Second service woman dies in Iraq

[IndianaGreen]

Second service woman dies in Iraq
Friday, July 11, 2003 Posted: 5:22 PM EDT (2122 GMT)

FORT CARSON, Colorado (AP) -- An Army sergeant killed by a gunshot wound in Iraq became the second U.S. servicewoman to die in the war.

Sgt. Melissa Valles, 26, of Eagle Pass, Texas, died Wednesday from non-combat injuries, according to the Defense Department. The accident in Balad, a city 55 miles north of Baghdad, was under investigation and details were not released.

Valles was with the headquarters detachment of 64th Forward Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Fort Carson officials said Friday.

"We know it is a gunshot wound to the abdomen. We just don't know the circumstances," said Lt. Col. Tom Budzyna, base spokesman.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/07/11/sprj.irq.soldier.dies.ap/index.html

[saigon68]

1. Sorry

One minute quicker than me:


WHO WILL WEEP HERE???

[IndianaGreen]

5. I am pissed that they are undercounting the casualties!

Many GIs drowned in the Normandy landings on D-Day. Paratroopers drowned when they landed in areas flooded by the German, tank crewmen drowned when their amphibious tanks sank.

Imagine the outcry if we did not count those deaths as casualties of war.

This is what Rumsfeld's Pentagon is now doing. A GI gets killed when his Humvee overturns as he was rushing to help a unit being ambushed. His death is counted as a vehicular accident. These men and women deserve more than being referred as crash victims, they are casualties of war!

Suicides are also casualties of war. Lord knows we always have plenty of those in the military.

[chasqui]

2. What I want to know is

How is a 'gunshot to the abdomen' a non-combat injury?
Was it a suicide? Horseplay?
Admin enlisted personnel are not issued handguns...that sort of thing is reserved for officers, and for other units. This makes no real sense to me.

[madmax]

3. Yes, I'm wondering the same thing

because this isn't the first. I believe last week a male soldier was killed 'non-combat' wounds from a gun shot.

[Mika]

4. Accident?

From the link (underline mine)

The accident in Balad, a city 55 miles north of Baghdad, was under investigation and details were not released.

Hmmm. Cleaning the shotgun - loaded?

[Heddi]

6. locking. dupe

continue here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=8768&mesg_id=8768&listing_type=search

btw--this original thread was on page 2 of LBN when your thread was posted. Please take the time necessary to look through LBN before making a post to ensure it's not a dupe

thanks
heddi
du mod