Monday - January 30, 2006

Wounded In Action

I am sorry Mr. Woodruff was injured and I hope he and his cameraman make a quick recovery. However, I question why this is all over the media and being covered by every major MSM outlet as if it is an earth-shattering event. What about the troops who have to endure this every day, some of whom are performing acts of courage and bravery in the course of getting injured that go largely unsung?

Have the media become the story they profess to cover? Where are the news stories about the brave men and women putting their lives on the line every single day and night? If the media covered these acts of courage and the progress that is being made in Iraq as well as they cover one of their own getting injured or the murderous acts of the madmen our troops are fighting, I would feel a whole lot better about their honesty in reporting. Is one reporter in a hospital in Germany more important than a wounded Marine at Walter Reed hospital? You tell me ...

ABC News’ Bob Woodruff and
Cameraman Seriously Injured in Iraq
(ABC NEWS)

Jan. 29, 2006 — “World News Tonight” co-anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt are recovering from injuries suffered when their convoy was hit by an improvised explosive devise in Iraq today. They remain in serious but stable condition following surgery at a U.S. military hospital in Iraq and will be treated at a medical facility in Germany.  The two and an Iraqi soldier were seriously injured when their convoy was attacked near Taji, Iraq, about 12 miles north of Baghdad. Woodruff and Vogt suffered shrapnel wounds and underwent surgery at the U.S. military hospital in Balad.

Both suffered head injuries and Woodruff also suffered wounds to his upper body. They were flown to the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, and doctors there will assess their condition and monitor their recovery in the coming days. “We take this as good news, but the next few days will be critical,” ABC News President David Westin said in a statement. Woodruff, Vogt and their four-man team were in the lead vehicle traveling in a convoy with Iraqi security forces in Taji, Iraq. Woodruff and Vogt were standing up in the back hatch of their vehicle taping a video log of the patrol at the time of the attack.

“He wanted to get out and report the story and not be locked in and taking information from someone else who was experiencing it,” said ABC senior producer Kate Felsen, who had been working with Woodruff for the past two weeks. “I spoke with both of them,” Felsen continued. “Doug was conscious, and I was able to reassure him we were getting them care. I spoke to Bob also and walked with them to the helicopter.” Woodruff and Vogt had been embedded with the 4th Infantry Division and were in a mechanized vehicle on a combined operation with Iraqi Army and Coalition forces when the explosive went off.

“This is very common over there now,” said White House correspondent Martha Raddatz on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” “These attacks are planned, and this [the small arms fire] is a secondary attack. “Sometimes when the medical personnel come in, they have small arms fire following up on that,” said Raddatz, who also has covered the Pentagon for years and has had extensive experience filing reports from Iraq.

The ambush of the convoy was complex. The explosion was followed by small arms fire from three different directions. Iraqi security forces spread out looking for the triggermen while U.S. troops tended to Woodruff and Vogt. The convoy was equipped with improvised explosive device (IED) jammers, which would interfere with the signals from a remote-controlled device using wireless signals. Officials believe the IED was detonated through a hard wire in the ground. The attack on the convoy occurred in the same area where a U.S. Apache helicopter was shot down earlier this month.

Posted by The Skipper     on 01/30/2006 at 09:26 AM   
Filed Under: • Media-Bias •  
• Comments (18) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

DISCLAIMER

THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

THE INFORMATION AND OTHER CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLY WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS WEBSITE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ALL PARTIES IRREVOCABLY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE AMERICAN COURTS. IF ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE IS CONSTRUED AS BEING CONTRARY TO THE LAWS APPLICABLE IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY, THEN THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE ACCESSED BY PERSONS FROM THAT COUNTRY AND ANY PERSONS WHO ARE SUBJECT TO SUCH LAWS SHALL NOT BE ENTITLED TO USE OUR SERVICES UNLESS THEY CAN SATISFY US THAT SUCH USE WOULD BE LAWFUL.

Copyright © 2004-2015 Domain Owner