Liberals read this.

[Johnno]

There has is a lot of talk on this site about 'oh the Americans are tageting members of the press' and 'those poor people in abu gharib, i dont know what they did to get there but nothing is worthy of country music'

Well here is an article about an incident that was quite a few months ago and the story from one of the US soldiers who was at the scene. It is from another forum.

Im sure it will do nothing to sway anyone pre formed opinions nor make anyone appreciate what soldiers are going through there and certainly Bush will get blamed for it all and compared to kim jong il or saddam or hitler for his evil policies that he was voted in twice to implement.

But read it anyway if you have the time.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A CBS stringer has been arrested as a suspected insurgent, U.S. military officials said Friday.

The video cameraman was wounded during a firefight in northeastern Mosul between U.S. troops and insurgents Tuesday.

U.S. military officials said the man's camera held footage of a number of roadside bomb attacks against American troops, and they believe he was tipped off to those attacks.

A U.S. military statement said troops believe the man "poses an imperative threat to coalition forces" and that he "will be processed as any other security detainee."

CBS said the photographer was hired about three months ago, and it asked news organizations not to identify him.

In a written statement, the network said the man was referred to the network by a "fixer" in Tikrit "who has had a trusted relationship with CBS News for two years."

"It is common practice in Iraq for Western news organizations to hire local cameramen in places considered too dangerous for Westerners to work effectively," the network said.

"The very nature of their work often puts them in the middle of very volatile situations."

One official said at least four videos in the man's camera show roadside bomb attacks on U.S. troops.

All had been shot in a manner that suggested the cameraman had prior knowledge of the attacks and had scouted a shooting location in sight of the target.

"The individual in question was carrying press credentials from CBS News. Military officials detained this individual and are conducting an investigation into his previous activities as well as his alleged support of anti-Iraqi insurgency activities," a U.S. military statement said Friday.

The U.S. military has said that the cameraman was shot by soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment after it appeared to them he had a weapon.

The U.S. military said the shooting occurred amid the chaos of a suicide bombing and that the cameraman was standing next to an armed insurgent at the time.

U.S. troops have been fighting insurgents in Mosul almost daily.


This was written on the 8th of april, and to be honest I cant even remember what the date it happened was. I did post something about it, but wasnt really able to keep up to date on what was being said....but this is my side of the story if anyone cares to know.

Anyone familiar with Iraq in general knows what route I'm refering to when I talk about "Tampa"..this MSR runs all the way through Iraq into Turkey and into Kuwait down south, well Tampa in Mosul is the Gantlett that we run everyday....its really open, lots of shops in tall buildings that have entrances and quick exits into the maze-like alleyways that run behind it...perfect for anyone wanting to set up ambushes and make a quick gettaway...and it gives any would-be ambusher a lot of stand-off.

During that whole month we were getting hit with SVBIED's and just VBIED's they would park on the sides of tampa waiting for us to drive by them...and IED's would go off on Tampa everyday and all day, we didnt worry to much about them cause they rarely did anything to the Strykers...anyways, we were getting Intel everyday about how many VBIED's were rolling around town and how many foriegn martyrs they had ready to be married up with these VBIED's. Every VBIED was different...some were just a bunch of 155 arty shells daisy-chained, others actually were made with shape charges using regular traffic cones packed with PETN (russian c-4) and bags full ball bearings..... some had amonium-nitrate...what ever they could get thier hands on. We had several ways of telling the SVBIED's apart....many of them were so heavy they looked like low-riders and the drivers would have a hard time stearing them....since many of the drivers were foerign they wouldnt know the layout of roadways and would act really wierd driving. Buut for the most part you'll never know them when they hit you and there isnt a damn thing you can do about it, you just hope the SUicide bomber screws up and doesnt deliver his payload effectivly.
The night before the C.O briefed me he wanted me to take my squad and find a place to overwatch tampa and the yarmoouk traffic circle because intel was saying there were some martyrs refering to that traffic circle the day before.
At 0300 my squad and I went out with the TAC element bringing assault packs with us because I expected us to be in overwatch for at least 12 hours..lots of water...NODS, extra ammo..binos...and for some reason I decided to take 2 ASIP radios that day..so I could monitor company, battalion and I always listened to platoon on my 148, so I thought I had all the bases covered, we also brought an SMAW-d that day too (for some reason)...they dropped us off about a click away from the building we intended to go to, but it was easy to figure out where I was and how far we had to go, curfew was still in affect so I wasnt concerned with anyone fucking with us..we navigated some alleyways and got to what we now call COP reeper good place my PL and I had found a few weeks earlier...abandon building with three floors, I could lock us in to it and not have to be too concerned with security on the stairwells..if anyone was going to fuck with us we would hear them before they could breach the door. I had grabbed a sledge hammer and busted out to small holes in the walls on the north and south sides of the building, through the holes I could see about 400 meters up and down Tampa...perfect fields of fire, I know the AIF had abushed us from this building before..and it was a dominant piece of terrain. If I made sure we all stayed off the 2nd and 1st floors we could stay up there all day without anyone knowing we were there..the one problem that always would come up with these overwatches was the iraqi kids. The kids hang out in the streets and are quick about spotting us when we are trying to be sneeky. The whole overwathc went text book perfect....we werent compomised at all. we sat pulling shifts on the peep holes until about 1400, it was my shift, everyone else would rotate out monitoring the radios and pulling security on the stairwell....stryker convoys had been going up and down tampa all morning, and I could listen to the radio and know who was on its way through the gauntlett. Right after the noon prayer we got a call from duece-main (Battalion HQ) saying intel was getting info saying something was going down....right at 1400 a convoy of stryker from my company...the MGS platoon was rolling north on tampa and aproaching the yarmook traffic circle...I could hear them coming and I wathced the MSR, I had taken my eye-pro off to wipe the sweat off my face and had forgotten to put them back on...I saw them approaching the building I was in and didnt think twice about the blue pick-up truck that had pulled off the side of the road, the truck was packed full of scrap metal and didnt look any different than any other truck..nothing unusual. the first stryker was approaching the pick-up when all I remember was a bright flash....debris shot through the peephole and hit my eyes..the explosion was delayed and rocked my head like nothing I have ever expierenced...what seemed like at least 5 seconds passed and I felt chunks of metal hitting the roof and falling all over us.

I need a break, I'll continue the post in a little while, I need a beer.

I remember seeing a lot of smoke and the stryker still on fire...the Stryker weighs 22 tons and this SVBIED was so big it threw it accross the medium and into the opposite lane of traffic...all the hatches were gone, the engine was gone, it was fucked up. I called up deuce main and asked if they needed assistance with CASEVAC and they said to standby. I watched as they dragged 2 limp bodies out of the back and I knew it couldnt be good. We stayed in overwathc and I remeber seeing a civilan car riddled with holes..all the tires flat, driving past the building I was in..the driver wasnt even consious and covered in blood...the car was going about 2 miles an hour. I placed my weapon on fire and was about to engage...I dont really know why I didnt...I watched him go by and placed my weapon back on safe. Duece main came back on the net and told us to stay for local security. It took about 20 mins and the stryker and all the casualties were gone. there was nothing left but a black substance splattered all over the place and pieces of slat armour from the Styrker. It wasnt even a second after the strykers were gone and people started to come out of the wood work. One of my guys said that 2 guys were coming up the block, one with an AK the other with a camera....people were all over the street, and these 2 guys that looked like the knew eachother got to the site and began doing thier Jihad dance while the other guy filmed him, he was shooting his AK, and inciting the crowd...picking up pieces of the Stryker and dancing...we started taking small arms fire at that point...I couldnt tell what the direction was, but I know it was aimed at us....you can tell when the rounds are impacting close....that loud snap..fire cracker noise when an AK round hits a wall...I looked throught the scope on my m-14 and took the shot, I shot the guy with the AK and saw his body fling to one side...he didnt go down easy..a women came out in the street to help him and I plugged another round into his chest...at this point my whole squad opened up on him and the man with the camera next to him hit the ground and wasnt moving. The crowed dispersed almost imediatly...the 2 men layed in the street alone and imobile...I called duece main for extraction. When our ride arrived we went out to the sute and picked the bodies up..when we stopped the CBS guy jumped up and waved his CBS credentials in my face...the other guy was alive but bareley...he kept saying "mista " Mista"...I ingnored him and loaded him up....he died enrote to the CASH...and I was OK with that. the other guy (CBS guy) only had a round to the ass, I took his camera and stuff and gave it to the THT guys....later that night I had to write a bunch of sworn statments and stuff casue CBS was trowing a fit....when they found out that Mr. Youseff came up hot on vapor trace they started thier apologetic back-pedeling about how he was a refered stringer...blah blah....All I know is that that day a good frined of mine that was TCing that Stryker had a piece of shrapnel go through his brain....SGT Youn..he had a craniotomy...and today he sits in a VA hospital in Virginia not getting the rehab he needs......I feel really guilty about not being able to do anything that day to stop that SVBIED....that will stay with me for ever...but I cant help but think that CBS bears some responsibility with thier employees....does anyone know of someone I could talk to or some advice about this......Youn and his family deserve something. I watched Mr Yousef...I KNOW he was involved...he was there filimg the whole thing.....he knew the attack was going to happen.

[RYP]

Your confusion stems from the fact that being a journalist doens't automatically make you a supporter of the US cause. Remember the Army dude who rolled a grenade into the officers tent? Does that mean you get rid of all grades below LT? How about Timothy McVeigh. New York boy, trained by the US Military...

The other option would to be simply shoot anyone with a video camera... that should solve the problem...

[Johnno]

I am not confused about what I wrote and the article and story but what are you talking about? Grenades, timothy mcveigh? Have you been trying to get contractors drunk so they talk more again?

I am not the guy who wrote the story about the incident, nor have I offerend any solutions. I just hope that next time people cry that the US soldiers are evil press killers they should consider how much they know for sure about the situation in which the shooting occurred, or even what side of the insurgency war the press member was filming from.

[RYP]

Getting contractors drunk? Other way around... :))

Your confusion comes from thinking that US troops don't kill journos (one of the first casualties was Terry Nichols from ITN who was gunned down by scared shitless Marines) and that thinking that somehow journos were supportive or aligned with the US military invasion (they usually are not) Take it one step further and assume that journos might be aligned and supportive of the enemy and you might be closer to the truth. That still doesn't mean they get to be gunned down. If that was that case half of the Washington press corp would be in body bags..

[Renard]

What does this post have to do with liberalism?

[Buzzsaw]

And what if you aren't a liberal? Are you still allowed to read it?

[Kurt]

And what if you aren't a liberal? Are you still allowed to read it?

No, you just don't need to read it.

I mean, does Tom Cruise need to read Dianetics?

[goat balls]

Ok..Ok..I'm not going to read it, but this is blatant discrimination and I've already ratted you guys out to the dream team of Pelosi, Kennedy, Dean and Farrakan.

I gave them Kurt and RYP's name.

[illman]

I am shocked and appalled at the suggestion that any person associated with CBS is not completely supportive of Bush and the military.

[goat balls]

I am shocked and appalled at the suggestion that any person associated with CBS is not completely supportive of Bush and the military.

I only hope that the work I've done here has had a positive impact on the folks here at 60 Minutes II. I'm not talking legacy here, I'd just like to think I've left my mark.



Dan, I think I can say with the utmost confidence that you are largely responsible for the current success of both CBS News and 60 Minutes II, and for the way in which the public perceives us.



High praise indeed, Mr. Simon. Tip of the Stetson to you.



And Dan, we here at 60 Minutes Sunday will continue the tradition of honest reporting that has become the hallmark of CBS News. We call it as we see it. Right down the middle, no bias, just the facts.

[Vincent]

I read the article as required per my political persuassion and I would posit this question - "What if the Iraqi insurgents captured a reporter or cameraman who was embedded with a US unit, had notes, film, ect of various campaigns and seemd to have prior knowledge of US operations, ala Fallujia?"

What then? Should we understand when they treat them more harshly? Would we, as Americans, agree with a harsher punishment for them?

I understand where you might get pissed that there are journalists - some from US media companies - who seem to be working with the people our troops are fighting to get a point of view on a story you don't agree with. However, as much as it's your right to be pissed off about it, it is their right to get that story. If they were embedded with a US unit and were sharing prior knowledge of US operations with the enemy, that is a different story altogether, but that's not what the article or your comments imply.

The other quesiton might be, should journalists be granted a priviliged status in society? I would disagree with that point of view, but you might be surprised to learn that a conservative senator has sponsored legislation to do just that. If you also disagree with that point of view, I would suggest you contact Senator Lugar and let him know.

[illman]

Goat balls .... that was freakin' hilarious ..... Where did you get that ??

[Swiss_AK]

The video cameraman was wounded during a firefight in northeastern Mosul between U.S. troops and insurgents Tuesday.

CBS said the photographer was hired about three months ago, and it asked news organizations not to identify him.

U.S. military officials said the man's camera held footage of a number of roadside bomb attacks against American troops, and they believe he was tipped off to those attacks.

A U.S. military statement said troops believe the man "poses an imperative threat to coalition forces" and that he "will be processed as any other security detainee."

Anyway was the end result? What made them believe he was tipped off? If he was a threat ...how much danger is a video camera really?

I can quickly see how difficult it must be to be a war reporting journie and put into certain situations where youre only objective is to report...like, uh,,,,this wasnt in the playbook was it?

[jamesy]

Bored? Lots of free time? Want something fun to do?!!

Well, it's always fascinating to think about how many people think you hate the US soldiers when you're really just critical of the decision to invade Iraq. Hours of amaaaaaaaazing exciting entertainment!!

Try it!! great fun for the kids too!!

J./

[Johnno]

OK I got the predicable crap. A little less than expected maybe. Is funny how many people that consider themselves free thinkers behave in the most predicable way.

I used 'liberal' in the title to attract the attention of all the people who are so very left wing and refuse to be classed as such.

Well i had a lot of things to put down but thinking about it. Why bother? No one I have seen on this site listens or reads and takes the info in. No opinions change. People just look for confirmation of their beleifs and ignore all evidence or ideas that challenge them.

My whole issue with the press is they are never neutral. Most are anti war. Paying some insurgent or sympathiser to film attacks on US convoys is funding the insurgency.

Im sure if say, your brother or son was killed by a murderer and wanted to tell the world about it, you would not be happy if FOX or CNN did an 'impartial' interview and filming that was arranged before the murder. Especially if they then agreed to wait enough time for the murderer to leave the country before releasing it. So your brother is dead, a network had the power to stop it but they were being impartial. But hey, its cool. Whats more if your family member faught for his life and wounded the photagrapher? well then, the network certainly should herald him as an out of control phsycopath who should have had the decency to die on film without a fuss.

Anyone who shows more empathy to the scum killing soldiers everyday and the people who support those insurgents is, in my mind, an ignorant piece of shit. Its great to sit at home and be impartial and glamourise the insurgency but its also ignorant and the psuedo intellectuals that think its being 'impartial' should compare some examples closer to home and realise right and wrong are more clear cut they they want to make out.