The death toll in Iraq of 4000 Americans has been widely reported and one is led to assume that they died while doing the dangerous job of soldiering. Such is far from the case. Fully one fifth of them are “non-hostile” deaths, such as illness, accident or suicide. Some of these 800 deaths were by electrocution while taking a shower.
Cheryl Harris, the mother of electrocuted Sgt. Ryan Maseth, has now filed suit against KBR, one of the largest contractors operating in Iraq. Initially informed that her son had died after bringing an electrical appliance into the shower, later reports revealed the cause was a faulty water pump that shorted out and electrified a metal shower hose.
Pre-trial investigation discovered that Maseth’s death was not unique. At least eleven other soldiers have died by electrocution as a result of faulty wiring and construction. The Pentagon says they are investigating. KBR says it’s not their fault.
Greg Mitchell goes into detail about non-hostile deaths in Iraq in his book So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits — and the President — Failed on Iraq.
Posted by Mugly 