2 of 7 GIs Who Wrote NYT Op-Ed Die in Iraq

Three weeks ago seven US soldiers in Iraq wrote an op-ed in the New York Times expressing grave doubts about the war.

On Monday, Sgt. Omar Mora and Sgt. Yance T. Gray died in a vehicle accident in western Baghdad, two of seven U.S. troops killed in the incident which was reported just as Gen. David Petraeus was about to report to Congress on progress in the “surge.”

One of the other five authors of the Times piece, Staff Sergeant Jeremy Murphy, an Army Ranger and reconnaissance team leader, was shot in the head while the article was being written. He was expected to survive after being flown to a military hospital in the US.

Thanks to Greg Mitchell at Editor and Publisher for alerting us to this.

11 thoughts on “2 of 7 GIs Who Wrote NYT Op-Ed Die in Iraq”

  1. Hmmm indeed. The thing that is so amazing, though, is that if you say Hmmm, you get called a conspiracy nut! Which really means that you simply cannot ever draw an inference of wrongdoing on the part of the government or the military. ‘Tis a thought crime.

    I hope there is an investigation of these deaths. We know from the Tillman and Jessica Lynch incidents that the military is fast and loose with the facts and shouldn’t be trusted in deaths that can broadly be stated to have an effect on “PR.”

    Will the parents step up (the only people our culture seems to let question the military)?

  2. These two deceased brave patriotic truthtellers should be honored and acknowledged as heroes before the other five are also killed. Omar Mora, and Lance T. Gray — may they rest in peace. I hope Jeremy Murphy is no longer in pain, and has a quick recovery. Coincidence, I think not.

  3. So many people connected with that article winding up dead or seriously injured in such a short period of time is indeed statistically improbable, even for a war zone.

    With regard for motives, all I’ll say is that when I was in the Army, I heard many soldiers, officers and enlisted alike, boast that any reporter they considered to be anti-military would never survive a visit to their unit. This was borne out in 2003, when the Army distinguished itself with its body count in “unimbedded” reporters and cameramen. Therefore, it hardly seems such a big step to apply that thinking to doing away with troops who have made their “anti-military” thoughts public in a major newspaper. Pat Tillman’s three-round shot group to the head demonstrates that.

    As a last thought, those people who seem so willing to deal with dissenters with bullets and “accidents” will be coming home, eventually, and will be looking for work. There will be unscrupulous sorts who will be overjoyed to have such a “talent pool” from which to draw. It’ll happen faster than you can say “Sulla and Marius.”

  4. A 43% casualty rate in three weeks? With such a small number to begin with it’s not a bizarre rate, but it is interesting. Hmm indeed.

  5. Well…either the 3 out of 7 guys dying or nearly dying is coincidence or just a litmus test on how awful this war is that a random 3 out of 7 guys get shot and blown to bits in a month. Either way its terrible. I cant wait until every historian throughout time will write just how stupid this president and his comrades are. (except for ones payed by his ridiculously lavish presidential Library…cant wait for their tripe)

  6. Well…either the 3 out of 7 guys dying or nearly dying is coincidence

    I meant isnt coincidence…

  7. It’s only two deaths. Even if the percentage is high the statistical variation covers two deaths quite well.

  8. 2 of 7 killed and one other wounded from a gunshot to the head, in the past three weeks.

    Nothing unusual here, nothing at all. Move along.

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