Guardsman's death in Iraq investigated (no safety equipment)

[UpInArms]

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/110311387655930.xml

Washington - The Army said Tuesday that it has begun an inquiry into the death of an Ohio National Guardsman who drowned in Iraq last year while trying to save another soldier.

U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, a St. Clairsville Republican, had requested an investigation into the death of Spc. Todd Bates of Bellaire, Ohio, because of news reports that said the boat Bates was patrolling in lacked proper safety equipment, such as life jackets, life preservers or rescue poles.

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"The safety of our soldiers should always remain a top priority," Ney said in a statement released Tuesday, adding that the families of Bates and Reese "deserve a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding these brave young soldiers' deaths."

Todd Bates' grandmother, Shirley Bates of Bellaire, told The Plain Dealer that she welcomes a new inquiry.

"The only thing that I have to say is that the boats that they were on were junk boats," she said. "They didn't have the right equipment that they needed. They didn't have life jackets or anything."

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