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Three slain troops were left behind to guard bridge, military says
Houston Chronicle ^ | June 23, 2006 | AP

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 ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: iraq; menchaca; oif; thomastucker
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1 posted on 06/23/2006 9:03:29 AM PDT by RDTF
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To: RDTF
Their little "Divide and Conquer" trick will not work again.......
2 posted on 06/23/2006 9:07:56 AM PDT by Red Badger (Follow an IROC long enough and sooner or later you will wind up in a trailer park..........)
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To: RDTF

Someone's got a lot of 'spaining to do.


3 posted on 06/23/2006 9:09:13 AM PDT by GBA
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To: GBA
Someone's got a lot of 'splaining to do.
4 posted on 06/23/2006 9:10:02 AM PDT by GBA
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To: Red Badger

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.


5 posted on 06/23/2006 9:11:02 AM PDT by conservativewasp (Liberals lie for sport and hate our country. Zarqawi got the message.)
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To: RDTF

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.


6 posted on 06/23/2006 9:12:41 AM PDT by PogySailor (Waiting for hurricane season to wash away the love bugs.)
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To: PogySailor

Waaaayyyy too much micro-management goin' on for my taste.


7 posted on 06/23/2006 9:14:19 AM PDT by Roccus (Cynical romantic or romantic cynic.....you decide.)
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To: Red Badger

Well, for one thing, anyone who finds themselves in that position will(or should) fight to the death before being captured.


8 posted on 06/23/2006 9:15:21 AM PDT by stubernx98 (cranky, but reasonable)
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To: stubernx98

"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.


9 posted on 06/23/2006 9:19:51 AM PDT by OpusatFR ( ALEA IACTA EST. We have just crossed the Rubicon.)
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To: Red Badger
Their little "Divide and Conquer" trick will not work again.......

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.

10 posted on 06/23/2006 9:20:32 AM PDT by O6ret
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To: OpusatFR

Wanna bet Murtha has a sand table of Haditha stashed somewhere?


11 posted on 06/23/2006 9:21:32 AM PDT by Roccus (Cynical romantic or romantic cynic.....you decide.)
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To: PogySailor

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.


12 posted on 06/23/2006 9:23:43 AM PDT by JeeperFreeper
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To: JeeperFreeper

My son was with the 3/1 in Haditha. Not Kilo company thankfully.


13 posted on 06/23/2006 9:26:26 AM PDT by PogySailor (Waiting for hurricane season to wash away the love bugs.)
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To: stubernx98; All

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.


14 posted on 06/23/2006 9:27:58 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: RDTF

Definitely demand a FULL explanation. This was just plain wrong.


15 posted on 06/23/2006 9:31:49 AM PDT by lilylangtree
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To: PogySailor

"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.


16 posted on 06/23/2006 9:34:38 AM PDT by Leatherneck_MT (In a world where Carpenters come back from the dead, ALL things are possible.)
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To: All

lots of military negativity in this thread! Snap out of it!


17 posted on 06/23/2006 9:35:45 AM PDT by RDTF ("We love death. The US loves life. That is the big difference between us two.” Osama Bin laden)
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To: PogySailor

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?


18 posted on 06/23/2006 9:37:48 AM PDT by ExTexasRedhead
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To: O6ret
Don't underestimate the enemy.

Straight from Sun Tszhu's The Art of War...........That guy was pretty smart.........

19 posted on 06/23/2006 9:38:33 AM PDT by Red Badger (Follow an IROC long enough and sooner or later you will wind up in a trailer park..........)
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To: PogySailor; JeeperFreeper; MikeinIraq; No Longer Free State; kellynla; SandRat

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.


20 posted on 06/23/2006 9:39:00 AM PDT by DTogo (I haven't left the GOP, the GOP left me.)
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