Also see: Occupation Iraq: Americans Kill 12-Year-Old Boy
"US soldier kills 5 comrades at counseling site; Iraq shooting raises issue of stress on troops" by Robert H. Reid, Associated Press | May 12, 2009
BAGHDAD - A car bombing in Kirkuk killed two people, including a 10-year-old boy, and wounded 10 others, police Brigadier General Sarhat Qadir said.
In Baghdad, a senior Iraqi traffic officer was assassinated on his way to work. It was the second attack on a high-ranking traffic police officer in the capital in as many days. The gunmen were armed with pistols equipped with silencers....
Why am I smelling that same old stench, readers?
Yeah, but violence is down, sigh.
Well, maybe not:
In other violence yesterday across Iraq, an American soldier opened fire at a counseling center on a military base yesterday, killing five fellow soldiers before being taken into custody, the US command and Pentagon officials said. Although it was unclear what prompted the shooting, the incident draws attention to the issue of combat stress and morale after six years of war as the mission of the 130,000-strong force is transformed to one of training and mentoring the Iraqis. Attacks on fellow soldiers, known as fraggings, were not uncommon during the Vietnam War but are believed to be rare in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Not a good sign.
Of course, the pro-war, mouthpiece media wouldn't tell us the true extent of the problem so one can only assume they are occurring more frequently than we are told. It's all how you classify them: Occupation Iraq: AmeriKa's Greatest Enemy
You just feel a cold breeze?
A brief US statement said the assailant was taken into custody after the shooting at Camp Liberty, a sprawling US base on the western edge of Baghdad near the city's international airport. The statement said nobody else was hurt, but a senior defense official in Washington said three people were wounded. The names of the victims and shooter were not released.
President Obama, who visited a base adjacent to Camp Liberty last month, was shocked by the "terrible tragedy."
Oh, he's shocked!
Sigh.
This bright, articulate, intelligent man can't understand the effect of a horrid occupation built upon damnable lies -- and they called it liberation?
The US military is coping with a growing number of stress cases among soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom are on their third or fourth combat tours. Some studies suggest that about 15 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq suffer from some sort of emotional problems.
"Some studies" say more. Sigh.
With violence declining, many soldiers face new challenges trying to shift from fighting a war to supporting the Iraqis - tasks that often require skills in which they have not been trained.
WTF, MSM?
"In all, at least 432 people, including 80 Iranian pilgrims, have been killed in violence so far this month, compared with 335 people in March, 283 in February, and 242 in January"
Also see: Slow Saturday Special: Stalled Withdrawal
I really can't take the lying anymore, can you?
Adding to the stress, there have been several incidents recently when men dressed as Iraqi soldiers have opened fire on American troops, including an attack in the northern city of Mosul on May 2 when two soldiers and the gunman were killed.
Separately, the military announced yesterday that a US soldier was killed a day earlier when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Basra Province of southern Baghdad.
Yup, the drip-drip of the dead coming back to these shores.
--more--"
Where the lies worth it, America?
Sailors carried the coffin of Tyler J. Trahan from St. John Neumann Catholic Church in East Freetown yesterday. Trahan was killed April 30 during combat operations in Iraq. (Globe Staff Photo / John Tlumacki)
Over 4,700 Americans like that now.
Was it worth it, America?
EAST FREETOWN - Tyler J. Trahan, a native of Freetown and a former high school football captain and honor roll student at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in Rochester, was killed in Iraq April 30 during combat operations against enemy forces in Fallujah.
Trahan died with two Marines, according to the Navy, which would not provide further details, saying only that the three were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Trahan was a member of the Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 12, based in Virginia, and was temporarily assigned to a Navy SEAL team in Iraq.
Brian Dawson, the Marine who had tearfully welcomed mourners into the church, stood outside as his lifelong friend's casket was once again placed atop the shiny-red tractor-trailer.
"He was the greatest person you would ever want to meet," said Dawson, 22, who has served three tours in Iraq and had known Trahan his entire life. "Everyone who knew him would say the same thing," Dawson said as he wiped tears from his cheeks.
Lost to a lie.
Also see: Occupation Iraq: Beached SEAL
Epilogue:
"Suspect in killing of 5 US troops had weapon confiscated; Concerns about behavior led to counseling" by Liz Sly, Los Angeles Times | May 13, 2009
BAGHDAD - A US soldier who allegedly gunned down five fellow troops at a combat stress clinic here recently had his weapon taken away because of concerns about his behavior, a senior US military official said yesterday.
The military identified the suspect as Sergeant John M. Russell, 44, of Sherman, Texas, a communications specialist with the 54th Engineer Battalion based in Bamberg, Germany. Russell was due to complete his third tour of duty in Iraq in August and previously had served in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.
Meanwhile, the US military command launched an investigation into whether it offers adequate mental healthcare to its soldiers....
Well, I think we all know the answer to that one.
Sending them off to war on lies didn't help, either.
