I wonder how much Halliburton paid to bribe the other driver?

The "bob tail" driver wasn't bribed.Does anybody really believe Wheeler would have survived 45 minutes with no security? Get real!I guess Wheeler forgot that at every convoy briefing before every convoy, the procedures of whats going to happen in the event of an ambush is gone over. The guntruck in front of him did the right thing, they probably couldn't hear him screaming. They probably didn't have a KBR radio. The gun trucks behind him did what they were supposed to do, they stayed and fought, if they hadn't he wouldn't be alive today 1 year later to pull some self serving bs. like he is. My heart goes out to these men's families. I knew all 3 of them. I only hope they're children never see the video, especially the parts where they're dads are being killed.

Halliburton and KBR lie. I believe Preston Wheeler. I was at Camp Anaconda in Balad, Iraq and I would watch the convoys and there escorts leave the base.

What I find bothersome in this story is that I am suppose to feel sorry for a trucker making a $100,000 who voluntarily enters a war zone for a huge and extremily profitable company. Frankly, the high profits of the company and the income of the contractor should be responsible for their own security, and A) stop risking the lives of solders and B) stop taking away the resource (ie trained military personel) that should be used to proactivly fight battles rather than guarding a bunch of people who make far more money than they do.

It is unfortunate that these men died and I'm sure everyone sympathizes with their families, but you can't forget that they made the decision to place themselves in danger in exchange for their paychecks. I feel the same way about Preston Wheeler's complaints - if he didn't want to be in danger he shouldn't gone over (btw why was he playing with a video camera while on a mission like this, seems a little irresponsible in the first place).

Maybe I missed them. As a veteran of Viet Nam, I know there are countless untold stories of heroic
acts by our soldiers in combat.
How can these stories of so call
less than honorable behavior have
any credibility if we only hear the negative. I'm still waiting for the hero stories. Is anyone
so naive to believe that there are none out there. Get Real!
I've been busy, maybe I missed it!

Re:Comment by Mark Overcash. What's self serving about Mr.Wheeler's claims ? How can a video lie ? What he said is true, like it or not. Why is it not part of the convoy briefings and procedures that they don't give the drivers maps before EVERY convoy ? Do I understand you to claim that at these briefings the non-military truck drivers are told that if/when they come under fire the military will leave them on their own ? Along with maps, Halliburton needs to equipment these drivers with weapons. Oh but wait ... that would mean less profit for the company ! And why is it the gun truck wouldn't have a radio, KBR or otherwise ? Who decides that ? Halliburton , KBR or the US military ? My prayers are with the men's families and with Mr. Wheeler.

Um, Mr. Overcash, you obviously haven't listened to the audio with the video--Wheeler talks to the military guys on the radio, you can hear them talking, just not really responding to the situation. The excuse that they're getting out of the kill zone is about the most transparent BS translation of "running away," I've ever heard. This was a tragic CF and highlights what's horribly wrong with the U.S. Army--i.e., it almost doesn't exist, these were National Guard (i.e., state militia) troops and unarmed civilian contractors have no business being led into a war zone by so-called U.S. troops. This is a real war, not some "police action." It needs to be fought as such with real soldiers and overwhelming force. That's how the muzzies are fighting--with everything they've got. Who do you think will win if things continue this way?

I know convoy procedure. I've driven in enough of them. The real question -- the one that nobody seems to be asking -- is why do they have civilian truckers in civilian (unarmored) rigs doing what 88M (Army) drivers ought to be doing?

No, they didn't drive off they um, drove off out of the kill zone.

Oops.

Yeah, they pretty much drove off.

I was a driver in the service and you where taught core principles
1.GET OUT OF THE KILL ZONE!!!

2.DON`T stop for your buddy you`ll get killed and the ememy gets the cargo.

3.Mission first!!

now I drove in a logics unit and in the Military Police.the difference is dramtic .the M.P. s are taught to stand there ground and even attack with there escorts into the ambush.The logics units and there escorts follow the three rules I listed.I don`t believe this driver was totally abandon since he is still with us.
Thank You
Charles Murphy

Once again people who know nothing about hte military speak out and immediately become experts. KBR or any civilian contractor for that matter can carry weapons because then they will be treated as combatants, civilian combatants, which means they have to abide by the local laws and will be punished by such. And why was Mr. Wheeler shooting a video while he was suppose to be driving and watching his surroundings being alert at all times? You can't do that with a video camera in your hands! Civilian drivers carry there own radio systems which are not compatable with military radios, the radio issue is decided by DoD. As far as Mr. Wheeler speaking to on the radio you have no idea who was on the other end of that radio. I would love to see Juanita McKenzie and Ay Uaxe put on a uniform and go to Iraq and go through an ambush to see what their actions would be? But thats right they are too scared to go because its more fun to stay at home and respond to these sites without a clue about what is really happing. How do I know this info 3 combat tours and 20 yrs of service.

With what these civilian drivers are getting paid in Iraq, can't they afford to purchase their own weapons? Also, What number of similar incidents have reported there in the three plus years since US forces and civilian contractors have been over there? Few? Many?

Saul,
The issue isn't that the contractors can't afford to buy weapons, it is that they aren't allowed to carry weapons. The theatre commander has ordered that due to the fact that contractors are not qualified to deal with combat situations, they cannot be armed.

So sorry Mr. Wheeler, but I am Rick Wynnes wife and I garuntee you that no one has paid my husband to speek the truth.Have you forgot that you agreed to go to Iraq and work in a war zone at no time did any one make you take the job you did that all on your own. Billie Wynne

In reference to Murphy's say so of 3 combat tours and 20 years of service.
If you were told by the Military to jump out of a building, then I guess you'd do it. You follow instructions.
I know nothing about the military and a lot of other people don't know either about their so called "procedures". But, if I was in a combat zone, I won't even depend on my father. I'd make sure I'd have some kind of weapon.
And us so-called people who are too scared to go to Iraq and just sit at home and don't know what's going on: We know what's going on over there. Men and women are dying
daily. Even more this month. if you look at how many have died in the six days of this month. People are dying needlessly for a war that should not have been. How does that grab you Murphy? And I ain't even calling you or Bush "Mr."

I don't know why there weren't enough radios for every gun truck. I used to ask the same thing when I drove there for a year.I have listened to the audio and I can tell you there wasn't a radio in all the gun trucks, there never was. The theory of getting out of the kill zone is that if you stop then everybody behind you is endangered, it's much better to regroup up ahead and then fight. And they can't just leave the unarmed civ. who got out unprotected either. I wish we could just wack all of them but the rules of engagement won't let our troops fire back into a crowd of women and children and the troops I talked to and ran with over there didn't want to kill kids. It's not pretty. He wasn't left on his own. If he had been he wouldn't have lived!! There were gun trucks behind him.The only maps I saw were the ones the mil. had. I don't know this for a fact but they prob. would not release them for security reasons?

If convoys stopped everytime an IED went off or shots were fired, there would be a hell of a lot more dead troops and civs. It's not like in the movies.

Truck blown-up, been there done that.
Truck shot up been there done that
Got the hell out of the kill zone been there did that
Still here.

I saw the video, and read all of these comments, and only one thing pops up like a red flag, you NEVER leave anybody behind! If, and it's a big IF there was some defensive action by the military escorts in the video, I'd be the first to eat my words and tell them thanks. The same way I end all of my comments to the members of a VietNam Army Vets group I am the owner of, "Thank you all for all you did, you are all my Heroes". If every time we saw a helicopter full of our friends go down in Nam, we just flew off to "escape the kill zone" how do you think we would have ever slept again? Not very damn well, that's for sure. We just stayed and gave 'em hell until we had our buddies out of harms way, or we DIED TRYING, over fifty eight thousand of our brothers did!!

this iraq war is like all the other wars america was in. to make rich men richer. can you spell "cannon fodder"?anyone in iraq signed on the bottom line. . dead is dead."semper fi won't change it.
war is legal murder. get it?
except. this war is illegal.
do you think tommy franks smokes cigars in his hawaiian shirt and worries about any of this.
the iraq war has nothing to do with american freedom. it's about money and oil.

There was a gun truck behind the convoy. If you get to see the full video you can clearly hear a .50 cal going off. The only reason why Wheeler was alive because of that escort in the rear. Unfortunately they were not able to save the guys that got hit in the lead of the convoy. All the interviews he made it seem like all the soldiers took off. Why did he not acknowledge that there was rear support that stay behind? Sounds like him and the media are purposely trying to stir up a controvesy. Wheeler was probably regretting that he didn't carry a weapon even though company policy said he couldn't. Like a dummie he listened. Just my 2 cents.

To Dave.....Amen Brother!

Where was the Bob Tail, why did it take 45 mins. to get to Wheeler? Local laws, military laws, hell where is Contractors laws, where the hell is OSHA?

Yes civilian are taught to get out of the kill zone, but military are taught to never leave their comarades behind! Brothers first, SEMPER FI

Sandy,
Were you this bob tailer on this convoy who left his brother to die?

there is some serious ignorance going on in this forum....too much conjecture....leads to hate. all posters of personal ignorant views need to get busy and get all the facts. If you're too lazy..or busy to get the facts, you're really not entitled to an opinion. Yeah free speech...good stuff, however, it's the refuge of many very stupid people.

I'm a driver for KBR in Iraq and all the gun trucks STILL don't have radios! Having done this for a few months I feel safe saying that the escorts don't really seem too eager to put up a fight on our behalf anyway. Most of them I've met act like it's a chore to protect the convoys and they'd rather be doing something else. Like sitting at the M.W.R. playing XBOX or looking up stuff online. Can't really say I blame them. And also I've yet to have a real breifing by the military before a convoy. 43 missions and I think it might have happened a couple of times and not much was discussed. Mostly they just put the pedal to the metal and we struggle to keep up in worn out, poorly maintained trucks.

We all know that it was a terrible lose and the people that were there know what happend being a driver myself I know that a convoy can stretch out for (3)three miles or more and when under fire wheather it be small arms or RPG`s and truck go down and block your way the trucks behind are to go around the down truck and the Bobtail is the one to pick the down driver up with the help of the rear escort