Pentagon Attempted To Cover-Up KBR’s Negligence In Electrocution Of U.S. Soldier
Pentagon Attempted To Cover-Up KBR’s Negligence In Electrocution Of U.S. Soldier
On January 2, 2008, Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth was electrocuted while taking a shower at the Legion Security Forces Building in Baghdad. Press reports have indicated that contractor KBR ignored repeated warnings about the unsafe wiring.
In memo to House Oversight Committee this week, Pentagon Inspector General Gordon Heddell claimed there was “no credible evidence” that either KBR or the DOD knew about the hazards beforehand. Information uncovered by the Committee, however, contradicts Heddell.
In a Committee hearing today, Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) released a work order from July 8, 2007 –- months before Maseth’s death — in which Sergeant Justin Hummer, the previous occupant of the room, reported to KBR:
Pipes have voltage. Get shocked in shower.
Furthermore, in sworn testimony on June 6, 2008, Hummer said he was shocked at least four times in the shower between June and October 2007. In each case, KBR personnel tried to fix the hazard. Today, the Pentagon IG admitted he was wrong to claim KBR was not aware of the electrical danger:
WAXMAN: This seems to be credible evidence that KBR was aware of this hazard last July.
HEDDELL: I do agree with you, Mr. Chairman.
Watch it:
Waxman showed Heddell another document of “task orders” from the Pentagon “warning that Sgt. Hummer gets shocked in the shower.” Heddell quickly admitted that he was also wrong to exonerate the DOD:
WAXMAN: This document seems to be credible evidence that the Defense Department was aware of the problem as well. Do you agree?
HEDDELL: It would appear so, sir.
The majority staff report also notes that KBR official Thomas Bruni may have lied under oath. In prepared testimony, he claimed, “Though we cannot be certain who installed the water pump [that killed Maseth] we do know that KBR did not do so.” But a KBR work order from July 9, 2007 stated, “Replace pressure switch & water pump.”
“We have absolved no one,” Heddell said. “We never have, and not at this moment.”
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PROSECUTE!!!
July 30th, 2008 at 9:19 pmNothing is going to happen to these traitors until the next administration. I’d love to see an AG hell bent on justice. Who would that be?
July 30th, 2008 at 9:25 pmThis is a symptom of a problem going back at least to Senile Ronnie’s day and probably beyond where career military had an incentive to overlook shortcomings of government contractors who may be a source of future employment. Much bigger problem now that Chimpy and The Dick have created such a large market for mercenaries like KBR and Blackwater. Legislation time? Nancy? Harry?
July 30th, 2008 at 9:36 pmIf they will lie about this, what else will they lie about. Odd thing is that the general advice from older folk is that once someone lies to you, never trust them.
And paleolib is right. Only it goes far beyond the military. I used to work in a Health and Environment agency in the southeast. MAny folks were dedicated and tried to do a good job. But in the event they were ever put under the supervision of someone with an eye to either moving up into federal govt or moving to private industry, all sorts of dirty tricks existed to halt any action.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:42 pmWhy do I get the feeling that no one will ever be held accountable for this?
Maybe because NO ONE HAS BEEN HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ANYTHING in this Administration?
July 30th, 2008 at 9:43 pmI suspect the Pentagon has interest vested in seeing this matter go away quietly.
Such crass neglect and disregard for building codes cannot be possible without active collusion from the Pentagon’s inspectors and/or their bosses.
This collusion probably goes very high in the chain of command, all the way up to the person(s) who approved/awarded the contract to KBR.
July 30th, 2008 at 9:50 pmSo, the office of the Inspector General of the United States was covering up for KBR and the DOD? I’d like the IG to explain what kind of investigation he conducted if the committee was able to find evidence he was unable to. Did KBR and or the DOD lie to the IG during his investigation or did the IG fail to conduct a conscientious investigation or did he simply fail to conduct an investigation at all?
July 30th, 2008 at 9:58 pmKBR also indirectly kills hundreds of construction workers per year (world wide) through their gross neglegance of safety practices. Don’t hear much about that do ya? (I worked for KBR before joining a trade union.) Believe me…KBR cares about nothing but profit.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:01 pmHow come these fu(ks ain’t in jail?
Congress is a big fat fail,
While the evidence goes stale,
And the public protests to no avail.
Conyers, Pelosi, and the Congressional suits
Protect criminal bush from getting the boot,
The truth from Iraq is set to ‘mute.’
While KBR continues to electrocute.
And Halliburton rapes with no prosecution,
While Blackwater conducts random execution,
The Congress is “too busy” for a solution,
To restoring our crumbling Constitution.
America is declining with no one to enforce
The rule of law, we’re on the wrong course,
Congress don’t care about any corruption source,
July 30th, 2008 at 10:06 pmSo fu(k all you “reps,” and that upon which you rode in; the horse!
Murder, manslaughter, or negligent homicide? That’s the real question.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:08 pmI served in the U.S. Air Force back during the early 1970s.
I never had to worry about being electrocuted while taking a shower.
This was before the all volunteer military, and before early-onset-alzheimers Ronnie and the corrupt Republicans started pushing their privatization scheme.
You’ve heard the argument offered up by corrupt Republicans.
These brave guys and gals in our military today are all volunteers, so they shouldn’t be complaining about being electrocuted, or not having enough armor, or being sickened over in Iraq by foul water or food provided by corrupt crony Republican contractors and sub-contractors, because…by being volunteers…they…asked…for…it.
Heads should roll. Or maybe a firing squad should be organized. Because it is obvious that certain Republicans have betrayed our soldiers, as well as even caused the deaths of some of our soldiers.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:55 pmThings I have gleaned from the hearing so far: there are no building codes in Iraq. They (the Army) probably cheaped out on the level of maintenance by KBR (only fix things, not refurbish them or bring them up to a code, any code). Who the hell is the “mayor” of this facility, apparently a military man, but no-one can produce the name.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:29 pmSue them out of existence. Same with the oil companies, Blackwater. They have to write a charter to exist, if they violate their charter, jank it.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:31 pmFurthermore, in sworn testimony on June 6, 2008, Hummer said he was shocked at least four times in the shower between June and October 2007. In each case, KBR personnel tried to fix the hazard. Today, the Pentagon IG admitted he was wrong to claim KBR was not aware of the electrical danger.
Another prime example of the shoddy workmanship and corruption that’s endemic to Halliburton/KBR. This of course was an entirely predictable outcome from no bid, cost plus contracts but Bush couldn’t care less as long as his buddies are getting rich.
http://progressiveworldreview.com
July 30th, 2008 at 11:36 pmI would not have taken any showers in there. I suppose the military would have forced me to shower.
Why does the Pentagon hate the troops so much?
July 31st, 2008 at 12:02 amThis is one more reason why going to war must be out of necessity. This war was not out of necessity.
Collateral damage is not worth it. This guy was dear to his family and friends. Another waste of human life, which is more precious than all the money and resources in the world.
July 31st, 2008 at 12:04 amHow have our soldiers been described by this administration?
They’re deaths are just numbers.
They’re volunteers.
Bush&Co really don’t care – it’s all about money and oil. Everything else is irrelevant to them.
July 31st, 2008 at 12:15 am.
KBR = Goon Squad
They were sent into Iraq to complete a Mission… accomplished!
.
July 31st, 2008 at 1:39 am#10 hanshiro,
POST of the day!
.
July 31st, 2008 at 1:42 amThe brass always take care of their own. Their own being the big defense contractors who will employ them after they retire.
July 31st, 2008 at 6:17 amWhat the military needs is a reincarnation of Vice Adm. William F. “Red” Raborn. While he was known as “Red” in the Navy, contractors on the Polaris development team dubbed him “Foghorn”. Foghorn would berate any contractor or subcontractor who fell short or behind as if they were a lowly sailor tending the bilge. An order to report to Raborn’s office was considered tantamount to an order of execution and the latter was considered preferable to the first.
July 31st, 2008 at 6:57 amI might note that the first Polaris submarine was delivered under projected cost and ahead of schedule.
And the IG is still getting his pay check, too?
July 31st, 2008 at 8:28 amAnd these men are charged with protecting our country? Cowards. They shrink from the truth like shadows before light.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:52 amDoes anyone else see the irony that prisoners in any US detention center get better treatment than our career, voluntary military personnel?
It seems that when you volunteer for military service, put yourself in harms way and serve in the defense of our nation, it isn’t just the enemy that you have to worry about. You volunteer to put yourself in harms way when you shave and shower in the morning, too.
That the layers of lies had to be explicitly contradicted, despite many similar cases where there was testimony – that in this case there was iron clad proof of dishonesty – tells any thinking person that many cases need to be reopened and investigated. Men and women doing an already difficult, thankless job should never be endangered by the very organizations they are there to defend – leave such things to the enemy, not when they are eating, shaving, showering and giving their lives in service.
Absolutely disgraceful. Those who *lied* about this should be stripped of their positions and dishonorably discharged as a minimum.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:15 amEDIT: I meant “penal” facility, like jails and penitentiaries, not “detention” facilities like GITMO. Strangely, they use electric shocks at both places – one as a harsh interrogation technique, one as a consequence of starting the day as a soldier in the US Army.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:20 amHow sad that we all appear to be so shocked by this “accident/incident” of KBR’s workmanship. Yet, seems every hour on the hour, we, the people, are hearing more and more incidents of this type of activity in every nook & cranny of government. But, the Democratic Party, House & Senate, have already taken off the table impeachment of this President, who will pardon any of his knights anyway.
We, America knew in 2004 what these criminals were capable of & doing, but we either voted for them or sat back & let them steal the election again. In 2006 the Dems stepped back in some sort of genteel fashion of really representing our interest, and have accomplished little to nothing of import.
How many budgets has our Congress approved, the ones that keep Haliburton, KBR, Blackwater, et al gorge from? How many “compromises” have been signed into law?
Who is really paying for torture, incompetence in DOJ, DOD, DHS, NASA, EPA, FDA,IG, etc. You & me, by our lack of honor & integrity. We let it be, we accept the lies, we hope, but we do little else.
Even our new wonderkid Barack is playing like the last one Kerry, Mr kind genteel, intellectual.
Why? The Waxman’s & Kucinich’s are marginalized & ridiculed, so their effectiveness and impact vent out the anger & frustration we all share.
Just maybe this oncoming economic depression will finially break us free from our moral & economic complacency to once again actually water the tree of liberty with the blood of traitors & patriots. Our justice system only imprisons those at the bottom, while those at the pinicale of the economy can deal death & destuction to hundreds of thousands & prosper from it. Because they fixed it to work that way. And we saw it & grumbled, if even that.
Let us take up arms against these slings & arrows of outrageous fortune & take America to where we could & should have always been.
A Democratic President must replace this Republican shadow puppet. Then, if he falls into the same pattern, take a lesson from the Iraqis. Be a patriot at any cost.It is not “God’s Will” it is our obligation as citizens of a free democracy & republic.
Anger, not fear, is what makes us the greatest nation in history of the world. This Evil has used fear to take us here, compromise has it’s place but not now. We change that perspective & focus and all these other things have no place to thrive. See the forest, the evil incharge has made us only concern ourselves with the trees, and little ones at that.
Vote for America, vote for all of us, vote for our children, then if that fails again…act.
July 31st, 2008 at 2:27 pmThe IG issues a report that KBR and DOD didn’t know of any problems with the electrical work. The committee discovers such evidence with fewer resources and less effort than that performed by the IG. The IG now lies and says, oh…….., our report was only preliminary. Now, that you’ve caught us not doing our job, we’ll certainly try our best to cover our own a$$ as well as the DOD and KBR. Typical GOP liars, cheats, crooks and scoundrels. When will this catastrophe of the Bush crime adminstration finally end?
July 31st, 2008 at 2:47 pmI say let Mr. Goddell should shower in one of those death traps, if everything is all right.
July 31st, 2008 at 2:55 pm