Pentagon knew messhall risk; Halliburton "days" from completing bunker

[Bluebear]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041222/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq&cid=540&ncid=1480

WASHINGTON - Iraqi insurgents have attacked several U.S. military dining hall tents in recent months and the Pentagon was finishing a hardened bunker to replace the dining tent at the base near Mosul attacked Tuesday, military officials said.

Days before the hardened dining hall was scheduled to be completed, a 122mm rocket slammed into the tent at Forward Operating Base Marez near Mosul where hundreds of troops were sitting down to lunch.

Accounts of the number killed varied, but Pentagon officials said Tuesday night that 22 were killed, including 20 Americans. The toll included 15 military servicemembers and five civilians. More than 60 were wounded, including U.S. troops, civilian workers and Iraqi soldiers.

A spokeswoman for Halliburton, the Army contractor which provides food services, said four company employees and three subcontractors were killed. Safety is a concern for the contract workers, as well.

[DireStrike]

1. Just like the pentagon

"lengthy renovations days from completion"

[MisterP]

2. remember Lebanon?

the barricades were lying elsewhere and not set up; Reagan compared it to kitchen renovation "you don't always get what you want" is something along the lines of what he said.

[Bluebear]

3. Ah. Like "you go with the army you have, not the one you would want?"

A la Rumsfeld?