3rd ID unit mourns 2 allegedly shot by soldier

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Staff Sgt. Darris J. Dawson, left, and Sgt. Wesley R. Durbin, right, both assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, died Sept. 14 in Tunnis, Iraq.


3rd ID unit mourns 2 allegedly shot by soldier
By Russ Bynum - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Sep 21, 2008 17:23:07 EDT

SAVANNAH, Ga. — When he wasn’t leading his squad on patrol south of Baghdad, Army Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson liked to challenge his men to games of pick-up basketball. Sgt. Wesley Durbin made sure troops followed rules, but also offered a sympathetic ear if they had problems.

Members of their Army unit described both men Sunday as well-liked, professional soldiers who quickly proved themselves after being tapped to fill leadership roles in Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment.

Dawson and Durbin died Sept. 14 after being shot at a small patrol base in central Iraq. The Army says a U.S. soldier in their unit is suspected of shooting both men. Few other details have been released.

“When it initially happened, there were a lot of feelings of confusion,” Capt. Eric Tisland, the unit’s company commander, said in a telephone interview from Iraq. “The basic question everybody wants answered is why, why did something like this happen. A majority of the soldiers are still definitely upset and disturbed, but have continued on.”

A Defense Department official in Washington, told The Associated Press last week that the suspected shooter was a sergeant who was in a meeting with Dawson, of Pensacola, Fla., and Durbin, of Dallas, to discuss his leadership performance. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because details have not been made public.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/ap_dawson_durbin_092108/%2e



uhc comment: To date four thousand one hundred sixty nine soldiers have been killed in the invasion and occupation of Iraq --> http://icasualties.org/oif/