I've written often here on the tragedy and scandal of the electrocution of U.S. troops in Iraq -- following the death there of a friend's son -- but there is a major new revelation tonight.
Military inspectors "are racing to examine 90,000 U.S.-run facilities in Iraq with the goal of repairing electrical problems before more troops are electrocuted or shocked while showering or using appliances," the AP reports.
Here's the thing: fully one-third of the inspections so far have turned up major electrical problems, according to interviews and internal military document obtained by AP. That translates to possibly 30,000 in all if the trend holds.
Some 65,000 sites have yet to be checked.
All of this probing came about because of the initial, and then continued, activism of Cheryl Harris, mother of a Green Beret and Sgt. Ryan Maseth who died a year ago January. He was electrocuted in a shower.
The military told her at first it was his fault -- for allegedly taking a hair dryer in with him. She has since sparked congressional and Pentagon probes and is suing KBR, which is fighting back.
From AP:
"We got a ton of buildings we know probably aren't safe and we just don't have them done yet," said Jim Childs, an electrician the task force hired to help with the inspections. "It's Russian roulette. I cringe every time I hear of a shock."
Faulty electrical grounding is among the most common problems found, the task force said. Some of the facilities are existing Iraqi infrastructure such as a palace, but others were built after U.S. troops moved in the country....
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., called Task Force SAFE's findings troubling. He said the task force is doing good work but the problems should have been fixed much earlier. "Just imagine getting the news that they've done 25,000 facilities, but your son or daughter is in the 65,000 they haven't done," Casey told the AP.
Last year, 94 troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan or other Central Command countries sought medical treatment for electric shock, according to Defense Department health data. KBR's database lists 231 electric shock incidents in the more than 89,000 facilities the company runs in Iraq, according to military records.
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Greg Mitchell's latest book is "Why Obama Won." He is editor of Editor & Publisher.
