Misdirected Email Doomed Convoy

[unhappycamper]

Misdirected Email Doomed Convoy
April 09, 2008
Military.com|by Joseph R. Chenelly

Four year ago today, an unarmored, undermanned convoy of fuel trucks was erroneously sent directly into some of the fiercest fighting Iraq had seen. When the smoke cleared, nine Americans lay dead, 17 were seriously wounded and two missing in action. One still is.

An Army after-action report obtained exclusively by Military.com shows it all could have been avoided but for grievous errors made when accuracy mattered most - from pre-mission assessments of how dangerous the route was to a misdirected email that would have stopped the convoy before it ever left the base.

The 280-page report calls for a deeper investigation into the botched e-mail and other errors running up to the tragic events of April 9, 2004. But despite numerous queries, the Army won't say whether such an investigation has or will take place -- and the military hasn't announced any disciplinary action for the mistakes leading up to the ambush.

It took nearly four full years to account for the whereabouts of every Soldier killed that day, and a contractor who was working for Kellogg, Brown and Root remains MIA but is presumed dead.

Staff Sgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin was a private first-class when he was captured during the ambush. He was promoted several times while he was missing for nearly four years. His remains were located northwest of Baghdad in late March of this year.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/misdirected-email-doomed-convoy.html

[maddezmom]

1. how many others have died for grevious errors?

:mad: