declining further comment until relatives could be notified.

Videotape delivered to Associated Press Television News showed the four, still in uniform, lying dead near what appeared to be a walled compound.