Posted on 11/16/2004 12:28:39 PM PST by TexKat
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Army investigators recommended disciplinary action against about two dozen reservists who refused orders to deliver fuel along a dangerous convoy route in Iraq, officials said on Tuesday.
Four or five members of the 343rd Quartermaster Company could face courts-martial on unspecified criminal charges, said Army officials who asked not to be identified. The rest were expected to get administrative punishment, which could include demotion, loss of pay or a reprimand, the officials said.
Members of the unit disobeyed orders to take their unarmored fuel tankers on a supply run from Tallil in southeastern Iraq to the Baghdad area on Oct. 13. They raised concerns about the safety and the condition of their vehicles and whether the convoy was getting adequate protection.
Maj. Richard Spiegel, an Army spokesman in Iraq, said in a statement that a U.S. commander "has reviewed the initial findings of the investigation into allegations that members of the 343rd Quartermaster Company refused to participate in their assigned mission on Oct. 13."
"Certain administrative actions have been initiated as a result of this review and more actions, including criminal charges, are possible in the future," added Spiegel, who did not provide details.
Investigators recommended disciplinary action against the 18 soldiers who refused to go on the fuel convoy, and about a half dozen other members of the unit, based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, officials said.
Some relatives have said the soldiers believed they were delivering contaminated helicopter fuel and that the convoy was not properly protected.
The U.S. military runs about 250 convoys daily involving up to 3,000 vehicles to supply and equip its troops in Iraq. They often are targets of attacks by insurgents.
The commander of the company was relieved of her duties after the incident. Other soldiers carried out the Oct. 13 supply mission, the military said.
The 343rd Quartermaster Company returned to full duty on Nov. 11, Spiegel said.
They should finish their commitment scubbing toilets in jail.
Bravo!
It's about time! There is no way refusing a mission (short of genocide) can be tolerated. A functioning military will always mean soldiers have to do dangerous missions with sometime improvised equipment.
It's the nature of war, it's explained to you when you are a recruit. If you can't do your responsibilities then you need to get out of the military.
This does not happen overnight. Breakdown of discipline is a gradual thing.
I also understand that another unit, similarly equipped, similar armor, undertook the mission without incident. This case is cut and dried - disobeying a direct order in a hostile zone. They deserve max. punishment and be required to remove their uniforms immediately. They don't deserve to wear it.
"The commander of the company was relieved of HER duties after the incident. Other soldiers carried out the Oct. 13 supply mission, the military said."
PC affirmative action scores again!!
Sounds like they have lost any PR points that thought they had.
Exactly, that is why I suspected that in addition to this there were some officers who had not been providing appropriate leadership and that this had been a festering wound between a group of enlisted folks and some officer who didn't have the respect of his/her troops.
I still have a feeling that there is a lot more to this story than is being put in print.
Good!!!!!!
There is too much media coverage. This case, the Abu Gharib case and the recent case involving a Marine shooting an man who may not have had the capacity to resist are three cases that are not fit for public display. Most people are too hopelessly clueless to think through the issues and our enemies are emboldened by the propaganda.
I can't wait for more details... get the popcorn out.
Perhaps I mis-recollect, but wasn't there something mealy-mouthed about the previous commander's departure? I seem to recall verbiage to the effect that she was allowed to quit her command, but that she was specifically NOT relieved?!? (Makes a big difference in her future in the military, if any.)
Good!
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines do NOT get to choose which orders to obey.
From - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1253603/posts
"The officer in charge of the Rock Hill-based Army reservists who refused to deliver a convoy of fuel in Iraq has been relieved of command. Army officials Thursday said the officer, who they refuse to identify because of privacy concerns, asked to be relieved of command. The action is effective immediately, and she will be "reassigned commensurate with her rank and experience." When asked if the action was related to poor leadership, Army Lt. Col. Steve Boylan said no. "Her being relieved of command is not a disciplinary action and had nothing to do with the soldiers refusing to drive the convoy," said Boylan, a spokesman for Multinational Forces in Iraq. "If she had not made this request, she'd still be in command of that company." "
This is the mealy-mouthed wording to which I referred. If a commander is "relieved" - at least in the Army - it is an adverse personnel action with all kinds of ramifications. If she was asked to be and allowed to transfer out, that's another matter entirely. The article I quote above (not the origin of this thread) certainly seems to dance around the subject.
One reading the article upon which this thread is based, gets an entirely different read. Unqualified, "relief" indicates an adverse action (fired is perhaps the closest civilian equivalent).
Anxiously awaiting MSM whining.
Excellent. The order they refused was a lawful one, and they should be prosecuted. And as far as their equipment concerns go, I believe they were probably overblown, but if not they should consider the guys who went out to fight the Japanese at Midway in TBD's and Brewster Buffalos. Somehow a Humvee with a couple of missed scheduled maintenance items pales in comparison.
Exactly. This was a failure of leadership, not of equipment.
Imagine that, consequences for your actions. They will be wishing they had learned that lesson in good old public school instead of the Military during a war. But wait, public schools can't teach about something they don't know about(honesty, integrity, honor, teamwork,etc)
They are about to learn a very difficult lesson that will be with them the rest of their lives. Good!
Meanwhile the great victory our troops won with few losses in Fallujah is overlooked.
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