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U.S. General Vows to Review Protective Measures After Army Reservists Refuse Iraq Mission
BAGHDAD, Iraq Oct. 17, 2004 - The U.S. Army will study protective measures for supply vehicles and add steel plating to vehicles if necessary, a general said Sunday, after members of a Reserve unit refused to deliver supplies down a dangerous route in Iraq partly because they were concerned their vehicles were in poor shape.
Brig. Gen. James E. Chambers, commanding general of 13th Corps Support Command, said all soldiers involved in the incident had returned to duty and it was "too early" to determine whether any of them will face disciplinary action.
Chambers told reporters the command will "assess armor" on supply vehicles, which are often subject to insurgent attack, and add steel plating if necessary.
He denied claims by some of the soldiers to their families that the fuel they were to deliver was contaminated.
The Army announced last week it was investigating up to 19 members of a platoon from the 343rd Quartermaster Company based in Rock Hill, South Carolina after they refused to transport supplies from Tallil air base near Nassiriyah to Taji north of Baghdad.
On Wednesday, the 19 did not show up for a scheduled 7 a.m. meeting in Tallil to prepare for the fuel convoy’s departure a few hours later, a military statement said.
The mission was carried out by other soldiers from the 343rd, which has at least 120 members, the military said.
Chambers has since ordered the 343rd to undergo a "safety-maintenance stand down," during which it will conduct no further missions as the unit’s vehicles are inspected, the military said.
The platoon has troops from Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina, Mississippi and South Carolina.