Breaking CNN: US Colonol killed in Bomb Blast (Iraq)

[dave29]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/31/iraq.main/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Col. Todd Wood, commanding officer of the 184th Infantry Regiment, died last week, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. officer to be killed in combat in the Iraq war, the U.S. military said Monday.

Wood, based at Forward Operating Base Falcon in the northern province of Babil, had responded to a roadside bomb Thursday and was giving orders to his men as they secured the area when a secondary explosion blew him backwards into a canal, killing him instantly, the military said.

Wood, 42, was based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. He is survived by his wife and son.

[sabra]

1. RIP

:-(

[CottonBear]

2. Damn. Not many officers get killed over there, much less a colonel.

RIP Col. Todd Wood. I feel bad for his family. Damn. The Iraq death toll went from 2000 to over 2026 really quickly. :(

[SoCalDem]

6. 10,130 quarts

blood spilled by soldiers

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[long_green]

38. That's what I noticed, too

nm

[DavidDvorkin]

3. Uh oh, now it's serious!

The rest of 'em are obviously just numbers.

I think I remember the same thing during the Vietnam war: dead soldiers and marines were statistics, but dead high-ranking officers were important news stories.

[Benhurst]

8. As a high-ranking officer, there is a good chance he wanted to

be there, unlike the poor devils who signed up for the National Guard.

Nevertheless, R.I.P. And that goes for all the others, both U.S. military and Iraqi civilians, who died today.

Stop the killing! Bring the troops home!

[warrens]

11. Well, until the FRetards and College Republicans finally sign up

Then it's start the killing! Leave the boys there!

[DavidDvorkin]

15. Interestig point, Benhurst

[jobycom]

21. When the officers start getting killed, it means an even greater failure

to protect the troops. It means things are collapsing faster. One colonel is a mistake, but if it turns into a trend, it means that even the people who are reasonably out of harm's way are getting killed.

Not that a colonel's life is worth more than a corporal's, just that a colonel's training is more valuable to the military.

I wonder if he was regular or reserve or gaurd.

[greendeerslayer]

23. Of course...

...to the number-crunchers a Colonel is much more valuable than a PFC. A PFC takes about 20 weeks to produce and a Colonel about 20 years.

[pokercat999]

33. But there's a better chance the PFC's will affect the outcome of

the war.

[The Stranger]

4. It happened last week?

The news must have been withheld for a week.

[dave29]

7. last Friday

acknowledged today. Weird.

[northzax]

10. no, they don't release names

until family is notified. And since this is only a bigger story because of who he was and his rank, no one would have noticed the story until he was identified. so not all that weird.

[IndianaGreen]

25. They could have released his rank

Pentagon forgot all of the lessons of Vietnam, all thanks to Rumsfeld's shabby treatment of heroes such as General Shinseki.

[chelsea0011]

5. CNN is covering something besides Alito?

[Democrats_win]

9. They're connected: Evidence that bu$ch hates America.

[Renew Deal]

12. This is terrible.

Every death is devestating, but someone like this really hurts the country. There was a lot of money and years invested in this guy. He's lost over a lie. This is another example of how we are worse off by going to Iraq.

[pokercat999]

34. Yes, every death is a tragedy. However if we had a choice between

losing Officers or enlisted I think the large losses of Officers will end the war sooner after all their lives are so much more valuable. sarcasm

[izzie]

13. I think we are trying to wipe some town off the map. So---

maybe they are mad in Iraq. Funny how they sort of kill us back.

[fooj]

16. RIP. Will the Commander in Chief be attending his funeral?

Peace.

[medeak]

17. Oct deadliest month since Jan cnn says

[kainah]

18. Col. Wood

I believe that CNN or MSNBC ran this news last week in their trailer. They didn't have the name, just that a Colonel had been killed. If I'm right about that and they are now playing this as "breaking news" -- when, apparently, it's the release of the name rather than real news -- it may suggest that they are taking the deaths a bit more seriously. That would be refreshing.

RIP, Col Wood.

[The_Casual_Observer]

19. Forward Operating Base Falcon in the northern province of Babil

what the hell are we doing with a colony in Babil? I must be having a nightmare.

[deadparrot]

20. RIP.

...

[MarsThe Cat]

22. ABC World News did a segment tonite on the new improved IED's...

that hurl large projectiles through armor like a knife through butter.
over 50 deaths have been attributed to the newer more technically advanced shaped charges...or "E.F.P's"- explosively formed projectiles.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/IraqCoverage/story?id=1267763

[Hardrada]

24. As a technical point, by the way,

are tanks now immune to the old-fashioned Molotov cocktails? I hope they are but I'm just curious.

[Tom Joad]

29. Obviously, the Iraqis are doing a very good job of defending their country

against foreign invaders.
time to bring home all the troops.

[IndianaGreen]

26. COL Wood was very much alive on Oct 21

Here is a picture and caption of COL Wood:



Caption:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Oct. 18, 2005) -- Lt. Col. William Wood, 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment and Panama City, Fla., native, administers the oath of reenlisment for Sgt. Julio Alfaro, a San Francisco native assigned to B Company, 1-184 Infantry, Oct. 18 at a checkpoint outside of the International Zone.

Taken On:
10/21/2005

Photographer:
Staff Sgt. Raymond Piper

http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=images/images_gallery.php&action=viewimage&fid=11529

[IndianaGreen]

27. Here is the AP story... his family is the one to break the news

Lt. colonel from Florida killed in Iraq

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - An Army lieutenant colonel from Florida who was serving in Iraq was killed in an explosion, his family said.

William Wood, 44, was responding to an bomb explosion Thursday that killed a soldier, when a second explosion took place, Wood's half-brother, Donald Hansen, told The News Herald of Panama City for a Saturday story. The second explosion killed Wood, Hansen said.

Wood was commander of the 1st Infantry Battalion of the 184th Regiment of the California Army National Guard, Hansen said.

The Army would not confirm the death after hours Friday and said deaths are made public 24 hours after next of kin was notified.

Wood's father Jimmy, also retired from the Air Force, described his son as a "people person" who loved the Army.

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051029/BREAKINGNEWS/51029002

[Imagevision]

40. Even An Army lieutenant colonel wasn't news for MSM...

[DemReadingDU]

28. Is this Todd Wood, 42, or William Wood, 44

seems to be a confusion about the name and his age

[IndianaGreen]

30. According to the Pentagon's official release: Col. William W. Wood

No. 1121-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 31, 2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Col. William W. Wood, 44, of Panama City, Fla., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Oct. 27, when he was directing security operations in response to the detonation of an improvised explosive device. During this response, a second improvised explosive device detonated near his position. Wood was a regular Army soldier assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, Modesto, Calif.

For further information related to this release, contact Army Public Affairs at [phone].

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051031-5023.html

[BamaBecky]

31. From Panama City Florida......

Bless his Soul and God be with his family...

[legin]

32. killed directing trafic ??? I don't believe a word of it

the last time there was a little peak in casualties a couple of months ago, caused by road side bombs as always, I had the impression that they may have been killed in an faluja-like offensive. It later emerged that there had been an offensive going on at the same time.

So 7 dead yesterday and a Col. in the last week. They got a major offensive going on some where would be my guess, but then again I'm wrong a lot of the time.

[legin]

36. Another guess

Over-ambitious Colonel, who is bucking for promotion, leads dangerous raid somewhwere (into Syria ???) and gets himself killed in the process.

[wordpix2]

35. this is what comes when people follow the lead of Chickenhawks-tragic

[goforit]

41. Well said.

[MGKrebs]

37. "How can I make them fear me more than the insurgency?"

(From a related story.)That's a quote from a friend and fellow officer of Col. Wood.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/31/triangle.death/index.html

While I guess I can understand how a soldier might ask this question, I think it just points out the futility and destructiveness of this whole operation.

[goforit]

42. WOW!!!!.......total chaos! It's too bad those men aren't here at home.

I guess these soldiers truely have to put meaning into their existence, and this is the only way.

Looks like Vietnam every day.

[okieinpain]

39. interesting, is this a new tactic.