Military Says Troops Demanded 'Rent' From Iraqi Vendors

[sabra]

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-guard6aug06,0,1746838.story?coll=la-home-headlines#Scene_1

Military Says Troops Demanded 'Rent' From Iraqi Vendors

California Army National Guard troops charged unauthorized, off-the-books "rent" to Iraqi-owned businesses inside Baghdad's Green Zone in Iraq to raise money for a "soldier's fund," military officials and sources within the troops' battalion said Friday.

The disclosure is the latest to emerge from a wide-ranging investigation into the conduct of the 1st Battalion of the 184th Infantry Regiment of the Guard, which is headquartered in Modesto, Calif.

....

The businesses -- a dry cleaner, a convenience store and the like -- catered to U.S. soldiers and were located on the fringe of the U.S. military's operating base inside the Green Zone, the fortified hub of the Iraqi government, U.S. occupation officials, embassies and contractor headquarters. The businesses were asked to pay the soldiers "rent."

....

The money was used to create a "soldier's fund," said one member of the battalion, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Such funds are used by troops for a wide variety of purposes, such as small loans to repay bills back home or buying commemorative so-called "challenge coins" -- often specially minted to foster morale inside a unit. Kent said the fund created from the rent money also was used to buy T-shirts, patches and a safe.

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[Rebellious Republican]

1. I see a bright future with KBR and Haliburton for these guys! N/T

[Zorra]

8. Yep, no doubt some good ol' Bu*h votin' republican boys and girls.

[Sabriel]

2. Is the Soprano kid over there or something?

Sounds like "insurance" money to me.

[TahitiNut]

3. Was it more than $125K/yr for each soldier?

When there're 40,000 "civilian contractors" over there, many of whom are depositing $125K/yr for doing the same kind of work as these reservists - reservists who're probably going to get screwed out of their jobs when they get back (if they get back) and are almost certainly still paying bills to match the pay they're NOT getting - then there's gonna be hell to pay in terms of morale and graft.

[Gronk Groks]

4. American Soldiers Shake Down Iraqis...

...and you wonder why they think we are only there to take their oil...unfortunately they're right !!!

Can anyone say Insurgent Recruitment Incentive???:shrug:

[slaveplanet]

5. Military Says Troops Demanded 'Rent' From Iraqi Vendors-LAT

California Army National Guard troops charged unauthorized, off-the-books "rent" to Iraqi-owned businesses inside Baghdad's Green Zone in Iraq to raise money for a "soldier's fund," military officials and sources within the troops' battalion said Friday.

The disclosure is the latest to emerge from a wide-ranging investigation into the conduct of the 1st Battalion of the 184th Infantry Regiment of the Guard, which is headquartered in Modesto, Calif.

Military officials had confirmed previously that the battalion's commander, Lt. Col. Patrick Frey, had been suspended and that one of the battalion's companies, based in Fullerton, Calif., had been removed from patrol duties and restricted to an Army base south of Baghdad, the capital.

According to military officials and members of the battalion, soldiers from the battalion's Bravo Company, which is based in Dublin, an East Bay suburb of San Francisco, approached several businesses earlier this year that were owned and operated by Iraqi nationals.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-guard6aug06,0,1746838.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[babylonsister]

6. In it's own way, this is as bad and sad as

Abu Ghraib. What has happened to "us"?

[achtung_circus]

7. Rent sounds so much nicer than protection. nt

[VegasWolf]

9. Sounds a bit like the old "policeman's fund" in NY. nt

[Xithras]

10. Ah, good to see Modestans in the news again

:eyes:

Must be all the uranium in the water here.

[Lecky]

11. Ugh

I'm sorry, but that just pisses me off. Nice false sense of entitlement we've got going over there.

[icymist]

12. Oh My God! This is gross!

Imagine if some group took ahold of your land by force and then asked that YOU pay rent to them?! Whatever the reason, I don't care! Some foreign invader conquering your land that you were born in, asking for rent?! Remember our own rebellion From King George III!

[txindy]

13. Protection money?

INSIDE the Green Zone where, presumably, the Iraqis believed themselves protected?

Words fail me. :argh:

[FormerOstrich]

15. Protected once in....

but by attempting to work in the green zone they are targets outside of the green zone.

[txindy]

17. Very true

Surrounded by a rock and a hard place - ARMED rocks and hard places! Yet another reason why this is despicable behavior. They should have been protected once inside the green zone, yet found themselves having to pay to the "soldier's fund" in order to be given that protection. Nice. :banghead:

[MercutioATC]

14. Brooklyn has a National Guard unit?

I didn't realize....

[Zhade]

16. Disgusting and dishonorable.

They should be ashamed.

[Barrett808]

18. Just a few bad apples, of course

Probably the same ones who did the torturing at Abu Ghraib...and Gitmo...

[gratuitous]

19. Them bad apples do get around, don't they?

Is there no bottom to the depths of our shameful behavior?

[classysassy]

20. Bad apples

"blame it on the bossa nova" no blame it on the boss bush.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

21. Time for the RICO statute to be used...

Sounds like nothing more than an armed protection racket, and that's very illegal.

[0007]

22. The old "Shake Down Racket"

Several soldiers have called the rental arrangement "extortion," but Army officials insist that the word is not an accurate description of the relationship between the soldiers and the vendors.

An Army think tank is in order to come up with a new name for this crime....are they kidding me?

[moof]

23. Isn't a robbery using a firearm a class x felony in America ?

Oh but them saying it's rent instead of just
"give me your money", makes it ... capitolism ?

[pokercat999]

24. Exactly what do you expect from capitalist mercenaries?