Did KBR Kill U.S. Soldier in Iraq?

The mother of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq this past January filed a lawsuit yesterday in a Pennsylvania state court against KBR, the defense contractor that was in charge of inspecting the wiring at the base where Sgt. Ryan Maseth died -- from electrocution. This has brought to attention a 11 other fatal electrocutions in Iraq, leading to both a congressional investigation and a Pentagon inquiry. Recently, at her request, I had passed along to Maseth's mother the names of other soldiers officially listed as electrocution victims since 2003.

This came after I wrote a story in January about Maseth's death for Editor & Publisher and the family's initial reaction, which ranged from disbelief to anger. Maseth apparently had died in a bathroom or shower stall. His mother, Cheryl Harris, contacted me then, asking if any others had died in this manner. Now her lawsuit has arrived.

Rep. Henry Waxman and Pentagon chief Robert Gates are looking into reports that the 12 deaths, and probably more, were caused by shoddy wiring and construction where our troops are housed. It is not known how many of these cases involved KBR.

Cheryl Harris's lawyer has obtained military documents indicated that KBR told the Defense Contracting Management Agency there weee wiring problems in the building before Maseth's death, and nothing was done about them. The question is: Who is to blame? And what about all those other cases.

Also, Harris was originally told by the military that her son had been electrocuted after he took a small electrical appliance into the shower area. She couldn't get answers herself and contacted a local member of Congress. Now documents show that Ryan was killed when an electrical water pump shorted out after he had stepped into the shower and turned on the water. An electrical current then passed through the water pipes to a metal shower hose in the shower.

As Harris told me two months ago, this is particularly relevant for her since her son's twin brother, Brandon, is still serving in Iraq. Think about that for a minute.

She tells The New York Times today, "I would like to have questions answered about who is accountable. And I would like to know that this can't happen again to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan."

The shocking number of "nonhostile" deaths in Iraq -- from accidents, illness and suicides -- is covered at length in my new book (see below).

Greg Mitchell's book, "So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq" has just been published.

Comments

[LeftRight]

Why am I not suprised? Isn't KBR the one which was supplying water to the troops which was so dangerous it made more sense for them to drink the water straight out of the Tigris or Euphrates?

[hopeless277]

Freedom isn't free! We must sacrifice our young to the god of war lest he/she visit unemployment on our military industrial complex. Are not a few unimportant lives worth keeping thousands employed building tanks and missles and warplanes and bullets? Just think of the riots that would take place should General Dynamic have to close it's munitions factories. Just think of the poor men and women who would be unemployed if not for the $12B a month occupation of the soverign nation of Iraq. This is more than a war, this is a battle to fight unemployment in our country.

Shoot First, Ask Questions Later. McCain '08!!!

[Amishguy]

I pray that you are being sarcastic.

Normally I would assume that you are being sarcastic but there is a strong possibility that you are a real McCain fan which would make you crazy enough to be 100% sincere in your statement.

[LeftRight]

I'm sure he's being sarcastic, since even the worst rethuglicant supporter won't CLAIM that they consider the troops worthless. They DO consider the troops worthless, but you'll NEVER hear them say it out loud, or put it down in writing!

[ItsNeverOver]

From the dirty water KBR supplied to troops, to the offshore shell companies KBR made up to dodge paying taxes on Medicare and Social Security, to now these electrocutions, it's clear that any damage or casualties that happen to befall our men and women installed in Iraq is merely considered by KBR to be collateral on their way to lining their pockets with whatever capital they can reap off of this war.

After the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on fraud, abuse and corruption of funds in Iraq found that oversight was lacking over resources, abuse and corruption was "rampant" and that in one case, hundreds of thousands of weapons were possibly funneled to insurgent militias, it was stated that the government's poor accountability was undermining our security. Perhaps its because the lack of support for this war has given us limited manpower to do our dirty work? And instead of taking stake of this and installing a system of accountability our leaders outsource our problems and turn the other cheek?

Go here to sign Progressive Future's petition to demand accountability for contractors like KBR and Blackwater in Iraq: http://www.progressivefuture.org/contractor-accountability/pentagon2?id4=HP