Free Republic

ROCK HILL, S.C. - The Army Reserve company that drew attention when some of its soldiers refused a mission to transport fuel along a dangerous road in Iraq has returned home, with members honoring the officer who led the unit through the controversy. The 343rd Quartermaster Company came back to the Rock Hill Memorial Army Reserve Center on Friday, and returning soldiers presented the unit's flag to the company commander, Capt. Victor Baez-an. He took charge after some members of the unit balked at the Oct. 13 mission, saying their vehicles were in poor condition and did not have armor....

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 6 - The American military has ordered punishment, but not courts-martial, for 23 Army Reserve soldiers who refused in October to deliver fuel to a base in Iraq, claiming that it was too dangerous, military officials here said Monday. The soldiers are receiving nonjudicial punishments under Article 15 of the military justice code, which could include reduction in rank, loss of pay and restricted movements depending on their commander's discretion, said Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, a military spokesman. Eighteen have already been disciplined, and the five others will have their punishments decided later, he said. Under the...

Following recent news of soldiers in Iraq refusing to go on a convoy mission because of a lack of protective gear, 12 Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) wrote to the panel’s chairman to ask for a hearing on equipment shortages. Citing last year’s letter from the commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Seven, Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, on such shortfalls, the lawmakers in their Oct. 19 letter to HASC Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) questioned whether the Pentagon has fully addressed the problem. "While we understand that the Department of Defense has taken steps to...

On October 13, 18 soldiers from a platoon of the 343rd Quartermaster Company in Tallil, Iraq refused to follow orders to take a convoy of fuel trucks down "Main Supply Route Tampa." The convoy left hours later, other soldiers filling in for the refuseniks. As it began, it was a small matter. But what the Army does in disciplining the soldiers involved isn't. When the members of the 343rd joined together to refuse to carry out their orders, as it appears, they committed a crime that must be punished quickly and severely. According to various reports, one of the refuseniks,...

Alleged Troop Mutiny Was 'Isolated Incident,' General Says By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2004 -- The commanding general of a group of soldiers that allegedly refused to take part in a recent convoy operation in Iraq told reporters the event was an "isolated incident." Army Brig. Gen. Jim Chambers, commanding general of the 13th Corps Support Command, confirmed at an Oct. 17 press briefing in Baghdad that about 18 reserve soldiers with the 343rd Quartermaster Company didn't accompany a recent fuel supply convoy. The Oct. 13 supply mission, Chambers noted, did move out a...

I was just a guest (last 30 minutes) on the Lee Davis radio show out of Birmingham, AL (I've been a regular guest since spring, when I became involved with Vietnam Vets for the Truth). I talked a little about my letter to Nightline (you can find on www.powerlineblog.com) as well as this latest attempt of the left to sway public opinion of our military. I outlined how this type of negative press (the trumped up mutiny story) is a goal of groups descended from VVAW, and talked about how the group Citizen Soldier is connected to known leftists with...

The earlier thread about the October Surprise "Mutiny" hit piece on this mornings Today show prompted me to do some Googling to try to see if there were any connections of note.  I felt that even the little evidence I found warranted a quick heads up and (forgive me) a separate thread as a call to action.  I have no particular standing to do this, but this concerned me enough to fire off a flare.It looks like the extreme left is orchestrating an October Surprise propaganda campaign against the war in Iraq and President Bush by staging a "mutiny" of...

In November 1971, Kerry was a national leader of VVAW (Vietnam Veterans Against the War) and as such attended a monthly meeting in Kansas City. At this meeting a plan to incite mutiny among US soldiers in South Vietnam was discussed and “favorably accepted”. Kerry at first denied attending this meeting, but later had to admit that he was there. The following is a short transcript from a Declassified FBI document: FBI Document Page 193 (transcript begins) The Wisconsin delegation proposed a plan to contact 2,000 active-duty GI’s in South Vietnam and in effect ask them for a mutinous action...

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Descendants of English mutineers living on remote Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific have been ordered to surrender their guns amid fears that a trial for alleged child sex offences could lead to violence. Tiny Pitcairn has a population of 45 people, who have about 20 guns between them. The deadline for them to surrender their weapons is Sept. 7. The island's governor, the British high commissioner in New Zealand, has ordered that the weapons be handed in to the British colony's two policemen, a commission spokesman said on Wednesday. "We thought it prudent to take the...

Residents of the remote island of Pitcairn have been asked to hand in their guns, amid fears of violence ahead of a forthcoming sex abuse trial. Seven men on the island face a total of 96 charges of sex abuse, some dating back more than 40 years. Their trial, which will take place under British law, is due to begin on 23 September and last about six weeks. The tiny South Pacific island has a population of 45 people, who have about 20 guns between them. Pitcairn's governor, the British High Commissioner to New Zealand, Richard Fell, has asked islanders...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces have detained around 200 Iraqi paramilitary soldiers who refused to take part in a U.S. offensive against the Sunni Muslim city of Falluja, their former comrades said Friday. The U.S. military declined to confirm whether the men were being held. Senior officers play down the significance of such incidents but, asked about reports of mutiny among Iraqi troops, have acknowledged a "command failure" took place during the Falluja offensive. Soldiers from the Baghdad-based 36th Security Brigade, part of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC), told Reuters that last week U.S. commanders took them at night...

Signatory of Israel pilots' letter says regrets signing petition By Amos Harel and Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service Colonel Ran, one of the 27 signatories of the pilots' letter of refusal, in which they stated that they would not participate in operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said Sunday he regretted signing the letter, and was changing his mind. The move came after a slew of criticism of the pilots' move from government figures and from fellow Israel Air Force airmen. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, speaking in a holiday interview to Israel Radio on Friday condemned...

Capt. Yee and the charges he may face: * Sedition and Mutiny, violation of Article 94, UCMJ* Aiding the enemy, violation of Article 104, UCMJ* Spying, violation of Article 106, UCMJ* Espionage, violation of Article 106a, UCMJ* Failure to obey a general order, violation of Article 92, UCMJAll Punitive Articles

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics...

FBI asked to join probe of mutinyPosted: 1:05 AM (Manila Time) | Aug. 03, 2003 By Leila B. SalaverriaInquirer News Service Hunt for masterminds THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation is hot on the paper trail of the July 27 mutiny. It has sought the help of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation to track down the masterminds of the mutiny, and is focusing on these questions: Where did the rebel soldiers' 31 million pesos worth of state-of-the-art equipment come from? Who bought and shipped it here? "We want to put a human face [on the matter]," NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco...

Rebel Philippine troops end mutiny Rebel leaders agreed to give up after hours of negotiations Renegade Philippine troops have agreed to end their mutiny in Manila and return to barracks, the government says. President Gloria Arroyo went on television to announce that "the crisis in Makati is over - 296 soldiers, including 70 officers, are standing down and returning to barracks". The rebel soldiers had stormed a prestigious shopping complex in Manila early on Sunday, demanding the resignation of Mrs Arroyo, whom they accused of corruption. The breakthrough came after several hours of negotiations between the rebels and senior government...

It was the best of Times, it was the worst of Times. As its top editors exit, the country’s most revered newspaper sets a new course Everyone knew what the e-mail meant. The Thursday-morning staffwide memo was a sure sign that the surreal nightmare that had begun in late April was coming to an unexpectedly quick conclusion: Howell Raines and Gerald Boyd, The New York Times’s executive and managing editors, were resigning. Stepping into the crowded elevator that would take him to the third-floor newsroom for the announcements, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the Times’s publisher and chairman, ran into Bill Keller,...

Editor falls to bloggers’ rapid poison Sarah Baxter, New York THE New York Times boasts on its masthead that it contains “all the news that’s fit to print”, but the internet is challenging its pre-eminence as a provider of news and opinion in America. A proliferating band of independent writers known as “bloggers” (short for web loggers) is pumping out personal takes on the news, and one of the most persistent themes of their websites has been that Howell Raines, executive editor of The New York Times, would have to resign or be sacked. The bloggers got their man last...

<p>CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar  — The U.S. Central Command said Thursday there was "increasing evidence" that Saddam Hussein's regime had lost control of its fighting forces and most of the Iraqi population.</p> <p>Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said coalition forces were approaching Baghdad, without giving a precise location. Reporters traveling with military units said leading elements were within 10 miles of the capital.</p>

I appeal to you, the generals of Iraq's Republican Guard, to follow my example and turn your arms against your country's tyrant. I can assure you that you will never regret taking that patriotic step. History repeats itself, and if you can live two lives, you have a chance of seeing that repetition with your own eyes. In my other life, I also served a terrorist dictator, who had transformed his country into a monument to himself and created his own dynasty. Nicolae Ceausescu was a Romanian Saddam, who starved his people to build palaces for himself and spent the...