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Sunday, June 12, 2005
Three seriously injured in mortar attack on St. Michael
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Camp Stryker, Iraq — Three Georgia Army National Guard soldiers were seriously wounded Sunday in a mortar attack on Forward Operating Base St. Michael south of Baghdad that left four other soldiers and one civilian injured, military officials here said.
The three were members of the 1st Battalion 108th Armor Regiment of the 48th Brigade Combat Team that is occupying Forward Operating Base St. Michael in the city of Mahmudiyah.
The civilian casualty also was seriously wounded, and he and the three 108th soldiers were taken to a military hospital in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, said 2nd Lt. Selena Owens, spokeswoman for the 48th.
The other four “were treated at the aid station and returned to duty,” Owens said.
The names of the injured and the extent of their injuries were not released.
This is the second incident in less than two weeks in which 48th Brigade soldiers were seriously injured in rocket or mortar attacks in Iraq.
On May 31, Pfc. Vanessa Harris, 21, of Hephzibah and Clyde Miller, 47, of Colquitt were hurt in a rocket attack at Camp Liberty near Baghdad International Airport.
Harris suffered a closed skull fracture and was flown to Germany for treatment before being sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.
Miller was being treated at a military medical facility in Germany, but National Guard officials would not release any additional information about him, including his rank.
Three Illinois Army National Guard soldiers attached to the 48th Brigade also were wounded in that attack.
After Sunday’s attack at the St. Michael base, low visibility because of high winds and a sandstorm prevented helicopters from airlifting the casualties to Baghdad. They were taken to the hospital in a ground convoy. St. Michael is about 20 miles south of Baghdad, and a one-way drive to the Green Zone typically takes about 90 minutes.
The attack occurred at 8:51 a.m. local time, 12:51 a.m. EDT.
St. Michael, a relatively small base, has been the target of frequent insurgent mortar and rocket attacks throughout the U.S. occupation.
Marines who initially built the camp around a bombed-out chicken-processing plant nicknamed it “Camp Incoming” because of the amount of insurgent fire.
There have been relatively few mortar or rocket attacks since the 108th moved into the facility about two weeks ago.
Their move coincided with a major Iraqi army and American military sweep of the predominantly Sunni area that netted 263 suspected insurgents.
Soldiers attached to the 108th also are based at several smaller facilities in the Mahmudiyah area.
