3 MARINES KILLED, 7 INJURED IN GRENADE LAUNCHER ACCIDENT NEAR AL-KUT

Fox News Channel ^ | April 23, 2003 | N/A

[Illbay]

3 Marines were killed and 7 injured when test firing a new kind of grenade launcher. This happened near the Iraqi city of Al-Kut.

The Marines were part of the First MEU.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Hey, man, you didn't mention the WMD's that we are planting in those bunkers.

[BruceS]

Did someone try to stop you?

[BruceS]

There was a time on FR when this wasn't even necessary.

You mean the ooooold times when we had to walk 10 miles, uphill to make a post?

[cgk]

Oh no. I think the mistakes and accidents hurt the families more than the deaths in combat. What a tragedy. Prayers for their families, and for all of our troops still in the region.

[The KG9 Kid]

"... Possibly they took some 40mm Mk19 automatic grenade launcher ammo (which is hotter) and tried to shoot them through the M203 tube which is slung under the barrel of the M16."

That will actually work once. It's already happened in the past without these kinds of fatalities.

I believe that this is the laser-range/fused 25mm HVEL grenades they might have had a disaster with.

[cgk]

Illbay = no sarcasm tag required. :)

[cgk]

"that a bunch of gung ho marines (God Bless them though He didn't make them smart enough to get in the ARMY)"

I read from your profile you're an Army vet, so what you wrote makes sense to you. But please please don't criticize our dead soldiers, no matter what branch of the military they belong to. They are ALL there for US.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

You forgot to add that all his wealth is being funneled into the Texas Rangers. Oh, and Halliburton. You forgot to mention Cheney, too.

[michigander]

Three Marines Die in Accident in Iraq

Associated Press

DOHA, Qatar -Three Marines were killed and seven injured in an accident in Iraq on Tuesday while they were handling a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, U.S. Central Command said.

The Marines with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force were firing the RPG - one of the more common weapons used by paramilitary, Fedayeen and other groups that have threatened U.S. and British forces - to familiarize themselves with it.

The launcher malfunctioned, U.S. officials said.

The accident occurred Tuesday evening in a remote area near the southern Iraqi city of Kut, officials said.

The names of the Marines were being withheld until their next of kin could be notified. The accident was under investigation.

Prior to these deaths, 128 U.S. troops have been killed in the war, the Pentagon said.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I thought Illbay and Fred are the same poster.

[JustPiper]

Was this from the MEU unit about to be sent back home?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

[RedBloodedAmerican]

What size was the grenade?

Big enough to kill 3 Americans fighting for your right to post silly comments.

What's your point?

[Illbay]

I have to agree with this. The inter-service rivalries are more appropriate for a vastly different time.

[Illbay]

Is it possible that the RPG was booby-trapped?

[VRWC_minion]

You mean the ooooold times when we had to walk 10 miles, uphill to make a post?

Both ways, in the snow.

[Born to Conserve]

The whole purpose of sarcasm is to leave the newbe reader uncertain what position you're taking. The tag would give away the inside joke.

I would suggest people start being double-sarcastic if they want to be cool.

Example:
Bush is great </sarcasm off>

[michigander]

Is it possible...?

I suppose so, but, I wouldn't know.

[Fred Mertz]

Thanks for the additional detailed article, michigander.

Sounds like Illboy's initial post contained flawed 'facts'. That's not surprising, coming from him.

[RetiredArmy]

I don't think three Marines dying and 7 injured and the comments he made are a lack of a sense of humor friend. If you think it is funny, you have the problem, not me. If he meant it as a joke, I did not think it was funny. If he meant it as sarcasm, I did not take it that way either, because I do not know the guy/gal and do not "follow" his/her comments in other posts. I don't think the loss of 3 lives is a laughing matter. The allegations he made were not funny either. Not in the context of the topic, in my opinion.