KBR Charged With 'Homicide'-- By Mother of Electrocuted Soldier

I've written often here about my friend Cheryl Harris, whose son Ryan Maseth was electrocuted and died in Iraq. You remember: the military lied and told her he had carried an electrical appliance into the shower. I helped her trace a total of at least a dozen other electrocutions and she had been instrumental in getting Congress, and the Pentagon, to probe the issue -- and she finally testified before Democrats (and some Republicans) in Congress yesterday.

She is also suing KBR, the contractors in charge, and two former KBR people also blew the whistle yesterday. Another mother, Larraine McGee, who lost a son in Iraq accused KBR of "homicide" yesterday.

"It is about time we got some answers ... at long last," said Sen. Robert Casey Jr., D-Pa. He released a letter to Gen. David Petraeus asking why his command had only recently ordered "theaterwide" technical inspections of military facilities despite being alerted to widespread wiring problems in Iraq installations more than three and a half years ago in a report filed by a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers safety specialist.

Cheryl Harris accused KBR yesterday of "extreme recklessness and a total disregard for public safety." I've written so much about Cheryl and her heroic quest, let me concentrate here on the two former KBR electricians who accuse the company of shoddy and negligent management practices in its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Debbie Crawford of Oregon, who worked for KBR in Baghdad, told the Senate Democratic Policy Committee that the company failed to provide its electricians with basic tools and equipment, and routinely farmed out jobs to local and "third-country" subcontractors who knew nothing about U.S. standards and often had no electrical experience at all.

"Time and time again we heard, 'This is not the United States... OSHA doesn't apply here. If you don't like it, you can go home,'" she said.

Jeffery Bliss, who worked for KBR in Afghanistan, said the company was dominated by a "good-old-boy network" in which "communication was poor and professionalism nonexistent." After he spending two and a half months at one base doing nothing he was finally assigned "the task of building a dog house."

A third non-KBR witness, Rachel McNeill of Wisconsin, who served as an Army Reserves heavy construction equipment operator in Iraq, said soldiers in her unit often received shocks in shower facilities -- but "it made no sense" to report the situation to KBR because the firm "had a reputation for taking a long time to address repairs."

Besides Cheryl, another mother who lost a son to electrocution in Iraq testified. "Anger has taken over my grief," said Larraine McGee of Texas.

She later told the AFP news service, "I don't know that I want to go so far as to say they're murdering our troops, but in essence if you take something that is so easy to fix but you don't even though you know there's a problem, that is homicide, in my mind."

Cheryl Harris said her son's "burnt and smoldering" body was discovered lying in electrified water on the shower stall floor by a soldier who kicked down the door to get in. "One of the soldiers who attempted to rescue Ryan was himself shocked," she added, "because the electrical current was still running through the water in the pipes in Ryan's bathroom....

"It is unacceptable that extreme recklessness and total disregard for public safety has deprived the Army of this exemplary young soldier and deprived my family of our son and brother."

Members of the committee, which has held 17 hearings in the past two years on waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan, accused the Pentagon of stonewalling congressional inquiries about its ongoing investigations of possible negligence on the part of the its main construction contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan -- Kellogg, Brown and Root.

The hearing was titled "Contractor Misconduct and the Electrocution Deaths of American Soldiers in Iraq." KBR officials were invited to the hearing but did not attend.
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Greg Mitchell's book So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Fails on Iraq includes several chapters on "nonhostile" deaths in Iraq. It has been hailed by Bill Moyers, Arianna Huffington and others.

 

Follow Greg Mitchell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/GregMitch

Comments

[MsSparky]

I had the privilege of meeting Cheryl Harris and Larraine McGee in DC during the hearings. I am sincerely devastated with the unnecessary deaths of out Soldiers and civilians. I will do everything I can to keep this in the spot light.

The news media did a good job of covering the story, but so much pertinent testimony was left out. I have posted the testimony if each witness on my website. I want to make sure the truth gets out there and stays out there.

Thank you for a great article.

Debbie Crawford (aka Ms Sparky)
www.mssparky.com

[ItsNeverOver]

I honestly think that there is no deed that KBR is beneath committing. I just posted an interview I did with Ben Carter, who used to work for KBR, and resigned when he found out that they were forcing the troops to shower in wastewater, and knew about it: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/7/11/135110/836/169/550038

I've cross-posted this in many places to get the story out, and it appears some KBR folks found out and got to work posting abusive comments in response on some sites: http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/07/my-boss-at-kbr-the-military-is.php#comments

Thank you Greg, for making this issue a priority in your reporting- this doesn't receive the coverage it deserves.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

I am beyond words at the REPEATED occurences of this CRIMINAL malpractice by US contractors.

Where's the outrage?

Where's the trial?

[iswideopen]

When will they all be held accountable for their actions? George W. Bush & Co. should be put in jail for implementing this unjust, unwarranted, war. Our soldiers died for oil for Bush and Cheney's pure raw greed and power.

[HearNoWeasel]

Why are there hearings, hearings, hearings, but nobody is ever made to fix anything? What are these hearings for? Why can Congress not finally draw up regulations to make these contractors shape up or pay huge fines? How many more witnesses about fraud and waste do they need? How many more people have to die, drink contaminated water, or otherwise suffer from KBR cost-cutting measures? And KBR reps don't even show up to face the mothers whose kids died because of them.

[Betsy]

Eight posts..."That speaks volumes."

We lost 12 troops due to the negligence of KBR and nobody says a word. The latest deaths were in January 2008, a mere 6 months ago and the American people could care less.

I find it odd that John McCain the big war hero hasn't said a word about this. McCain didn't support the GI bill for the troops and he doesn't care that they're getting fried while showering either.

McCain=Bush!

[terramartom]

Bush is to be held accountable.He is the top commander and under his watch he willfully sat by and did nothing as usual!
War Crimes, criminal intent, anything to bring Bush and his croonies to justice for their greedy and arrogant behavior.

[gigi0820]

This is how the Bush regime "supports the troops", And heckuva job hunting down Bin Laden in retalation for the murder of 3000-plus Americans seven years ago.

[CatfishJohn]

..thank you again sir for your diligence regarding Bushco's criminal cronyism at the DIRECT EXPENSE to our soliders at war via Cheney's proteges and disciples at KBR ...i'll also ask in this contextrwhy no one at this rapacious criminal enterprise known as Bushco, and its no-bid subsidiaries Halliburton/KBR has not been charged for exposing our soldiers at 63 of 67 bases to toxic river water from the Euhprates replete with heavy metals and parasitic microrganisms by not hooking up water filtration equipment several years ago..... toxic river water which was provided as "clean " water to troops for showers, cooking , coffeeemaking and dishwashing....the eventual medical consequences soon to be seen from this are unknown..heavy metal concentratiosns of course can be carcinogenic...but i am certain Cheney's disciples will escape "Scott- or should i say "Scooter-free" form this act of criminal willful negligence towards our troops in Iraq...

[BigCynicDotCom]

Sorry, but KBR executives all wear American flag lapel pins and are therefore immune from prosecution for *any* crime.

Seriously, folks, if you'd like to see other examples of KBR's unbridled, shameless greed, check out "Iraq for Sale":
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6621486727392146155

[swift goat pet for truth]

KBR is rich. She's not.

Case closed.

Welcome to Bush's America.

[jennbeez]

"The hearing was titled "Contractor Misconduct and the Electrocution Deaths of American Soldiers in Iraq." KBR officials were invited to the hearing but did not attend."

Invite them by supeona then.

Keep fighting for accountability for your son's death, Cheryl Harris. My heart goes out to you.

[missmarple]

No one in this Administration or Congress will do a darned thing about this. I feel like screaming at what has happened to these families, and the shows put on by these Committees. It is our fault that we allow the shoddy workmanship to continue and it appears that we're quite happy to keep on paying the bills out of our tax dollars. KBR just keeps on smiling as they look at us poor fools!

[lisakaz2]

Good for her! Somene HAS to make this company take responsibility for its negligence. What are they getting that no-bid big contract for? Those good ole boys belong in jail just like the rest of the Booo$hies.