Sgt. mauled by Iraq tiger gets some vindication

[Barrett808]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Last year, U.S. Army Sgt. Keith Mitchell became an international poster boy for the misbehavior of U.S. troops in Iraq.
In a bizarre incident, Sgt. Mitchell's right arm was severely mauled by a male Bengal tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. To save him, another soldier shot and killed the caged animal.

Reports that the soldiers were drunk and tried to feed the tiger while roaming the zoo grounds after hours provoked world-wide outrage. "What is so unexpected about one drunken U.S. soldier killing a zoo tiger when his commander-in-chief, who once had a drinking problem, commanded the bombing of Iraq, killing and maiming thousands?" a Malaysian newspaper said. The New Yorker magazine cited the tiger-shooting by "drunk" soldiers as an example of "the stupidity and carelessness" of the U.S. occupation.

Red-faced military officials, led by a U.S. Army general, apologized to zoo personnel. Sgt. Mitchell, who hasn't heretofore been publicly identified as the tiger's victim, was demoted. The Army launched multiple investigations of the incident.

But a year later, Sgt. Mitchell has been at least partly exonerated. According to a copy of an Army report given to Sgt. Mitchell, the military concluded he was not drunk and that he was on zoo premises with the permission of superiors as part of a unit barbecue. Sgt. Mitchell admitted drinking beer that night - he says one beer, while a witness told investigators Sgt. Mitchell said he had had three. He was found in violation of an Army order against consuming alcohol in Iraq. But his rank recently was restored after a three-month probationary period.

The Army even dug up the tiger and performed an autopsy, to check on reports that Sgt. Mitchell was trying to feed the creature. The autopsy found nothing but zoo food in its digestive tract. In addition, no foreign food was found near or in the tiger cage.

"It was a freak accident," said Sgt. Mitchell last summer on the porch of his house here in Charlotte, N.C. Lean, with close-cropped dark hair and a long-sleeve shirt covering his dangling right arm, Sgt. Mitchell spoke about what the injury means to his 14-year military career. "It's gone. Over. I can't believe this happened."

(more)

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/breaking/111804tiger_attack.html

[hlthe2b]

1. And... we are supposed to have sympathy.....

because he was damned stupid? Sorry....not me.

[xultar]

2. OK that doesn't exonerate that asshole. He was obviously in the cage or

too near it to get mauled.

HE's an idiot. They restored his rank so he could be returned to Iraq to fight. EOS. :grr:

[Ducks In A Row]

10. They're running out of soldiers, so many are killed or maimed

besides if he wasn't drunk then even more his fault for getting his arm screwed up.

he's a disgrace to the uniform.

[Zynx]

12. He's not going to be fighting anyone

Read the article. His right arm is destroyed.

[Cocoa]

3. I have a better use of the Baghdad zoo

instead of a playground for the occupying soldiers, how about reserving it for the use of Iraqi citizens, especially Iraqi children?

[indigobusiness]

4. Your tax dollars at work. They dug up the tiger and performed an autopsy.

Haliburton doing autopsies now?

[CAcyclist]

5. Zoo Food?

I am sure they feed tigers rabbits and chickens in Iraq just like they do here. How would one differentiate a zoo-fed chicken leg from a soldier-fed one?

This is just a cover-up.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

6. so.... how did the tiger attack him if he was not screwing around?

the tiger was in a cage right?

[The Stranger]

7. They shot an extremely rare and caged tiger with assault rifles.

Support the Troops!

[Zynx]

13. No, they missed with the assault rifles. The shot was from a pistol.

[chicagojoe]

8. Americas' Best and Brightest !!!

[CarinKaryn]

9. This just makes me sick

[fertilizeonarbusto]

11. dipshit

Poor tiger! He was the one being harrassed.

[BJ]

14. And I'm supposed to these jerks!

Army investigation, indeed! Whitewash is more likely!

[Algorem]

15. A barbecue at the zoo,right.Brassholes.

[NickB79]

16. What, you don't have the recipe for BBQ antelope yet?

It's delicious, I tell ya.

Seriously, there were plenty of reports of US troops killing and cooking rare animals they were finding at the zoo to supplement their MRE's when they first arrived. Fucking sick.