'Friendly Fire' Incident In Iraq Remains Murky-Family left in the dark

[kpete]

An Army Death, and a Family Left In the Dark
'Friendly Fire' Incident In Iraq Remains Murky

By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 17, 2006; A01


..........

Peggy Buryj asked everyone she could to help find out the details of her son's last hours. She even asked President Bush when she and other grieving parents met with him during a campaign stop in hotly contested Ohio. He promised to look into it. Soon afterward, she said, his campaign called and asked her to appear in a commercial for him, but she declined.

Months went by with no clarification. "We had a lot of questions," said Amber Buryj, 22, Jesse Buryj's bride of seven months. "We were left in the dark."

And in the dark they stayed. Family members say they were not told Jesse was killed by "friendly fire," though the Army later said they were. They did not know that Polish soldiers with Jesse's unit may have fired the fatal shot and that his death had the potential to cause a rift with a coalition partner right before the 2004 presidential election. They asked friends in Jesse's platoon what had happened, but the soldiers had been told not to discuss the incident until the investigation was complete.

Even today, 20 months later, Peggy Buryj -- a Bush supporter who believes strongly in the Iraq war -- is left with swirling questions, a shattered faith in the Army, and the unsettling feeling that her son's death has been sullied by partisan politics and international intrigue.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/16/AR2006011601394_pf.html

[tularetom]

1. Ya think?

What does it take to wake some of these good people up?

[beam me up scottie]

4. If a dead son won't do it,

nothing will.

[txindy]

2. Does the shattering of her faith in the Army go to the top?

Because that's where the fault lies. She may be a Junior "supporter who believes strongly in the Iraq war," but his "promising to look into it" and his utter failure to do so SHOULD show her the depth of disinterest coming from the WH. It's not as if she was completely forgotten (Monkey Boy's staff certainly had her phone number as strongly evidenced by their contacting her with a desire to put her in a campaign commercial with Junior), they just didn't care. It's not like Junior was too busy to help her. He's taken an awful lot of vacation days these past 20 months. If Buryj can't see the truth by now, she's hopeless and she has my greatest sympathy - for several reasons.

[bigtree]

3. bush is looking into it?

20 months to look into it

[oscarguy]

5. SO CALLED FRIENDLY FIRE DOES HAPPEN

It happens in all wars. Not having been there I would not second guess those who were. It happened time and again when I was in Viet Nam. People make mistakes and sometimes people die unintentionally,by mistake. It is very sad for all involved. Combat becomes very confusing at times and if someone makes a mistake it often leads to the death of " Friendlies ". I thank him for being there defending our Nation and nothing I say will change the fact that he is dead.He is an honored Veteran who died defending our Nation.

[beam me up scottie]

6. That's the point, isn't it?

Why was this buried?

It sure as hell wasn't done to protect the family.

Welcome to DU.

[oscarguy]

9. I know of at least one man who committed suicide Re: F.Fire

This is a very painful subject for some veterans. Please don`t take me wrong. I have seen these things happen and there is no making it better. Very gratefully I never killed or injured a " friendly ", though there was one time I was not absolutely sure the people I was throwing grenades at were enemy soldiers. I was pretty sure they were but had no way of knowing with certainty. It turned out they were enemy and as far as I was concerned I did what I was supposed to do. As I said, I also know of at least one person who mistakenly killed fellow Marines and killed himself, though it was recorded as accidental. Of course I could be wrong and it may very well of been accidental. This man died defending our Nation no matter the circumstances of his death. I honor him .P.S. Both of them

[Neil Lisst]

7. No, he died in service of the country, not defending it.

Please tell me what you think he died "defending" the country from.

Did you think you were defending the US in Vietnam?

Have you noticed the number of US vets who also served their country in Iraq, but don't consider it "defending" the US, and are running for congress as Democrats?

We can honor fallen soldiers and honor their service FOR our country without mischaracterizing their role. The war in Iraq is NOT defending this country. It's following your orders, which is what all of us who served in war have done. Whether that war is defending the country is a political issue. In this case, it's clear that the war in Iraq is not defending the US, or even promoting any legitimate purpose.

[oscarguy]

10. He died Defending our Nation against Jihadi ENEMYS

Don`t fool yourself, these people want you and all who do not believe in their particular brand of Moslem nonsense dead. As far as THE VIET NAM WAR goes we did show a willingness to fight when the Soviet Union was out to dominate the World. In my mind we fought a series of actions most notably the KOREAN WAR and the Viet Nam War as a necessary show of willingness to fight at a time when the Soviet Union had made public statements backed up by military actions with the avowed goal of destroying us. Please recall Nikita Krustrov`s famous speech at the U.N. WHERE HE TOOK OFF ONE OF HIS SHOES,POUNDING ON HIS DESK AND PROMISED TO DESTROY US. Oscar

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

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

[me b zola]

14. Oscar,

The Iraqis want the US and all foreigners out of *their* country. Iraq was a secular nation until we invaded and then overstayed what little bit of welcome there may have been for the "liberating" forces. Our men & women in uniform are being blown to kingdom come because their CIC is using them as cannon fodder. The invasion of Iraq & the continued occupation has never had anything to do with our national security and has made the US less safe.

If you want to talk about nations seeking world domination, have you ever read the PNAC papers? If you did you would see that the neo-cons have been planning global domination since the early 1990's, and have had plans to occupy the oil fields of Iraq since the latter 1990's. It is easy to repeat the repub talking points when you haven't all of the information. DU is a treasure trove of information that will open your eyes if your mind is open.

[oscarguy]

21. What is happening now is very different from then.

I agree that these current neo-cons are up to no good. Never the less these jihadi bastards hate and want to kill us " infadels ". Take them at thier word , they state it and do it on a regular basis.Can you deny that? Oscar

[me b zola]

24. jihadist in Iraq?

There are some, but the majority are Iraqis who want the US to leave. The majority of Iraqis who now hate the US do so because of what we have done to their country & their families, not because of their religion. The longer we stay, however, the more we push them toward following a global jihad.

If we were to leave Iraq tomarrow, God only knows how many generations it will take to heal the wounds made by this criminal administration. Everyday that we stay makes it that much worse.

[oscarguy]

13. What happened in NYC ON 9-11 was Jihadi action=ENEMYS

Bush screwed up this war because he listened Rummy instead of the Generals,CIA ,etc.. Very simply stated they did not follow the advice of those who knew how to fight wars and went in with far too few ground troops to accomplish the mission as so many told him including the top Army General at that time. Whatever other nonsense dictates his decisions I do not know.I am a loyal Democrat but the ugly realities we all have to live with cannot always be resolved by LETS ALL BE NICE AND TALK THIS THROUGH. There are times when kicking ass is the best answer. Be grateful there are men and women able and willing to do it. I surely am. I do know how very hard it is. I am no longer up for it. There are no easy answers at this time. We have real enemies out there who definitely want to kill us. I find it incredibly depressing that we are in fact engaged in a religious war, not of our choosing. I am not religious. If there is a God it obviously does not care about the fate of humanity very much. A COLD UNCARING UNIVERSE AND ALL THAT. So, we are stuck with working out some very difficult and dangerous problems ourselves. THAT IS THE WAY IT IS AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN. Oscar

[Neil Lisst]

15. Yeah, you, me a couple million other guys went to Vietnam.

And that should have made you more, not less, opposed to the war in Iraq.

15 of 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi. None was Iraqi. There were no jihadists in Iraq until Bush started a war there and challenged them to "bring it on!"

Jihadists are now in 60 countries, and that number has increased from 45 since 9/11. Bush is NOT fighting those who planned and executed 9/11. He's fighting primarily Sunnis who don't want US troops in Iraq.

If the Sunnis were in power, the jihadists in Iraq would be rounded up and executed in about two weeks.

[oscarguy]

19. VIET NAM was proxy war vs Soviet Union and was success as

such. A necessary show of willingness to fight when USSR was on the march so to speak throughout the World. As to the Iraqi War, I fault George the first with not having brought it to a successful conclusion and his Son for having conducted it in the way he did against the advice of those who knew how to succeed with it. It is my belief that had the war been prosecuted properly we would have succeeded to a large degree. There would be a stable Government there that we could live with . I appreciate hearing from fellow veterans. Do not judge me too harshly. I am not stupid or a fool. I honestly do know how horrible war can be. Just so you know, I did my first tour as a Marine pfc. E-2 and my second tour as a Pvt. E-1. I was definitely no kiss ass and suffered dearly for it.Infantry,what the Marines called a rifleman.I was there for 1968 TET and for me 1969 was far worse.You don`t hear much about 1969. We only fought NVA AND THEY DID FIGHT.None of that hit and run stuff.Anyway whatever. Who cares anyway and why should they.I am not up for it anymore and I know it. I am grateful there are people,Americans, who are up for it. These jihadi bastards are out there and they do hate and want to kill you.Thats the way it is. If needs be I will fight. I don`t enjoy living much anyway. I tried to re-enlist for the first Gulf War and they said I was too old then. Who knows ,I hear the standards are changing as to age etc.. Whatever, Take Care, Oscar

[Neil Lisst]

22. No, Vietnam was not a proxy war for the USSR-USA.

But I see that you still believe what you were told by your superior officers in 1968. Fortunately for me, my knowledge and mind grew beyond what I had as an 18 year in basic training. I'm sorry you're stuck in basic training the rest of your life.

[oscarguy]

23. I was never told V.N`.WAR was proxy,ever.I trained 1967

No one ever spoke of V.N. WAR as proxy war while I served. I do not know where you are coming from. I was busted time and again for disrespect towords NCO`s and very rarely had any contact with officers.You have it totally backwards my friend. I told my first seargent he was an a..hole the first time we met when I reported in for my second tour in Viet Nam. I kicked the shit out of every NCO that ever gtave me any lip. Oscar

[Binka]

16. What The Fuck Did Iraq Have To Do With 9/11?

Sorry dude there are way too many Right Wing talking points in your responses. Just riddle me this WHAT THE FUCK DID IRAQ HAVE TO DO WITH 9/11? BTW I am the mother of a combat wounded OIF Marine with the 3/7 currently in the USA recovering from getting blown to shit in Ramadi.

Do you even know what a Jihad is Oscar? The 9/11 attackers were from Saudi Arabia you do know that don't you Oscar? Iraq is or was secular did you know that Oscar? BTW it is Muslim not Moslem. Bush did not screw up this war because he listened to Rummy.

BUSH HAS SCREWED UP THIS FUCKING WORLD BECAUSE HE HAS WAGED AN ILLEGAL INSANE IMMORAL WAR, you do know that don't you Oscar?

[beam me up scottie]

17. No, you're wrong about Iraq.

I'm an ex-Marine as well and one of my brothers is in Ramadi right now.

He's not under any delusions about why he's there, and if you are, you are doing him and all of the others a huge disservice.

I'm not going to question your political leanings or your loyalty but it's time to realize that we were played, Oscar.

We were played then and we're being played now.

We had no right to attack Iraq.

None.

They were not a threat to us or to anyone else.

The Iraqis did not want us to invade and occupy their country and they don't want us there now.

Thousands of soldiers died for a lie.

How many more are you willing to send to do the same?

[Binka]

18. Right On

Ben is so lucky to have escaped from that hell with his life. Hope your brother stays safe. Is he with the 3/7 by any chance? Ben is going back to 29 Palms today.

[beam me up scottie]

26. I'm so happy that Ben made it back.

His road won't be easy, but he's here.

My bro's in the NG.

His unit goes out on patrol every day trying to locate and defuse roadside IEDs.

I don't usually like to post about it too much because it kills me to think about it.

But I have to when I see willful stupidity like that.

[oscarguy]

20. I am an A-HOLE, SEND ME

They won`t let me enlist,they say I`m too old and have injuries and disieases that disqualify me.

[beam me up scottie]

25. See, you don't get to kill my brother because of your faith in Bush.

Oh, I would GLADLY send your old, injured and diseased ass over there, TRUST ME.

You'd be serving right next to the chicken-hawks you trust so much.


But it's my BROTHER, and Binka's SON and countless OTHERS who went because of people like you.


How DARE you act like your eagerness to serve your master gives you the right to send them to die?

[txindy]

8. Yeah, we understand that. The mom wants to know why, not resurrect him.

Now we want to know why the pResident promised the mother he'd look into it, yet the only time his staff used her phone number was to contact her about being in a campaign commercial for someone who couldn't be bothered inquiring about her son's death. Even a call telling her that they've uncovered nothing new would be more polite than ignoring her completely. Yet, Junior can't even manage that much. Too busy taking vacation most of the 20 months that have passed since the young man's death. Because that's "gittin' 'er done."

[oscarguy]

27. My Apologies to all I offended in this thread. It was not my intent

I obviously got off on a tract that displeased many. Please accept my apology for having done so and let me end it with that. I grew up in a different era and things are different now. I am a loyal Democrat and have worked hard and given much for our cause. Oscar

[f-bush]

11. Poor folks, they'll be be told the real truth.