Pentagon “Sexing up” casualty reports?

[Emillereid]

12.07.2003 <00:17>

Somehow the news releases on casualties given out lately by CENTCOM haven’t mached those given to public by the Department of Defense. In most cases it is minor matter of changing or omitting details before releasing the name of the killed soldier, but it does affect the picture public is been given of what is happening back in Iraq. It is as if Pentagon did not want the public to know what is really going on. Here are the two most prominent examples:

2nd of July CENTCOM news release:

U.S. ARMY SOLDIER DIES FROM WOUNDS

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A U. S. Army 352nd Civil Affairs Command soldier died of wounds received July 1, when his convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad.
The soldier had been transported to the 28th Combat Support Hospital, where he was receiving treatment but died despite efforts to save him. The name of the soldier is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/News_Release.asp?NewsRElease=20030705.txt

Later the same day DoD released their own statement:

The Department of Defense announced today that 1st Sgt. Christopher D. Coffin, 51, of Bethlemeh, Pa, died on July 1 on Highway 8 in Iraq. Coffin’s vehicle ran into a ditch while trying to avoid a civilian vehicle
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2003/nr20030702-0169.html

Now I wonder, what on earth happened to that convoy, hit by an improvised explosice device, when the report got to DoD? It vanished? Never happened at all?
...more....

www.iraqwar.ru

This Russian site analyzes the discrepancy between accounts of 'incidents' in Iraq -- It's interesting that several people at DU have noted different numbers of casualties coming out of Centcom and the freer press in Europe. I wonder if we'll ever know the half of it.

[LeftCoast]

1. I don't know about those other links

but I personally do not give much credence to www.iraqwar.ru any longer. They just blew a lot of hot air when it came to the Iraq war. Might be interesting to view, but I wouldn't count on it being particularly accurate.