Time: Iraqi mob killed soldier (military cover up probable)

[Nambe]

Associated Press

An Army reservist with ties to Bethlehem who died in Iraq this month was killed after an angry crowd of Iraqis surrounded the humvee he and another soldier were in and set it on fire, according to a published report.

Army 1st Sgt. Christopher Coffin, 51, of Kennebunk, Maine, died July 1 while his unit was outside of Baghdad. Conflicting reports about his death have prompted the Army to launch an internal investigation that could take months to complete.

The Army initially told Coffin's wife, Betsy, he was killed when his vehicle ran into a ditch. But the Army also reported a member of Coffin's unit, the 352nd Civil Affairs Command, died when a convoy was ambushed. The family requested an investigation and was told by Army officials an inquiry into Coffin's death could take three to four months. ---

Time magazine this week reported the vehicle in which Coffin and a 19- year-old comrade were riding that day was possibly run off the road by an Iraqi vehicle barreling directly towards it. The magazine, citing Coffin family members and U.S. government officials, says an angry Iraqi crowd swarmed the vehicle when it was in a ditch.

Soldiers in a following humvee pulled over to help Coffin and the other soldier, who were both badly hurt, but they too were quickly surrounded by the crowd and the humvee was set on fire, the magazine reported in Monday's issue.

"It took a third American team rushing in, firing rifles into the air, to scatter the crowd and rescue the four trapped soldiers," the Time article stated. "A helicopter was able to get in to try to rush Chris and his injured truck mate to a medical facility. But Chris died from what the military described as 'massive head trauma.'" ---

Banish bush From Texas Too

[saigon68]

1. GUESS THEY WERE NOT THROWING FLOWERS

Thanks a lot CHIMPANZEE

"Bring it on"

He died for the greater good of Texaco, Exxon-Mobil, Phillips, BP et al.

Disgusting

[Submariner]

2. Lots of accident deaths?

I thought the death toll from so called traffic accidnts sounded fishy. These guys are dying needlessly for AWOL-boy and his corporate slimeballs.

[Nambe]

4. IMO, the soldiers and their families don't like lies about casualties.

If your child or father dies in combat, it is insulting for the military to tell everybody it was a vehicle accident. I think the military families may make this a big issue and it will turn the heads of swing voters and less conservative repugs. Lies are building up on the bfee and this could change attitudes about all the lies. I sure hope so.

[w13rd0]

5. What's even more insulting...

...is being told that you aren't getting combat pay to forward on to your family at home having trouble making ends meet while you are securing George's oil because "major military operations" are "over", and then, when you are injured or killed, having it put down as an "accidental death" so you don't have to pay out as much to the grieving family...

[0007]

10. Big Business & the Military are ONE & the same

They fuck their employes & soldier exactly the same way.

1. Overtime

2. Benefits

3. Health care

4. Insurance & Retirement Plan

The only difference between the two, is the military will give 'ya a ribbon to pin on your chest and big business will make you employe of the month with your own special parking space.

[malachi]

11. My thoughts exactly as you stated

What kind of a bunch of shitheads does it take to sit around and devise a plan to hid actual combat deaths as accidental to save embarassment for * and save money? If an investigation ensues (I doubt it) and it is found out that these things are actually happening, those responsible should be sent to Iraq and given a rifle, a tatoo identifying them as a American, a hardy hand clasp and a bon voyage.

[Cooley Hurd]

3. According to this site...

http://lunaville.org/warcasualties/Details.aspx

07/01/03
Christopher D. Coffin Sgt.
51 352nd Civil Affairs Battalion Died of wounds received July 1, when his convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania US

A bit different than what the AP says...

[Paschall]

6. Are we in Mogadishu yet? (nt)

[Sagan]

7. call or write CNN / MSNBC!

Don't bother with FAUX.

Tell them that in light of this story, the Pentagon can't be trusted to distinguish between combat and non-combat fatalities and that they should stop doing that themselves!

[dArKeR]

9. Let's do our part! We have to save our children from immoral GOP death.

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]


[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], q&[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

http://money.cnn.com/services/speakup/
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/

[e-mail], [e-mail]

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

[e-mail], [e-mail]

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

[e-mail]

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

[e-mail]

[e-mail], [e-mail] http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/co/index.htm district of CO.

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]


http://www.latimes.com/services/site/la-comment-oped.story
http://www.latimes.com/services/site/la-comment-dcbureau.story


[e-mail] -To Dr. Nile Gardiner - To Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D.
[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

[MaineDem]

8. Local coverage -

Members of Maine's congressional delegation said they, too, could neither confirm nor deny the account. But the Coffin case, they agreed, has been disturbing for a variety of reasons.

"The case raises a very troubling question, which is, are combat deaths being disguised as accidents . . . so it would appear less harm is being caused by the Iraqi resistance than is the case?" asked Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine.

Allen said that although he does not dispute that accidents happen, it seems that there are "an awful lot of accidents."

"I believe we don't want to go through what we went through in Vietnam, where the reports of casualties could not be relied on," he said. "I think there should be an investigation not just of this one accident but the remaining deaths, so the American people know the whole story."
(snip)
"The family's grief has been compounded by conflicting information, and they deserve to know the truth of the circumstances surrounding Sgt. Coffin's death," Snowe, R-Maine, said in a written statement.

Both Snowe and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, have worked with the family and announced earlier that the U.S. Army Adjutant General's office had convened an official board of inquiry to investigate the case.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/local/030715coffin.shtml