ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Army is investigating up to 19 members of a supply platoon in Iraq who refused to go on a convoy mission, the military said yesterday. Relatives of the soldiers said the troops considered the mission too dangerous, in part because their vehicles were in such poor shape.
Some of the troops’ concerns were being addressed, military officials said. But a coalition spokesman in Baghdad noted that “a small number of the soldiers involved chose to express their concerns in an inappropriate manner, causing a temporary breakdown in discipline.”
The reservists are from a fuel platoon that is part of the 343rd Quartermaster Company, based in Rock Hill, S.C. The unit delivers food, water and fuel on trucks in combat zones.
A commanding general has ordered the unit to undergo a “safety-maintenance stand down,” during which it will conduct no further missions as the unit’s vehicles undergo safety inspections, the military said.
On Wednesday, 19 members of the platoon did not show up for a scheduled 7 a.m. meeting in Tallil, in southeastern Iraq, to prepare for the fuel convoy’s departure a few hours later, the military statement said.
“An initial report indicated that some of the 19 soldiers (not all) refused to participate in the convoy as directed,” the statement said.
The mission was ultimately carried out by other soldiers from the 343rd Quartermaster Company, which has at least 120 soldiers, the military said.
Convoys in Iraq are frequently subject to ambushes and roadside bombings.
A whole unit refusing to go on a mission in a war zone would be a significant breach of military discipline. The military statement called the incident “isolated” and called the 343rd Quartermaster Company an experienced unit that performed honorable service in Iraq.
Teresa Hill of Dothan, Ala., who said her daughter, Amber McClenny, was in the platoon, received a phone message from her early Thursday morning saying they had been detained by U.S. military authorities.
Mrs. Hill said she was later contacted by Spc. Tammy Reese in Iraq, who was calling families of the detainees.
“She told me [Amber] was being held in a tent with armed guards,” said Mrs. Hill, who spoke with her daughter yesterday afternoon after her release. Her daughter said they are facing punishment ranging from a reprimand to a charge of mutiny.
The incident was first reported yesterday by the Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson, Miss. Family members told the newspaper that several platoon members had been confined, but the military did not confirm that.
U.S. military officials said the commanding general of the 13th Corps Support Command., Brig. Gen. James E. Chambers, had appointed his deputy, Col. Darrell Roll, to investigate. An investigative team under Col. Roll is in Tallil, questioning soldiers about the incident, the military said.
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