The Bush Butcher’s Bill: Officially, 23US Military Deaths in Iraq from 1 through 8  May, 2005 – Official Total of 1,774 US Dead to date (and rising)

U.S. Military Personnel who died in German hospitals or en route to German hospitals have not previously been counted. They total about 6,210 as of 1 January, 2005. The ongoing, underreporting of the dead in Iraq, is not accurate. The DoD is deliberately reducing the figures. A review of many foreign news sites show that actual deaths are far higher than the newly reduced ones.  Iraqi civilian casualties are never reported but International Red Cross, Red Crescent and UN figures indicate that as of 1 January 2005, the numbers are just under 100,000.

by Brian Harring, Domestic Intelligence Reporter

Note: There is excellent reason to believe that the Department of Defense is deliberately not reporting a significant number of the dead in Iraq. We have received copies of  manifests from the MATS that show far more bodies shipped into Dover AFP than are reported officially. The educated rumor is that the actual death toll is in excess of 7,000. Given the officially acknowledged number of over 15,000 seriously wounded, this elevated death toll is far more realistic than the current 1,400+ now being officially published. When our research is complete, and watertight, we will publish the results along with the sources In addition to the evident falsification of the death rolls, at least 5,500 American military personnel have deserted, most in Ireland but more have escaped to Canada and other European countries, none of whom are inclined to cooperate with vengeful American authorities. (See TBR News of 18 February for full coverage on the mass desertions) This means that of the 158,000 U.S. military shipped to Iraq, 26,000  either deserted, were killed or seriously wounded. The DoD lists currently being very quietly circulated indicate almost 9,000 dead, over 16,000 seriously wounded* (See note below. This figure is now over 24,000 Ed) and a large number of suicides, forced hospitalization for ongoing drug usage and sales, murder of Iraqi civilians and fellow soldiers , rapes, courts martial and so on –

Because I cannot publish the DoD pdf file in this country (no one has said anything about it being published outside the country) I am working up a specific overview for posting and my lawyer has made the following suggestion for me. I think it’s good and it certainly is legal.

I have a copy of the official DoD casualty list. I am alphabetizing it with the reported date of death following. TBR will post this list in sections and when this is circulated widely by veteran groups and other concerned sites, if people who do not see their loved one’s names, are requested to inform their Congressman, their local paper, us and other concerned people as soon as possible.

The government gets away with these huge lies because they claim, falsely, that only soldiers actually killed on the ground in Iraq are reported. The dying and critically wounded are listed as en route to military hospitals outside of the country and not reported on the daily postings. Anyone who dies just as the transport takes off from the Baghdad airport is not listed and neither are those who die in the US  military hospitals. Their families are certainly notified that their son, husband, brother or lover was dead and the bodies, or what is left of them (refrigeration is very bad in Iraq what with constant power outages) are shipped home, to Dover AFB. You ought to realize that President Bush personally ordered that no pictures be taken of the coffined and flag-draped dead under any circumstances. He claims that this is to comfort the bereaved relatives but is designed to keep the huge number of arriving bodies secret. Any civilian, or military personnel, taking pictures will be jailed at once and prosecuted. Bush has never attended any kind of a memorial service for his dead soldiers and never will. He is terrified some parent might curse him in front of the press or, worse, attack him. As Bush is a coward and in denial, this is not a surprise.

This listing program is about finished and we will start publishing in the very near future so act accordingly. If there is an actual variance of, say, 10 names, that is acceptable. 50 would indicate sloppiness and anything over 100 a positive sign of lying.

*The latest on the wounded: “Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, is a 150-bed hospital that's already seen over 24,000 wounded military patients from Iraq and Afghanistan since the commencement of hostilities “. Knight Ridder Newspapers  June 6, 2005 (Note: The Pentagon refuses to publish accurate lists of any wounded. Ed)

Brian Harring

Haven’t we had enough of this?

1

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four airmen who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.  The airmen died May 30 in the crash of an Iraqi air force aircraft during a training mission in eastern Diyala province. They are: Maj. William Downs, 40, of Winchester, Va., assigned to the 6th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. Capt. Jeremy Fresques, 26, of Clarkdale, Ariz., assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. Capt. Derek Argel, 28, of Lompoc, Calif., assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. Staff Sgt. Casey Crate, 26, of Spanaway, Wash., assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.  They died May 24 in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV.  They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. The Soldiers are: Sgt. Charles A. Drier, 28, of Tuscola, Mich. Spec. Dustin C. Fisher, 22, of Fort Smith, Ark. Pfc. Jeffrey R. Wallace, 20, of Hoopeston, Ill.

2

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Staff Sgt. Virgil R. Case, 37, of Mountain Home, Idaho, died June 1 in Kirkuk, Iraq, from non-combat related injuries.  Case was assigned to the Army National Guard's 145th Support Battalion, 116th Brigade Combat Team, Mountain Home, Idaho.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. 1st Class Steven M. Langmack, 33, of Seattle, Wash., died May 31 in Al Qaim, Iraq, from injuries sustained from small arms fire during combat operations. Langmack was assigned to Headquarters, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Miguel A. Ramos, 39, of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, died May 31 in Baghdad, Iraq, when an enemy rocket impacted near his position.  Ramos was assigned to the Army Reserve's 807th Signal Company, 35th Signal Battalion, Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Phillip C. Edmundson, 22, of Wilson, N.C., died June 1 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle during combat operations.  Edmundson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pfc. Louis E. Niedermeier, 20, of Largo, Fla., died June 1 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when his unit was conducting combat operations and he came under enemy small arms fire.  Niedermeier was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

5

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They were killed on June 3 at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E in Afghanistan when their convoy vehicle was struck by an improvised expolsive device.  They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C. The soldiers are: Staff Sgt. Leroy E. Alexander, 27, of Dale City, Va. Cpt. Charles D. Robinson, 29, of Haddon Heights, N. J.

6

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Cpl. Antonio Mendoza, 21, of Santa Ana, Calif., died June 3 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, from wounds received as a result of an explosion while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on Feb. 22. At the time of his injury, Mendoza was assigned to 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Carrie L. French, 19, of Caldwell, Idaho, died June 5 in Kirkuk, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device hit the front of her convoy vehicle and detonated. French was assigned to the Army National Guard's 145th Support Battalion, Boise, Idaho.

7

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died on June 5 in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their military vehicle. They were assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo. Killed were: Staff Sgt. Justin L. Vasquez, 26, of Manzanola, Colo. Spc. Eric J. Poelman, 21, of Racine, Wis. Pfc. Brian S. Ulbrich, 23, of Chapmanville, W. Va.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Col. Theodore S. Westhusing, 44, of Dallas, Texas, died June 5 in Baghdad, Iraq, from non-combat related injuries.  Westhusing was serving with the Multi-national Security Transition Command-Iraq and was assigned to the United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.

8

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Brian M. Romines, 20, of Simpson, Ill., died June 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, where an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV.  Romines was assigned to the Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery, Milan, Ill.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lance Cpl. Jonathan L. Smith, 22, of Eva, Ala., died June 6 from wounds received as a result of an explosion while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Fallujah, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, Regimental Combat Team-8, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lance Cpl. Robert T. Mininger, 21, of Sellersville, Pa., died June 6 from wounds received as a result of an explosion while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Fallujah, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team-8, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Five US marines killed in Iraq blast, 17 bodies found

June 11, 2005
AFP

Five US marines were killed in a bomb attack in western Iraq, the military said, while 17 unidentified bodies were discovered deeper in the country's rebel heartland hard on the Syrian border.

Three more people were killed when a car bomb exploded in a largely Shiite district of northern Baghdad, shattering a relative calm that reigned in the capital since a joint Iraqi-US sweep began three weeks ago.

"Five marines were killed in action Thursday when their vehicle hit an explosive device while conducting combat operations near Haqlaniyah," the said US military said in a statement.

On November 7, insurgents stormed police stations in Haqlaniya and nearby Haditha, a town 200 kilometres (120 miles) northwest of Baghdad, and executed 21 policemen.

Residents of Al-Qaim, further west on the Syrian border, said 11 executed bodies had been found in the area, a day after a defence ministry official reported that six other murdered men had been discovered nearby.

The identities of the victims were not immediately clear but a military source said Wednesday that 22 Shiite soldiers had been captured outside their base near Rawa, further down the Euphrates valley.

The defence ministry denied that report but the area saw a major US-led offensive last month aimed at flushing out militants linked to Al-Qaeda's Iraq frontman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The latest American deaths bring to 1,681 (the official DoD figures as of June 10, 2005 are 1,774 ed )  the number of US military personnel who have died in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion, according to an AFP tally based on Pentagon figures.

At least three Iraqis were killed and 15 wounded in a car bomb attack late Friday in Baghdad's Al-Shula district, an interior ministry source said.

The explosives-rigged car parked near the busy Noor marketplace was detonated at about 10:00 pm (1800 GMT), one hour before a night-time curfew in the capital came into effect, said the source.

A senior US military source warned earlier Friday that the capital should brace itself for further attacks despite the successes of Operation Lightning in and around Baghdad.

"Car bombs are down, roadside bombs are down, we've captured around 1,000 suspects, but we can't declare victory," he said.

"We believe the enemy is pretty frustrated and looking for the opportunity to have large-scale coordinated attacks. That could happen within the week, but it won't last weeks or even days," the commander said.

The attack happened as Iraqi politicians struggled to reach an agreement on how to bring the Sunni Arabs, whose community is believed to be leading the bloody insurgency, into the political and constitution-drafting process.

Originally offered 13 additional coopted seats on the parliamentary committee charged with drawing up the new charter, Sunni leaders warned they would boycott the body unless they were granted 25 places in addition to two already alloted.

President Jalal Talabani, a Kurdish leader, said Sunni Arabs might get the 25 places they were seeking, but a Shiite MP quickly decried the move as an over-representation of the minority community.

Sunnis dominated Saddam Hussein's regime and all previous Iraqi governments, but largely boycotted January parliamentary elections amid widespread support for -- or fear of -- the insurgents.

The committee can extend its August 15 deadline for drafting the crucial document by six months, but many feel such a move would play into the hands of insurgents seeking to undermine the post-Saddam order.

Lawyers representing the deposed president complained on Friday that they had not received a single document outlining the charges against him and that they were concerned about his health.

"The defence team has not received any document from the special court" preparing for Saddam's trial, said Ziad Khassawneh, spokesman for the Amman-based defence team.

"There is no contact between the defence team and the court," he said.

Khassawneh also complained that Saddam's Iraqi lawyer, Khalil Dulaimi, had been allowed to see him only twice, in December and in April, charging that repeated requests for a new meeting had been denied by the Iraqi authorities.

"Nobody in the world can be tried without the presence of his duly chosen lawyer, it is against the law."

Talabani said in late May that he hoped Saddam's trial would begin within two months, although the Iraqi Special Tribunal later asserted there was no fixed date.

Khassawneh said the charges were "all null and void" and that the defence team could prove it "if a trial were held in a neutral country, in the presence of neutral judges".

The defence team spokesman warned that the health of their 68-year-old client was in "danger" as long as his lawyers were kept in the dark.

"We have written to the US and Iraqi administrations, the United Nations, the Red Cross, Switzerland but for the past 18 months we've had no replies from anyone, and this means that there is fear for the life of the president," he said.

"I am discouraged. No one is answering us, no one is listening."

Psychological warfare effort to be outsourced

Army command hires three firms to sway Afghans and Iraqis

June 10, 2005
By James W. Crawley
Media General News Service

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Special Operations Command has hired three firms to produce newspaper stories, television broadcasts and Web sites to spread American propaganda overseas.

The Tampa-based military headquarters, which oversees commandos and psychological warfare, may spend up to $100 million for the media campaign in the next five years.

The Pentagon backed away from a similar campaign in 2002.

The use of contractors in psyops is a new wrinkle. But psychological warfare expert Herb Friedman said he is not surprised.

With only one active-duty and two reserve psyops units remaining, Friedman said, "The bottom line is, they don't have the manpower."

Federal law prohibits sending propaganda to Americans, and some experts worry that psychological warfare messages, especially disinformation efforts, might blow back to American audiences via the Internet and satellite news channels.

"In this age of the Internet and instant access, it's of great concern," said Nancy Snow, a propaganda expert at California State University-Fullerton. "If you plant false stories, how can you control where that story goes? You can't."

Others question whether the money could be better spent.

So far, said defense analyst William Arkin, American propaganda efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan have "produced nothing positive and nothing negative." He suggested the $100 million might be better spent on guns and bullets.

Winning the contracts were Science Applications International Corp., SYColeman Inc. and Lincoln Group Corp.

SAIC, a California-based defense contractor with a major presence in McLean, Va., ran the U.S.-sponsored Iraqi Media Network, a print, radio and television operation, after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003. The firm was criticized for problems and exorbitant costs and declined to bid on the contract renewal.

SYColeman, a subsidiary of L-3 Communications based in Arlington, Va., advertises it created the Army's Web site honoring the only Medal of Honor winner so far from the Iraq war.

Lincoln, based in Washington and formerly known as Iraqex, provides various services, including public relations, in Iraq.

Spokesmen for the companies referred inquiries to the Pentagon. A Pentagon spokesman referred them to the Tampa command, which said special operations officials were unavailable this week because of a symposium and trade show.

The companies will get their marching orders from a joint psychological operations support element created last year.

Each contractor will receive a minimum of $250,000 during the first year and $500,000 each subsequent year. The entire contract could total $100 million by 2010, records show.

The contract calls for the firms to produce print articles, video and audio broadcasts, Internet sites and novelty items, like T-shirts and bumper stickers, for foreign audiences.

Video products will include newscasts, hour-long TV shows and commercials.

James W. Crawley reports from Washington for Media General News Service. Contact him at jcrawley@mediageneral.com

Comment: Considering the proficiency level of the Pentagon’s current PR performances, even the Special Olympics Creative Writing Center could do a better job. Ed