Iraq Equipment at Heart of Controversy

The U.S. Army says it does its best to keep its hard-pressed vehicles and helicopters running despite these conditions, but soldiers say Iraq sometimes trumps their best efforts. Now maintenance is at the heart of the controversy over an Army Reserve unit that refused to carry fuel along one of Iraq's most dangerous stretches of road. Last week, the Army announced it was investigating up to 19 members of a platoon from the 343rd Quartermaster Company, based in Rock Hill, S.C., after they refused to transport supplies from Tallil air base near Nasiriyah to Taji north of Baghdad. The unit's members complained that the fuel trucks they were to drive lacked the armor needed for the dangerous mission, and were in bad shape. The U.S. military said Monday no decision had been made on whether to discipline the reservists. U.S. officers say the refusal to carry out the mission last week was an isolated incident. Still, it's no secret that convoy duty is one of the most perilous jobs in Iraq. Across the country, the brutal conditions can be seen on the Humvees on patrol with smashed or cracked front windshields or punctured doors and fenders where chunks of shrapnel have blown through. Worse, dozens of vehicles have been lost in attacks. Video clips of burning Humvees have become a staple of Iraqi insurgent propaganda DVDs. [more ]

• Pictured above: A U.S. military Humvee burns after a car bomb exploded in al Mansour neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq Sept. 22, 2004. [more ]
• No Decision Made on Iraq Unit's Fate [more ]