U.S. Marine dies after fall from building in Iraq

[ze_dscherman]

BAGHDAD, July 16 (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine died after falling from a building while on guard duty in Iraq on Tuesday, the U.S. military said on Wednesday.

The accidental death in the town of Hilla around 60 miles (100 km) south of Baghdad was the 70th non-combat fatality among U.S. forces in Iraq.

Source: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L16571118.htm

[0007]

1. Another accidental death?

So this one won't count either, 'eh?

[R Hickey]

2. Did he fall, jump or was he pushed?

This invasion just cost one more American's life, nomatter how Bush's spin-doctors chauk it up.

[Divernan]

3. Why are ALL relevant details withheld?

Sure, keep the name out, pending notificatio of next of kin - although we know from experience that after the day or two that takes, we STILL will not see a press release with the soldier's name. But how do we know whether any witnesses actually saw the fall and can confirm it was accidental? How tall was the building? Did he "fall" out of a window or from a rooftop? What time of day was it? Was he responding to a threat/attack? One might fall if shot in the leg. The bullet wound doesn't kill but the fall does.. Are our soldiers exhausted from pulling double shifts? 12 hour shifts? Unable to sleep because of the heat and in a constant state of exhaustion? Was he depressed and this was possibly a suicide attempt?

I mean, what the hell distracted a U.S. Marine such that he fell from a building? Is this the same genre of "accident" as when a humvee swerves during an attack, drives off the shoulder of a road, flips over and kills the occupants, who are then listed as dying in a vehicle malfunction or traffic accident?

[WildClarySage]

4. Or was he a jumper

who desperately wanted to get out of Iraq at any cost?

[saigon68]

5. They are sneaking the Bodies back.

Have heard somewhere the military is preventing the press from covering the return of the deceased. Can't find a link.

[madrchsod]

7. yes

when the soldiers are flown back to the states the press is banned from the base that they arrive at...it`s the same as russia during their afgan war....

[alcuno]

6. Local/subsequent articles related to the deaths of these military

personnel can be found here.

http://www.pigstye.net/iraq/

[MarianJack]

8. I wonder?

Will this soldier's family think that his death doesn't count like the White House does? After all, it doesn't seem battle related. I bet that the family is waiting with baited breaths for bush jr. to come and hug them!

[MetaTrope]

9. Population of Hilla is more than 360,000

Seems a little big to call it a "town".

Wonder if that Marine was supplementing his diet with some of those drugs we hear are going around.

On edit: Bad karma in Hilla, apparently...
Cluster bombs liberate Iraqi children
"The new heart of darkness has emerged in the turbulent history of Mesopotamia via the Hilla massacre. After uninterrupted, furious American bombing on Monday night and Tuesday morning, as of Wednesday night there were at least 61 dead Iraqi civilians and more than 450 seriously injured in the region of Hilla, 80 kilometers south of Baghdad."

[underpants]

10. Oh I hate to say the first thing I thought when I read this

See this thread (mine) in GD. I really hope it was an accident, a family lost someone either way.

"Just shoot me so I can go home"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=49550&mesg_id=49550&page=

[phatkatt]

11. OK, from my tin foil hat ...

A hundred solidiers die in an attack. They release a report about an accidental death, but don't release the name. A hundred families get notification that their beloved son was the one that died from the fall. Not combat related. None of the families know each other, and of course the press won't dig, so the lie is never discovered. Mission accomplished.

[TahitiNut]

12. Get some better tinfoil.

The military units in Iraq are largely based where accompanying families have contact with one another. This isn't the Vietnam era; it's the "all volunteer" force. Families are keenly aware of news coverage and fatalities.

A real scandal (IMHO) is that we have less than 300 deaths of "coilition" military in Iraq, over 7,000 deaths (and many more casualties) of overwhelmingly innocent Iraqi's and about 3,000 deaths of US citizens and residents. Perhaps the US military should open recruitment offices in Iraq? When it's safer to be in the military than to be a civilian, who's really "standing in harm's way"?