Combat casualty count doubted (Miss Dem Taylor - Purple Hearts denied)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/7427192.htm

An influential Mississippi congressman has raised the possibility that the Pentagon has undercounted combat casualties in Iraq after he learned that five members of the Mississippi National Guard who were injured Sept. 12 by a booby trap in Iraq were denied Purple Heart medals.

The guardsmen were wounded by an artillery shell that detonated as their convoy passed the tree in which it was hidden, but their injuries were classified as "noncombat," according to Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss. Taylor, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, learned of the classification when he visited the most seriously injured of the guardsmen, Spc. Carl Sampson, 35, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

"How could no one have caught this?" Taylor said.

On Nov. 20, shortly after visiting Sampson, Taylor brought the matter to the attention of Gen. Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Purple Hearts quickly were awarded.

But Taylor said the incident raised concerns that Iraq combat casualties had been understated. He said Myers told him he'd been made aware of similar oversights.

[markus]

1. This and an earlier post

could really spell trouble for Bush in the south.

I'd have to go back and find the link, but someone was discussing a dinner conversation with and about reservists and guard not expecting to spend multiple year tours of duty and being pretty pissed about it.

Of course, all Bush has to do is reinstate the draft because we're at war.

All he needs is some incident and you don't have to be a LIHOP to think that the world will conveniently serve up something somewhere to make it happen, and get us back up to 100% War Frenzy.

On edit, the earlier thread URL:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=503572

[wryter2000]

2. Thanks

I'd missed that thread. I hope we have candidates who are able to drive this point home. In fact, it would be darned nice if someone could start an investigation right now.

[arcane1]

3. I am mailing things like this to every southern gung-ho person I know

which includes 99.9% of my family!

hope everyone does the same!

:grr:

[Alpharetta]

4. Duplicate thread. Plus, he's getting the medal after all

Yes I share concern about the count of wounded.

But 2 things:

1) this is a duplicate thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=255308&mesg_id=255308

2) the Pentagon has agreed to award these guys the Purple Hearts.

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&edition=us&q=Carl+Sampson