Sad news about Friendly Fire Deaths
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GZR_Sactargets
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Sad news about Friendly Fire Deaths
Latest Friendly Fire Attributed to USAF F-15: The International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan said in a release that a bomb dropped during a close air support strike "probably" killed three British soldiers on Aug. 23 in southern Afghanistan. A statement from the British Ministry of Defence attributed the accident to one of two USAF F-15s, saying that "one bomb was dropped and it is believed the explosion killed the three soldiers." Stars and Stripesreports that the F-15s were from RAF Lakenheath, Britain, quoting ISAF spokesman Army Lt. Col. David Accetta. ISAF has initiated an investigation
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GZR_Sactargets
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Associated Press | September 24, 2007
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A federal judge has ruled against a pilot who said the Air Force ruined his reputation with its response to a friendly fire bombing in Afghanistan that killed four Canadian soldiers.
Maj. Harry Schmidt claimed in an April 2006 civil lawsuit that the military violated the federal Privacy Act by disclosing parts of his military record without his permission.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield, said military officials should not have released to the public a scathing letter of reprimand. Schmidt's attorney, Charles Gittins of Virginia, has said the disclosure also violated a settlement agreement that prevented Schmidt from being court-martialed for the 2002 bombing that also wounded eight others.
Messages left for Gittins Saturday evening were not immediately returned.
U.S. District Judge Jeanne Scott ruled in favor of the Air Force on Thursday, writing that "the competing public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs Schmidt's privacy interest."
"The release of Schmidt's reprimand gave the public, in the United States, and around the world, insight into the way in which the United States government was holding its pilot accountable. Thus considering all of the circumstances, the disclosures at issue were clearly warranted," Scott said.
On April 17, 2002, Schmidt and another pilot were flying F-16s when they spotted muzzle flashes near Kandahar airport. The Canadians were firing weapons on a training range but Schmidt mistook the soldiers for Taliban forces and dropped a 500-pound, laser-guided bomb.
The pilot has said his superiors never told him the Canadians would be conducting live-fire exercises that night.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A federal judge has ruled against a pilot who said the Air Force ruined his reputation with its response to a friendly fire bombing in Afghanistan that killed four Canadian soldiers.
Maj. Harry Schmidt claimed in an April 2006 civil lawsuit that the military violated the federal Privacy Act by disclosing parts of his military record without his permission.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield, said military officials should not have released to the public a scathing letter of reprimand. Schmidt's attorney, Charles Gittins of Virginia, has said the disclosure also violated a settlement agreement that prevented Schmidt from being court-martialed for the 2002 bombing that also wounded eight others.
Messages left for Gittins Saturday evening were not immediately returned.
U.S. District Judge Jeanne Scott ruled in favor of the Air Force on Thursday, writing that "the competing public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs Schmidt's privacy interest."
"The release of Schmidt's reprimand gave the public, in the United States, and around the world, insight into the way in which the United States government was holding its pilot accountable. Thus considering all of the circumstances, the disclosures at issue were clearly warranted," Scott said.
On April 17, 2002, Schmidt and another pilot were flying F-16s when they spotted muzzle flashes near Kandahar airport. The Canadians were firing weapons on a training range but Schmidt mistook the soldiers for Taliban forces and dropped a 500-pound, laser-guided bomb.
The pilot has said his superiors never told him the Canadians would be conducting live-fire exercises that night.
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djnocturnal
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KevinJarvis
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I live 30 miles west of Springfield. I've been to Capital Airport many times and have met some of the ANG pilots. They are a great group of men and women.
Only someone who lives in Springfield and the surrounding area knows how deeply saddened these people were when this happened.
These guys fly over my house pretty regularly. They work as hard as anyone in that business to be the best they can be.
We're all very sorry for what happened. I personally contribute it to the cloud of war and miscommunication that comes with it.
We can only hope that accidents like this don't happen too often.
KJ
Only someone who lives in Springfield and the surrounding area knows how deeply saddened these people were when this happened.
These guys fly over my house pretty regularly. They work as hard as anyone in that business to be the best they can be.
We're all very sorry for what happened. I personally contribute it to the cloud of war and miscommunication that comes with it.
We can only hope that accidents like this don't happen too often.
KJ