16 US troops commit suicide in Iraq (Ot)

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Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 29, 2008 - 11:18am PT

Did anybody hear about this? I can't find a mainstream source for it and I find that strange. The alternative and foreign media seems to know about it.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=68821§ionid=351020201

Sixteen US troops from the a unit of the Airborne Division have committed suicide inside a military base in Iraq, security sources say.

Iraqi security sources have revealed that 21 US troops had committed suicide inside a former Iraqi air force base 27 days ago, Fars News Agency reported on Monday.

According to the sources, the 21 troops were treated in a hospital but only five soldiers have survived and they are in a critical condition. Security officials said they used potent narcotics to kill themselves.

The troops' motivations for suicide are not known but according to Iraqi sources the servicemen belonged to a unit of the US Airborne Division that was behind the massacre of several Iraqi families-- mostly women and children-- in northern Baghdad, said Ali al-Baghdadi an Iraqi security official.

The suicides took place in the soldiers' dormitory after the dinner time.
"The bodies of the US troops became misshapen such a way that they looked like 5000-year mummies," said a witness.

According to Iraqi officials' estimates, some 600 US troops, including senior officers, have committed suicide in Iraq since the invasion of the country in 2003. Half of the suicide attempts have been successful.

dirtineye

Trad climber

the south

Sep 29, 2008 - 11:32am PT

Behold the true face of war.

People have to do things in war that they can't deal with.

It's not widely known or talked about, but in WW2, some experts found that what kept the units going was NEW RECRUITS-- because at first everyone is willing to fight. after they see what happens to their fellow soldiers, maimed, dead, blown to bits, they become less comfortable with the whole situation.

BTW, the 'support our tro0ps" crap form the rethuglicans is just that-- CRAP. IT is UNCONSCIONABLE, much less 'supporting' to send troops back for repeated consecutive extended tours of duty in a war zone.

BUT THAT is exactly what BUSH does.

IF the rethuglican adminstration REALLY wanted to support our troops, they'd have expanded the army, they'd have given the soldiers better armor FROM THE START, they'd have not let soldiers and national guarder families go starving and into bankruptcy) and they would not have privatized (at a HUGE Cost for very poor service-- and some are critical things like water purification, and the timing of food service to avoid mass groups that invite attacks)) the many tasks that out army has always done just fine for itself.

Hardman Knott

Gym climber

Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca

Sep 29, 2008 - 11:36am PT

Fattrad - before or after he pulled the trigger?

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, Ca.

Sep 29, 2008 - 11:46am PT

A mass suicide sounds a little fishy to me. Especially right after eating a meal? Sounds like a poisoning of a nasty kind.

Why would they all commit suicide after a meal, dying on a full stomach? And the 'mummy' effect of their bodies is weird too. This just happend of the coast of Somalia to some pirates going through some hijacked Iranian cargo.

http://rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=251337&D=2008-09-29&SO=&HC=1

Hardman Knott

Gym climber

Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca

Sep 29, 2008 - 11:49am PT

Can we expect to see this on Snopes.com soon?

dirtineye

Trad climber

the south

Sep 29, 2008 - 11:51am PT

NICe talusfood.

Now, can you give some evidence that it did not happen?

That is the customary way to refute a claim.

hunter

Trad climber

NYC

Sep 29, 2008 - 11:57am PT

Fars news is an Iranian news org (as it's name makes plain, farsi being the Iranian tongue), this alone should merit skepticism. That and the fact there is no known narcotic which turns people into mummies.

dirtineye

Trad climber

the south

Sep 29, 2008 - 12:10pm PT

well not one word anywhere else about it is strange, and that's after almost 20 days.

And since there are supposed to be 5 survivors, you'd think we'd hear something about it.

TGT

Social climber

So Cal

Sep 29, 2008 - 12:26pm PT

Not strange it it's a fake.

Tan Slacks

Social climber

Joshua Tree

Sep 29, 2008 - 01:16pm PT

KARLBABA***

*THE REPORT IS FALSE AND THE EVENT NEVER HAPPENED*

*YOUR SOURCE IS BIASED AND PRONE TO EXAGGERATION*

THE LINKED ARTICLE HAS OTHER ERRORS TOO

It is unfortunate that the internet is so clogged with questionable information. However, this subject is far from overstated. Suicides within the active duty soldier communtiy is in an emergent situation. Some of you know where I work and what I do. I will not re-state it here in this post because of the information to follow. The public has NO IDEA of the suicide rates within the military. The numbers are absolutly frightening. I don't know the whole numbers but based on the small comminity I deal with the numbers must be staggering. I am talking about returned soldiers still in the military. That is the only population I deal with. The cases I have seen have been are especially sad because the soldiers are often found with prescribed psychotropic drugs on scene. This suggests that these people have been identified as troubled and are still attempting to kill themselves. Everyone should be troubled by this and the public should be more troubled by how secluded the true numbers are. No matter how you feel about he war we are fighting, these are children that are suffering greatly after being in harms way. So even when "false" news stories appear, we must be diligent to find the truth.

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 29, 2008 - 02:13pm PT

I'm just trying to get at the truth. I find it troubling that bad news from Iraq seems to be suppressed. (Like anybody really believe that there were zero deaths in the explosions at Camp Falcon that were so spectacular on the news?)

I tried to fact check this story but couldn't find a refutation (very fast anyway)

Oh well, Guess at this point we really don't know until somebody provides some evidence (I hear there may not be the 57th that was reported to have the suicides)

but also funny, just try to find out how many troop suicides have happened in Iraq.

Peace

karl

TGT

Social climber

So Cal

Sep 29, 2008 - 02:18pm PT

It's actualy pretty damn easy.

Suicides in the armed services have spiked to 18.8 per 100k this year from 17 and change last year. Suicides in theater have been lower than state side for the entire conflict by a couple of percentage points. (highest rates are in boot camp)

For comparison the national average per 100k for white males was 19.7 last year and 22.0 for Montana.

Mungeclimber

Trad climber

sorry, just posting out loud.

Sep 29, 2008 - 02:23pm PT

Karl, probably a complete BS story.

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 29, 2008 - 02:30pm PT

Think I should nuke this thread then, or keep it up to see what happens.

Don't care either way myself.

News is for sure suppressed in the US. The MSM has been pathetic. The Army has made claims about how many civilians killed in certain bombings or raids, and video evidence has repeated supported the local claims of many more killed. The whole Jessica Lynch rescue and the toppling of Saddam's statue were make-up stories that were never clearly debunked by the MSM later.

Doesn't mean this news was true.

PEace

Karl

GDavis

Trad climber

Sep 29, 2008 - 02:32pm PT

Karl has good intentions, its not like no one has ever found a wrong article on the internet. Don't bother Nuking it, it'll get buried pretty fast. Remember, we have a presidential debate soon (maybe?).