Despite Alert, Flawed Wiring Still Kills G.I.’s

[proud2BlibKansan]

At a 173rd Airborne base in Shin Kay, Afghanistan, in 2005, an outdoor, 200-ampere breaker panel, above, was uncovered and wired from the top. Its exposure to water made it unsafe, said Jeffrey Bliss, an electrician who worked for KBR, the military contractor.

By JAMES RISEN
Published: May 4, 2008

WASHINGTON — In October 2004, the United States Army issued an urgent bulletin to commanders across Iraq, warning them of a deadly new threat to American soldiers. Because of flawed electrical work by contractors, the bulletin stated, soldiers at American bases in Iraq had received severe electrical shocks, and some had even been electrocuted.

The bulletin, with the headline “The Unexpected Killer,” was issued after the horrific deaths of two soldiers who were caught in water — one in a shower, the other in a swimming pool — that was suddenly electrified after poorly grounded wiring short-circuited.

“We’ve had several shocks in showers and near misses here in Baghdad, as well as in other parts of the country,” Frank Trent, an expert with the Army Corps of Engineers, wrote in the bulletin. “As we install temporary and permanent power on our projects, we must ensure that we require contractors to properly ground electrical systems.”

Since that warning, at least two more American soldiers have been electrocuted in similar circumstances. In all, at least a dozen American military personnel have been electrocuted in Iraq, according to the Pentagon and Congressional investigators.

more . . . http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/world/middleeast/04electrocute.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[AzDar]

1. Words fail.

:grr:

[Richard Steele]

2. Grrrecommended

[1776Forever]

3. Terrible! How can KBR not be held accountable?

[Zodiak]

4. Easy

Bush asked for them to be held not accountable, and our compliant Congress said "okay"

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. They have murdered many innocent civilians as well

:mad: