EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT Tragedy at Camp Pennsylvania

Time Magazine ^ | March 23, 2003 | Jim Lacey

[Bubba_Leroy]

TIME's Jim Lacey has been traveling with the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. Over two weeks ago, they had set up camp in northern Kuwait just 20 miles south of the Iraqi border. Then the drama began:

It was 1:45 Sunday morning when I was awakened by the first blast—a boom 10 times louder than a car backfiring. Ten seconds later there was a second blast, and then soldiers started screaming, "Get out! Get out!" Someone had slipped two hand grenades into the tent housing more than a dozen of the brigade's officers. One woman in my tent, which was 10 yards away from the explosion, yelled, "I'm hit." A piece of shrapnel from the grenade had lodged in her leg.

I ran out of my tent into total chaos. The Scud alarms were sounding, and people were running for the bunkers we use during those alerts. Most soldiers were in uniform, but some were wearing the workout clothes they sometimes sleep in. Realizing the explosions were not Scuds, I walked over to the tent where the grenades had gone off and saw two very badly wounded soldiers—one bleeding from his leg, back and stomach. The medics had not yet arrived, so soldiers were bandaging wounds themselves. I noticed the chaplain trying to comfort the dozen or so who had been wounded. Sergeants were shouting orders to form a security perimeter. Some of the younger soldiers were looking on in a state of shock and had to be hand-led to their positions. Fifteen minutes later an ambulance drove up to take away the badly wounded soldiers. One died soon after.

Because a number of officers had been hit, no one knew at first who was in charge. Then two officers who were bleeding from wounds started giving orders.

Thinking there was a terrorist on the loose, a group of soldiers began assembling to conduct a manhunt. Other officers were inspecting the tents and bunkers to make sure everyone was accounted for.

One of those officers spotted a soldier, lying alone in a bunker near the explosions, who appeared to be wounded. The soldier, who has a Muslim name, had, according to military sources, recently been acting insubordinate; his superiors had decided not to bring him into Iraq.

Camp sources say he initially admitted responsibility. The officer drew his weapon and called for backup. Then they handcuffed the soldier, read him his rights and waited for criminal investigators to arrive.

[Grand Old Partisan]

He'll be in prison at least until the next time a Democrat is President.

[Stopislamnow]

NAACP and ACLU will be screaming shortly.

Exposing them for what they are yet again.

Will anyone notice except us?

This guy shoulda got a 9mm lobotomy when found.

[muggs]

Thinking there was a terrorist on the loose, a group of soldiers began assembling to conduct a manhunt.

There was a terrorist on the loose.

[TLBSHOW]

What has happened to this country?

[FReepaholic]

An ABC reporter this morning was gushing with praise for these two officers. He said it was, and I quote, "awe inspiring".

However, little Georgie Stephanopolis quickly cut him off to go to a "breaking" story in Baghdad.

The so-called "breaking news" was just that the reporter there had heard explosions throughout the day.

It was clear to me that the ABC producer didn't like his Kuwait reporter heaping praise on the US officers. IMHO.

[Libertina]

This is grounds for execution. He will be tried in a military court.

[weegee]

Wasn't the DC sniper, John Allen Muhammad, suspected of some friendly fire incident in the first Gulf War?

[Grand Old Partisan]

I just hope he's tried and executed in the field, not back in the USA.

[F16Fighter]

"Tragedy? It was an ATROCITY."

Count on Blitzer, Rather, and Jennings to refer to it as an "incident."

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[F16Fighter]

"100 years ago, if this had happened, he would have been taken out in front of the troops and put in front of a firing squad."

Cut that number in half at the least.

[lawdude]

" Since when are criminals sacrosanct?"

Since they are muslim and b***k? Shhhhh

[Risa]

>>this higly important fact has been scrubbed out of all media accounts.<<

Most of our media are staunch multiculturalists. They never report details that reveal the brutal fruits of their multiculturalist doctrine.

risa

[Libertina]

I agree, but unfortunately I don't think he will. Looks as if the mainstream (liberal) media is already settling into "It isn't his fault" mode. He was "stressed" and superiors should have "known." I believe we'll need a big baf alert before long. And oddly enough, his conversion to an extremist sect of Black Islam seems to be ignored...

[SoulStorms]

Someone had slipped two hand grenades into the tent housing more than a dozen of the brigade's officers...

The initial U.S. "decapitation" strike was a success because many command and control types were together. This atrocious attack could have been successful for the same reason.

Maybe our officers should be dispersed among the camp to avoid making this type of attack easy.

[Marianne]

CBS radio just carried a report from George Heath, civilian spokesman for Fort Campbell, Ky., the storied 101st Airborne Division's home base.
The soldier's name is Asan Akbar. He is with the 326 Engineering Battalion. Heath said they don't know his hometown.

[A Simple Soldier]

If you watch the footage of the immediate aftermath, you can see the Brigade Commander, COL F. Ben Hodges, walking around amongst the troops with his arm bandaged and in a sling. He is in a brown t-shirt and wearing glasses. Bloodied, but not broken.

I know him personally. He will, despite being wounded, still lead the "Above the Rest" regiment on its next "Rendevous With Destiny."

[ArmchairWarrior]

MSNBC is reporting that his name is (Sgt.) "Asan Akbar", though his birth name has not been made known so far.

[Marianne]

HIS PICTURE CAN BE FOUND HERE