Talk:507th Maintenance Company

Article Ballance
I'm removing the disputed tag as the issue that was disputed (Jessica Lynch) is no longer the center of this article. Ehrentitle 22:06, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

24 Sep 05 - I've updated the article put more focus on the 507th and and it's losses. Jessica Lynch is mentioned, but she is no longer the focus of the article. - Ehrentitle

Respected sources
(such as, but not limited to the Guardian and the Washington Post dispute the accuracy of the portrayal of the Lynch rescue mission. From a doctor at the hospital:  "It was like a Hollywood film. They cried, 'Go, go, go', with guns and blanks and the sound of explosions. They made a show - an action movie like Sylvester Stallone or Jackie Chan, with jumping and shouting, breaking down doors."  --Jemiller226 05:12, 4 May 2005 (UTC)
 * Well..yeah. Its a rescue mission, but its also intended to boost moral amoung the soldiers and the people of the United States. Of course its going to look like a hollywood film. Now if you saw the entire rescue movie instead of just the parts the powers that be want us two see, it would look a lot less staged and a lot more real. On that note, why are we having this discussion here? Shouldn't it be on a Jessica Lynch or Jessica Lynch Rescue page? TomStar81 05:04, 29 July 2005 (UTC)

507th, more than Jessica Lynch
Jessica Lynch was one Soldier of the 507th Maintenance Company. The media and hollywood did not tell the tales of the other POW's or the SOldier Missing In Action, later declared Killed in Action. The media does not portray the predatory nature of the film crews and reporters who came to Fort Bliss when we were still in shock. Hollywood does not recreate to anxiety Fort Bliss families felt whenever we saw the news trucks waiting to interview us on how we felt about our neighbors succombing to the war in which our husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers were engaged.

507th, more than Jessica Lynch
Jessica Lynch was one Soldier of the 507th Maintenance Company. The media and hollywood did not tell the tales of the other POW's or the SOldier Missing In Action, later declared Killed in Action. The media does not portray the predatory nature of the film crews and reporters who came to Fort Bliss when we were still in shock. Hollywood does not recreate to anxiety Fort Bliss families felt whenever we saw the news trucks waiting to interview us on how we felt about our neighbors succombing to the war in which our husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers were engaged.
 * Thats true. I remeber watching the news media the day they returned, and while a handful of the local stations stopped other 507 members briefly for thier take on the incedent the whole thing seems to have centered around Jessica Lynch. Its typical, dirty, media bull@#$%, plain and simple. TomStar81 03:07, 15 October 2005 (UTC)

Alleged Rescue Casualties
No Marines or other Coalition forces died trying to rescue Jessica Lynch or other members of the 507th, despite the repeated assertion here that 17 Marines died.

The definitive site Iraq Coaltion Casualties (ICC) shows losses by name, for the month of March, 2003: http://icasualties.org/oif/prdDetails.aspx?hndRef=3-2003

That page shows Anguiano, Walters, and others of the 507th who died in ambsuh.

On the same page, it shows 18 Marines who also died at An Nasiriyah: Chanawongse, Gifford, Pokorney, Rosacker, etc. These were mostly men of Captain Wittnam's Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. They had been tasked with taking the bridge north of town, over the Saddam Canal. The mission to take the bridge was in no way related to the losses of the 507th. (see below; the mission was somewhat related)

Tragically, the guys of Charlie Company were hit by friendly fire from A-10's, causing some of the 18 losses that day. This incident is well-known (but not as well-known as PFC Lynch and the 507th).

The ICC site makes no other mention of losses of 17 Marines in March or April of 2003.

More details on the Charlie Company friendly fire incident: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2004/a-10-friendly-fire_centcom29mar2004.htm http://www.thefinalrollcall.us/stories/charlie.htm


 * Ok, thanks for being persistant and citing your references. I've deleted that comment, Marines of Task Force Tarawa did rescue some surviving members of the 507th but their losses took place after this event. See: http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/desertstorm/annasiriyah/default.aspx

Ehrentitle 23:33, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

I may have to eat a little crow, or at least a side dish. The mission to press forward and take the bridges was in support of other planned Marine movements. But, as I'm reading the detailed hearing transcripts, the 507th survivors were a factor. Lt. Col. Grabowski (1/2 Battalion CO) testified "so it [knowledge of the 507th] kind of picked up our momentum to push forward as quickly as possible. One, to seize the bridges, which was the intent of the commander, and it was my intent to rapidly seize the bridges. And two, to see if we could find any of the survivors that might be along the road."

I leave it to the Wikipedia gurus to present this info, if relevant. The mission to take the bridges (and the 18 casualties incurred) was at least secondarily related to the 507th

History
I think this page needs more history of the unit to be more rounded. It is all fairly recent (last few years). When did it start? Where has it been? Jeepday 15:12, 17 December 2006 (UTC)