Posted on 06/23/2006 9:03:26 AM PDT by RDTF
Inquiry to focus on why they were alone, a possible protocol violation
TIKRIT, IRAQ - Two missing soldiers whose mutilated bodies were found after a massive search had been left alone at a checkpoint near Baghdad while other vehicles in their patrol inspected traffic, a military spokesman said Thursday.
Soon after Pfc. Kristian Menchaca of Houston and another private vanished and another soldier was killed last Friday, one Iraqi told reporters that insurgents had managed to separate a three-Humvee convoy by opening fire and forcing two of the vehicles to give chase.
Other Iraqis told reporters that the vehicle carrying Menchaca and his two companions had fallen behind the convoy and was attacked by insurgents.
Those reports now appear to be wrong, said Lt. Col. Michelle Martin-Hing, a U.S. spokeswoman in Tikrit.
Menchaca and the two other soldiers had been left with one Humvee to guard a hydraulic bridge at a Euphrates River canal about 12 miles south of Baghdad. When the Humvee was attacked by insurgents, others in the unit could not see the vehicle and were checking on their colleagues by radio, Martin-Hing said.
She said a focus of the investigation will be to determine why the three-man team had been left at the canal. Army protocols are designed to prevent such attacks.
"The investigation is going to look at whether proper procedures were followed," Martin-Hing said.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Someone's got a lot of 'spaining to do.
It will if whomever is in charge does something this stupid again. I do not believe that protocol is to leave a three man fire team unsupported. There will be a courts martial as a result of this error.
Not directly related to this incident, but it must SUCK to be a platoon leader in Iraq right now.
Return fire, get investigated.
Give chase, get investigated.
Don't return fire, get investigated.
Don't chase, get investigated.
Waaaayyyy too much micro-management goin' on for my taste.
Well, for one thing, anyone who finds themselves in that position will(or should) fight to the death before being captured.
"Well, for one thing, anyone who finds themselves in that position will(or should) fight to the death before being captured."
And if the bad guys look like civilians? What then? Fire and face murder charges?
The lawyers are running this war and it has to stop.
That's not the issue at all. There are two significant lessons to learn from this sad excercise:
1. US Forces must use their training and tactics and be disciplined enough not to let distractions (especially those created by the enemy) to force them into a tactically inferior posture.
2. Don't underestimate the enemy. He is everywhere and sufficiently trained and organized to take advantage of situations such as this as they present themselves. In some cases--maybe this one-- the enemy can even create the situation.
Wanna bet Murtha has a sand table of Haditha stashed somewhere?
Bingo, we have a winner!!! Too many generals sitting in A/C offices, too many lawyers inside big safe bases writing absurd rules of engagement and way, way too few politicians' children even in the military much less outside the wire. My son is a Marine grunt who fought in Fallujah and Ramadi. His stories about how this is being run would anger you greatly.
My son was with the 3/1 in Haditha. Not Kilo company thankfully.
You have no way of knowing how hard they fought before being captured. Injuries could have diminished their fighting ability while not killing them.
If you are insinuating that they did not fight as hard as they should have, then shame on you. You know nothing about what happened with them in those moments and your insinuation is an insult.
My prayers all week have not been able to diminish my concern for what greeted those brave men after their capture.
Like Mark Levin, I would like to tell the people in the area where those soldiers were captured that they had 24 hours to get to Baghdad with the identities of the insurgents in their midst, or we will level the entire area to a state in inhabitability.
Definitely demand a FULL explanation. This was just plain wrong.
"Not directly related to this incident, but it must SUCK to be a platoon leader in Iraq right now. "
Seems to be the norm, that's for sure.
lots of military negativity in this thread! Snap out of it!
I'm outraged that these soldier's brutal deaths are "old news" and the American public isn't demanding that their butchers be hunted down and killed! The Administration is no where to be found on this, the military is no where to be found on this including Rumsfeld. Meanwhile, we're persecuting Marines at Pendleton. IMO, you can bet our brave American heroes are turing in their graves at Arlington. I've been a registered Republican for 48 years and I'm disgusted beyond words. My God, where's the outrage or am I alone?
Straight from Sun Tszhu's The Art of War...........That guy was pretty smart.........
My Operation Iraqi Freedom Vet and Army buddy (an LTC) had similar sentiments the other day when we chatted on the phone - we should fight to win or indeed get out. Our guys are either getting shot in the face by insurgents or stabbed in the back by PC wankers in the Pentagon/D.C.
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