Grim Discovery Near U.S. Air Base (Police-Missing UK girls believed found dead)

UK Guardian ^ | August 18, 2002 | Paul Harris

[cabral]

Police believe the two bodies found yesterday in a Suffolk field are those of missing 10 year old Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

The find came hours after detectives arrested school caretaker Ian Huntley 28, on suspicion of abduction and murder. Huntley's girlfriend Maxine Carr, 25 was arrested on suspicion of murder.

The bodies were discovered at around 1 PM (London Time) by three people out walking near the village of Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, which is used by the United States Air Force.

The site lies close to the A1065 road to Swaffham, around 10 miles east of the girls home village of Soham in Cambridgeshire. The girls have been missing since 4 August when they vanished after a barbeque.

[cabral]

A nation mourns as we have been doing lately..

[Tom Pain]

And now, the UK newspapers will try to pin this on an American!

Of course, only an American is capable of this! (sarcasm)

[Chad Fairbanks]

Well, they seem to mention in the article that it was a school caretaker, but the insinuation in the article title caught my attention before I opened it...

Maybe I'm just too cynical when it comes to the media...

[cabral]

And the woman in custody was girls teaching assistant for the previous year in school.

[Gunrunner2]

You got that right. . .the Guardian is a rag.

"Holly and Jessica: two bodies found in woods
· Two held on suspicion of murder
· Grim discovery near US air base"

If all you have is the headline (above) then you would link/infer American involvement.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Sick people... people who do this stuff are not fit to breathe our air...

[Chad Fairbanks]

If all you have is the headline (above) then you would link/infer American involvement.

Bingo! When I saw the headline, my first thought (which makes me ashamed) was, "Oh crap! This is worse than Okinawa..."

[VaBthang4]

Shouldnt the articles title read:

"Grim Discovery Near village of Mildenhall"

???

[Chad Fairbanks]

And it's not even a U.S. Airbase - it's an RAF base that they let us use portions of...

[cabral]

And the article doesn't say how close the scene was discovered to the USAF base. From reading the article it could be on the border, but wouldn't military investigators be called in with Scotland Yard?

[Selara]

Well, they seem to mention in the article that it was a school caretaker, but the insinuation in the article title caught my attention before I opened it...

This is so crass, to use the tragic death of two young girls, to take a swipe at the U.S.

[Chad Fairbanks]

I've visited England several times, and I really enjoyed it... unlike the treatment I received in France (where my Quebecois French didn't go over well), I was treated well... I really can't believe that the media there is representative of the average Brit... we have some lobsterbacks (just kidding, guys) here on FR that are pretty decent sorts, after all... :0)

[Alas Babylon!]

I've been to both RAF lakenheath and Mildenhall numerous times. They both share a common series of runways, Lakenheath on one side and Mildenhall on another. Lakenheath has F-15's, the big BX and Commisary and the hospital. Mildenhall has a Special Ops Group, KC-135's and KC-10s, and other cargo aircraft. Swaffam to Lakenheath is not close at all: About 10-15 miles apart.

[Fracas]

It is impossible to be too cynical about the media.

[Chad Fairbanks]

:0)

[Haymarket]

This is not a swipe at the US - and I'm no friend of the Guardian.

All Air Force Bases in the UK are known as "RAF whatever" as they are owned by the UK government. Mildenhall and Lakenheath are used solely (apart from very rare visits by the RAF) by the USAF. They are universally known in the UK as US bases. The USAF has a huge airshow at Mildenhall each year.

The two bases are by far the largest economic activities in the local area and anything - good or bad - would be referred as happening "near the US base."

[Travis McGee]

We can only pray that no evil firearm was involved.

If it was just a good old clubbing or strangling or knifing, the murderers will be "rehabilitated" and released in a decade or two.

If they used an evil gun, they will get double life sentences.

[Selara]

OK, but the headline did give the impression of linking the US base to the two dead children. Thanks.

[Selara]

I've visited England several times, and I really enjoyed it... unlike the treatment I received in France (where my Quebecois French didn't go over well), I was treated well...

Thanks. Glad to hear you were treated in a friendly manner in the UK. My niece has a life long friend, that went to France to study for an extended period. He is an active, practicing Christian, is from Louisiana, and is not afraid to share his opinions...heheheh. He has visited us twice since his return, and he said he was often ridiculed. He was called redneck because he was from the south. He was called stupid because he was a Christian. He told us that he voted "reluctantly" for George W. Bush in the last election, but in the next election, he will vote for George W. Bush wholeheartedly. So, the ridicule, seems to just have solidified his beliefs.

[Gunrunner2]

>>This is not a swipe at the US - and I'm no friend of the Guardian.<<

It was not a direct swipe, but a backhanded slap.

The Guardian should have made no reference to the US air bases, period, and for them to do so is gratuitous and unfair, as the US bases have nothing to do with the murders. The Guardian, again, is showing their unreasonable bias and calls into question the honesty of their reporting.

>>All Air Force Bases in the UK are known as "RAF whatever" as they are owned by the UK government. Mildenhall and Lakenheath are used solely (apart from very rare visits by the RAF) by the USAF.<<

That is true.

>>They are universally known in the UK as US bases.<<

And with regular gnashing of teeth over having armed American SP’s guarding our bases or traveling armed for short distances between bases.

>>The two bases are by far the largest economic activities in the local area and anything - good or bad - would be referred as happening "near the US base."<<

So, using that logic, if, say, a murder happened near the Ford Motor Company in Michigan, then the headlines should read, “Two bodies found in woods, Two held on suspicion of murder, Grim discovery near Ford Motor Company.” See the unfair association. That is the problem with the Guardian, they do this sort of thing knowingly and with intent. Other British media do not routinely engage in this sort of biased nonsense, there is no reason the Guardian should do so, unless they are advancing an anti-American agenda.

As far as being the largest economic activity in the area, one wishes the locals would appreciate that fact. When I was stationed at RAF Bentwaters/RAF Alconbury in the mid-to-late 80’s, the locals (and the local paper) always complained about American presence, with reports of crime and accidents all the time. But when the base was shut down and the local economy tanked, news reports were full of whining businessmen crying over their economic misfortune. These were the same businesses that took advantage of American servicemen by charging outrageous prices for everything, from rents to antiques to cars.

Out of the past 20-yrs, I lived 5-yrs in the UK (RAF Bentwaters, RAF Alconbury, RAF Bentley-Priory, RAF Waddington). During one assignment I lived in an RAF Officers Mess for two years while serving as an exchange officer “in” the RAF. In addition, I also spent a lot of time with the British Army and on-board the Royal Navy’s HMS Invincible.

As a result of my direct experience, I have tremendous respect for the UK military forces. They are as every bit as dedicated, skilled and professional as the American forces. Together the UK and US could civilize the world.

I always told my British friends the best thing the UK did was take over the world, the worst thing they did was give it up (America excepted, of course).