Dissident Veteran for Peace: What Really Happened at Forward Operating Base Falcon?

Dissident Veteran for Peace

"I know of no country in which there is so little independence of mind and real freedom of discussion as in America." --Alexis de Tocquevile. Democracy in America, Book I, Chapter XV.

With a nod to the Most Rev. Dom Helder Camara: When I support Palestinians some call me an 'anti-Semite', when I try to explain why I stand in solidarity with Palestinians they call me a Nazi.

"WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives." —Major General Smedley Butler, USMC (ret.)

"... no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end." —character of O'Brien in 1984, part 3, ch. 3 by George Orwell.

"Every prophet has realized that nobody loves you for being the enemy of their illusions. Every prophet has realized that most of us want peace at any price as long as the peace is ours and somebody else pays the price. That is why the prophet Jeremiah said, ' "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace,' ..." —The Rev. William Sloane Coffin. "Not to Bring Peace, But a Sword."

Thursday, October 26, 2006

What Really Happened at Forward Operating Base Falcon?

Right: Aerial photo of Forward Operating Base Falcon showing damage from fire and explosions. Source: Rense.com

On October 10, Iraqi resistance fighters hit ammunition stored at Forward Operating Base Falcon near Baghdad with mortar rounds. The semi-independent daily Star & Stripes reports:

Insurgent mortar fire hit an American military ammunition dump late Tuesday night, setting off huge explosions and rattling windows and nerves throughout the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, military and civilian officials said Wednesday.

Tank rounds, artillery shells and small-arms ammunition at the Forward Operating Base Falcon site were ignited by the explosion and subsequent fire, casting an orange glow overnight and into Wednesday morning. No injuries were reported by late Wednesday.

According to military spokesmen, the first explosion happened around 10:40 p.m. Soldiers and base workers were evacuated from the area, and emergency workers raced to control the blaze.

FOB Falcon is in the central Rasheed district of Baghdad. A mortar round fired from southern Baghdad caused the blast, officials said.

"Intelligence indicates that civilians aligned with a militia organization were responsible for last night's mortar attack," 4th Infantry Division and Multi-National Division-Baghdad spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathon Withington was quoted by news agencies as saying.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire was still smoldering and more rounds were occasionally cooking off and exploding.

Three battalions, including tank and infantry units, are stationed at the base, but the loss of the ammunition "will not degrade the operational capability of [the division]," a U.S. military news release read. The troops at Falcon have been participating in Operation Together Forward, a massive U.S.-Iraqi effort to clamp down on sectarian violence in Baghdad.

Now, the Web and Blogosphere are sporting claims of a Bush administration election-driven coverup of 300 US soldiers killed in the attack and resulting fires and explosions. One site even provides a purported list of casualties. In my own military experience, it seems very unlikely that US commanders would billet large numbers of troops close enough to risk such high casualties. According to a BBC video, on the incident the base is quite large.

Is a coverup of large numbers of US deaths possible? Yes, but unless other information emerges it seems highly improbable. Still, a successful attack of this type and so close to the Green Zone shows how miserably the US military is failing in Iraq.

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Labels: Iraq, United States, War

# posted by PeaceMonger @ 10/26/2006 11:52:00 PM

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Iraq has been nothing but lies and cover up. Remember it is for home consumption, not history. There are many events "covered up" by the American government. I want to bring to anyone’s attention the Battle Of Baghdad. It disappeared from the radar just when American forces were at the airport. Next you hear it is over. But dig into and you will find mention of a large battle, one where the Americans were not doing so well. Diligent search will find little mention. But something did happen to the 3/7 Cavalry Troopers. Weed through it and it seems like massive casualties on both sides. Some say a neutron bomb was used. There were reports of strange burning of victims. Dig into it. Check out Captain May’s article on it.

# posted by

Anonymous : Monday, October 19, 2009 10:33:00 AM

I was nearby and a friend lived there. First, FOB Falcon is not the largest base. Victory Base Complex is (where I lived). FOB Falcon is basely a square mile in size. Second, no one died, and there were no injuries. The explosions were from a lucky mortar round hit on some CONNEX containers full of conventional ammo. I spoke with a USO performer's handler who was there that night. Third, there were no nukes or chemical weapons. Also, the conventional ammo stored there was hardly enough to make a dent in the overall effort. People from my base helped with the cleanup. There was no battle (just the normal harassment mortars) and no mass casualties. The "facts" that I have read in various blogs makes me shake my head, thinking how foolish the authors look because they did not do fact checking.I spent two tours in Iraq and I am astonished at the conspiracy theorists! Of course, efforts to correct their ideas merely leads them to respond that I and those like me are part of the conspiracy.

# posted by