Home video shows US troops abandon ambushed convoy (Video followed by ABC News report)

ABC News Report via You Tube ^ | September 28, 2006

[beaversmom]

Some of you have probably already seen this and/or read about it, but it was new to me when I saw it on TV tonight and I'm guessing it will be new to a few other FReepers out there as well.

[IrishCatholic]

And here is Paul Harvey with the rest of the story:
I can't find it now but this was covered in another FR thread. This was a media hit job. The convoy was hit and three of the humvees raced out to clear the kill zone. The other two were at the rear and fought it out. That was why the trucker is still alive to show you his video. The military didn't abandon anyone. They simply followed their training to clear the kill zone.
That was why there was a predator drone and you never heard of the two humvees that saved the rest of the truckers and you never heard of what the military response was after the ambush.
It is also why the media probably waited a year to do the story.
Same S**t different day.

[LSUfan]

Not sure 5 HUMMVEES is enough for 12 trucks either. If you have 12 trucks and 2 get disabled in an ambush, first you drive through the kill zone and then you make sure the 10 trucks you still have get through.

I am not sure the word "abandon" is appropriate in this case.

Seems to me that our military continues to be too small for its myriad missions. The Red Ball Express was not a civilian contractor operation...

[rawcatslyentist]

>"here's a thought, why don't they shoot those f^ckers throwing rocks, etc at them"

Because the AlQuedemocratias will fire legal charges with their ACLU launchers.

They have declared war on us. When do we fight back?

[Williams]

Supposedly these 2 trucks were left for 40 minutes, during which the truck occupants in front were killed and bodies abused, and the second truck driver was shot twice but lived and was rescued. It was a 12 truck convoy, so they apparently got the other 10 trucks out before returning to help.

[Centurion2000]

Legal or not, were I a contractor over there I would make EVERY effort to have at least an AK and a sidearm closeby in the truck.

[Williams]

Thanks for the further explanation.

[endthematrix]

There's a google video of a GI filming Iraqi kids thowing rock at his convoy...

FOUND IT!


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1429087851723537692&q=iraq+rocks&hl=en

[DTogo]

Hard to say, looks like a lot of confusion. I know a civilian contractor who spent several months in Iraq in '04 and he always went out "packing" and often fired back.

[hsalaw]

Thanks for the additional info. I detest the MSM and their one-sided attacks. It's nice to hear the rest of the story.

[ModelBreaker]

Why is ABC showing this now? It happened about a year ago.

Because there's an election coming up, silly.

[DTogo]

PC warfare, Un freakin' believable.

[ansel12]

"One question and two observations:

#1. If he was alone, who was doing the video taping?

#2. If he really feared being killed, it seems to me he'd be praying instead of taking God's name in vain.

#3. Halliburton is right; they know the risks when they go over there. But, the big bucks, very big bucks, makes them not care about the risks. That's called, feed your greed and take your chances."






You don't know much about men do you little buddy.

I don't think I've ever felt so creeped out by a posting here as the one you made.

[Flying Circus]

Interesting that ABC picks for their "rare view of civilian work in Iraq" a convoy under attack with a disgruntled ex-Haliburton employee narrating. How about giving "equal time" to the convoys that get through, make their deliveries and come back without injury? How about hearing from drivers who weren't fired from the job? How about telling the whole story about how the guy made it back after being 'abandoned'?

He wasn't abandoned or he wouldn't be alive to tell us about it today. I suspect the part he doesn't tell is about how they came back and got him out. What are the escorts orders and standard procedure for dealing with a situation like this? While I expect stone throwing and other violence against convoys there is not uncommon, how about mediating the video with some statistics about how often this stuff happens? Out of how many American civilians working there since Saddam was ousted did those fatality statistics come from and how many come back uninjured?

Couldn't do that... it wouldn't serve the Story.

[Slowsky]

I don't know about this.

I watched the video without sound and couldn't determine much from it. I did it intentionally to avoid any bias from the commentator / reporter people.

Is this designed to make the military look bad? I don't even feel like watching it with sound. It'll be SOS with the reporting.

[Triggerhippie]

If anything I would put fault at the extreme restrictions put on these contract workers that do not do security detail work, and as such are not allowed to carry weapons (at least not "legally"). That, and the lack of protection in their trucks.

As a former contractor this was my third biggest complaint. Second was that Jordanians were pulling security for us. The biggest problem was, however, that our daily convoys took the same route at the same time. Just damned stupid.

[stultorum]

"here's a thought, why don't they shoot those f^ckers throwing rocks, etc at them

I believe we are doing that now. Anyone throwing rocks or other objects at our men are shot on the spot, and that's the way it should be.

[beaversmom]

I'm not sure what the agenda is of the truck driver.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

I'm not a military man. But isn't it common sense, to avoid returning on the same route used for departure?

[BaylorDad]

And here is Paul Harvey with the rest of the story:

Thanks, for the "Rest of the story". This is what is great about FR. It takes you and all the other Paul Harveys of FR to expose the MSM spin.

[vaudine]

I read this a day or two ago--thought it was on Free Republic. The convoy was ambushed and two of the armored military vehicles took off after the perps.
The driver(?) who taped this was looking forward; this was a year ago, and now he is coming forward complaining of desertion by the military(very convenient).
What it supposedly doesn't show is that a couple of other armored vehicles stayed with the convoy.This informatioin was furnished by someone else who was in the convoy.

This reeks of Democrat pre-election dirty tricks; but "NO!" couldn't be! This is being put about by your completely unbiased and trustworthy folks at ABC.</sarc>

It is so easy to make up a convenient story after the fact, making footage, etc.
look very damning.


vaudine