DoD Identifies Army Casualties and Soldiers as Whereabouts Unknown

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Afghanistan helicopter crash 4/6/05.


U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release

The Department of Defense announced today the death of eight Soldiers and the identity of six Soldiers listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN) who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The soldiers died or became unaccounted for on April 6 in Ghazni, Afghanistan, when the CH-47 helicopter they were on crashed.

More...
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050411-2467.html


So now it's SIX that are missing and listed duty whereabouts unknown. I was beginning to wonder why it was five days past the crash and the names had not yet been released. I guess this explains it.

[NNN0LHI]

1. Again. I hope to hell they are treated better than the US treats them n/t

[daleo]

2. Did they get lost in the dust storm?

Something about this doesn't compute. I think we all know what it is.

[Richard Steele]

3. So, six more of ours become POWs....

...that will never, EVER be mentioned in the press.

Since BushCo is so afraid to mention our POWs, I think we should be pushing the issue more.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Translation they are now POWs or worst

and I hope thy are treated well, given that soviet soldiers were not....

That said... did the waether forecast that day include ground to air missiles? Hmm propably of the Stinger variety?

[daleo]

5. There may be some college fraternity pranks in store

To use the words of Rush and the rest of the ranters.

[DeepModem Mom]

6. OMG, this incident was so veiled in mystery from the beginning...

so deliberately obfuscated -- and how many others are the same?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

8. It will be reported that they are assumed dead.

They will try and make people assume that the bodies of the missing are dead and leave it at that. That is my prediction, I hope I'm wrong but it's what I'm expecting. If you hear anything it will be that the crash was caused by the weather and due to the severity of the crash there is no hope that any survived.

[LosinIt]

7. One of the DUSTWUNs went to school with my son

I saw the picture of the "crash" and I can't see how someone could have survived. Maybe the officials made certain that it was burned beyond recognition first before the picture was taken. Oh God, my son is upset enough just assuming that the kid is dead, I don't have the heart to tell him he might be a prisoner.

[liam_laddie]

9. missing names

"a hard rain's a-gonna fall..." I mean "rise up"...of the Stinger
variety. The missing may be "black" personnel, such as Seals, Spl Forces, Delta, etc., who are often deployed without any official record of where or what the mission is. IIRC, families notified of deaths of personnel of this type are not even told where or how they died. They're not even in the files. Ghosts...
And note ranks of those listed in the link in first post, many officers and sgts., valuable, experienced. These are big losses.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

10. I'm so sorry.

The reality is we have no way of knowing for sure. I find it very suspicious that six people would disappear without leaving a trace if they were among the soldiers killed. The fact that the number of missing people increased from two to six, five days later makes me leery.

You and your son have my heartfelt sympathy.

[rodeodance]

11. maybe they went missing on purpose-but the scenes of crash-there was

very little left--most all was charded burnt

[MileHiStealth]

12. And as long as they're listed as missing ...

the government doesn't have to pay death benefits ?

[LosinIt]

13. Thank you

In his short 21 years my son has already lost four other friends. One suicide, one died in a fire, one in a car accident, another in a motorcycle crash when he came over the crest of a hill into a flock of turkeys. He is such a sensitive kid, even though he plays semi-pro football on the offensive line.

[NNN0LHI]

14. Pentagon Releases IDs of Soldiers Killed, Missing in Helicopter Crash

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB6I4BFF7E.html

Listed as missing:

Army Capt. David S. Connolly, 37, Boston

Army Sgt. Maj. Barbaralien Banks, 41, Harvey, La.

Army Staff Sgt. Romanes L. Woodward, 30, Hertford, N.C.

Army Sgt. Stephen C. High, 45, Spartanburg, S.C.

Army Spc. Michael K. Spivey, 21, Fayetteville, N.C.

Army Spc. Sascha Struble, 20, Philadelphia, N.Y.

[LosinIt]

15. My son played baseball with Sascha Struble

that's a guy by the way.

[Pinboy]

16. One possible explanation...

It may simply be that they have not yet been able to identify all of the remains.