Soldier Dies of Non-Hostile Gunshot Wound

[mobuto]

December 12, 2003
Release Number: 03-12-12C


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


SOLDIER DIES OF NON-HOSTILE GUNSHOT WOUND

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A soldier with Task Force 1st Armored Division, died at approximately 3:20 a.m., December 12, of a non-hostile gunshot wound.

The name of the deceased is being withheld pending next-of-kin notification.

The incident is under investigation.

http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/Casualty_Report.asp?CasualtyReport=20031212.txt


Whether accident or suicide, God bless.

[NNN0LHI]

1. Whether accident or suicide...or fragging? n/t

[mobuto]

2. That would be hostile

wouldn't it?

[NNN0LHI]

3. Don't think so. Its classified as murder

There was a fragging at the beginning of the war in Kuwait and the soldier who did it was charged with murder.

Don

[salin]

5. it would... but aren't we learning

that sometimes a little skepticism is hard to avoid... (eg questioning the "non-hostile" tag.) Warrented or not, it just has gotten so difficult to take things at face value.

Nonetheless, may he rest in peace.

[DemoTex]

6. Fragging is not considered a hostile action.

It is kind of like the concept that kept Hugh Thompson and the crew members on his helicopter from receiving Silver Stars or Medals of Honor for intervening in the My Lai massacre. Their enemy, when Thompson landed that Huey on that dike at My Lai-4 was not the VC. The enemy was soldiers of the US Army's Americal division. Ergo, no enemy hostile action was involved. Crazy, eh?

[GregW]

4. Those friendly gunshots will get you every time!

:eyes:

[Cooley Hurd]

7. Ive heard from a friend that there's at least a suicide a day...

in Iraq (amongst the troops). Why would this one (if it's indeed a suicide) receive special attention?

[BaltExpat]

8. Suicide Rate in Iraq

There have been 17 suicides among all U.S. servicemen in Iraq. The U.S. Army rate is 12 per 100,000. As a comparison, the U.S. national average for men is 17.5 per 100,000.

[mobuto]

9. Is that true?

I'd be interested in seeing a source, although I have no reason to disbelieve those statistics.

Welcome to the D.U.

[ImoniT]

10. Not sure of BaltExpat source...

But I did come across this:

(snip)
Rudd said by the Army's calculations, its suicide rate in Iraq is roughly 12 per 100,000 - well below the civilian suicide rate for U.S. men of 17.5 suicides per 100,000. The comparison is misleading, however.
The civilian rate is an annual figure, and the Iraq figure covers only about seven months. Furthermore, the troops have not yet spent their first holiday season in Iraq - a time when the risk of suicide is traditionally at its highest.
The troops in Iraq include thousands of women, who typically have a lower suicide rate than men. And the Army figure does not include possible suicides among the non-combat deaths yet to be explained.
(/snip)

http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/112703/new_20031127011.shtml

Though I personally belive the true numbers will never be seen.

[teryang]

12. Good points, also

...a good deal of civilian suicides are elderly males afflicted with various debilitating diseases. Where is the "healthy worker" effect at work in these war zone suicides?

Someone should do a cohort study on ten thousand Iraqi veterans and find out what the suicide rate is over the next three, five, ten, fifteen, twenty and thirty years and compare it to non veterans matched for age, sex, and other characteristics. Other comparisons are meaningless. The armed forces just have too much incentive to lie about what is going on over there. We don't know one tenth of what is happening in Iraq. There is a virtual news blackout. IMHO.

I find these casualty reports completely unacceptable in their lack of information. The results of the alleged investigations are almost never reported. These reports, devoid of information, aren't reports at all. They are an attempt to hide the reasons for the deaths of our soldiers over there. They are an insult to the publics right to know what is happening. We are being treated like children instead of the people government exists to serve.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

11. That they admit to, that is.

of course.