U.S. pilots wept, swore after firing on British

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The Padre
Oct 27, 2006
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CBC News

An American fighter pilot wept and another said he was going to be sick after learning they had mistakenly fired on a British military convoy in Iraq, according to a cockpit videotape released by a London newspaper.

The Sun on Tuesday released what it says is the cockpit video of two U.S. pilots involved in the 2003 attack that killed British soldier Lance Cpl. Matty Hull.



A coroner investigating Hull's death had demanded the video be released and presented as evidence in the inquest but U.S. authorities refused.

The leak means that the material is now in the public domain, the coroner's office said Tuesday, suggesting it may be shown when the inquest resumes Feb. 16.

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said Tuesday that London was working with Washington to get as much information on the incident as possible.

"We want as complete an inquest as possible. We want the coroner to have access to as much evidence as possible. We are working with the U.S. to achieve that," Beckett said during a visit to Jerusalem.
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Beckett spoke after clips of the 15-minute video were widely shown on British media.

Later Tuesday, the U.S. agreed to show the video to the coroner and the victim's family.
Pilots shocked, sad

One pilot can be heard on the grainy, black-and-white video asking air controllers whether allied forces were in the region.

Another pilot questions whether orange panels on the vehicles indicate they are "friendlies." Coalition vehicles are equipped with bright markers to prevent such incidents. A voice on the tape says they could be orange rockets.

Ground control confirms twice there were no friendly forces in the region.

Two U.S. A-10 jets allegedly opened fire on Hull's tank, which was part of a five-vehicle convoy engaged in combat outside Basra. Four other soldiers were injured.

When the pilots were told they may have killed an allied soldier, the following exchange occurs:

* Pilot 1 - "I'm going to be sick."
* Pilot 2 - "Ah, f---."
* Pilot 1 - "Did you hear?"
* Pilot 2 - "Yeah, this sucks."
* Pilot 1 - "We're in jail, dude."

A pilot is heard weeping on the video, as the other pilot asks if he's OK.

The Sun didn't explain how it got the video.
No comment from Pentagon

The Pentagon declined comment Tuesday, but the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in London, David Johnson, told the British Broadcasting Corp. it would consider de-classifying the video if the military determined it would not put forces at risk.

U.S. military officials conducted their own investigation but the findings have not been made public.

Military analyst Paul Beaver said the incident is tragic and deeply embarrassing for U.S. forces.

"And what you see from that, my first conclusion is a whole series of mistakes which lead me to believe that this was not a deliberate attack on these vehicles — it was purely a negligent identification."

In 2002, an American F-16 fighter jet mistakenly dropped a 225-kilogram bomb on Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, killing four and injuring eight.

The two pilots involved in the incident didn't face courts martial, but did face non-judicial hearings. One was reprimanded and retired from the military, while the second was reprimanded and fined.
With files from the Associated Press
 

Curiosity

Senate Member
Jul 30, 2005
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But Hermann....

I thought you guys linked all Americans together into one ugly lump..... especially military......

Surprised some of them are human?
 

hermanntrude

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Jun 23, 2006
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But Hermann....

I thought you guys linked all Americans together into one ugly lump..... especially military......

Surprised some of them are human?

you should know better than to accuse me of generalisation. I only do that on a really bad day!

seriously though I did think badly of these guys and i still do but i forgot to sympathise. they must feel like ****. whether they deserve to or not is another debate
 

Curiosity

Senate Member
Jul 30, 2005
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Hermann

Of the most helpless and maligned are the young people with their footprints in the sand fighting against a perceived enemy and a well known one - their Congress, the anti-war crowd and the world.

That they don't give it up and eat their own guns shows me they are made of something more precious than all of us sitting here pounding out words.
 

darkbeaver

the universe is electric
Jan 26, 2006
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Hermann

Of the most helpless and maligned are the young people with their footprints in the sand fighting against a perceived enemy and a well known one - their Congress, the anti-war crowd and the world.

That they don't give it up and eat their own guns shows me they are made of something more precious than all of us sitting here pounding out words.

Don't keep us quessing, what is the precious ingredient?:wave:
 

Daz_Hockey

Council Member
Nov 21, 2005
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But Hermann....

I thought you guys linked all Americans together into one ugly lump..... especially military......

Surprised some of them are human?

still f"cked up royally though didn't they?..."ohhh what ARE those illuminous ORANGE strips???!!"

worse that their own government would not allow the inquest of the victim be show the tape of how his allies murdered him. disgraceful.

oh yeah, they've got hearts......just not brains.