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."
And I wasn't 'bothered' by Chief_Joes's comments, I just noticed that he seemed to have gotten the wrong idea.
I was not confused about what AH was promoting versus what Jessica is saying. That’s why I clearly stated “if” she goes along with this crap… We don’t know what she’ll say until she says it in her 1 million dollar story. Here’s the problem: because of her selective amnesia and the fact that everyone else in the vehicle with her from group 3 was killed, it gives Ms. Lynch the opportunity to create any story she likes now. But as I said to one of you before, you should have a good understanding of military procedures and policies to understand “Official Army Reports”: what’s been put in, taken out, not covered... When Lynch is spoken of in glowing terms, her admirers start from the end of the ambush, the wreck, to when she was rescued. Though I don’t want to do this, I’m going to have to slowly bring this out: how was the vehicle Ms. Lynch was originally driving disabled? What role did this disabled vehicle play in the deaths of her fellow soldiers in Group 3? Warning, these are just two small questions regarding Ms. Lynch’s performance that need to be answered, there’s more.
I can't hardly even look at that photograph -it's a sad joke. She's no soldier and never was one…
I still think I have some further clarifications to make before I go on. I don’t think Lynch is responsible for everything that happened to this element of the 507th, although as a consequence of some dump policies and tragic chain of events, it seems her performance over there did contribute to the magnitude of the loss. I believe her unit was undermanned, and the CO made many mistakes and led poorly. I too believe she is being used as pawn by a number of entities: the Defense Department is behind pumping her up to support the notion the current administration is all inclusive, the media is using her to support feminist propaganda, and her ghost writers will say anything that they think will bring in the biggest bucks –it’s simple as that. My real concerns are with those that have been doing the fighting and are still fighting. I’m not ready to get completely into it yet, but I must give some of you a reality check: often times, the Army’s job is to blow up things and kill people, and to do so unquestionably and without hesitation. I want you to think about that as you look at PFC Lynch’s picture. I want you to sincerely consider if Lynch was prepared to do this as she traveled with that convoy.
From the AH blurb, it looks like NBC is going to run with the bogus Rambo Girl story. If that's the case, she is being portrayed this way by others again as she is not participating in NBCs movie. The fact that she declined to be involved in this movie probably means she's not going to participate in anything that is misleading. The advance pub about her book plays down the Iraq war angle and plays up her life before the war and her rescue and recovery. I will be very surprised if she presents herself as this great female warrior that some want to cast her as.
In other words, she should never have been there in the first place. I absolutely agree. In a way, she was a pawn, although a much smaller one, even before she became a 'celebrity.' She, and other women, were put in a situation she shouldn't have been just to satisfy special interests.
Access Hollywood = Access of Evil.
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