Army tragedies lead to weapons training reform
By Dave Moniz, USA TODAY
Tue May 10, 6:21 AM ET
Army Capt. James Shull died of a gunshot wound to his head as he was on a routine patrol in Baghdad on Nov. 17, 2003.
The fatal wound came not from an Iraqi insurgent but from one of his own men, who, an Army investigation determined, had carelessly tossed his M-16 rifle into the back of his Humvee without activating the rifle's safety switch. The gun went off, shooting Shull, who died instantly.
The account of his death was provided by Sandy Shull, his mother, who said she hopes that by speaking out she can help prevent future incidents.
Her son, 32, left a wife and three children.
"Can you imagine, killing someone like that?" Shull said during a telephone interview from her home in Kamiah, Idaho.
Shull said she wrote the soldier a letter of forgiveness and, through religious faith, is looking forward to the day she and her son are reunited in heaven.
"I don't have any animosity toward the soldier who did it," she said. "Of course, we wish he had been more careful."
In the 18 months since Shull died, the Army has changed its training methods to cut down on such deadly incidents, known as "negligent discharges." Enlisted recruits now go through new safety programs at all training bases, and new officers perform new weapons-handling drills. (Related story: Army revises weapons training)
Since 2002, as many as 16 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan by negligent discharges, including 11 Army soldiers, according to Pentagon statistics. An additional 121 in Iraq have been wounded. The Army began looking into ways to stress weapons safety four years ago when Lt. Gen. David Barno, then a training commander in South Carolina, recommended that recruits carry their weapons at all times.
Hampered by old rules
Cold War-era regulations stymied the initial efforts of Barno, who went on to command U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Soldiers had long been prohibited from keeping control of weapons for long periods of time. Concern that rifles would be either lost or stolen led the Army to keep them locked up. Those rules were eased about six months ago, and now Army recruits keep their weapons 24 hours a day in a program called "weapons immersion."
Officials at Fort Jackson, S.C., Barno's old base, said the new procedures seem to have made a difference with recruits. Col. Jay Chambers, who commands a training brigade, said there has only been one negligent rifle discharge in his brigade since he took command last summer.
Besides the emotional costs for the families of soldiers killed by accidental shootings, the accidents can also crush morale, said Col. Kevin Shwedo, a senior Army training official at Fort Monroe, Va.
While Shwedo was a young captain commanding armored troops in Germany in the early 1980s, a young soldier carrying an M-60 machine gun stumbled while running up a flight of stairs and inadvertently fired his weapon, instantly killing one of his buddies a few feet away. The incident devastated the entire unit, Shwedo said.
Driving the point home
Now, the Army issues blanks with new recruits at boot camp as part of a new policy to drive home the consequences of sloppy habits. When recruits fire their weapons accidentally, even with blanks, they must write a letter home to the family of their "victim."
Commanders in Iraq have taken steps as well.
David Martin, a safety manager for allied troops in Iraq, said U.S. forces conducted a "safety stand-down" in February to stress safe weapons handling. Martin said the most recent fatal accidental shooting in Iraq occurred about a month ago. Martin said he did not know whether the new emphasis has resulted in a drop in injuries or deaths.
Many of the incidents have occurred, Martin said, when new units arrive and face immediate stress from fighting a 24-hour-a-day insurgency.
Capt. Todd Lindner, who commands a Kentucky Army National Guard MP company, said his unit had two negligent weapons discharges shortly after deploying, with no injuries.
Fatigue has been a problem, Lindner said. His soldiers typically work 15- to 16-hour days.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=sto...oday/armytragediesleadtoweaponstrainingreform
By Dave Moniz, USA TODAY
Tue May 10, 6:21 AM ET
Army Capt. James Shull died of a gunshot wound to his head as he was on a routine patrol in Baghdad on Nov. 17, 2003.
The fatal wound came not from an Iraqi insurgent but from one of his own men, who, an Army investigation determined, had carelessly tossed his M-16 rifle into the back of his Humvee without activating the rifle's safety switch. The gun went off, shooting Shull, who died instantly.
The account of his death was provided by Sandy Shull, his mother, who said she hopes that by speaking out she can help prevent future incidents.
Her son, 32, left a wife and three children.
"Can you imagine, killing someone like that?" Shull said during a telephone interview from her home in Kamiah, Idaho.
Shull said she wrote the soldier a letter of forgiveness and, through religious faith, is looking forward to the day she and her son are reunited in heaven.
"I don't have any animosity toward the soldier who did it," she said. "Of course, we wish he had been more careful."
In the 18 months since Shull died, the Army has changed its training methods to cut down on such deadly incidents, known as "negligent discharges." Enlisted recruits now go through new safety programs at all training bases, and new officers perform new weapons-handling drills. (Related story: Army revises weapons training)
Since 2002, as many as 16 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan by negligent discharges, including 11 Army soldiers, according to Pentagon statistics. An additional 121 in Iraq have been wounded. The Army began looking into ways to stress weapons safety four years ago when Lt. Gen. David Barno, then a training commander in South Carolina, recommended that recruits carry their weapons at all times.
Hampered by old rules
Cold War-era regulations stymied the initial efforts of Barno, who went on to command U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Soldiers had long been prohibited from keeping control of weapons for long periods of time. Concern that rifles would be either lost or stolen led the Army to keep them locked up. Those rules were eased about six months ago, and now Army recruits keep their weapons 24 hours a day in a program called "weapons immersion."
Officials at Fort Jackson, S.C., Barno's old base, said the new procedures seem to have made a difference with recruits. Col. Jay Chambers, who commands a training brigade, said there has only been one negligent rifle discharge in his brigade since he took command last summer.
Besides the emotional costs for the families of soldiers killed by accidental shootings, the accidents can also crush morale, said Col. Kevin Shwedo, a senior Army training official at Fort Monroe, Va.
While Shwedo was a young captain commanding armored troops in Germany in the early 1980s, a young soldier carrying an M-60 machine gun stumbled while running up a flight of stairs and inadvertently fired his weapon, instantly killing one of his buddies a few feet away. The incident devastated the entire unit, Shwedo said.
Driving the point home
Now, the Army issues blanks with new recruits at boot camp as part of a new policy to drive home the consequences of sloppy habits. When recruits fire their weapons accidentally, even with blanks, they must write a letter home to the family of their "victim."
Commanders in Iraq have taken steps as well.
David Martin, a safety manager for allied troops in Iraq, said U.S. forces conducted a "safety stand-down" in February to stress safe weapons handling. Martin said the most recent fatal accidental shooting in Iraq occurred about a month ago. Martin said he did not know whether the new emphasis has resulted in a drop in injuries or deaths.
Many of the incidents have occurred, Martin said, when new units arrive and face immediate stress from fighting a 24-hour-a-day insurgency.
Capt. Todd Lindner, who commands a Kentucky Army National Guard MP company, said his unit had two negligent weapons discharges shortly after deploying, with no injuries.
Fatigue has been a problem, Lindner said. His soldiers typically work 15- to 16-hour days.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=sto...oday/armytragediesleadtoweaponstrainingreform