US COMMANDER RELIEVED OF DUTY

sky news ^ | 04/04/2003 | sky news

[MIKEinGA]

A US commander who was leading a push by marines through southern Iraq towards Baghdad has been relieved of his post.

No reason has been given for the decision to relieve Colonel Joe Dowdy, commander of the Marines First Regimental Combat Team, Public Affairs Officer Steven Schweitzer said.

"He was responsible for the regiment until three hours ago," Schweitzer said.

More follows...

Last Updated: 15:46 UK, Friday April 04, 2003

[mabelkitty]

Interesting.

Another unknown source stated Rumsfeld understaffed the war big time. Could be same guy?

[freedomlover]

Sorry I forgot my sarcasm tags.

[mabelkitty]

We don't need to know.

It doesn't serve any purpose other than to give the media reason to distract from our military successes to focus on what will surely be something unpleasant.

I say keep it in the vault.

[ken5050]

The RCT has been performing superbly....so to yank him now, it has to be a fairly egregious event.....otherwise, it'd be done after hostilities end...

[mabelkitty]

Duelly noted ; )

[Pentagram]

Your #61: Thank you for posting this very informative item!

[nicko]

I too read your homepage...thanks...CW3 (ret.) Harden, Georgetown, TX...

[Poohbah]

Not always. We had a company commander (Major) relieved and everyone knew exactly why.

Back in 1984, the Commanding Officer of Marine Attack Squadron 311 laid his A-4M Skyhawk onto the runway at El Toro...on the belly tank.

He was relieved that afternoon. Everyone knew why.

A few years later, I get on a Delta flight(they were having a bad year), and I recognize the man as the pilot.

"Yo, Hoss, you gonna remember to lower the landing gear this time?"

Everyone in First Class was staring at me as I walked to my seat :o)

[John H K]

The media doesn't seem to be particularly focused on it as best I can tell.

It's not trivial, it's not earth-shatteringly disastrous either, but it is a fairly big deal and likely a bigger deal than the media is making of it.

[ladtx]

I'm assuming you're an aviator. When did you go through flight school?

[fightinJAG]

Most of these incidents happen because hot-headedness overcomes clear thinking. Very few truly reckless individuals make it into command slots. But mistakes are made. The trick in a combat zone is that the commander must know when to take MORE as well as when to take FEWER risks.

[fightinJAG]

Agreed.

[ladtx]

Back in 1984, the Commanding Officer of Marine Attack Squadron 311 laid his A-4M Skyhawk onto the runway at El Toro...on the belly tank.

Our commander in Vietnam was relieved in early 1970. His Huey had an engine failure and he screwed up the autorotation and wound up totalling the aircraft. After the Chinook brought it back to Soc Trang and set it down near the end of the runway he told a PFC to take his M-16 out and put a few holes in it so it would look like he got shot down. The PFC did exactly what he was told then went straight to the Battalion Cdr. The CO was gone that night. The PFC he chose to plug the Huey happened to be one he had just given an Article 15 to recently.

[idkfa]

Not the same guy...

http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c2229999/20889381.html


Tales From The Home Front
By Register News Services

04/01/2003

DAVENPORT

Marines to investigate soldiers' drownings

Two senior Marine officers will investigate the deaths of two soldiers who drowned while trying to cross a canal in southeast Iraq, a spokesman said.

Sgt. Bradley Korthaus, 28, of Davenport and Cpl. Evan James, 20, of La Harpe, Ill., died last Monday after disappearing in the Saddam Canal.

The men were part of a group of four Marines who were going to set up a defensive position to protect a water-supply area near the canal, said 1st Sgt. Michael Berg, a Marine spokesman from Peoria, Ill., where the 6th Engineer Support Battalion Company is based.

Two lieutenant colonels have been assigned to investigate, Berg said Saturday.

Korthaus" fiancee, Barbi Schneckloth, 30, of Davenport has questioned the company leader's handling of the canal crossing. She said she received a letter from Korthaus earlier saying the company's morale was suffering due to the career ambitions of its commander, Maj. Michael McCarthy.

Berg said he hasn't heard reports from the troops that morale is as poor as Schneckloth said Korthaus described.

Marilyn Korthaus of Davenport said she will let the Marines determine what happened to her son.
"We are not going to pursue anything," she said. "The Marine Corps will investigate and fix any problems."

Korthaus' funeral will be at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church at 10 a.m. Monday. Visitation will be Sunday afternoon at the church. Burial will be at the National Cemetery at the Rock Island Arsenal.

[fightinJAG]

Oh, I'd be the first to send a JAG on a long tour in the big house at Ft. Leavenworth, if he or she did the crime, they must do the time.

I don't see the need for "accidents," however!

JAGs and child molestors, probably the most "popular" inmates in a military prison.

[Poohbah]

Oh, man...asking a guy you Article 15'd to break the law for you...

The guy should've been relieved just for being a dumbs**t.

[fightinJAG]

One word: depth. There's always someone else in the chain who can take command. Has to be that way, just as if this guy had been killed.

[ladtx]

No kidding. The guy was fearless but dumb. Saw him take a squad out one time to secure one of our aircraft that had been shot down. He even resembled John Wayne, but had the brain of Moe Howard.

[geedee]

handed out MRE Alabama Pork Rinds (tm) to citizens in An Najaf?

You, sir or ma'am, are warped. AND I LIKE IT!!! ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nicko]

no, I'm not an aviator, although many of my best friends at Campbell were...I was a maintenance technician- went through my "course" in '88...had one particular friend who went through Rucker around 1996...he flew OH58D's- we wound up in Korea together, and everytime the CAV had gunnery at MPRC, he would make sure he blew down my GP small as he came in from a run...