SOLDIER IN IRAQ KILLS SQUAD LEADER AND TEAM LEADER

Soldier in Iraq Kills Squad Leader and Fellow Team Leader
Posted: 17 Sep 2008 10:47 PM CDT
Source: http://www.vetvoice.com/

When the two deaths in Iraq were announced late Sunday, something didn't sound right. It wasn't combat, there was no mention of a vehicle accident, and with two dead, it clearly wasn't a suicide. Now we know why:
A U.S. soldier was detained in Iraq after he allegedly opened fire on a superior and another unit member, killing them both, the U.S. Army said Wednesday.
The soldier was subdued by other troops, and medics tried unsuccessfully to save the wounded soldiers, said Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo, commanding general at Fort Stewart in southern Georgia, where the soldiers' unit is based.
An Army spokesman said the shooting happened Sunday in Tunnis, Iraq. The alleged shooter's name was not released.
The Army identified the slain soldiers as Staff Sgt. Darris J. Dawson, 24, and Sgt. Wesley R. Durbin, 26.
The soldier--a team leader whose name hasn't been released yet--had apparently been in a meeting with his squad leader and the other team leader about his performance.
When the AP says the shooter was then "subdued by other troops," my hope is that this included multiple buttstrokes.

Chinook Goes Down in Iraq
Posted: 17 Sep 2008 10:19 PM CDT
Bad news:
BAGHDAD - An American Chinook helicopter crashed early Thursday in southern Iraq, killing at least five U.S. soldiers and leaving two others missing, the military said.
A U.S. statement said the CH-47 Chinook was landing after midnight about 60 miles west of Basra when the incident occurred.
A spokesman for the Multi-National Force-Iraq confirmed to The Associated Press that the helicopter had crashed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to provide details.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the crash, or if hostile fire was involved.
UPDATE: The AP is now reporting the two missing soldiers as having been killed, bringing the total to seven. Also, hostile fire is "not suspected."

New CBS/NYT Polls Asks about Iraq
Posted: 17 Sep 2008 06:36 PM CDT
Among other things, the new CBS/New York Times survey found the following:
Still, most Americans continue to think the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq in the first place, and 53 percent now say the war in Iraq is not a part of the war on terrorism -- more than ever before.
I guess these things become clearer when the casualty rate in Afghanistan skyrockets while Pakistan falls apart. Go figure.