October 15, 2004

Platoon defies orders in Iraq

Miss. soldier calls home, cites safety concerns

By Jeremy Hudson
jehudson (at) clarionledger.com

A 17-member Army Reserve platoon with troops from Jackson and around the Southeast deployed to Iraq is under arrest for refusing a "suicide mission" to deliver fuel, the troops' relatives said Thursday.

The soldiers refused an order on Wednesday to go to Taji, Iraq — north of Baghdad — because their vehicles were considered "deadlined" or extremely unsafe, said Patricia McCook of Jackson, wife of Sgt. Larry O. McCook.

Sgt. McCook, a deputy at the Hinds County Detention Center, and the 16 other members of the 343rd Quartermaster Company from Rock Hill, S.C., were read their rights and moved from the military barracks into tents, Patricia McCook said her husband told her during a panicked phone call about 5 a.m. Thursday.

The platoon could be charged with the willful disobeying of orders, punishable by dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of pay and up to five years confinement, said military law expert Mark Stevens, an associate professor of justice studies at Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, N.C.

No military officials were able to confirm or deny the detainment of the platoon Thursday.

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson said he plans to submit a congressional inquiry today on behalf of the Mississippi soldiers to launch an investigation into whether they are being treated improperly.

"I would not want any member of the military to be put in a dangerous situation ill-equipped," said Thompson, who was contacted by families. "I have had similar complaints from military families about vehicles that weren't armor-plated, or bullet-proof vests that are outdated. It concerns me because we made over $150 billion in funds available to equip our forces in Iraq.

"President Bush takes the position that the troops are well-armed, but if this situation is true, it calls into question how honest he has been with the country," Thompson said.

The 343rd is a supply unit whose general mission is to deliver fuel and water. The unit includes three women and 14 men and those with ranking up to sergeant first class.

"I got a call from an officer in another unit early (Thursday) morning who told me that my husband and his platoon had been arrested on a bogus charge because they refused to go on a suicide mission," said Jackie Butler of Jackson, wife of Sgt. Michael Butler, a 24-year reservist. "When my husband refuses to follow an order, it has to be something major."

The platoon being held has troops from Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina, Mississippi and South Carolina, said Teresa Hill of Dothan, Ala., whose daughter Amber McClenny is among those being detained.

McClenny, 21, pleaded for help in a message left on her mother's answering machine early Thursday morning.

"They are holding us against our will," McClenny said. "We are now prisoners."

McClenny told her mother her unit tried to deliver fuel to another base in Iraq Wednesday, but was sent back because the fuel had been contaminated with water. The platoon returned to its base, where it was told to take the fuel to another base, McClenny told her mother.

The platoon is normally escorted by armed Humvees and helicopters, but did not have that support Wednesday, McClenny told her mother.

The convoy trucks the platoon was driving had experienced problems in the past and were not being properly maintained, Hill said her daughter told her.

The situation mirrors other tales of troops being sent on missions without proper equipment.

Aviation regiments have complained of being forced to fly dangerous missions over Iraq with outdated night-vision goggles and old missile-avoidance systems. Stories of troops' families purchasing body armor because the military didn't provide them with adequate equipment have been included in recent presidential debates.

Patricia McCook said her husband, a staff sergeant, understands well the severity of disobeying orders. But he did not feel comfortable taking his soldiers on another trip.

"He told me that three of the vehicles they were to use were deadlines ... not safe to go in a hotbed like that," Patricia McCook said.

Hill said the trucks her daughter's unit was driving could not top 40 mph.

"They knew there was a 99 percent chance they were going to get ambushed or fired at," Hill said her daughter told her. "They would have had no way to fight back."

Kathy Harris of Vicksburg is the mother of Aaron Gordon, 20, who is among those being detained. Her primary concern is that she has been told the soldiers have not been provided access to a judge advocate general.

Stevens said if the soldiers are being confined, law requires them to have a hearing before a magistrate within seven days.

Harris said conditions for the platoon have been difficult of late. Her son e-mailed her earlier this week to ask what the penalty would be if he became physical with a commanding officer, she said.

But Nadine Stratford of Rock Hill, S.C., said her godson Colin Durham, 20, has been happy with his time in Iraq. She has not heard from him since the platoon was detained.

"When I talked to him about a month ago, he was fine," Stratford said. "He said it was like being at home."



Doubts about US morale in Iraq as troops refuse 'suicide mission'

17 soldiers investigated in breakdown of discipline

Dan Glaister
Saturday October 16, 2004
The Guardian

Discipline and morale among US troops in Iraq was under fresh scrutiny last night as the military admitted that 17 soldiers were being investigated for refusing to operate a fuel convoy because of safety fears.

The soldiers, from a unit north of Baghdad, told family members that they considered the convoy destined for Taji to be a "suicide mission", citing the poor condition of their vehicles and the absence of ground and air support to protect the convoy.

The refusal, confirmed by military sources in Baghdad, is the first time that concerns about equipment and safety have led to a major breakdown of discipline. Allegations about the state of US army equipment have been aired throughout the conflict and have become a feature of the US presidential campaign, with senator John Kerry airing the subject in presidential debates. But it is the first time that doubts about morale among US troops stationed in Iraq have surfaced so publicly.

Refusal to obey orders in a combat zone is a serious military offence. Yet, the occupation has become a perilous situation, with more than 1,000 US troops killed since the invasion.

Security fears have been heightened by near-daily ambushes and roadside bombs; yesterday a car bomb in Baghdad killed 10 Iraqis. On Thursday two blasts inside the heavily fortified Green Zone left six dead.

All but two of the 19 reservists in the fuel platoon of the 343rd Quartermaster Company refused to operate a delivery on Wednesday morning. They were read their rights and moved from military barracks into tents, the wife of one of the soldiers told the Clarion Ledger newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi.


A US army spokesman in Baghdad confirmed that a 19-member unit had failed to operate a convoy on Wednesday and that an investigation was under way. "Preliminary findings show that there were several contributing factors," said Sergeant Salju Thomas of the Combined Press Information Centre in Baghdad.

"The soldiers raised some valid concerns. Unfortunately, it appears a few soldiers chose to express those concerns in an inappropriate manner, leading to a temporary breakdown of discipline."

Sergeant Thomas stressed that the soldiers had not been detained or arrested.

Two investigations have been set in motion by the 13 Corps Support Group. One, in Tallil, where the unit is based, will look at the nature of the soldiers' complaints, including the state of their equipment. The second will study "whether any offence of a disciplinary nature has been committed and what other measures may be necessary", said Ser-geant Thomas.

The soldiers could be charged with wilful disobeying of orders, which could lead to dishonourable discharge, forfeit of pay and up to five years' confinement.

According to the Clarion Ledger, Amber McClenny, one of the soldiers who refused to go out on the convoy, called her mother in the US on Thursday and left a message saying: "They are holding us against our will. We are now prisoners."

Ms McClenny told her mother that the convoys were normally escorted by armed Humvees and helicopters but that they did not have that support on Wednesday.

"They knew there was a 99% chance they were going to get ambushed or fired at," Ms McClenny's mother said. "They would have had no way to fight back." She said her daughter had told her that the vehicles had been poorly maintained.

Jackie Butler, the wife of Sergeant Michael Butler, was quoted as saying: "When my husband refuses to follow an order, it has to be something major."