posted on January 26, 2005 08:08:24 PM new
"""37 Troops Die on Deadliest Day in Iraq
Updated 10:16 PM ET January 26, 2005
By JASON KEYSER
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. helicopter crashed in a desert sandstorm in the early morning darkness Wednesday, killing the 30 Marines and one Navy sailor aboard. Six other troops died in insurgent ambushes in the deadliest day for Americans since the Iraq war began nearly two years ago.
Only days before Iraq's crucial elections Sunday, militants set off at least eight car bombings that killed 13 people and injured 40 others, including 11 Americans. The guerrillas also carried out a string of attacks nationwide against schools that will serve as polling centers.
In Washington, President Bush called on Iraqis to defy terrorism and go to the polls despite relentless insurgent attacks. He said it was a "very discouraging" day when the U.S. death toll for the war rose above 1,400.
The CH-53E Super Stallion was carrying personnel from the 1st Marine Division on a security mission in support of the election when it went down about 1:20 a.m. near the town of Rutbah, about 220 miles west of Baghdad, the military said.
The crash occurred during severe weather, but its cause was still under investigation, said Army Gen. John Abizaid, chief of U.S. Central Command. An Accuweather map showed sandstorms Wednesday in the western region of Iraq near the Jordanian border where the crash took place.
A search and rescue team was at the site. The victims were 30 Marines and one sailor, said Lt. Gen. John Sattler, the top Marine commander in Iraq _ the most American service members to die in a single incident since the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.
All but three of the Marines had been based in Hawaii, according to Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii.
The deadliest previous incident for U.S. troops was also a helicopter crash: a November 2003 collision of two Black Hawk helicopters that killed 17. Before Wednesday's bloodshed, the most Americans killed in one day came on the invasion's third day _ March 23, 2003 _ when 28 troops were killed during the U.S. military's drive to take Baghdad and topple Saddam Hussein.
The U.S. military has not seen such a high loss of life in one day in 15 years _ since an explosion ripped through a gun turret on the USS Iowa during a training exercise in the Caribbean in April 1989, killing 47 sailors.
Iraqi security forces and civilians have borne the brunt of violence in Iraq, with bombings often killing scores of people at a time. More than 180 people were killed on March 2, 2004, during a string of suicide attacks at Shiite shrines in Karbala and Baghdad.
Violence has only increased ahead of Sunday's election, which will create a 275-member National Assembly and regional legislatures. Sunni Muslim extremists have threatened to sabotage the election, and many Sunni clerics have called for a boycott because of the presence of U.S. and other foreign troops.
The group calling itself al-Qaida in Iraq warned people to stay away from the polls, threatening attacks. "Oh people, be careful. Be careful not to be near the centers of infidelity and vice, the polling centers ... Don't blame us but blame yourselves" if harmed," a Web statement issued in the group's name said.
In addition to Wednesday's crash deaths, four Marines were killed in fighting in Iraq's Anbar province, the military said.
A reporter embedded with those troops, Jim Dolan of WABC in New York City, said the deaths came when insurgents ambushed a Marine convoy leaving the town of Haditha, northwest of Baghdad, hitting a vehicle with a rocket-propelled grenade.
Also Wednesday, insurgents attacked a U.S. Army patrol near the northern town of Duluiyah, killing one soldier and wounding two others, and in the Baghdad area a roadside bomb killed another soldier and wounded two others, the U.S. command said.
The day's deaths brought to at least 1,416 the number of members of the U.S. military who have died in Iraq, according to an Associated Press count.
A string of political violence continued. Several schools slated to be used as polling stations were bombed overnight.
A suicide bomber detonated a fuel tanker at the offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the town of Sinjar, southwest of Mosul, killing five and injuring at least 20 people, KDP officials said.
Earlier in the day, gunmen opened fire with machine guns on the local headquarters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Communist Party in the city of Baqouba, north of Baghdad, killing a traffic policeman. The KDP and PUK are the two largest Kurdish groups in Iraq and have formed a coalition along with other Kurdish groups to run in the election.
Insurgents also set off three car bombs in rapid succession in the town of Riyadh, north of Baghdad, killing at least five people _ including three policemen.
Four American soldiers were injured in a car bombing Wednesday in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, the U.S. command said. Another car bomb targeted a multinational forces convoy on the road to Baghdad's international airport, injuring four soldiers, the command said.
The attack temporarily closed the airport road, one of the country's most dangerous.
Another car bombing later hit the same airport road, and an eighth car bomb detonated prematurely in the town of Mashahda, 30 miles north of Baghdad, killing the two men in the car."""""
And the neonazicons insist "Four More Years!" is a "good thing".
Now, let's hear about all th GOOD we're doing in Iraq.
posted on January 26, 2005 10:08:06 PM new
These soldiers and all who have been injured and died before them....are fighting for the freedom of 25 million people. FREEDOM....and their first time to vote, freely, in close to 50 years. That's the 'good' they're doing.
God Bless each and everyone of them and their loved ones.
-------------------
Military Town Reacts With Grief, Resolve at News of Marine Deaths in Iraq
By Michelle Morgante Associated Press Writer
Published: Jan 26, 2005
OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP) -
This seaside military town reacted with grief and resolve Wednesday at the news that 31 servicemembers were killed when a transport helicopter crashed in the deadliest single incident yet for U.S. forces in Iraq.
"It's terrible, but it comes with the territory," said Carl Dreibelbis, 52, an Oceanside native who served in the Navy and said members of his family have fought in every U.S. war since the American Revolution.
"I'm afraid that when people hear this, their inclinations will be to retreat. But I say charge," Dreibelbis said.
Twenty-seven of the victims were based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, which is under the operational control of the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, near Oceanside. Some of the victims were also members of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. Further details were withheld pending notification of families.
The crew chief onboard the helicopter, Lance Cpl. Tony Hernandez, deployed to Iraq last summer and was scheduled to return to Camp Pendleton in March, said his father, Leroy Hernandez, of Canyon Lake, Texas. He said he last spoke with his son on Sunday.
"He said it was cold, that he didn't like the weather, that he was working his butt off - the usual gripes," Hernandez said. "He didn't say a lot because he didn't want anyone to worry."
The previous deadliest incident in Iraq for American servicemembers also was a helicopter crash: In November 2004, two Black Hawks collided while trying to avoid ground fire, killing 17 servicemembers.
Wednesday's crash occurred as personnel were being transported by the CH-53E Super Stallion as part of security and stabilization operations. The military did not mention a possible cause.
Amber Warlock, 31, a former Marine whose husband is a Marine pilot stationed at Camp Pendleton, said she was stunned when she heard about the crash on television.
"You hear about people dying every day in ones and twos," she said. "But 31 is just too much to comprehend."
She sought solace at the beach with her 5-month-old daughter Heidi and a fellow Marine wife who cried at news of the deaths, even though she had confirmed her husband was OK in Iraq.
"You just know how every single woman sitting in her home feels, whether it's going to be yours or someone you know," Warlock said. "It doesn't matter who it is. It's a bad day for everybody."
Hernandez said his son tried to join the Marines after he graduated from high school but was rejected because he was too heavy. After visiting with a recruiter again, he was soon running hard and dieting to trim nearly 25 pounds off his frame. He had lost another 20 pounds by the time he finished Marine boot camp in California.
"We went to his graduation and we almost didn't recognize him," Hernandez said.
He said his own memories of fighting in the Vietnam War weighed heavily on him after his son deployed to Iraq.
"I knew (the war) was going to escalate - it was pretty much guaranteed," he said. "Unfortunately it's the young kids who end up paying the price."
---
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Four More Years....YES!!!
posted on January 27, 2005 04:49:47 AM new
Well people die in war... President Bush was the best choice over some lying traitor... nothing new OP posted... more whining from the left.
posted on January 27, 2005 06:08:42 AM new
Crow,
Its just the beginning of 4 MORE MORON YEARS. There is no FREEDOM for the 1457 DEAD U.S. Troops or the over 10,000 wounded Troops. We will all be watching what the Chimp and his party does to the American people.
Crow, Don't forget the Chimp wants another 80 billion dollars for a running total of 300 billion for his war. This is just one reason why the MAJORITY of the American people think the Chimp is doing a bad job with his WAR.
Just wait and watch when the religious right find out the Chimp duped them for their vote. The Chimp doesn't need them any longer so I believe very little will get done on what they voted for. We will all be watching.
posted on January 27, 2005 06:45:50 AM new
All that death and the neonaziconss reply with it's just....""""more whining from the left. """""
And...""""""""I knew (the war) was going to escalate - it was pretty much guaranteed," he said. "Unfortunately it's the young kids who end up paying the price."
---
Four More Years....YES!!!"""""""
Their minds were brainwashed first and then their souls.......however, I'm sure they'd be whistling a different tune if it hit closer to home
But you can see by their words ..they are evil personified.
posted on January 27, 2005 07:46:28 AM new
The 31 troops that died on the Helo could have just as easily died in a training mission in the US as in Iraq. Military service is inherently dangerous no matter where you serve.
But then Crow is an expert with her YEARS of military service.
A word to the wise ain't necessary, it's the stupid ones that need the advice."
- Bill Cosby
posted on January 27, 2005 09:12:02 AM new
Oh Bear, you old fool , stuff it with that stupidity about HAVING to serve in the military before you can comment on it.
I CAN object to the illegal, unnecessary war that is slaughtering thousands of people .
Just because you neonazi's LOVE war and death doesn't mean DECENT people can't comment on it.
AND, I PAY for the soldiers of this country and will comment all I want .
posted on January 27, 2005 09:34:44 AM new
Hey Crow, does one have to serve in the military to count? I think not. Iraq,1459 dead American Troops,10,000 wounded American Troops,300 Billion American dollars being spent and we are all still counting.
posted on January 27, 2005 11:11:41 AM new
How can some of you try to justify the deaths of the troops by shouting freedom for the Iraqi people when you continue to show disdain and contempt for almost every country of the world but your own?
Do you want us to really believe that the Iraqi people mean that much to you that you’re willing to sacrifice your own countrymen for them?
posted on January 27, 2005 11:31:20 AM new
I personally don't feel the need to 'justify' anything to a Canadian...nor to Canadian pacifists...nor American pacifists who use our dead and wounded for their pacifist agenda.
This has long been American policy and both of our leading parties have agreed with freedom and liberty FOR ALL.
posted on January 27, 2005 12:12:59 PM new
Then the other neonazicon says, "I personally don't feel the need to 'justify' anything to a Canadian...nor to Canadian pacifists...nor American pacifists who use our dead and wounded for their pacifist agenda. ""
posted on January 27, 2005 12:14:30 PM newI personally don't feel the need to 'justify' anything to a Canadian...nor to Canadian pacifists...nor American pacifists who use our dead and wounded for their pacifist agenda.
More double standards from Linda. She won't listen to Canadians when their views differ from hers, but she will be the first to jump on their bandwagon when she has the same views as a Canadian.
Come on Linda why don't you tell us how Un-American it is to speak out against the WAR.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- "Give it up for George W. Bush, the best friend international jihad ever had."
posted on January 27, 2005 12:39:44 PM new
Well, Kiara, join the growing list of people who find that linduh really twists things around............she's not really as stupid as she appears....just has very selective reading abilities.......
posted on January 27, 2005 12:53:53 PM new
logansdad - She won't listen to Canadians when their views differ from hers,
There IS a difference between 'listening to' and being asked to 'justify' something.
but she will be the first to jump on their bandwagon when she has the same views as a Canadian. I don't believe I've ever agreed with anything kiara has said....but yes, KD does post things I can agree with.
Come on Linda why don't you tell us how Un-American it is to speak out against the WAR. I think the American voters HAVE spoken out. They re-elected this war President.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Four More Years....YES!!!
[ edited by Linda_K on Jan 27, 2005 12:56 PM ]
posted on January 27, 2005 01:09:44 PM newThere IS a difference between 'listening to' and being asked to 'justify' something.
Who asked you to justify anything, Linda? You read things and then twist them around to try to make it sound like something entirely different. Go back to my first post and read it once again very carefully.
posted on January 27, 2005 01:20:23 PM new
KD - Peace at ANY cost...no war EVER no matter what.
--
I've been wondering if the people who support the human-shields are going to be over in Iraq 'shielding' the Iraq's who are going to be attempting to vote. I'd bet not...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Four More Years....YES!!!
posted on January 27, 2005 01:20:33 PM new
Linda, it's hard for me to understand why you say you don't agree with Kiara but do with me on some things, because imo, Kiara and I think the same on everything we've discussed so far. I don't think we've disagreed yet. (Although she thinks she's better looking, which is bull.) What is it about Kiara that makes you so mad?
posted on January 27, 2005 01:22:23 PM new
Molly Ivins, Creators Syndicate. Molly Ivins is a syndicated columnist based in Austin, Texas
Published January 27, 2005
AUSTIN, Texas -- A substantial nit to pick with President Bush's second inaugural address and some questions about his theme.
"From the day of our founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this Earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the maker of heaven and Earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave."
The Bush theme of what someone else christened "evangelical democracy" is rather like the "From the day of our founding ... " passage--actually, it's more complicated than that. I, too, am happy to proselytize for freedom and democracy, but I don't think we can export it by force, and I don't think we can expect the world to accept our noble intentions.
We should ask ourselves why the Iraqis didn't welcome us with flowers. Wasn't Saddam Hussein about as nasty a dictator as you can find? Because we invaded their country and are now occupying it. It is extremely difficult to convince people that you are killing them (and torturing them) for their own good. How would you feel? We can still hope that Sunday's elections work out well in most of the country, but it's silly to say things are going well in Iraq, as some of my more delusional colleagues claim.
Actually, we have already tried foreign policy based on idealism: In one case, it didn't work worth a damn, and in the second it produced pretty handsome results based on a pragmatic application of principle.
The first great foreign policy idealist in the presidency was Woodrow Wilson, everyone else having pretty much stuck to the Monroe Doctrine (pace our unfortunate venture into the Philippines, a sort of early Vietnam). Wilson got us into the insanely named "War to End War." (As A.J. Muste, the great American pacifist, observed, "The way to peace is through peace."
After that hideous slaughter, Wilson signed a treaty that set up the same war to happen all over again 20 years later. He was famously unable to get his own Senate to join the doomed League of Nations.
A rather better effort was made by President Jimmy Carter, who based much of his foreign policy on human rights, the equivalent of Bush's "freedom." This consistent emphasis, applied over time, resulted in every country in Latin America (though not Central America) becoming a democracy.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is skeptical of Bush's benign intent, mostly because he invaded a country that not only hadn't done anything to us, but also was no threat to us. (There is a new line on the right that goes, "But everybody in the whole world was saying Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction." Actually, everybody wasn't. Hans Blix, the former chief UN weapons inspector, couldn't find Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction. And at the time we went to war, quite a few people were saying: "Give the inspectors more time." In retrospect, it was quite good advice, wasn't it?)
At other points in the speech, one was left wondering, as one so often is, about Bush's grip on reality. Talking about his "ownership society," he said, "By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal."
He's delusional: He cannot possibly believe his tax cuts are making this country more just and equal--they are making it more unjust and unequal every day, not to mention getting us ever deeper into debt. One does not provide "freedom from want and fear" by privatizing Social Security. We've been there, we've done this--we tried unregulated capitalism at the end of the 19th Century, and it was awful.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- "Give it up for George W. Bush, the best friend international jihad ever had."
posted on January 27, 2005 01:28:11 PM new
Peace at any cost?? I don't think the left feels that way at all, just that war should be the ultimate last resort when everything else fails. If I reversed your statement, the left sees things as 'war at any cost' with no attempts at peace.
posted on January 27, 2005 01:28:52 PM new
KD - I'm not referring to only what's been said in this thread.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Four More Years....YES!!!
posted on January 27, 2005 01:35:21 PM newThis has long been American policy and both of our leading parties have agreed with freedom and liberty FOR ALL.
These are from Kennedy's speech:
United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do--for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
Since America is divided, does this mean we as a country will fail?
To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom--and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.
When did Iraqi people support freedom before we invaded the country? Kennedy said he would support and help those people that wanted it. I do not feel the Iraqi people wanted it before we invaded nor do they want it now. If they did, they would be doing more to stop the insurgents.
Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.
Again Kennedy is asking both sides to negotiate peace. No where in his speech did JFK say to invade other countries to force peace and freedom onto them.
Yes Kennedy wanted peace and freedom, but the way he suggested it was different from Bush's doctrine of how it must be achieved.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- "Give it up for George W. Bush, the best friend international jihad ever had."
posted on January 27, 2005 01:36:30 PM new
Pacifists are a very small minority of American citizens, KD.
And as I think we have established ....the left here is NOT representative of the majority of the democratic party.
Then there are those who will just #*!@ about anything done during this President's admin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Four More Years....YES!!!
