Body found in Iraq

[SOCOM8721]

As of early this morning...

Iraqis in Hunt for Missing GIs Find Body in U.S. Uniform

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

BAGHDAD — Iraqi police found the body of a man who was wearing what appeared to be a U.S. military uniform and floating in the Euphrates River south of Baghdad on Wednesday morning. One Iraqi official said the body was that of an American soldier.

U.S. spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell confirmed U.S. authorities had custody of a body found south of Baghdad but have not determined if it was that of a missing U.S. soldier.

"Iraqi police did find the body of a man whom they believe may be one of our missing soldiers," he told reporters. "We have received the body and we will work diligently to determine if he is in fact one of our missing soldiers."

He said that if the body proves to be one of the missing soldiers, his family will be notified first.

The man had been shot in the head and chest, Babil police Capt. Muthana Khalid said. He said Iraqi police turned the body over the U.S. forces.

The discovery of the body in Musayyib, about 40 miles south of Baghdad in Babil Province, came as U.S. troops and Iraqi forces continued their massive search for the three soldiers abducted May 12 in an ambush on their patrol near Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad.

The U.S. military said in an e-mail that it was looking into the report, but could not confirm it.

The report of the body found was confirmed by a senior Iraqi army officer in the Babil area. He told The Associated Press that the body found in the river was that of an American soldier. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

In an interview with the Army Times newspaper last week, Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said he believed at least two of the missing soldiers were alive.

"As of this morning, we thought there were at least two that were probably still alive," he said in the interview, which was posted on the newspaper's Web site on Saturday. "At one point in time there was a sense that one of them might have died, but again we just don't know."

[82ndtrooper]

I'm not even sure that I like the idea of having this information shared across the MSM and world wide web before the body is identified. As a parent, I may not want to know that my sons body was floating in the Euphrates River.

But then again, we had the Tillman controversy.

RIP Soldier.

[Shar]

I suppose the upside is that as these soldiers are found, the families and soldiers of 10th MTN may start finding some peace. My heart is heavy this morning.
*****

Body pulled from river identified as missing U.S. soldier

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The body of a man dragged from the Euphrates River south of Baghdad has been identified as Pfc. Joseph J. Anzack Jr., one of three U.S. soldiers missing after an attack nearly two week ago, according to the U.S. military.

Lt. Col. Josslyn Aberle said Thursday that reports of a second body being found along with Anzack's are false.

Also Thursday in Iraq, a car bomb killed at least 28 Iraqis taking part in a funeral procession in Falluja, west of Baghdad.

Anzack, 20, was a gunner from Torrance, California.

"They told us, 'We're sorry to inform you the body we found has been identified as Joe,' " the soldier's aunt, Debbie Anzack, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I'm in disbelief."

The other two missing soldiers are Spc. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Michigan.

Jimenez's mother, Maria del Rosario Duran, pleaded Wednesday for his safety.

"This is very hard for me and for my family," she said. "Everybody loves Alex. Alex, I miss you. Please come back. If somebody's got him, please bring my son back, please."

As the search went on for the other two missing soldiers, Spc. Daniel Seitz, 22, a member of Anzack's platoon, told the AP he was trying to remain strong.

"It just angers me that it's just another friend I've got to lose and deal with, because I've already lost 13 friends since I've been here and I don't know if I can take any more of this," he said.

Anzack's platoon leader, 1st Lt. Morgan Spring-Glace, told CNN last week that local media had once -- before the May 12 attack -- erroneously reported Anzack was dead.

A massive military manhunt in the area -- known as the Triangle of Death -- started immediately after news of the three soldiers' apparent abduction.

On Wednesday, an official with Iraq's Interior Ministry said authorities in Mussayib were notified by Iraqi civilians who saw a body floating down the Euphrates. Witnesses told police the man looked "Western."

Witnesses said he had gunshot wounds to the head and torso, and a U.S. military source said the body was clad in U.S. military-issued pants.

Mussayib is about 22 miles (35 kilometers) south of Mahmoudiya, a town south of Baghdad where an eight-person military team was attacked on May 12. Four U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi soldier were killed, and three U.S. soldiers were thought to be captured

[echoes]

Am so very sad about this. How frustrating for those searching...Our Prayers are out for the families of all Our Bravest! I hope we get every one of those insurgents responsible!
RIP Pvt.

Holly

[blustr18b]

There was a candlelight vigil last night at South High in Torrance where young Pvt. Anzack attended high school. It was comforting to see the outpouring of support for this soldier's family.
Blustr18b