News-Info-Alerts

Re: Nasiriyah Ambush Report Completed

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: July 10, 2003

"Ambush of 507th was result of haste, mistakes, says report
By Pauline Jelinek, Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The unprecedented speed of the U.S. Army's drive to Baghdad contributed to mistakes that ended in the deaths of 11 troops and capture of six, including Pfc. Jessica Lynch, a report says.

The report on the ambush of the 507th Maintenance Company in the first days of the war says communications failed when the support unit fell too far behind combat troops advancing toward Baghdad.

"Human error further contributed," says the 15-page Army draft report. It paints a picture of troops losing their way, breaking down and getting stuck in desert sands.

As time passed during the 60- to 70-hour ordeal, the troops got little sleep, radio batteries ran down and at least one vehicle ran out of gas.

A number of troops reported their weapons malfunctioned. The report suggests the unit of mechanics, cooks and other support personnel had not correctly maintained their guns for desert conditions.

It was a fundamental strategy of the war commander -- Army Gen. Tommy Franks -- that the ground force would move as quickly as possible to the capital, bypassing many southern Iraqi strongholds. Many military experts worried before the war that the rush to Baghdad would stretch supply lines too thin.

The 15-page report answers some questions about what was perhaps the most publicized incident of the war but leaves some parts -- still under investigation-- in the shroud of secrecy and conflicting accounts.

Of 33 people and 18 vehicles ambushed, only 16 soldiers in eight vehicles got away, the report said. Two soldiers in the convoy were from the 3rd Forward Support Battalion; they were among the 11 killed.

Lynch received numerous injuries after her Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed into another vehicle at a speed of roughly 45 mph, officials said. Four comrades riding with her were killed,

Initial reports incorrectly said Lynch emptied her rifle fighting off Iraqis before being captured.

A Portland newspaper quoted relatives of fallen soldiers Wednesday who said they were frustrated because the Army has told them no one is likely to be disciplined.

It makes no recommendations for discipline. Instead, the report merely lays out a series of events from the time the unit left Kuwait behind invading combat forces until the time of the attack and capture March 23 at the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah.

"The element of the 507th ... that bravely fought through Nasiriyah found itself in a desperate situation due to a navigational error caused by the combined effects of the operational pace, acute fatigue, isolation and the harsh environ-mental conditions," the report said.

"The tragic results of this error placed the soldiers ... in a torrent of fire from an adaptive enemy," it said.

At least one navigational error came from some unexplained misunderstanding by unit commander Capt. Troy King on what route he was supposed to take -- a fact that put his troops into the hostile area near Nasiriyah. At another point, as the convoy tried to escape under fire, another turn was missed.

"After they made that initial error, everything was compounded," one senior defense official said on condition of anonymity.

The attack itself lasted 60 to 90 minutes, a period the report called "a sustained period of time."

Of 33 people and 18 vehicles ambushed, only 16 soldiers in eight vehicles got away, the report said. Two soldiers in the convoy were from the 3rd Forward Support Battalion; they were among the 11 killed.

Lynch received numerous injuries, and four comrades riding with her were killed, after their Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed into another vehicle in their convoy at a speed of roughly 45 mph, officials said.

Initial reports incorrectly said Lynch emptied her rifle fighting off Iraqis before being captured, and that she had been shot and stabbed.

The (Portland) Oregonian in Wednesday editions quoted relatives of fallen soldiers who said they were frustrated because the Army has told them no one is likely to be disciplined.

"I'm not a spiteful person," said Randy Kiehl of Comfort, Texas, who lost his only son, James, in the attack. "I don't want a witch hunt. But, yes, I think someone should be held accountable."

"Nothing can bring James back," Kiehl was quoted as saying. "But let's make it right."

The company left Camp Virginia in Kuwait in a convoy to support the 3rd Infantry, which was heading north. Their heavier vehicles had trouble keeping up as they traveled through desert terrain, and they were responsible for stopping to repair vehicles that broke down.

The distance between the main convoy and the support troops grew larger, making communications spotty, said officials.

"In an unprecedented rapid advance of the ground campaign toward Baghdad, the 507th ... was last in a march column of 600 vehicles," the report said. "The company became isolated, as communications -- already stretched to the limit -- could not be extended to include them while they recovered heavy wheeled vehicles from soft sand and breakdowns along a cross-country route through the Iraqi desert."

"Soldiers of the 507th Maintenance Company fought as best they could given the situation," an Army official said on condition of anonymity. "During the attack they upheld the Army's values and the law of war. These soldiers did their duty and deserve respect for the sacrifices they and their families have made."

More than three dozen medals already have been awarded to soldiers in the ambush, including Bronze Stars, Purple Hearts and Prisoner of War Medals, officials said.

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