Posted on 07/05/2003 4:53:39 AM PDT by milemark
Military tells 507th, kin details of ambush
Laura Cruz
El Paso Times
Army officials have begun telling families and members of Fort Bliss' 507th Maintenance Company what the military's investigation has found about the March 23 ambush in Iraq in which nine 507th soldiers were killed, six captured and four wounded. The families Thursday were not discussing what they had been told because the Army asked them not to speak publicly until all families have been given the information. But Janie Kiehl, mother of slain soldier James Kiehl, who hadn't been briefed on the ambush yet, said that when her daughter-in-law -- James' wife -- was told the details, the young woman was physically ill for two days. The ambush and the resulting investigation became a national mystery because soon after the attack, five members of the 507th were shown on international television being held by Iraqi forces. The film also showed the bodies of some soldiers, raising speculation that some of them had been executed. Because no official word has been released by the military, a multitude of stories, including tales of vicious firefights and heroic efforts by U.S. soldiers, circulated throughout the media. The Army would not confirm any of the stories and launched two investigations into what happened that tragic night. The notification by Army officials is the first time the military has spoken to family members about what occurred near the city of Nasiriyah. "The members of the unit and the family members of the unit have been briefed, and the families of the soldiers killed in action are being briefed individually by a team of members from the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command and the unit's chain of command," Fort Bliss spokeswoman Jean Offutt said. "It's been going on for a week. They should be finished sometime next week." Offutt said the military team notifying the families is sharing "everything they can, based on the investigation." "They are spending as much time as possible to make sure they understand everything they are told," Offutt said. Nancili Mata, widow of Army Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, who was killed in the ambush, confirmed that she was given the details of the attack, but would not disclose any information. Mata, who was able to question the officers dispatched to her El Paso home, said she is going to respect the military's request not to repeat the story until all other families have been fully informed. The 507th, made up of mechanics, cooks and support personnel, was on its way toward Baghdad many hours behind a large convoy when it was attacked. What happened next has been difficult to determine. What has been publicized is the names of the casualties. One soldier, Pfc. Jessica Lynch, was rescued April 1 from a hospital north of Nasiriyah by U.S. special operations forces. The other five POWs were released on April 13 near the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit. The remains of those who were killed were taken to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and later released to their families. Janie Kiehl, mother of Spc. James Kiehl, who was killed in the attack, said Thursday that she and her husband, Randy, have not been notified by the military or know of any of the details. "They contacted our daughter-in-law, Jill," Janie Kiehl said in a telephone interview from her home in Comfort, Texas. "They told Jill that until all the family members are told, they can't tell anyone what they were told, so she can't even tell us." Offutt said the military cannot order the families not to speak to the media or others, but "can only ask them to consider waiting until the report is officially released." Janie Kiehl said she's concerned that her daughter-in-law may have to recount the story to them. "I feel like it's not right. It's a pretty awful strain on my daughter-in-law to have to describe everything the military told her," she said. "We had sent up a list of questions for Jill to ask the soldiers when they told her the details, but she was so upset by what they told her that she couldn't even ask the questions. She was physically ill for 48 hours." Janie Kiehl said her husband has called the Army who said they would send someone to their home next week. "It's of major importance for me to know what happened to him," she said. "Whether or not he suffered, whether or not he was executed, whether or not he did a good job. I know he did, but it would be nice the hear the military say he did."
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