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United States prisoners of war in the 2003 invasion of Iraq

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The 2003 invasion of Iraq, which lasted from March 20 to May 1, 2003, resulted in a small number of U.S. and Coalition Prisoners of war (POW/s).

507th Maintenance Company

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March 23rd Ambush and Capture

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A majority of the POWs were captured from the ambush of 507th Maintenance Company. Separated from a larger convoy, they were ambushed in the Iraqi-held town of Nasiriyah on March 23, 2003. Out of thirty-three soldiers present, eleven were killed and seven were captured in the firefight. Several weapons of some soldiers jammed in the firefight.[1] These following soldiers were captured by the Iraqi forces:

Name Rank Age when captured Hometown Notes
Edgar Hernandez Specialist 21 Mission, Texas He drove a five-ton tractor-trailer through the ambush, Shoshana Johnson was sitting in the passenger seat next to him.[2] Shot once in the bicep of his right arm.
Joseph Hudson Specialist 23 Alamogordo, New Mexico Shot three times, twice in the ribs and once in the upper left buttocks.
Shoshana Johnson Specialist 30 El Paso, Texas A naturalized American from Panama, she was shot with a single bullet that sliced through both ankles. She was the first black woman ever taken prisoner in U.S. military history.
Jessica Lynch Private first class 19 Palestine, West Virginia She suffered a head laceration, an injury to her spine, and fractures to her right arm, both legs, and her right foot and ankle. She was knocked unconscious after her Humvee crashed.
Patrick Miller Private first class 23 Wichita, Kansas He was injured by RPG fragments.
James Riley Sergeant 31 Pennsauken, New Jersey As the senior soldier present, it was he who ordered the surrender. He was injured by RPG fragments.

Iraqi TV interview

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Soon after their capture, Jessica Lynch was taken to an Iraqi hospital due to her serious injuries. The other five POWs, bloodied and beaten, were interviewed by the Iraqi TV, and the footage shown worldwide by the Al Jazeera. In the interview, Private First Class Patrick Miller was asked why he came to Iraq; his reply was "I came to fix broken stuff." He was then asked if he came to shoot Iraqis, he answered, "No, I came to shoot only if I am shot at. They don't bother me, I don't bother them."[3] In a CNN newscast, Miller stated that he believed that he was intended to be killed after his capture.[4]

March 24th Downed Helicopter and Capture

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On March 24, they were joined by Chief Warrant Officers Officers David Williams, 31, and Ronald Young Jr., 26, whose AH-64 Apache helicopter from the 1-227 Helicopter Attack Battalion had been shot down in central Iraq during the attack on Karbala.

Relocation and Rescue

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The POWs were taken to Baghdad, where they were isolated in separate prison cells. As American troops came closer, the soldiers were shifted from building to building.

As it became clear that the war was over for the Iraqis, some of their captors approached a Marine unit from the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Delta Co., 3rd Platoon which was a part of Task Force Tripoli that had been pushing up toward Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. A Marine battalion was sent to check on intelligence and found the seven POWs with a confused Iraqi guard unit, whose officers had fled.

On April 13, 2003, 21 days after the 507th members were captured, members of the 3rd Light Armored Recon burst in on the Iraqi guards who gave up without a fight. Ordering everyone on the floor, a Marine gave an order to "Stand up if you're American!" Given dirty prison clothes and fed little food, the POWs had lost much weight and with their garb, and beards they looked like Iraqis. "At first," Spc. Shoshana Johnson remembers that, "They didn't realize I was American. They said, 'Get down, get down,' and one of them said, 'No, she's American.'"[5]

Within hours, the seven were on their way to Kuwait International Airport inside a Marine Corps KC-130 transport plane, the first stop before the United States. They told their stories to two reporters accompanying them on the flight. "I broke down. I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm home,'" Johnson said.[4]

War crimes perpetrated against Coalition forces

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During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Iraqi Saddam Fedayeen irregular forces were involved in executing several Coalition POWs.

Sergeant Donald Walters was initially reported to have been killed in the March 23 ambush of the 507th Maintenance Company. However, witnesses later reported that they had seen Walters being guarded by several Fedayeen in front of a building. Forensics work later found Walters' blood in front of the building and blood spatter suggesting he died from two gunshot wounds to the back at close range. This led the Army to conclude that Walters had been executed after being captured.[6]

Jessica Lynch was reportedly raped and sodomized by Iraqi forces, based on scars, though she has no recollection of it happening.[7]

Also on March 23, the British Army engineering unit made a wrong turn near the town of Az Zubayr, which was still held by Iraqi forces. The unit was ambushed and Sapper Luke Allsopp and Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth became separated from the rest. Both were captured and executed by Iraqi forces. In 2006, a video of Allsopp lying on the ground surrounded by Iraqi irregular forces was discovered.[8]

Marine Sergeant Fernando Padilla-Ramirez was reported missing from his supply unit after an ambush north of Nasiriyah on March 28. His body was later dragged through the streets of Ash Shatrah and hung in the town square. His body was later taken down and buried by sympathetic locals. His body was discovered by U.S. forces on April 10.[9][10][11]

In addition, the showing of captured soldiers on television, as was done with some of the captured soldiers of the 507th Maintenance Company, was a violation of Article 13 the Third Geneva Convention, which states that POWs be protected from "public curiosity".[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Schmitt, Eric (2003-07-10). "AFTER THE WAR: INQUIRY; Report Says Errors and Fatigue Led to Ambush of Convoy". New York Times. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  2. ^ Davidson, Osha Gray (2004-05-27). "A Wrong Turn in the Desert". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  3. ^ "Iraq puts captive troops on TV". USA Today. Associated Press. March 24, 2003. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  4. ^ a b "Former POW: 'We were like Custer'". CNN. April 14, 2003. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  5. ^ Peter Baker, Washington Post (April 14, 2003). "Freedom for 7 American POWs". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  6. ^ "CNN.com - Status changed for soldier killed in Iraq - May 27, 2004". www.cnn.com.
  7. ^ Teather, David (November 7, 2003). "'Scars show Iraqi captors raped Jessica Lynch'" – via www.theguardian.com.
  8. ^ Payne, Stewart (September 29, 2006). "Soldier killed in convoy ambush 'was alive for four hours surrounded by mob'" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  9. ^ "Invasion: Into the breach". Azcentral.com. 2006-08-04. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  10. ^ "DefenseLink News Release: DOD ANNOUNCES CHANGE IN MARINE CASUALTY STATUS". Archived from the original on 2008-09-10. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  11. ^ Wright 2004, p. 228
  12. ^ Shafer, Jack (March 25, 2003). "How POW TV violates the Geneva Conventions". Slate Magazine.

Further reading

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  • Wright, Evan (2004), Generation Kill, Berkley Publishing Group ISBN 0-399-15193-1
  • Lowry, Richard S. (2006), Marines in the Garden of Eden, Berkley Publishing Group ISBN 0-425-21529-6
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