U.S. Army reservists escape court-martial

[leftchick]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Iraq%20US%20Unit%20Investigation

~snip~

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The U.S. military will not court-martial 23 Army reservists who refused a mission transporting fuel along a dangerous road in Iraq, but they will face less severe punishment, an official said Monday.

The soldiers from the 343rd Quartermaster Company, based in Rockhill, N.C., may be assigned extra duties or face reductions in rank, military spokesman Lt. Col. Steve Boylan said.

The soldiers failed to report Oct. 13 for an assigned mission to transport supplies from Tallil air base near Nasiriyah to Taji north of Baghdad.

"They felt they didn't have the proper equipment to do the mission they were ordered to do and are being disciplined for failing to follow orders," Boylan said.

[DS1]

1. Gentlemen, start your scrubbers

Strange decision, I think the Army - knowing they were screwed up in ordering these guys out on that highway unprotected couldn't really punish them since they know they're completely F'd up elsewhere and could face a large-scale mutiny.

[Garbo 2004]

2. & they'd been ordered to deliver contaminated fuel previously refused. nt

[DS1]

3. Ahh, right, a lovely combination of busy-work

(stuff the military loves to make you do that serves no purpose whatsoever but to keep you from being idle - like painting rocks one color, then chipping that paint off and painting them a different color "because the C.O. just drove by and he didn't like red" - I wish I were kidding ) and shrapnel.

[luaneryder]

7. Or raking sand

into lovely straight lines in front of battalion.

[rodeodance]

4. they should never have been brought up on charges to start with!!

[IllegalCombatant]

6. that part of the story always gets left out

maybe because its indefensible by the chain

glad to hear these soldiers wont be made scape-goats.

[MSgt213]

5. Sounds like they want this to go away quitely. Superiors were probably in

the line of fire on this one.