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Two S.Korean Girls Run Over by US Armored Vehicle
Peoples Daily (CCP NEWS ALERT) ^ | 06/14/02

Posted on 06/13/2002 9:14:03 PM PDT by Enemy Of The State

Two S.Korean Girls Run Over by US Armored Vehicle

 A U.S. military armored vehicle killed two 14-year-old South Korean girls on Thursday near the border between South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, an incident which is making local residents worried about their personal safety.

The two middle school students were struck when they walked to a friend's birthday party, police said.

The armored vehicle veered to the right edge of the narrow road without careful observation and killed the girls on the spot, according to the police.

In Yangju, a town where the U.S. troops are stationed, accidents related to the U.S. military take place frequently. Last January, a U.S. army tank crossed the middle line of the road and collided head-on with three cars, leaving nine Koreans injured.

South Korean official figures showed that there were about 400 road accidents related to the U.S. military annually but only 10 cases were heard in courts.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
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To: Enemy Of The State
Gee, maybe the tanks wouldn't be there if China's client state in the north hadn't tried to bulldoze the peninsula 50 years ago and seeking an encore ever since.

BTW, how may "accidents" have occured with Chinese tanks versus Chinese citizens?

21 posted on 06/14/2002 5:18:55 AM PDT by Larry Lucido
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Comment #22 Removed by Moderator

To: patrioticduty
THe driver of modern armored vehicles have more instruments and tools to be aware of what is around them than drivers of a car.

I agree with most of your post but this is not strictly true. A 113 series- probably the most common type of armored vehicle (usually the type you'll see pictures of Israelis with)- is basically an aluminum, 13 ton box on tracks. They aren't high tech at all. The driver sits with his head poking out of the box at the front left corner and the TC (track/tank commander) sits/stands with his head poking out of middle front portion of this box. They have two way communication with each other but aside from the TC telling the Driver to steer left or right- that's it.

A 577 is even worse. It is basically a 113 series that has been extended upwards so the people inside the box can actually stand up. The crew compartment is about the size of decent sized bathroom and it's like a mini house on tracks- you never have to get wet and 4 soldiers can stretch out fully to sleep.The driver's hatch hasn't been moved up though in relation to the additional height, meaning he has little visibility to the the right (where the shoulder of the road would be). Plus, a 577 usually has a gas powered electric generator in a metal box positioned to the driver's right further obscuring his view. I have driven both of these vehicles and while the 113 has a pretty good field of view- the 577 takes a lot of getting used to- you drive more by "knowing your vehicle" on the right side than anything else and driving with a drop off or a steep culvert (or civilians) to your right is very tricky.

In addition, the 88s- mechanics recovery vehicles are even larger than tanks (dimension wise) and they are really hard to steer. They are just big beasts really and not very high tech. A bulldozer with armor more or less. I've had to ground guide them onto flatbed train cars and almost half the tracks hang over each side of the rail car- dicey! Bradleys aren't much better.

I noticed in Bosnia driving along in 106s (113s made for carrying heavy mortars) and HMMWVs that the foot-going civilians there didn't like to get too far onto the shoulders or the road (maybe because of landmines-who knows?) and the driving was often hazardous because of this and oncoming traffic.

Bottom line, this is a terrible thing to have happened and a very ugly way for two children to have died.

23 posted on 06/14/2002 6:43:06 AM PDT by Prodigal Son
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On to victory over the moochers and bandwidth thieves.
No matter the amount, your donation counts!
You'll never feel better than the day you become a monthly contributor.

24 posted on 06/14/2002 6:56:20 AM PDT by lodwick
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To: codebreaker
And they are still sore about having the Gold Medal 'taken' from them by Apollo Ono at the Olympics.

People keep talking about that. I have a vague memory, but what happened again?

25 posted on 06/14/2002 7:02:11 AM PDT by krb
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To: Joe 6-pack
I served three tours in Korea the first beginning in 1963. At one point drivers were briefed that there was a belief on the part of Koreans that they were followed thru life by an evil spirit.

The theroy was that Korean pedestrians attempted to come as close as possible to being hit by a vehicle so as to get the evil spirit clobbered.

A couple of Koreans I was well acquainted with confirmed this superstition and pointed out the number of their countrymen who got squashed annually by trains simply because they were not nimble enough on the tracks.

26 posted on 06/14/2002 7:03:50 AM PDT by FRMAG
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To: Larry Lucido
BTW, how may "accidents" have occured with Chinese tanks versus Chinese citizens?

I can think of a couple...


27 posted on 06/14/2002 7:04:02 AM PDT by general_re
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To: general_re
The only "accident" about that famous Tien a Mein Square image is that it was captured by Western TV cameras.

Our shame is that we didn't show a fraction of the courage this man did and stood by while the ChiComs crushed these Chinese FReepers.

28 posted on 06/14/2002 7:27:56 AM PDT by anymouse
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To: Dick Vomer
The last time they banned tanks in South Korea the communists from the DPRK almost pushed the freedom loving people of the US and Korea into the Japan Sea.
29 posted on 06/14/2002 8:16:31 AM PDT by KC_Conspirator
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To: Joe 6-pack
I too spent years up there, on Pelham with the 198's and then later, when the CAV moved there from Yonjigo (sp) and renamed the post Garry Owen (4/7 CAV)...the roads are narrow and the Koreans crowd them- whether it was a Brad, or a 113 or M1A2, M88, it's difficult to maneuver there...especially the route from Garry Owen to Rodriguez Range...it's sad, but I've seen it several times before-
30 posted on 06/14/2002 8:36:23 AM PDT by nicko
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To: KC_Conspirator
I ALMOST POSTED THIS, ALONE:

"I think this story is bogus. I think we are arguing and discussing a possible "non-event".

I think the poster should provide news from an additional source. Particularly since this is a claim from the communist state- run Red China news agency. But he took off completely after initially posting and chose not to stay around for the subsequent FR discussion apparantly."

UNTIL I FOUND THIS:

(From Joongang Ilbo, South Korea) "U.S. vehicle kills 2 Korean teens by Lee Ho-jeong June 14, 2002 Two Korean teenagers were killed Thursday after being struck by a U.S. Army armored vehicle participating in a training exercise near Yangju in northern Gyeonggi province. According to police, the accident occurred on Highway 56 when the vehicle, which is 3.67 meters wide, was traveling along the 3.40-meter-wide road. The two 14-year-old girls were on their way to a friend's birthday party when they were hit, police said. The bodies were taken to Choo Hospital in Uijeongbu. "We are deeply saddened by this tragic event," said Lieutenant General Daniel R. Zanini, commander of the 8th U.S. Army in a press release. General Zanini added condolences to the families of the children and pledged to conduct a vigorous investigation. The 8th Army public affairs office in Yongsan, Seoul, reported that the accident is under investigation by the Korean national police and the 2d Infantry Division Military Office."

31 posted on 06/14/2002 8:40:39 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
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URL to the story (and the S. Korean newspaper) is:

http://english.joins.com/Article.asp?aid=20020614010707&sid=300

32 posted on 06/14/2002 8:43:53 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
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To: Prodigal Son
sounds like you've been there...I've worked with all of that equipment on the DMZ for years, as a mechanic, then Warrant Officer, on Pelham with the artillery and 5 years later on the same post renamed Garry Owen (the 4/7 CAV moved there and renamed it, which is another war story)...high tech has nothing to do with it...you can hear tracks coming from a long way away...especially the diesels...the M1's are a little more quiet, but they never, never move by themselves on those roads...
33 posted on 06/14/2002 8:46:36 AM PDT by nicko
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To: AppyPappy
Yep, especially if it would have been an M114, those things were pretty cool to look at but they were a piece of junk otherwise.

I remember one roadmarch in which the tracks were snapping and vehicles running off the road and hitting trees or anything in their way.

If you could find one that had a 327 engine in it, I suppose you could have put it in your car. ANYway

34 posted on 06/14/2002 10:48:44 AM PDT by Recon by Fire
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To: nicko
I don't think that many crowd the rear of an M1A2.
35 posted on 06/14/2002 10:53:25 AM PDT by Recon by Fire
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To: Recon by Fire
roger that, Recon...watched the first M1 off the C5A pivot into Hunter Base in Mogadishu and smoke up a bunch of kids who had been running beside it...pretty hot back there...
36 posted on 06/14/2002 12:03:26 PM PDT by nicko
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To: nicko
Oh aye, there's nothing stealthy about armor and like you say, especially the diesel powered vehicles. I too am puzzled by this story- why the girls didn't get out of the way. I guess maybe they get so used to seeing the vehicles they get complacent about the danger a huge hunk of rolling metal represents.

When I was in we always heard about this one incident (probably one of those Army legends that serve a useful purpose...) where a Joe was standing between two 113s that were both running and parked nose to nose. One of the 113s supposedly came unlocked and rolled forward catching the poor guy between and cutting him in two. You might've heard that one as well. At any rate, I don't like to repeat Darwin Award Winner's mistakes so I always took a lot of heed when I was around a track that was running.

37 posted on 06/14/2002 12:09:02 PM PDT by Prodigal Son
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To: Recon by Fire
I don't think that many crowd the rear of an M1A2.

World's fastest and most expensive MRE heater.

38 posted on 06/14/2002 12:12:24 PM PDT by Prodigal Son
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To: VaBthang4
A South Korean man was accidently electrocuted by US military powerlines and you can see the results below. I'm glad the US national team tied ROK.

Seoul Activists Burn U.S. Flag By SANG-HUN CHOE, The Associated Press


39 posted on 06/14/2002 2:02:12 PM PDT by bok
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