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Afghanistan Firefight Recorded On Soldier's Parents' Answering Machine (AUDIO)

Huffington Post   |   May 6, 2008 02:39 PM

Read More: Afghanistan Battle Voice Mail, Afghanistan Firefight Voice Mail, Afghanistan War, Audio, Stephen Phillips, Warwire, Politics News
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U.S. soldier Stephen Phillips, serving in Afghanistan, gave his parents a serious scare when he accidentally called his home from his cellphone during an intense firefight with insurgents. Phillips' cellphone got pressed against his Humvee, causing it to redial the previous number. Sandie Petee, Phillips' mother, and her husband Jeff, were not home, but their answering machine recorded three minutes of the battle (from Fox 12 Oregon):

They heard shooting, swearing and shouted pleas for more ammunition on the phone call from their son.


"They were pinned down and apparently his barrel was overheating," said Jeff Petee. "It's something a parent really doesn't want to hear. It's a heck of a message to get from your son in Afghanistan."

The three-minute call ended abruptly.

"You could hear him saying stuff like, he needs more ammo, or he needs another barrel," said John Petee, Phillips' brother. "At the end, you could hear a guy saying 'Incoming! RPG!' And then it cut off..."

...They eventually reached their son.

Listen to the recorded firefight below:

 

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collapse Orlando See Profile I'm a Fan of Orlando

Why would anyone want their precious child to grow up to be a machine gunner for the Bush/Cheney war machine?
I would feel like a failure if my child made an immoral choice such as that.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:11 PM on 05/12/2008
collapse MissingAmerica See Profile I'm a Fan of MissingAmerica

Next best thing to being there. Thank God his parents were able to reach him; what a frightening event for them and their son. Modern guns should not overheat. This is yet another sign of what Bush is putting our troops through. One could suspect that he has failed to plan for their return to the U.S. because he knows the weapons will not protect them in battle.

Our troops deserve better. We will continue to pray for Phillips safe return to his family.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:37 AM on 05/08/2008
collapse dreamgypsy See Profile I'm a Fan of dreamgypsy

Where are the guns manufactured? why is the barrel overheating? why are the not supplied with enough ammo? with the amount of money BushCo has received the equipment is still shawdy?
Disgraceful and dishonorable Shrub!
peace

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 05:35 AM on 05/08/2008
collapse GhostintheMachine See Profile I'm a Fan of GhostintheMachine

Don't pretend to talk about something you know nothing about, when he said he needed more ammo that means his clip is empty that doesn't mean he is out of ammo. And yes barrels get hot when you are consistently firing a weapon they get hot a very common occurence in the military because you may be shooting for an extended period of time. How many times have you fired a military weapon, I just want to make sure you are speaking from experience.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:55 AM on 05/08/2008
collapse BPCentrisAmerican See Profile I'm a Fan of BPCentrisAmerican

SO!

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:47 PM on 05/07/2008
collapse NoSillyName See Profile I'm a Fan of NoSillyName

I don't want to hear it same as I don't listen to 911 calls on newscasts.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 05:17 PM on 05/07/2008
collapse maribelle1963 See Profile I'm a Fan of maribelle1963

You should listen to it; after all, you're paying for it.

You should know what your money is buying.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:25 PM on 05/11/2008
collapse shrinqrap See Profile I'm a Fan of shrinqrap

What if they gave a war and nobody listened?

It is so rare to have any idea what this sterilized, sanitized "operation", where troops are 'sacrificing' - to use two favoriter terms of the BushCo spinners - is like for the Americans involved in it. The chicken-hawk arm-chair generals who run these wars deliberately hide what is happening, even as they hide the evidence, the coffins, the wounds, the suicides, of what they have done.

They help the average Americans remain in denial - just like the jar-head in this thread who says this cell phone call must be a fraud because grunts dont have cell-phones in the wear zone. Sure.

The horror.

Anybody care to answer WHY this particular fire-fight occured? Anyone ask why our sons and daughters are over there and In these circumstances? Does that even matter?

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:20 PM on 05/07/2008
collapse nyboomer See Profile I'm a Fan of nyboomer

Republicans have always felt that anyone who goes to war is a fool. Wars are there for the poor and middle class to die in or be maimed by.

The right wing likes wars but wants others to fight them. Witness the overwhelming number of chickenhawks in this country's administration. Strangely enough they feel that having fought in a war one is unqualified to make decisions about going to war or run one. They learn about war from movies and TV but abhor first person experience.

Wars are for making a profit.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:48 PM on 05/07/2008
collapse GhostintheMachine See Profile I'm a Fan of GhostintheMachine

Does that include McCain?

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:27 PM on 05/07/2008
collapse thisoldbroad See Profile I'm a Fan of thisoldbroad

How frightening for the family! I can't imagine the horror of hearing that message, especially if something had happened to their son. Keep praying for the safety of our troops until we can get them home.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 08:20 AM on 05/07/2008
collapse plages See Profile I'm a Fan of plages

Can you hear bush and cheney in the back ground laughing at US!

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 08:43 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse Erdgeist See Profile I'm a Fan of Erdgeist

Once America gets off the MSM blue pill they will realize that we went into Afghanistan to capture Osama bin Laden, and not finding him decided to take over the country and haven't left yet. After that, we went into Iraq to look for WMDs. Finding no WMDs, we decided to occupy Iraq and haven't left yet. It's all a bit strange that we are staying.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:43 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse FilMishMish See Profile I'm a Fan of FilMishMish

poor memory. we did not go to Iraq to look for WMDs. That was just a weak excuse. They were already there searching for them when Bush pulled them out in order to bomb them.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 07:52 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse londubh See Profile I'm a Fan of londubh

That would be kinda creepy.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 05:47 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse ReasonIsMyReligion See Profile I'm a Fan of ReasonIsMyReligion

Whew.

Just curious if the answering machine cut off at 3:00, or whether dodging the RPG was it.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 05:26 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse Ginzaman See Profile I'm a Fan of Ginzaman

For the real story in Iraq and Afghanistan, go to:
http://blog.myspace.com/globalcomedy

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 05:24 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse Ginzaman See Profile I'm a Fan of Ginzaman

120 vets are committing suicide every week.

The neocons will use procedural votes and fillibusters to make sure NOTHING is done to stop the war. The Democrats are too scared to do the same. So it's let's let the other side piss off the voters. And then we're GURANTEED the White House.

If you have a loved one serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, they don't mean s**t to them. All that matters is maintaining their money and party power.

Does this mean that Reid and Pelosi are war criminals?

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 05:23 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse billysviez See Profile I'm a Fan of billysviez

YES

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:28 AM on 05/07/2008
collapse Berettasskeeter See Profile I'm a Fan of Berettasskeeter

Where did you get that number of over 5,300 per year? It is certainly not in any journals that I can find! The latest number I heard was 121 for 2006.
Semper fi

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:53 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse maribelle1963 See Profile I'm a Fan of maribelle1963

Beretta,

There are approx.***1000 vets who attempt suicide every month***,according to the DoD sources (see link below).

These numbers have been reported alot recently, especially since the Pentagon tried to cover up the numbers.
The story is told many places online; here is one:

http://expatbrian.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/veterans-committing-suicide-in-record-numbers/

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:33 PM on 05/11/2008
collapse KillTheMessenger See Profile I'm a Fan of KillTheMessenger

It is a soldiers business to be shot at. Whoever thinks otherwise might NOT want to sign up for the profession. The point is not that professional soldiers enjoy fighting, but that they are aware that ultimately that is what they train for. So anybody who is the least moved by this tape simply admits that they do not have the slightest clue what the word "war" means. Hint: it is NOT a peaceful deployment to a foreign country which makes good Brioche and has friendly people waiting to throw flowers.

Which is exactly why we are in two wars. Too few people understand what they really signed up for when they elected this president.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 05:20 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse maribelle1963 See Profile I'm a Fan of maribelle1963

You're right that too few people really understood. It's also true that being moved is not the sign of being ignorant, it's the sign of feeling compassion.

I can read about the Myanmar victims and feel for them, but seeing a picture of a drowned child is felt as a visceral emotion in the gut.

Neither thing is mutually exclusive.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:12 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse Wanjiru See Profile I'm a Fan of Wanjiru


...Thank you!...


.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:02 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse PennLawyer See Profile I'm a Fan of PennLawyer

That was horrifying and terrifying to listen to. The thing is, we used to get coverage of fighting like that from Vietnam, almost nightly on the evening news - with video as well. THAT nightly news coverage, and the ever more voracious draft were the prime causes of the American public demanding that the politicians get our troops out of Vietnam. The current administration well knows that cause and effect relationship, and has limited coverage to "imbedded individuals who call themselves journalists, but are nothing more than PR flacks for Bush and the Pentagon.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:52 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse BushBites See Profile I'm a Fan of BushBites

I remember those reports from Viet Nam, even though I was very young at the time.

Reporters crouched in fields with the troops, taking fire.

Nothing at all like what "war correspondents" do now.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:10 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse maribelle1963 See Profile I'm a Fan of maribelle1963

I listened to the whole thing and tried to imagine what that was like for the men on the tape, and for the parents getting the message. Just another day at the office for those young men.

I CHALLENGE EVERY AMERICAN TO LISTEN to this tape and imagine their own son or daughter there.

~From the mother of an Army medic stationed in Baghdad whose best friend is serving in Afghanistan.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:40 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse angelwax See Profile I'm a Fan of angelwax

Firefights are not a good thing to listen to. I've been in my share a long time ago. Confusion really reigns. Everything is really in slow motion and at the same time it happens so fast. One thing I can say. Sounds like these guys have very good fire discipline. Hard to do in a firefight. This is why everyone of those "patriotic chickenhawks" out there should be in a firefight along with their sons and daughters. Hard to see the guy next to you get half of him blown away and think the same. After that you really are never the same.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:11 AM on 05/07/2008
collapse Matango See Profile I'm a Fan of Matango

maribelle1963, I'm against the war but just hearing that audio makes me want to grab some extra ammo belts for the guys.

Intense is too light a word for what we just heard.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:57 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse maribelle1963 See Profile I'm a Fan of maribelle1963

I"m against the war too, Matango. And this tape reveals clearly what we are putting these young men and women through.

THEY MUST HAVE AMMO--or they will be killed. Should they be sitting ducks? You send someone to hell and they must behave hellishly to survive.

We have to get the hell out of these wars. Seriously. Now.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 05:40 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse Matango See Profile I'm a Fan of Matango

GET SOME!

I don't care where you come from or what your religion is, the sound of an M60 is a good indicator that you should run the other way,.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:38 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse obscurant See Profile I'm a Fan of obscurant

That's a hell of a way to end the message ..."RPG!" Sends chills down my spine, I can't imagine how the parents must have felt.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:26 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse wewillberightback See Profile I'm a Fan of wewillberightback

I bet the roaming charges are a bitch from there

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:15 PM on 05/06/2008
collapse Meatball1 See Profile I'm a Fan of Meatball1

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? I will tell you as a Marine, there are no soldiers out there in Iraq with cell phones. I cannot believe how ignorant you people are. (I say this every time, "Yes I Said 'You People'. "

First off, a cell phone in Iraq would be useless because repeater towers are non-existant. Second, if you people (sorry, I know it's offensive) think that the the most sophisticated military in the world would allow combat soldiers to use a cell phone you are more stupid than I thought.

"Hello honey I miss you" (The insurgets or Iranians triangulate where the signal is comming from) Then you are dead. Honestly, I can tell you that nobody serving in Iraq is walking around with a cell phone!

You all seem to swallow it up hook, line and sinker though. Screw the MSM until we all live in Marxist, Islamic Utopia! Yes, I know that this story came from the evil MSM apparently. Fox interestingly enough.

If you would like to join us back in the real world. Visit http://www.djgoski.com

Also, we are looking for "Memorial Day Tributes". Write something honoring our Fallen Heros in all wars not just Iraq. So far we have gotten a lot of hate mail from "You People" but no real "Memorial Day Tributes". Don't make it political or it won't be posted.

Thanks and May God Continue to Bless the United States of America!
http://www.djgoski.com

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:11 AM on 05/07/2008
collapse BernardPliers See Profile I'm a Fan of BernardPliers

Meatball sez that "no Marines have cell phones" because the insurgents would triangulate the signal and shell them ? WTF?

So the insurgents sit around with sophisticated directional antennas to lock in on phones that don't exist?

Two of your imaginary universes just collided, daffodil.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:34 PM on 05/07/2008
collapse laborgrunt See Profile I'm a Fan of laborgrunt

While Meatball1 is a complete idiot when it comes to his crazy talk about a Marxist, Islamic Utopia being in our future, I tend to agree with his suspicious attitude towards the veracity of this audio message.
There is no way in hell that the average Marine or Solider is walking around with a cell phone, furthermore the only phones that work in these areas are SAT phones which are ridonkilously expensive.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:47 AM on 05/07/2008
collapse maribelle1963 See Profile I'm a Fan of maribelle1963

The soldier in the story is serving in AFGHANISTAN, not Iraq.

And as my son's best friend is stationed there, I can tell you for certain that HE CALLS HIS WIFE NEARLY EVERY DAY on his cell phone, yes from the war zone. I have been there many times when he has called and can verify this personally.

Please learn your facts before spreading misinformation.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:24 AM on 05/07/2008
collapse Meatball1 See Profile I'm a Fan of Meatball1

It wasn't from a cell phone! It was from a secure line manned by a soldier with my former job. Afghanistan, Iraq, it doesnt change the point. You are being fed a bunch of crap!

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:48 AM on 05/07/2008
collapse sixletters See Profile I'm a Fan of sixletters

Um, the quality of the audio sounds exactly like a cell phone.

favoriteFavorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:54 AM on 05/07/2008
collapse Meatball1 See Profile I'm a Fan of Meatball1

If I can make it more clear, This Did Not Happen!