Marines find bodies of four American soldiers

The New York Times via The Houston Chronicle ^ | March 29, 2003, 12:21AM | Unattributed

[SlickWillard]

 
March 29, 2003, 12:21AM

Marines find bodies of four American soldiers

New York Times

WITH V CORPS HEADQUARTERS NEAR THE KUWAIT BORDER -- The bodies of four American soldiers were found by Marines on Friday in a shallow grave in the battle-worn town of Nasiriyah, near the Euphrates River.

U.S. Military officials said they believe the four were executed by Iraqi paramilitary forces after being seized in an ambush on Sunday.

Military officials declined to speculate as to whether the four were among those who were shown alive by the Arab television network last weekend. The military had heard reports that the soldiers were executed after they were shown on the Arab network, but there was no confirmation.

On Friday, a Marine unit found the four bodies in a freshly dug grave near a house in the northeast corner of the town of al-Jazeera. An Army official said the four bodies were clothed in U.S. military uniforms.

Today, the military were flying in a forensic team, military investigators and a member of the V Corps Staff Judge Advocate's office to the site. Officers said that the military was tentatively treating the deaths as a war crime.

The soldiers seized in the ambush have been listed as missing in action. The 507th Maintenance Co. is attached to the 3rd Infantry Division.

Officers of V Corps said the names of the dead would be released after their families were notified.

The ambush occurred in Nasiriyah, in southeastern Iraq.

According to Army officers, soldiers of the 507th Maintenance Unit were traveling on Highway 1, a main north-south artery, in darkness in a convoy of six vehicles. The unit was en route to supply an antiaircraft battery.

The convoy made a wrong turn, mistakenly leaving Highway 1. Officials said they believed that as the Americans realized their mistake, they turned around and quickly encountered two Iraqi T-55 tanks and an advancing Iraqi military unit. The soldiers came under rocket and small-arms fire.

In the fight that followed, the first of the two cars, a Humvee, the standard Army vehicle and a tool truck, were separated from the other four. An Army captain in the Humvee -- the senior officer -- drove the vehicle carrying wounded soldiers through the gunfire. According to one account, the officer drove nearly four miles before being forced to stop because his tires had been crippled by gunshots.

The officer sought to change the tires of the Humvee, when an American Marine unit on patrol saw him and the soldiers in his vehicle, officers said. The Marines called in a helicopter, which evacuated the officer and his wounded soldiers. Some were seriously wounded, one of them shot in the jaw.

The Marines resumed their patrol in search of the Fedayeen, the paramilitary force. Within minutes, they came upon two American vehicles, damaged by bullets. Two other vehicles were burning. No Americans were in sight.

Hours later, grim photos of American soldiers were shown on the Arab network al-Jazeera. Some appeared to have been executed, with bullet wounds to the head. The uniforms of others were stained with blood.

Within 24 hours, the Army was hearing reports that some of the soldiers had been executed.

[neutrino]

Take no prisoners. Kill them all until they stand down. It's the only way. Kill them without mercy. That's all.

Exactly.

[Reb Raider]

Thank you. I can only pray for the families of our missing and captured soldiers. I feel frustrated that our soldiers are being subjected to one cowardly tactic after another. I guess these yellow bellies think it will make us give up and that is their big mistake. I wonder how they will like hell...

[MEG33]

May God be with the ones who loved these heroes.

[Jmouse007]

Re:Post #65 I am in agreement, women do not belong in combat areas or units. If they get captured, they gang raped and worse. Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, 19, Palestine, W.Va. who has fallen into the savages hands is described as a "cute little blonde." The reality is, she had no business being there no matter how PC it may be.

In all likelihood the cute little girl was raped multiple times, shot in the heard and buried in a shallow grave. The people/social engineers in America and in "enlightened" Europe do not want to hear this (“how dare you,” “your so insensitive”) because they think the enemy is going to be "all touchy feely", "all sensitive" and "all caring". The philosophy that "you can't do this to me, I am an American" is dead and gone. The world no longer fears America and our enemies are without feelings or civility.

This is the enemy we face throughout the world. And women have no business being in combat areas, period. When... not "if" they get captured, women pow's pose a moral problem. Then all the modicum of "equality" gets thrown right out the window. They are considered "special cases" by the media and the masses and the cry goes up "oh save our little Betsey from the enemy," "we must do something immediately". "A rescue must be mounted to deliver 'cute little Susie' from those horrible nasty Iraqi’s".

This is WAR, with all of it's horror, and brutality. We play by the Markus of Queensbury rules/ Geneva Convention but no one else does, and they have no intention of starting now. Besides, I hardly think any of the enemy gives one wit about our threats that there will be "sever consequences". They are going to die anyway so what do they care about our threats?

In the meantime, unless and until people here are willing to face reality and change the equation of women in combat or combat areas, more women will be killed, captured, raped and wind up in shallow graves because that is what always happens to some of our troops involved in WAR.

Do I think things will change? No, the PC philosophy of women’s "rights" is too imbedded in our society and within our military/political leadership structures and establishments. So we will be seeing more Jessica's, Susie’s and Betsy’s plastered on the evening news in the days ahead and the masses crying "save them".

[KriegerGeist]

LINK to "Women in combat" debate

[let us cross over the river]

I agree with you, no women in combat ever ! But, there are women there now, and it has to be dealt with. I actually hope that they were killed instantly upon capture. That would be better than the h**l they would go through if alive. If it were the old days of settling the west, they would always keep the one bullet for themselves, knowing what their fate would be.

[homeschool mama]

**This is completely demonic. **

I completely agree.

[homeschool mama]

You're a TRUE Dixie Chick. :o)

[WorkingClassFilth]

Again, the example of the Soviets in WWII is no example. Why? Because the use of women at times, and in certain roles was a calculated propaganda tactic. Yes, there were women pilots and a sharpshooter and a bottle washer and ad infinitum...

The truth is they were desperate and they very nearly killed themselves by decimating their own officer core in the thirties and by the stupid tactics they consistently employed until the last year or two of the war.

I knew a Russian Colonel that always talked about the amount of killing they were obliged to do with their own troops to go into the German meat grinders or die by their officer's hand. We see the same desperation now in Iraqi forces.

The early Israeli struggle was an irregular war (terror campaigns) where a revolutionary group (not unlike the Soviets) sought to fight regular forces. Different conflict and tactics. Further, the Israelis do not employ women in combat roles today although Israeli women serve in many other roles.

"Apparently, though, it worked, considering both survived."

Frankly, a rational poster like you suprises me in that you would make such a stunning logic leap. This is NOT the reason the Soviets or the Israelis survived and, I believe, you know this. But hey, it is a rhetorical tactic.
Yesterday, my total diet consisted of one piece of toast, a couple of tacos, a candy bar and I drank some tea, water and whiskey. I survived as this post proves, but I would hardly attribute my survival to that dietary aberation and I sure as heck would never try to recommend it as a diet of champions. Yechhh!

I guess if you don't see the deeply foolish mistake in the argument to employ women in these roles, little can be said to make it clear. The "qualified" rationale is the key to social engineering strategies that have failed and/or are frought with problems that PCism is unwilling to acknowledge.

"However, those who are capable of living up to the necessary standards of ability should allowed to."

In most things, we would be in total agreement on this, but on issues as fundamental as national security and the nature of war, we can never be in agreement unless you awaken to the fundamentals of biology.

Social engineering is a failure in so many arenas that it is surprising that this topic would even be present on FR. On DU I can envision this topic being championed by 'equality' police and their minions.

Sorry, no possible agreement - ever.

[WorkingClassFilth]

"Keep the faith we will do it,,, both houses of legislature controled by Republicans begining in 2002. first time in a thousand years or so :||"

Good luck, and I will keep combating the forces of evil for a while longer up north (and there is plenty of it).

BTW, you got any good BBQ joints to recommend down Springfield and Bolivar way?

[westnews]

Uniforms are different (male/female). Female uniforms are built for female physical traits.

[Anamensis]

This could be why the Marines reported identifying the uniforms as those worn by women.

I believe the women's shirts have the buttons on the opposite side of the mens'.

[Illbay]

The reality is that the people doing this feel they have no choice. They will not be affected by claims that these attrocities will be "held against them" because they already have so much blood on their hands, if the regime falls they are dead anyway.

Which means we have to alter our tactics.

[Illbay]

Jessica should never have been anywhere near the front.

[SouthernFreebird]

In all likelihood the cute little girl was raped multiple times, shot in the heard and buried in a shallow grave.

Do you have any idea how often that happens to women on a daily basis here in America?

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

I shudder to think what these savage animals would do to women. May the Iraqi animals burn in hell...only after burning alive in their tanks.

[Blood of Tyrants]

People are executed for crimes.

[Herodotus]

Thanks to the two replies...

so we know that the physical characteristics of the uniforms are different and that the buttons are on the other sides. Any female soldiers posting who can add to this?

Again: what about the uniforms makes them 'distinctive as for females?"

[FrogMom]

She's still listed among the MIA.

For a list of POW/MIA go to: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,82434,00.html

For a list of KIA, go to: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,82432,00.html