Mutiny in Iraq - 17 US reserves arrested

[troublemaker]

(offered in this forum as a reality check. I must admit that found it bracing)

A 17-member Army Reserve platoon with troops from Jackson and around the Southeast deployed to Iraq is under arrest for refusing a "suicide mission" to deliver fuel, the troops' relatives said Thursday.

The soldiers refused an order on Wednesday to go to Taji, Iraq — north of Baghdad — because their vehicles were considered "deadlined" or extremely unsafe, said Patricia McCook of Jackson, wife of Sgt. Larry O. McCook.

Sgt. McCook, a deputy at the Hinds County Detention Center, and the 16 other members of the 343rd Quartermaster Company from Rock Hill, S.C., were read their rights and moved from the military barracks into tents, Patricia McCook said her husband told her during a panicked phone call about 5 a.m. Thursday.

The platoon could be charged with the willful disobeying of orders, punishable by dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of pay and up to five years confinement, said military law expert Mark Stevens, an associate professor of justice studies at Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, N.C.


http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041015/NEWS01/410150366/1002

[bluestateguy]

1. The virtue of the citizen soldier

The citizen soldier is more likely to think for himself and do things like this.

[troublemaker]

Reserves - not sufficiently indoctrinated to accept suicide orders

[JI7]

6. i assume some of them are more likely to be educated

it's a fact that most of the active military is conservative leaning. but the ones lucky enough to get an education after they get out and learn more about the world start becoming more liberal. in fact they turn out to be some of the biggest liberals around. i know a few guys like this. from vietnam and some from the first gulf war. the right wing want people to stay ignored and serve them without question.

[hippiechick]

2. How horrible.

:scared: Our men and women deserve better than this.

[Snivi Yllom]

3. lots of this going on

except we are not hearing it

[mmonk]

4. First sign of

failure of command (mutiny). This is a sign we're not winning or are substantially away from a victory in Iraq. It is a sign the soldiers feel apart from their command.

[troublemaker]

11. and that they have no faith in the mission

If they felt they were actually defending America they would run through a brick wall.

[Sequoia]

5. This is incrediable!

I'm really stunned. But gee, they must be wrong, because Bush said at the last debat that the military was up to date, with that jaw clenching grin of his. Man, oh man, I hate it when people lie.

Please get him out of the White House!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nomatrix]

7. This needs to get congressional action but

aren't they on recess now?

Important snips....


"The platoon is normally escorted by armed Humvees and helicopters, but did not have that support Wednesday, McClenny told her mother."


"Hill said the trucks her daughter's unit was driving could not top 40 mph."

"They knew there was a 99 percent chance they were going to get ambushed or fired at," Hill said her daughter told her. "They would have had no way to fight back."

[wicket]

8. holy crap!!!!

[troublemaker]

9. Ths article is a little thin, but we need to get media looking at this

*IF* the story is legit this should lead the news. So let's get them looking into it - at the very least emailing the article link to media types. (Including Drudge. He's RW, but this is his kind of story.) on edit: And Col. Hackworth

[LynnTheDem]

10. WAY TO GO, Rs!!!!!!!!!!

WOOOOOHOOOOO!!! GOOD FOR YOU, RESERVES!!!

Troops DO NOT have to obey orders to use deadlined vehicles except in dire emergency circs. Guarding Halliburton is NOT a dire emergency circ.

[troublemaker]

12. More discussion in LBN (link)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x906709

[SCDem]

13. These guys are from where I live

I posted this article on our county's web page and hopefully we can get some good LTTEs.

[Jacobin]

14. VietRaq, or is it IraqNam

I forget which

[troublemaker]

15. Next Republican Attack: If our troops won't fight for Bush...

you know they won't fight for Hanoi John.

(Please, please, please)