News & Politics - UPDATE: Iraq official: U.S. soldiers' bodies found

Lexis · 06-17-2006, 10:36 AM

Quote:

The U.S. troops searched Saturday for two soldiers who went missing after an attack that killed one of their comrades at a traffic checkpoint in the so-called "Triangle of Death" just south of Baghdad, the military said.

ADVERTISEMENT

U.S. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said four raids had been carried out since Friday's attack and that ground forces, helicopters and airplanes were taking part in the search.

The soldiers came under attack at a traffic checkpoint southwest of Youssifiyah, 12 miles south of Baghdad. A quick reaction force arrived at the scene after hearing small arms fire and explosions, according to the military.

"We are currently using every means at our disposal on the ground, in the air and in the water to find them," Caldwell said.

He said that troops at an adjacent traffic control point heard an explosion and small arms fire just before dark in the vicinity of the checkpoint where the attack occurred at a canal crossing near the Euphrates River.

A quick reaction force reached the scene within 15 minutes, found the dead soldier but not the other two. A dive team was to search the canal.

The area is known as the Triangle of Death because of the frequent ambushes and attacks against U.S. soldiers and Iraqi troops.

Caldwell also noted the military was still searching for Sgt. Keith Matthew Maupin, who went missing on April 9, 2004.

"We continue to search using every means available and will not stop looking until we find the missing soldiers," Caldwell said.

Maupin, a 20-year-old private first class in the Army Reserves at the time, was captured when his fuel convoy, part of the 724th Transportation Co., was ambushed west of Baghdad. He is known as Matt because Keith is also his father's name.

A week later, Arab television network Al-Jazeera aired a videotape showing Maupin sitting on the floor surrounded by five masked men holding automatic rifles.

That June, Al-Jazeera aired another tape purporting to show a U.S. soldier being shot. But the dark, grainy tape showed only the back of the victim's head and did not show the actual shooting.

The Army ruled it was inconclusive whether the soldier in the second tape was Maupin, and he has been promoted twice since his capture.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060617/...ldiers_missing

These poor guys. I dread to think what they are going through if they are being held by the insurgents.

mAru buratti · 06-17-2006, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~*Sha*~

It's sick because these insurgents have np morals, no values, it's like they are neanderthals or cavemen, they are so uncivilized. And then they expect respect from people. Whoever is caputred, my heart goes out to them. Go to a happy place guys, because that is really all they can do.

do you know any? no values?? they're fighting for their principles, their believes. The have more values than any us soldier... who goes to war, for what? for economics interests.. buy, hey, what am i telling you? of course you believe all soldiers are good old heros , right? they fight for their country, for the world (?).. because iraq had weapons of mass destruction, right? Amazing how narrow minded you are, kid. You're the perfect us citizen, believing everything the goverment tells you. May i remind you that those soldiers you love so much, are those who, not a long while ago, appeared in a video abusing of young civilians. Who is the caveman now? Who has no values?

RugarTheGreat · 06-17-2006, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mAru buratti

do you know any? no values?? they're fighting for their principles, their believes. The have more values than any us soldier... who goes to war, for what? for economics interests.. buy, hey, what am i telling you? of course you believe all soldiers are good old heros , right? they fight for their country, for the world (?).. because iraq had weapons of mass destruction, right? Amazing how narrow minded you are, kid. You're the perfect us citizen, believing everything the goverment tells you. May i remind you that those soldiers you love so much, are those who, not a long while ago, appeared in a video abusing of young civilians. Who is the caveman now? Who has no values?

I don't think anyone has any right to judge someone fighting in a war unless they know specifically why. I have friends and family in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they chose to join the military for different reasons...some because they found it the best option in their life, others because they wanted to serve their country. It can really come down to the individual despite the big picture of the decision to go to war in the first place. I don't agree with the Iraq War, but I support anyone who is willing to sacrafice their life to go over and do what they think is right.

Quote:

May i remind you that those soldiers you love so much, are those who, not a long while ago, appeared in a video abusing of young civilians. Who is the caveman now?

I think this quote specifically shows a little narrow mindedness on your part. You view all soldiers as the small population that abused those civilians? That type of reasoning isn't going to really prove anything. Some soldiers will do evil things, just as some insurgents will, too. The same with soldiers going over to fight for what they believe is right and insurgents fighting for what they believe is right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~*Sha*~

And for the record... I AM THE PERFECT U.S. CITIZEN! I'm 19. I'm Blonde. I'm on the Dean's List. How much more perfect can you get?

Man, you are a Leo...that's sweet!...So am I...

Lexis · 06-18-2006, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mAru buratti

do you know any? no values?? they're fighting for their principles, their believes.

Yes, beliefs like walking into a mosque and killing 13 people at prayer. Beliefs like blowing up crowded marketplaces, dragging innocent people of buses and massacring them, assassinating the democratically elected officials of the Iraqi administration and creating a situation where going out for groceries means taking your life in your hands.

No principles or beliefs I respect.

Quote:

The have more values than any us soldier... who goes to war, for what? for economics interests..

Well, that statement is just false. Are you seriously defending terrorists and insurgents? Truly? Becuase I can't understand how anyone could support these monsters while condemning the men and women of the armed forces as immoral.

Quote:

buy, hey, what am i telling you? of course you believe all soldiers are good old heros , right? they fight for their country, for the world (?).. because iraq had weapons of mass destruction, right?

You were addressing someone else but I think its important that you realise that your own perception of people who support the troops is incorrect.

Firstly, I don't think that all soldiers are good heroes - people do bad things (i.e. the torture at Abu Ghraib). Maybe some of it is in their personality from before the army, maybe some of it is created by circumstance. But I do think that the majority of soldiers are decent, honourable people who are trying to do the right thing in an incredibly difficult situation.

Secondly, I think it is quite clear that WMD did not exist in Iraq. See?

Quote:

Amazing how narrow minded you are, kid. You're the perfect us citizen, believing everything the goverment tells you.

Supporting the troops is not narrow minded. Thinking you know it all kinda is.

And I'm not a US citizen and I still support the troops.

Quote:

May i remind you that those soldiers you love so much, are those who, not a long while ago, appeared in a video abusing of young civilians. Who is the caveman now? Who has no values?

A few soldiers did something terrible. The majority are decent, good people.

Who is the caveman? Who has no values? Still the insurgents and their supporters.

SoLongSelf · 06-18-2006, 12:39 PM

My heart goes out to these soldiers. May they stand firm and stay safe, knowing that we are doing all that is possible to find them. Let's remember to keep them and their families in our prayers.

While I may not agree with the war 100%, I DO support our troops 110%!

Lexis · 06-19-2006, 06:00 AM

Quote:

umbrella group that includes al-Qaida in Iraq claimed in a Web statement Monday that it had kidnapped two U.S. soldiers reported missing south of Baghdad. There was no immediate confirmation that the statement was credible, although it appeared on a Web site often used by al-Qaida-linked groups.

ADVERTISEMENT

U.S. officials have said they were trying to confirm whether the missing soldiers were kidnapped.

"Your brothers in the military wing of the Mujahedeen Shura Council kidnapped the two American soldiers near Youssifiya," the group said in a statement posted on an Islamic Web site.

The Web site did not name the soldiers.

The soldiers were reported missing Friday after insurgents attacked a checkpoint. The Defense Department identified the missing men as Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore.

The soldier who was killed was identified as Spc. David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Mass. The three were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

The U.S. military said Monday that seven American troops have been wounded, three insurgents have been killed and 34 detained during an intensive search for the soldiers.

Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq, said fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles and dive teams had been deployed to find the two men. They went missing Friday during an attack on their checkpoint in the volatile Sunni area south of Baghdad that left one of their comrades dead.

"We have surged intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms and employed planes, boats, helicopters and UAVs to ensure the most thorough search possible on the ground, in the air and in the water," Caldwell said in a statement issued Monday.

Caldwell said more than 8,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops were participating in the search.

"While searching for our soldiers, we have engaged in a number of significant actions against the anti-Iraqi forces," he said, adding that three insurgents had been killed and 34 taken into custody.

He also said the military had received 63 tips and had launched 12 cordon and search operations, eight air assaults and 280 flight hours were logged.

"Approximately 12 villages have been cleared in the area, and we continue to engage local citizens for help and information leading to the whereabouts of our soldiers," he said, without elaborating.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060619/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

I really pray that the army finds them quickly. I dread to think what they are going through and what may befall them if they don't.

Drake EX · 06-19-2006, 01:34 PM

I hope so too. People that do that kind of stuff make me furious.

Lexis · 06-20-2006, 05:02 AM

The Iraqi military is saying that the bodies of the two soldiers were found today.

Quote:

The bodies of two U.S. soldiers have been found near where the men went missing, a senior Iraqi military official said Tuesday, but the U.S. military said it could not confirm the report.

ADVERTISEMENT

Maj. Gen. Abdul-Aziz Mohammed said the bodies of Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Army Pfc. Thomas Lowell Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore., were found on a street near a power plant in the town of Youssifiyah, just south of Baghdad.

U.S. Maj. Doug Powell said he could not confirm the report.

The soldiers came under attack Friday at a traffic checkpoint near Youssifiyah. A third soldier, Spc. David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Mass., was killed in the attack. All three were from the 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, Ky.

An umbrella group that includes al-Qaida in Iraq claimed in a statement Monday that it had kidnapped the two U.S. soldiers, but it did not name them.

"The news is going to be heartbreaking for my family," Ken MacKenzie, Menchaca's uncle, told NBC's "Today" show.

He said the United States should have paid a ransom from money seized from Saddam Hussein.

"I think the U.S. was too slow to react to this. Because the U.S. did not have a plan in place, my nephew has paid with his life."

More than 8,000 Iraqi and American troops searched for the missing soldiers on Monday.

Earlier Tuesday, a parked minivan exploded in a busy outdoor market in a Baghdad slum, killing four people and wounding 16, police said.

Elsewhere, a suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt blew himself up in a home for the elderly in the southern city of Basra, killing two people and wounding three.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060620/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

I literally cried when I heard the news. As one of their brother's mentioned, its one thing being killed by a bullet or a bomb - its something else entirely when they are kidnapped. The insurgents are making a point, saying clearly they can do what they want and nobody - not the best, well armed, well trained military in the world - can stop them.

We gotta do something because this situation is not getting better.

Quote:

U.S. troops patrol only in convoys. Foot patrols, while common in parts of Iraq during 2003 and 2004, have become rare because of roadside bombs, snipers and ambushes.

Staying the course clearly isn't working so maybe its time to change the plan. I think it was McCain (I could be wrong on this) who proposed putting more troops on the ground to completly crush the insurgency - we're talking huge, huge military operation to wipe out as many of them as possible.

Ms Carolyn · 06-20-2006, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~*Sha*~

And for the record... I AM THE PERFECT U.S. CITIZEN! I'm 19. I'm Blonde. I'm on the Dean's List. How much more perfect can you get?

The teensiest dash of humility might be nice ...

Now, regarding the topic of this thread in general ... this is just too, too sad. I'm kind of tired of hearing about whether or not a war is just, or a war is right, or which side is good and which side is bad. War SUCKS. It shows all of us at our caveman-ish worst. Good, brave people die because no one was willing to just sit down, swallow some pride and TALK, and figure out solutions. That may be a radical over-simplification, but I'll stand by it. War is a symptom of a failure to communicate on an international scale.

My heart goes out to the families of these two young men. I heard yesterday on NPR that one of them was planning to make serving in the military his lifelong career -- guess he did.

Lexis · 06-20-2006, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for killing the soldiers, and said the successor to slain terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had "slaughtered" them, according to a Web statement that could not be authenticated. The language in the statement suggested the men had been beheaded.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060620/...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl

We manage to kill one monster and another rises in his place. What was that myth about the many headed monster? There has to be more we can do to crush this organisation - my god, its insane that these guys are able to do what they do and get away with it.

I know the military has its successes in tackling the insurgency but it just seem the more we kill, the more take their place.

**sum1** · 06-21-2006, 06:43 AM

What pisses me off is people using things like this to push for pulling out of Iraq. Pulling out of Iraq is leaving the country high and dry and spiraling down into a far worse hell than it's in now. Pushing for a pullout is basically saying "It's ok if people get blown up, so long as it's not our people".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lexis

Staying the course clearly isn't working so maybe its time to change the plan. I think it was McCain (I could be wrong on this) who proposed putting more troops on the ground to completly crush the insurgency - we're talking huge, huge military operation to wipe out as many of them as possible.

I agree with that. I think they should have done that way back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ms Carolyn

Now, regarding the topic of this thread in general ... this is just too, too sad. I'm kind of tired of hearing about whether or not a war is just, or a war is right, or which side is good and which side is bad. War SUCKS. It shows all of us at our caveman-ish worst. Good, brave people die because no one was willing to just sit down, swallow some pride and TALK, and figure out solutions. That may be a radical over-simplification, but I'll stand by it. War is a symptom of a failure to communicate on an international scale.

Talking wasn't going to achieve what needed achieving. Talking wasn't going to get Saddam to step down, talking wasn't going to get democratic voting in Iraq (which has already inspired change across the middle east (such as in Lebanon) and will undoubtably inspire a lot more in time).

Lexis · 06-21-2006, 06:56 AM

I though Lebanon was more inspired by Ukraine than Iraq. But regardless, something has to be done in Iraq - we need to rethink our plan.

This case should be the tipping point. Two American soldiers, kidnapped, tortured, mutilated and possibly beheaded by insurgents. These are not groups on their last legs or in their "last throes" and something has to be done to get them there.

**sum1** · 06-21-2006, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lexis

I though Lebanon was more inspired by Ukraine than Iraq

No, the people involved in the revolt specifically SAID they were inspired by the Iraqi elections.

ceilirose · 06-21-2006, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lexis

Staying the course clearly isn't working so maybe its time to change the plan. I think it was McCain (I could be wrong on this) who proposed putting more troops on the ground to completly crush the insurgency - we're talking huge, huge military operation to wipe out as many of them as possible.

Where are they going to get the bodies to do that? Specifically the US soldiers. These soldiers are on their third and sometimes fourth tour in Iraq. How many more National Guard troops can they call up?

Lexis · 06-21-2006, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceilirose

Where are they going to get the bodies to do that? Specifically the US soldiers. These soldiers are on their third and sometimes fourth tour in Iraq. How many more National Guard troops can they call up?

Don't get me wrong, the prospect of putting more troops on the ground is not one that I would prefer. But as the situation stands, the insurgency isn't going away and what we're doing doesn't seem to be helping.

I'm not an expert on military strategy - maybe there is another way to fight the insurgency but I'd like to think that if there was, we'd be using it.

So what are we left with? Staying the course as we are and watching more soldiers die without getting much done, getting out now and the country possibly collapsing on itself or crushing the insurgency by using more troops, although in this type of warfare, there's no gurantee that it would work.

As for where troops would come from - I honestly don't know. The UK and the US are stretched out as it is. Maybe a UN force - but then, why would they want to help us fight the war they didn't want us to fight in the first place?

I'm not sure what option is best but I think its clear now that what we're doing isn't enough.


Fan Forum > General Discussion > News & Politics > UPDATE: Iraq official: U.S. soldiers' bodies found