Is hunger an issue at Camp Bucca?
Staff and wire reports
Posted : Friday Apr 25, 2008 12:23:38 EDT
Rep. Mary Fallin, R-Okla., said she is investigating allegations that members of the Oklahoma National Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade are not being regularly fed in Iraq.
Fallin, R-Okla., placed a formal request Thursday for the Army to look into the accusations, her spokesman Alex Weintz said.
The father of an Oklahoma soldier notified Oklahoma City television station KOCO after receiving an e-mail from his daughter, Kristy Fleshman, a member of the Oklahoma National Guard serving in Iraq.
“I have the ultimate respect for our military and for the job they do and for the sacrifices they make for the well-being of all of us,” Howard Fleshman told KOCO. “And, so it’s only out of this concern and the concern for the well-being of Oklahoma soldiers that I’m raising this issue in the first place.”
Weintz said Fallin’s office was told that members of the 45th at Camp Bucca were working nine-hour shifts without being served lunch.
“Having heard those reports, our office contacted the Oklahoma National Guard, and Rep. Fallin herself contacted [Maj.] Gen. Galen Jackman at the Pentagon,” Weintz said.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_nolunch_042508/
Why do I have a feeling this is another cover up?
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Rep. Doug Lamborn reduced support of troops to slogan
Bill would expand PTSD benefits
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Apr 26, 2008 7:29:24 EDT
House lawmakers have reworked a bill that would make it easier for veterans to get benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder by not requiring them to prove their exposure to a stressor.
Lawmakers expanded the meaning of “combat with the enemy” to include “active service in a theater of combat operations during a period of war; or in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities.”
That means a cook who witnesses the aftermath of a roadside bomb explosion or a clerk who spends his evenings in bomb shelters in the green zone as rockets hit qualify for medical benefits after being diagnosed with PTSD.
“There are cases of people coming home from Iraq with all the classic symptoms and being denied care,” said John Hall, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs disability assistance subcommittee.
As more cases of suicide, divorce and bankruptcy appear, ensuring veterans receive the care they need becomes more important, Hall said April 24.
But Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., offered an amendment to delete that section of the Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act of 2008 entirely because, he said, it reduces the significance of the experience of those who “actually did face the enemy.”
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/SATURDAYmilitary_disability_ptsd_042608w/
Party: Republican
Residence: Colorado Springs
Marital Status: M (Jean)
Prev. Occupation: Attorney
Prev. Political Exp.: CO House 1995-98; CO Senate, 1998-2006
Education: BS University of Kansas, 1978; JD University of Kansas, 1985
Birthdate: 05/24/1954
Birthplace: Leavenworth, KS
Religion: Christian
Doug Lamborn (born May 24, 1954, Leavenworth, Kansas) is a Republican politician for the U.S. state of Colorado. He currently serves in the United States House of Representatives as the Congressman for Colorado's 5th congressional district, based in Colorado Springs. He has been assigned to the Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee on Natural Resources.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Lamborn
So as you can see we have another non-veteran on the Veteran's Affair Committee acting as if the has one single clue what PTSD is, what men and women sent into WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq or any of the other operations they have gone to, did to them no matter if they had a gun in their hands or not. Amazing! It's not like he was too young to go to Vietnam or to serve at any point in his life. After all, he was young enough to have been in at least three wars. So why wasn't he? The only "enemy" he had to face were Democratic Party members trying to undo all the harm they did to the DOD and the VA!!!!!!! Shame on him!
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Apr 26, 2008 7:29:24 EDT
House lawmakers have reworked a bill that would make it easier for veterans to get benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder by not requiring them to prove their exposure to a stressor.
Lawmakers expanded the meaning of “combat with the enemy” to include “active service in a theater of combat operations during a period of war; or in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities.”
That means a cook who witnesses the aftermath of a roadside bomb explosion or a clerk who spends his evenings in bomb shelters in the green zone as rockets hit qualify for medical benefits after being diagnosed with PTSD.
“There are cases of people coming home from Iraq with all the classic symptoms and being denied care,” said John Hall, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs disability assistance subcommittee.
As more cases of suicide, divorce and bankruptcy appear, ensuring veterans receive the care they need becomes more important, Hall said April 24.
But Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., offered an amendment to delete that section of the Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act of 2008 entirely because, he said, it reduces the significance of the experience of those who “actually did face the enemy.”
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/SATURDAYmilitary_disability_ptsd_042608w/
Party: Republican
Residence: Colorado Springs
Marital Status: M (Jean)
Prev. Occupation: Attorney
Prev. Political Exp.: CO House 1995-98; CO Senate, 1998-2006
Education: BS University of Kansas, 1978; JD University of Kansas, 1985
Birthdate: 05/24/1954
Birthplace: Leavenworth, KS
Religion: Christian
Doug Lamborn (born May 24, 1954, Leavenworth, Kansas) is a Republican politician for the U.S. state of Colorado. He currently serves in the United States House of Representatives as the Congressman for Colorado's 5th congressional district, based in Colorado Springs. He has been assigned to the Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee on Natural Resources.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Lamborn
So as you can see we have another non-veteran on the Veteran's Affair Committee acting as if the has one single clue what PTSD is, what men and women sent into WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq or any of the other operations they have gone to, did to them no matter if they had a gun in their hands or not. Amazing! It's not like he was too young to go to Vietnam or to serve at any point in his life. After all, he was young enough to have been in at least three wars. So why wasn't he? The only "enemy" he had to face were Democratic Party members trying to undo all the harm they did to the DOD and the VA!!!!!!! Shame on him!
Review ordered for anthrax vaccine refusers
Review ordered for anthrax vaccine refusers
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Apr 26, 2008 7:23:17 EDT
A federal judge’s decision could lead to clearing the records of military personnel who refused to take mandatory anthrax shots between 1999 and 2004.
Judge James Robertson of the district court for the District of Columbia admonished the Air Force Board for the Correction of Military Records, which had rejected a petition by two former Connecticut Air National Guard officers for compensatory relief for back pay and lost promotions after they claim they were forced to resign for refusing the vaccine.
The plaintiffs, Thomas Rempfer and the estate of the late Russell Dingle, based their appeal on a separate anthrax vaccine lawsuit.
Robertson said the Air Force records board mistakenly characterized that lawsuit as a victory for the government, when it was not, and cited that conclusion in rejecting the petition.
The board is a civilian entity empowered to review Air Force records “when necessary to correct an error or remove an injustice.”
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/SATURDAYmilitary_anthraxvaccines_042608w/
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Apr 26, 2008 7:23:17 EDT
A federal judge’s decision could lead to clearing the records of military personnel who refused to take mandatory anthrax shots between 1999 and 2004.
Judge James Robertson of the district court for the District of Columbia admonished the Air Force Board for the Correction of Military Records, which had rejected a petition by two former Connecticut Air National Guard officers for compensatory relief for back pay and lost promotions after they claim they were forced to resign for refusing the vaccine.
The plaintiffs, Thomas Rempfer and the estate of the late Russell Dingle, based their appeal on a separate anthrax vaccine lawsuit.
Robertson said the Air Force records board mistakenly characterized that lawsuit as a victory for the government, when it was not, and cited that conclusion in rejecting the petition.
The board is a civilian entity empowered to review Air Force records “when necessary to correct an error or remove an injustice.”
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/SATURDAYmilitary_anthraxvaccines_042608w/
Israel 34 days at war and 500 PTSD reserve soldiers
Israel tests Ecstasy on war trauma victims
An Israeli medical team has started tests using the drug Ecstasy as a treatment for conflict-linked post-traumatic disorders, the Maariv daily reported on Friday.
Doctors at the Beer-Yakov psychiatric hospital south of Tel Aviv are testing the response of Israeli post-traumatic disorder patients to MDMA, the active ingredient in the drug.
Rakefet Rodriguez, Sergio Marchiveski and Marina Kaufchicz, who are leading the experimental programme, are convinced that psychotheraphy is crucial in curing patients and that Ecstasy can help them to recover.
The doctors believe the drug has both calming and stimulating effects that can help patients not only overcome trauma but also dominate it, Maariv said.
Almost 500 reserve troops suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following the 34-day war that pitted Israeli troops against Lebanon’s Hezbollah Shiite militia in July and August 2006, the paper said.
Ecstasy, which is illegal in most countries, is one of the world’s most commonly used narcotics.
http://inplacenews.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/israel-tests-ecstasy-on-war-trauma-victims/
Before you start on anything about Israel and Lebanon, don't. This is about the fact they had a 34 day battle going on and it produced 500 PTSD cases. Think about that!
The next thing is that with their track record of upheaval and suicide bombings, along with Lebanon and what they are going through, we have a lot to learn from them. It's time we all looked at what other nations are doing since all that is required is a human is exposed to traumatic events and there are humans all over the world.
Why didn't Keith Olbermann interview Paul Sullivan?
Supporting the troops Posted: Thursday, April 24, 2008 8:23 PM by Countdown
Paul Rieckhoff, the Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America who joined us on Countdown tonight, has compiled a comprehensive website devoted to the new GI Bill.
I just posted this on Countdown's site.
I can't believe I was disappointed in a Countdown show. When Keith interviewed Paul Rieckhoff, he interviewed the wrong Paul. Paul Sullivan of Veterans For Common Sense, is the one behind the law suit against the VA. He's been working on this longer than Rieckhoff has. While I do admire Rieckhoff and applaud him, there is an important voice in all of this that is not getting the same attention. I would love to see Paul Sullivan address his work for the veterans. Sullivan worked for the VA and he knows how it works as well as how it is supposed to work. Had it not been for his efforts, we would not know how despicable the heads of the VA have been in hiding data instead of doing the right thing.
I love Olbermann and have since he began his show. I think it's fresh, honest, intelligent and humorous. I absolutely love Oddball. That said, I am disappointed that Rieckhoff seems to be the only one getting the attention working on veteran's issues. There are many important voices in all of this and Paul Sullivan is one of them. I don't think he's receiving a tenth of the publicity he should be getting while he spends countless hours working on behalf of all veterans. Sullivan is tenacious, passionate and a powerhouse! In all the years I've been doing this, there have been very few who come close to his dedication. While watching the show, I got angry that he was not the one interviewed at the time the law suit against the VA has provided the people of this country a clearer view of what has been going on behind the veterans backs by the same department that is supposed to be taking care of them. While people like me have been aware of how bad it is for veterans, average Americans, while they clearly care, are not about to invest this many hours researching any of this. They rely on the mainstream media to provide them with the facts. Sullivan's voice has to be added to all of this or the media, once again, does a disservice to the viewers.
By Paul Sakuma, AP
Execuitive Director of Veterans for Common Sense Paul Sullivan is part of a class-action lawsuit filed Monday against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that is struggling to meet growing demands from veterans returning home from the wars abroad.
Lawsuit says VA mishandled claimsBy Laura Parker, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — A coalition of disabled Iraq war veterans sued the Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday, accusing the VA of illegally denying or delaying claims for disability pay and mental health treatment.
The lawsuit names Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, among others, and asks for sweeping changes in the way the federal government handles claims of more than 1.6 million veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11.go here for more
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-07-23-iraq-vets_N.htm
Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
Friday, April 25, 2008
Tell Arnold Veterans Home In Yountville needs his attention
State vets home in bad shape, audit shows
Matthew Yi, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Friday, April 25, 2008
(04-25) 04:00 PDT Sacramento --
- The state veterans home in Yountville, the nation's oldest veterans home, suffers from chronic staff shortages and a lack of proper oversight for timely maintenance of medical equipment, according to a report released Thursday by the state auditor.
The report was ordered by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee in August after state Sen. Patricia Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, requested an investigation. The senator said her office had received about 100 pages of letters complaining about the level of care at the 124-year-old state facility that includes a hospital and houses about 1,100 residents.
Complaints ranged from dirty floors and under-inflated wheelchair tires to an allegation by one resident that he had to lie in bed two hours waiting for a nurse to come clean him up.
The 67-page report concluded the home has had difficulty filling health care positions in recent years and some nurses have had to work substantial amounts of overtime to meet the residents' needs.
go here for more
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/25/BAE510BBAS.DTL
Matthew Yi, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Friday, April 25, 2008
(04-25) 04:00 PDT Sacramento --
- The state veterans home in Yountville, the nation's oldest veterans home, suffers from chronic staff shortages and a lack of proper oversight for timely maintenance of medical equipment, according to a report released Thursday by the state auditor.
The report was ordered by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee in August after state Sen. Patricia Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, requested an investigation. The senator said her office had received about 100 pages of letters complaining about the level of care at the 124-year-old state facility that includes a hospital and houses about 1,100 residents.
Complaints ranged from dirty floors and under-inflated wheelchair tires to an allegation by one resident that he had to lie in bed two hours waiting for a nurse to come clean him up.
The 67-page report concluded the home has had difficulty filling health care positions in recent years and some nurses have had to work substantial amounts of overtime to meet the residents' needs.
go here for more
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/25/BAE510BBAS.DTL
Iraqi payroll filled with dead, missing soldiers
Iraqi payroll filled with dead, missing soldiers
U.S. audit also finds discrepancies in how troops are counted
updated 12:01 a.m. ET, Fri., April. 25, 2008
WASHINGTON - Iraq's government has kept thousands of dead, injured or absent policemen and soldiers on the payroll as a way to compensate or care for their families, an audit found.
The practice is just one example of why there are no reliable numbers on how many Iraqi forces are on the job at any given time, says the report being made public Friday by Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction.
"There are continuing uncertainties about the true number ... who are present for duty at any one time,'' Bowen said of Iraqi policemen, soldiers, border guards and other forces.
Bowen said another part of the problem is that Iraqi ministries lack automated accounting systems needed to keep good data.
"I would not call it a damning report. I would say it's reflective of the difficulty of assessing troop strength ... and, more importantly, capabilities,'' Bowen said in an interview Thursday.
Bowen had been asked to assess last month's Defense Department report on Iraq, one in a series of quarterly documents required by Congress to measure progress toward military and political security there.
The $20 billion U.S. program to train Iraqis to provide their own security is key to when U.S. troops levels can be reduced in Iraq. And the problem of assessing the Iraqi forces is not new.
go here for more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24302718/
What is really, really wrong about all of this is, it’s our money and we are not taking care of our own dead soldier’s families, living soldier’s families or the wounded we have. This is what is wrong with this. What else is wrong with this is we still don’t know how many Iraqis are really serving in their own military fighting for their own country. This is what else is wrong with all of this! We don’t know how closer we are to turning over Iraq to the Iraqi people. Plus there is Al-Sadr who just called for all out war against the “occupiers” or in other words, our troops.
U.S. audit also finds discrepancies in how troops are counted
updated 12:01 a.m. ET, Fri., April. 25, 2008
WASHINGTON - Iraq's government has kept thousands of dead, injured or absent policemen and soldiers on the payroll as a way to compensate or care for their families, an audit found.
The practice is just one example of why there are no reliable numbers on how many Iraqi forces are on the job at any given time, says the report being made public Friday by Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction.
"There are continuing uncertainties about the true number ... who are present for duty at any one time,'' Bowen said of Iraqi policemen, soldiers, border guards and other forces.
Bowen said another part of the problem is that Iraqi ministries lack automated accounting systems needed to keep good data.
"I would not call it a damning report. I would say it's reflective of the difficulty of assessing troop strength ... and, more importantly, capabilities,'' Bowen said in an interview Thursday.
Bowen had been asked to assess last month's Defense Department report on Iraq, one in a series of quarterly documents required by Congress to measure progress toward military and political security there.
The $20 billion U.S. program to train Iraqis to provide their own security is key to when U.S. troops levels can be reduced in Iraq. And the problem of assessing the Iraqi forces is not new.
go here for more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24302718/
What is really, really wrong about all of this is, it’s our money and we are not taking care of our own dead soldier’s families, living soldier’s families or the wounded we have. This is what is wrong with this. What else is wrong with this is we still don’t know how many Iraqis are really serving in their own military fighting for their own country. This is what else is wrong with all of this! We don’t know how closer we are to turning over Iraq to the Iraqi people. Plus there is Al-Sadr who just called for all out war against the “occupiers” or in other words, our troops.
Pentagon halts "feeding" of information to TV talking heads
Pentagon halts feeding of information to retired officers while issue is reviewed
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, April 26, 2008
ARLINGTON, Va. - The Defense Department has temporarily stopped feeding information to retired military officers pending a review of the issue, said Robert Hastings, principal deputy assistant secretary of Defense for public affairs.
The New York Times first reported on Sunday that the Defense Department was giving information to retired officers serving as pundits for various media organizations in order to garner favorable media coverage.
Some of these retired officers saw their access to key decision-makers as possible business opportunities for the defense contractors they represent, according to the newspaper. The story also alleged that the officers who did not repeat the Bush administration's official line were denied further access to information.
Hastings said he is concerned about allegations that the Defense Department's relationship with the retired military analysts was improper.
"Following the allegations, the story that is printed in the New York Times, I directed my staff to halt, to suspend the activities that may be ongoing with retired military analysts to give me time to review the situation," Hastings said in an interview with Stripes on Friday.
go here for more
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54330
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, April 26, 2008
ARLINGTON, Va. - The Defense Department has temporarily stopped feeding information to retired military officers pending a review of the issue, said Robert Hastings, principal deputy assistant secretary of Defense for public affairs.
The New York Times first reported on Sunday that the Defense Department was giving information to retired officers serving as pundits for various media organizations in order to garner favorable media coverage.
Some of these retired officers saw their access to key decision-makers as possible business opportunities for the defense contractors they represent, according to the newspaper. The story also alleged that the officers who did not repeat the Bush administration's official line were denied further access to information.
Hastings said he is concerned about allegations that the Defense Department's relationship with the retired military analysts was improper.
"Following the allegations, the story that is printed in the New York Times, I directed my staff to halt, to suspend the activities that may be ongoing with retired military analysts to give me time to review the situation," Hastings said in an interview with Stripes on Friday.
go here for more
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54330
Fort Bragg Soldiers Living in Hell worse than Walter Reed
Bragg Barracks Living Conditions (+)
by: jimstaro
Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 16:25:27 PM EDT
Most of my readers also follow me on Military Spouses For Change. This video was posted there and I'm sure when you watch it you will be just as sickened as I am. It's over on the right side of the blog. You need to watch it. The father of Sgt. Frawley made the video and it shows conditions worse than what we house criminals in. We were so angered with the conditions at Walter Reed and I'm sure you were like me thinking that Walter Reed was the worst conditions, but you would be wrong like I was. There is no excuse for this. What's wrong with the brass that they would allow any of our soldiers living like this? What is wrong with the media not reporting on the conditions of the bases our soldiers and Marines have to live with? Over and over again, it takes a family member to report on what the government should be doing! Time to make some serious changes and it begins here and now with you! Especially if you happen to be one of my Republican friends and still think that your elected are the ones who are supporting the troops. They need to hear from you! They don't support the troops but you do! You are interested in all of this enough to come in this blog everyday. I know you care. Hold them accountable. If you are one of my Democratic pals, get on the phone and make some calls too. Both sides need to be flooding the media and demand they pay attention to what is going on and do something about it.
by: jimstaro
Fri Apr 25, 2008 at 16:25:27 PM EDT
This video is appalling. Soldiers should never have to live like this, no one should. PLEASE contact your Congressman in response to this article and video.Read the comments for instructions on how to do that, or contact DonQuixote for technical help. - promoted by Bridgetta)
Another rising case of the Mis-Treatment of the Military Troops returning from the Theaters of Afganistan and Iraq.
The following was printed in the Fayetteville Observer, in Fayetteville North Carolina, home to Ft Bragg Army Base.
YouTube video raises concerns about Bragg barracks
jimstaro :: Bragg Barracks Living Conditions
The video was produced by a Father of a returning Afgan Soldier, and he isn't Happy. Don't blame him At All, how about You!
The video was made by Edward Frawley, the father of a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne Division who returned from Afghanistan on April 13 and is among the soldiers now living in the barracks.
Most of my readers also follow me on Military Spouses For Change. This video was posted there and I'm sure when you watch it you will be just as sickened as I am. It's over on the right side of the blog. You need to watch it. The father of Sgt. Frawley made the video and it shows conditions worse than what we house criminals in. We were so angered with the conditions at Walter Reed and I'm sure you were like me thinking that Walter Reed was the worst conditions, but you would be wrong like I was. There is no excuse for this. What's wrong with the brass that they would allow any of our soldiers living like this? What is wrong with the media not reporting on the conditions of the bases our soldiers and Marines have to live with? Over and over again, it takes a family member to report on what the government should be doing! Time to make some serious changes and it begins here and now with you! Especially if you happen to be one of my Republican friends and still think that your elected are the ones who are supporting the troops. They need to hear from you! They don't support the troops but you do! You are interested in all of this enough to come in this blog everyday. I know you care. Hold them accountable. If you are one of my Democratic pals, get on the phone and make some calls too. Both sides need to be flooding the media and demand they pay attention to what is going on and do something about it.
New US Embassy in Iraq has no housing for all its workers
New US Embassy in Iraq has no housing for all its workers
By BRADLEY BROOKS, Associated Press Writer
Fri Apr 25, 2:07 PM ET
BAGHDAD - The new U.S. Embassy complex does not have enough fortified living quarters for hundreds of diplomats and other workers, who must remain temporarily in trailers without special rooftop protection against mortars and rockets, government officials have told The Associated Press.
Sorting out the housing crunch and funding could further delay moving all personnel into the compound until next year and exposes shortcomings in the planning for America's more than $700 million diplomatic hub in Iraq.
The issue of "hardened" housing in the U.S.-protected Green Zone has gained renewed prominence since Shiite militias resumed steady attacks on the enclave in late March as part of backlash to an Iraqi-led crackdown.
More than a dozen people have been killed in the Green Zone in the latest waves of attacks, including a U.S. civilian government worker whose housing trailer was hit.
At one point — during the heaviest barrages early this month — the State Department ordered all its Baghdad employees to wear body armor and other protective gear while outside buildings in the Green Zone, which also contains the British Embassy, key Iraqi government offices and other international compounds.
click post title for more
By BRADLEY BROOKS, Associated Press Writer
Fri Apr 25, 2:07 PM ET
BAGHDAD - The new U.S. Embassy complex does not have enough fortified living quarters for hundreds of diplomats and other workers, who must remain temporarily in trailers without special rooftop protection against mortars and rockets, government officials have told The Associated Press.
Sorting out the housing crunch and funding could further delay moving all personnel into the compound until next year and exposes shortcomings in the planning for America's more than $700 million diplomatic hub in Iraq.
The issue of "hardened" housing in the U.S.-protected Green Zone has gained renewed prominence since Shiite militias resumed steady attacks on the enclave in late March as part of backlash to an Iraqi-led crackdown.
More than a dozen people have been killed in the Green Zone in the latest waves of attacks, including a U.S. civilian government worker whose housing trailer was hit.
At one point — during the heaviest barrages early this month — the State Department ordered all its Baghdad employees to wear body armor and other protective gear while outside buildings in the Green Zone, which also contains the British Embassy, key Iraqi government offices and other international compounds.
click post title for more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)