Posted on 09/17/2003 11:23:07 AM PDT by Lurker
507th weapon records gone
Laura Cruz
El Paso Times
The ambush
Killed
# Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, El Paso.
# Chief Warrant Officer 2 Johnny Villareal Mata, Pecos.
# Spc. Jamaal R. Addison, Roswell, Ga.
# Pfc. Howard Johnson II, Mobile, Ala.
# Spc. James Kiehl, Comfort, Texas.
# Pvt. Brandon Sloan, Bedford Heights, Ohio.
# Pfc. Lori Piestewa, Tuba City, Ariz.
# Sgt. Donald R. Walters, Salem, Ore.
# Master Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy, Cleveland.
# Pfc. Edward Anguiano of the 3rd Forward Support Battalion.
# Sgt. George Buggs of the 3rd Forward Support Battalion.
Captured
# Spc. Edgar Hernandez, Alton, Texas.
# Spc. Joseph Hudson, Alamogordo.
# Spc. Shoshana Johnson, El Paso.
# Pfc. Patrick Miller, Walter, Kan.
# Sgt. James Joseph Riley, Pennsauken, N.J.
# Pfc. Jessica Lynch, Palestine, W.Va.
# Piestewa died while a prisoner.
The U.S. Army on Tuesday revealed that all records and documents about the weapons that jammed during the March 23 ambush that led to the death of nine Fort Bliss soldiers were destroyed in the Iraqi attack and that there is no way to trace the weapons' histories.
The Army, responding to an El Paso Times request under the Freedom of Information Act, said any official information about the weapons used by Fort Bliss' 507th Maintenance Company was lost on a supply truck taken into combat.
An official report on the ambush near Nasiriyah said that several weapons, including M-16s, M249 Squad Automatic Weapons and a .50-caliber machine gun, jammed or failed to operate properly during the firefight.
The disclosure that the records were lost shocked, bewildered and further angered relatives of soldiers who were killed in the early morning ambush, which is among the worst losses for the U.S. military during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In addition to the nine Fort Bliss soldiers killed, two from the 3rd Forward Support Battalion were killed, five soldiers were wounded, and seven soldiers were taken prisoner.
"Capt. Troy King (507th commander) stated that he does not have any historical data on weapons involved in the enemy contact," June Bates, Fort Bliss freedom of information officer, said in a written response. "He lost his motorpool truck and all documentation."
Bates said King's records, which were kept in the motor pool, were stored in his supply truck, which was also "involved in the enemy contact."
The official 507th report, which was released by the Army on July 17, suggests that the "malfunctions may have resulted from inadequate individual maintenance in a desert environment."
Nancili Mata, the widow of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Johnny Villareal Mata, who was killed in the ambush, said she was shocked to learn that no duplicate records were kept on the weapons.
"They should have copies here. It doesn't sound right," she said. "They are blaming the soldiers for not keeping their weapons clean, but my husband knew better than that. He did everything right."
Arlene Walters, mother of Sgt. Donald R. Walters, who died in the attack and would have celebrated his 34th birthday Tuesday, said her son was dedicated to his job and to details. She said she finds it hard to believe that her son's weapon wasn't kept clean.
"He kept his guns as clean as can be," she said. "He even talked to his dad about it."
Because the circumstances surrounding the death of Walters are unclear, his parents continue to ask questions about anything involving their son, including the history of his weapon.
"Nothing surprises me anymore, but what I don't understand is why would you carry that kind of information into a battlefield," Arlene Walters asked. "It seems to me that if those weapons were issued out at Fort Bliss, then the records should have stayed at Fort Bliss."
Ruben Estrella, father of 18-year-old Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, from El Paso, said he no longer believes anything the Army tells him.
"They told me that my son was shot in the head, and now they are saying that he was struck by a tank," he said. "I think the Army or the government is hiding something, but sooner or later the truth will be told."
Fort Bliss responds
The El Paso Times had requested the history of 31 weapons the soldiers carried during the ambush. The request sought information about weapon repairs, the weapons' ages, and the manufacturer and condition of each weapon assigned to the 507th soldiers involved in the attack.
Officials at the Department of Defense referred all questions to Fort Bliss officials.
Jean Offutt, Fort Bliss spokeswoman, said that taking all data regarding a company's weapons into battle is standard practice.
"When we deployed, all our active-duty soldiers had to take their documents with them because we mobilized a lot of reservists who lived in the emptied barracks," Offutt said. "So all of their personnel files as well as files on weapons were taken with them."
Because personnel files were lost in the ambush and no duplicates exist, the 507th is now trying to re-create the information. Also, Offutt said, some of the weapons the 507th used haven't been recovered.
"But shortly before the soldiers deployed, all of the weapons were certified and serviceable," Offutt said. "The weapons were fired on the firing range before they deployed."
I heard that aliens guided by Santa Claus took them...Well, its just as believable anyway...
Only if you believe what you read in the papers. Linda Cruz could be the pen name for Jason Blair. It's my understanding that they got lost and ambushed by Iraqi irregulars...
The account I heard (ABC, 20/20?) was that the unit made a wrong turn, passed a Marine unit at one end of a bridge, and drove on into hostile territory at the other side of the river. They drove on through town unmolested: it was only then the CO realized the navigational error. At this point, IMHO, all is still forgiveable. Been driving all night, it's now dawn, people are tired, mistakes happen.
However, the CO decides to drive back through the town to return to the supply line. Meanwhile, the town has woken up to the fact that U.S. troops are nearby, and the Army unit gets slammed. The decision to run back through the gauntlet was the worst choice from a decidedly poor set of alternatives.
It's a miracle that there were any survivors!! Kudos to their rescuers.
I'm not critical of the soldiers, who responded the best they could when attacked. I am somewhat critical of the commander who got them into that pickle, however.
And you know that how?
I would have to agree with Poohbah on this
This is not intended to be a derogatory comment but this Companys was normally not to be in front line combat there the second or third string (again not intended to be a derogatory comment)
There maintenance of there weapons might also be second or third string it might be natural but not acceptable
Compounding the problem is the front line troops get the first rate weapons as they should.
The second or third string might get the older weapons so you have a viscous cycle.. the troops that might tend to have the bad habit of doing less weapons.maintenance get the weapons that required the most...you have to be aware that this might be the way it is and keep on top of it
The Marines have it right EVERYONES a combat rifleman this is not bravado its common sense ... if you in the back ranks and get the old weapons guess what you have got the time to do whats needed to keep your weapon in top working order
I recently reviewed the actual report the Army put out regarding the attack on the 507th at An Nasiriyah, and I could not agree with you more. This guy is responsible for them taking the wrong route in the first place, but even on the route he took his unit would have most likely made it to their next destination if the CO had not made the second wrong turn into the city of An Nasiriyah. Even with these two mistakes, he could have again led is troops out of harm if he had not missed the ramp back on to the freeway when the convoy had turned around and backtracked through the city. On top of all this, it appears he executed an improper retreat by hauling a#@ away and leaving the rest of the troops in slower moving vehicles to fend for themselves.
The solution is not hanging unit commanders or NCO's, the solution is for the Army to take a hard look at how the USMC trains every Marine to be a rifleman first and foremost.
And it pains me to say that since I am Army and my son in law is a Marine.
But that's the fact of the matter.
I agree with you that Army policy is part of the problem, but I think it goes up a bit higher, dare I say Secretary of Defense higher. Those soldiers knew how to clean their weapons, and they were trained and instructed to do so repeatedly all the way up to when they begin to roll out of Kuwait. From what I read, it seems that they were undermanned. They had two men/women per vehicle and they were not just driving through Iraq, but they were supporting and replenishing the supplies of the air defense unit. The time and energy required to do this meant some things had to go to keep the convoy moving. With more crew members they could have assigned someone to the perpetual upkeep of the weapons.
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