Convoy ambush video

[T0J0]

Ambush

This sent chills down my back when I watched it.... I have nothing else to add...

[x0847Marine]

Originally posted by T0J0
Ambush

This sent chills down my back when I watched it.... I have nothing else to add...

"Home video shows US troops abandon ambushed convoy"

That's absolutely wrong. Those dudes from the Virgina Guard counter attacked saving one of the drivers.

Those guys are heros.

[Dago]

An upsetting video, but I suggest before anyone rushes to judge, you do the research.

A page of info

"They fought back bravely while waiting for reinforcements and attending to the casualties," Lt.-Col. Michelle Martin-Hing, a spokeswoman for the Multi-National Force-Iraq, told The Associated Press in an e-mail.

The military investigation found that "individuals at the front of the convoy reacted as they were taught by pushing forward and getting out of the kill zone of the ambush," Martin-Hing wrote.

"What is not visible in the video being shown is that they collected the casualties they could reach and laid down suppressive fire with their weapons to help get those vehicles that could move from the front of the convoy out of the kill zone," she wrote.

The troops then set up security, called for support and medical evacuations and directed the movements of other gun trucks farther back in the convoy, she said.

[DREDIOCK]

I fail to understand why we have american contractors over there to begin with when what we should do is perhaps have american general contractors. and subcontract the work out to the Iraqis.
that shouldnt have been an american truck driver. it should have been an Iraqi one

that being said. It was best put at the end of the clip.

"They all know the risks when they agree to go ever there"

[cav58d]

I would imagine that there is 24/7 close air support CAPing the different areas of Iraq right?  it said it took 45 minutes...Shouldnt there have been some apaches/kiowas, ac130's, MC cobras or navy/air force or MC fighter bombers responding sooner?

Im not putting blame on anyone....Im just curious why it took so long

[T0J0]

I wasnt payng attention to the reporting segment of the video, I just got chills listening to the driver in the cab.... Putting myself in his shoes I might have sharted about the time the escort was out of sight....  
 Anyone serving over there is a hero!!

[Dago]

Originally posted by cav58d
I would imagine that there is 24/7 close air support CAPing the different areas of Iraq right?  it said it took 45 minutes...Shouldnt there have been some apaches/kiowas, ac130's, MC cobras or navy/air force or MC fighter bombers responding sooner?

Im not putting blame on anyone....Im just curious why it took so long

I have to doubt there are skies full of air support available at a moments notice.  That would take a huge amount of assets, and you must remember Iraq is a very large country.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Surprising the drivers weren't even issued sidearms. They could have held them back for the decisive seconds before backup arrived.

[Dago]

Originally posted by MrRiplEy[H]
Surprising the drivers weren't even issued sidearms. They could have held them back for the decisive seconds before backup arrived.

No way I would take a civilian job there without a sidearm and a weapon like an assault rifle or preferable an MP5.   Not a job out among the civilians like the truck drivers.

Plus maybe a slingshot to sting the clowns throwing rocks.

I dont think if I would go so far as to say those drivers were heros, but they were willing to put their butts on the line to make cash.  More mercenary than heroic.  Regardless, they shouldnt be killed for doing their jobs.

[cav58d]

Originally posted by Dago
No way I would take a civilian job there without a sidearm and a weapon like an assault rifle or preferable an MP5.   Not a job out among the civilians like the truck drivers.

Plus maybe a slingshot to sting the clowns throwing rocks.

I dont think if I would go so far as to say those drivers were heros, but they were willing to put their butts on the line to make cash.  More mercenary than heroic.  Regardless, they shouldnt be killed for doing their jobs.

I would have to disagree...Yes, essentially these guys are mercenary's, and getting paid a good sum of cash to be over there...That said, they still died contributing to the war effort, so that gets some points in my book.....

I gotta be honest, im suprised at your statement about the CAS CAP...I dont doubt you what so ever, im just suprised...I would have imagened that there would be a mix of f-15's, f-16's, hornets, bombers, and choppers all proportinally spread across the skys of Iraq to as to respond to something like this...Atleast respond faster than 45 minutes...It sucks if this is the case...I support the war, but I really think there needs to be a big change over there...We know are weaknesses, and we know our strenghts...I dont know how hard it would be to reconfigure everything over there to just exploit our strength and keep weakness to a mininum, but something has to be done...what it is, I dont know?

[FUNKED1]

Mission Accomplished!

[Dago]

Originally posted by FUNKED1
Mission Accomplished!

This term gets misused all the time, by those who either don't have a clue about its origin in relation to Iraq war discussions, or they just want to misuse it to put down the administration.

The sign "Mission Accomplished" was hung on the deck of the carrier that Bush visited when it was returning from Iraq war service.   It was a fact that the mission the carrier was assigned was accomplished, and that is all it referred to.

What a few of the misinformed have tried to do is credit Bush with saying it, but the factual record shows he never did, not on the carrier, and not later.  He simply stated that major combat operations were over.  And truthfully, they pretty well were.  Since the collapse of the Iraqi military, combat actions have typically been confined to very small but deadly skirmishes.

So, please in the future consider refraining from the blatant misuse of terms or statements that lack relevance.

thank you.

[AquaShrimp]

Maybe some former infantrymen can comment on this.

I thought the standard response to an ambush was to lay down heavy suppressing fire, and to charge the enemy positions.  

At least thats how they protected road convoys in Vietnam.

[AquaShrimp]

I just watched the video.  

Plain and simple, the armored humvee escorting truck one and five abandoned them!  At the very least, the humvee could have picked up the survivors from truck one and five.  Shoot, they just hit the gas and got out of there!


Whatever happened to showing a bit of bravery?  Bravery is doing the right thing even though you are scared.  

But why would someone be terrified, sitting in an armored humvee, protected by a gun shield, wearing a kevlar helmet and body armor, with an M2 machine gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition?  Only thing that could have penetrated that humvee would be RPGs and rounds bigger than 7.62mm.

I think this is a case of inexperienced, scared troops, and perhaps very poor tactics.  Heres what I think should have been done:  The humvee stops, the gunner suppresses the insurgents, the driver runs out and gathers up the civilian contractors.  Wouldn't have taken more than 45 seconds.

[Yeager]

But why would someone be terrified, sitting in an armored humvee, protected by a gun shield, wearing a kevlar helmet and body armor
====
I can think of more than 2,500 damned good reasons to be scared