Soldiers from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment survey a collection of American vehicle parts found at a scrap yard in eastern Baghdad. The soldiers said the Humvee armor could be used by militia to assess the strength of the plating. Finding vehicle doors at a Baghdad metal dealer’s shop a bad sign to GIsBy Michael Gisick, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, May 30, 2008
BAGHDAD — Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Gaskin isn’t exactly known for mincing words, and he’s got little patience for this Iraqi scrap metal dealer.
"I paid a lot of money for that stuff," the scrap dealer ventures quietly, gesturing at the plates of U.S. Humvee armor being confiscated from his yard, which he says he bought at a dump outside a nearby U.S. base.
"I don’t give a flying (expletive) how much you paid for it," Gaskin shoots back, stepping forward and jabbing a finger at the much shorter man. "Either you’re going to go to jail or you’re going to help us load it in our trailer."
The armor, the soldiers say, might be used by militiamen to practice attacks or assess the strength of the plating.
Another platoon had found four complete uparmored Humvee doors on a prior visit, but hadn’t brought along a trailer to carry them away. The doors are gone now, and Gaskin wants to know where.
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