[MCRogers1974]

Here is the link:

http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20...template=247art

SBT24/7 News Report

A local marine from LaPorte County has been killed while serving in Afghanistan.

According to family members, 24-year-old Lance Corporal Joshua Birchfield died in Afghanistan.

The family has not said how or when he died.

Birchfield graduated from Westville High School about five years ago.

Friends say he joined the Marines about two years ago.

[lighter]

http://nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte/art...389996216c.html

Marine from Westville killed in Afghanistan


Times Staff Report | Posted: Friday, February 19, 2010 10:00 pm | (2) Comments


WESTVILLE | A Westville Marine was killed early Friday morning in Afghanistan.

Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield, 24, who was a 2004 graduate of Westville High School and a member of the Westville High School Blackhawks baseball team, had served in the U.S. Marines for two years, according to a family friend.

Birchfield's uncle Ron Stallings, of Westville, confirmed late Friday that Birchfield had died but said the family had no comment.

No other details were available Friday night.

[Southsider2k12]

Good bless the family and friends.

[MCRogers1974]

Fallen LaPorte County Marine returns to U.S. - Report with video

Here is a link to the video:

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/84902892.html

[lighter]

Any time a member of the military is lost in combat, it's a serious story and tragedy for their community.

Strike anyone as odd that all of the media outlets in Lake, Porter and St. Joesph counties had big stories about this over the weekend (the South Bend Tribune, The Post-Tribune, The Times, WSBT, WNDU and yet - aside from a big headline and photo with three paragraphs, zlich from the LaPorte County media)?

I guess overtime isn't available to cover a tragedy.

Today's HA had two stories about alleged burglars. Yeah, there's a picture of the bodies returning, with a few sentences from the A-P. That's it.

THe N-Dispatch? Nothing about it on the front page today or yesterday. A story about a law suit, oenp swim and a bridal show at the blue chip.

Every soldier, Marine, sailor and airman lost is a tragedy whose lives should be noted. Leadership at the local papers completely fumble their duty to celebrate their lives and help inform their community.

How does that exec-editor have a job?

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...ce488070900.txt

'

Community lines street for procession

Bob Wellinski/For The News-Dispatch A man waving an American flag watches Wednesday as the procession that included the hearse with Joshua Birchfield’s body arrived in Westville.
By Bridget Flynn
Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, February 25, 2010 4:18 AM CST
WESTVILLE — Women cried and school children with backpacks still on their backs braved the cold and snow as they awaited the body of Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield on Wednesday.

About 150 people lined the streets of Westville to honor Birchfield, who graduated from Westville High School. He was killed by small-arms fire while engaging enemy forces in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on Feb. 19, a statement from the first Marine division said.

Birchfield’s body was flown to South Bend Regional Airport earlier in the day. The North Central Indiana Patriot Guard held flags outside the Kalitta Charters aircraft while the body was removed from the plane.

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Department and Patriot Guard participated in the procession of the hearse from South Bend to Westville. The procession included dozens of vehicles.

The crowd gathered in Westville applauded when the vehicles with Birchfield’s parents approached them. Eight Marines carried the body from the hearse into Newhard Funeral Home as the Patriot Guard again stood with flags.

As of Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Defense was reporting 998 U.S. military members and civilians have died in Operation Enduring Freedom.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...0c561163187.txt

Joshua Birchfield recalled by his family as patriotic, likeable

Bob Wellinski/For The News-Dispatch Joshua Birchfield’s family includes (from left) Shelley Hacker (his mother), Ron Hacker (stepfather), Bruce Birchfield (father) and Frances Birchfield (grandmother).
By Bridget Flynn
Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, February 25, 2010 4:18 AM CST
LA PORTE — The parents and grandmother of Joshua Birchfield, a Westville Marine killed in action last week, remembered him Wednesday as a patriotic, likeable young man with a gift for being funny.

“Josh will surely be missed,” his grandmother, Frances Birchfield, said in the living room of her house, where Joshua lived for a time.

“He was a wonderful hero-kid,” she added. “I love that boy to death. He was no angel. He was ornery. But he was a good boy.”

Bruce Birchfield, Joshua’s father, added, “Josh is the kind of guy, you could kick him in the butt one minute and the next minute you love him.”

Lance Cpl. Joshua H. Birchfield was killed by small-arms fire while on a dismounted patrol conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on Feb. 19. Bruce Birchfield said he and his family have received only preliminary death papers regarding Birchfield’s death.

Birchfield loved to play baseball, softball and basketball, but especially excelled in baseball, his family said. He “loved to target shoot,” said his mother, Shelley Hacker. He was the second-highest shooter at boot camp, she said.

Birchfield enlisted in the Marine Corps on April 14, 2008. He was killed during his first deployment. He was assigned to third battalion, fourth Marine regiment, first Marine division, I Marine expeditionary force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Bruce said before Joshua left to join the Marines, he and one of Bruce’s friends took Joshua to local pubs and asked him why he wanted to join an infantry unit of the Marines instead of an easier unit.

“Challenge was his big thing,” Bruce said. “He never turned down a challenge.”

Frances Birchfield said Joshua was inspired to join the Marines by a TV news segment about military families who were unable to be together during a holiday due to military service. He, as a single person, felt he should join the military after seeing that segment, she said.

“He wanted to prove something to himself, and Josh was very patriotic,” Bruce Birchfield said.

Hacker said the night before Joshua’s death, he asked her on the phone whether an uncle he was close to was proud of him. When she responded that everybody was proud of him, he responded, “That’s all that matters,” she said.

Birchfield’s personal service awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the NATO Medal.

Birchfield’s commanding officer told Bruce Birchfield that Joshua was of “the highest caliber of Marines,” and that he was also the “platoon funny guy.”

“We love him and miss him,” Bruce Birchfield said. “I as his father honor him as a Marine and as my son.”

“We want to thank everybody for their prayers and visits,” Hacker said. “The community has been outstanding. Westville has gone above and beyond.”

Birchfield’s funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Westville High School, where he graduated.

“He had so many friends, we have to have it at the school,” Hacker said.

The Birchfield family has set up a memorial fund at 1st Source Bank. Funds from the Joshua Birchfield Memorial Foundation will go toward Little League baseball, Hacker said.

[Tim]

Any time a member of the military is lost in combat, it's a serious story and tragedy for their community.

Strike anyone as odd that all of the media outlets in Lake, Porter and St. Joesph counties had big stories about this over the weekend (the South Bend Tribune, The Post-Tribune, The Times, WSBT, WNDU and yet - aside from a big headline and photo with three paragraphs, zlich from the LaPorte County media)?

I guess overtime isn't available to cover a tragedy.

Today's HA had two stories about alleged burglars. Yeah, there's a picture of the bodies returning, with a few sentences from the A-P. That's it.

THe N-Dispatch? Nothing about it on the front page today or yesterday. A story about a law suit, oenp swim and a bridal show at the blue chip.

Every soldier, Marine, sailor and airman lost is a tragedy whose lives should be noted. Leadership at the local papers completely fumble their duty to celebrate their lives and help inform their community.

How does that exec-editor have a job?

This was posted in the ND's online edition. A ten-year-old with Photoshop could render a better picture. I made a comment that the ND owed this young man's family an apology for doing such a poor job posting his picture. Not surprisingly the ND deleted my comment.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...d3942447774.txt

Paying their respects

Bob Wellinski/For The News-Dispatch Rifle detail members from the Marines Engineer Company B fire the 21-gun salute.

Hundreds gather to say goodbye to Birchfield
By Matt Fritz
Staff Writer
Published: Sunday, February 28, 2010 4:17 AM CST
WESTVILLE — Hundreds gathered at Westville High School on a frigid Saturday morning to pay respects to a 24-year-old Marine and former student who fell during combat oversees.

Lance Cpl. Joshua H. Birchfield, Westville, died Feb. 19 in Afghanistan. He was supporting combat operations in the Helmand province when he was killed by small arms fire in a dismounted patrol.

The school parking lot was overflowing with vehicles that morning — and cars lined the streets in and around the site of the service.

But people were willing to park blocks away and walk through the bitter weather to give Birchfield a final farewell.

Braving the cold, Josh Burdine of Westville said he was a former classmate of Birchfield’s at Westville High School, and just wanted to pay his respects to a lost friend.

“He was a friend and a good guy,” he said. “It was a shame this happened, but he knew what he signed up for.”

Walking to the funeral service, Steve Stowers of Westville said he didn’t know Birchfield very well, but was coming to show his respect to a young man who sacrificed his life for his country.

“I just met him before he left,” he said. “His sister introduced me to him. I told him he was a hell of a guy to do what he was doing.”

Members of the South Central Indiana Patriot Guard manned the building, monitoring traffic and assisting family and attendees inside and outside of the school’s property, along with police and firemen who directed cars safely through the congested area.

When the service finished, the crowds moved en masse by the hundreds via a Sheriff’s Department escort to the burial service at Pinhook Cemetery, all amidst a torrential downpour of snow.

Before their arrival, Marine Engineer Company B marched atop the snow drifts in the graveyard, their midnight blue uniforms standing in stark contrast to the bleached whiteness that covered everything, even the gathering attendees, who braved the weather to give their final farewells to Birchfield.

Standing guard by the exit, Patriot Guard member Jim Elliston said he didn’t mind the cold, noting that he was well dressed, and that Marines such as Birchfield had to brave much worse conditions when they served in Afghanistan.

He said soldiers and marines were spending a good part of their lives there, living in a harsh desert environment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and sometimes giving their lives in return.

“Joshua (Birchfield) — he gave it all,” he said.

And he noted this was obviously well appreciated by the community, explaining that nearly 2,000 people passed through the Newhard Funeral Home on the previous evening for visitation, showing how many felt a need to honor this fallen Marine.

Even the young came on the morning of the burial. Cub Scout Pack 880 of La Porte and 871 of Michigan City, Boy Scout Pack 810 of Wanatah, and Girl Scout troops 30234 and 30204 of La Porte all came to the burial service to carry flags in memory of Birchfield.

And Wolf Cub Caleb Blair of La Porte said they all knew why they were there.

“To honor a soldier who died.”

[lighter]

http://nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/arti...d00c039e11.html

Marine's death spurs an inquiry
Military says scrutiny is standard; columnist faults U.S.-hired force for killing

By Bob Kasarda - bob.kasarda@nwi.com, (219) 548-4345 |
Posted: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 12:00 am


A spokesman for the 1st Marine Division said Monday he was aware of a suburban Chicago newspaper column that claims Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield's death in Afghanistan was at the hands of a "doped-up private security contractor hired by the U.S. government."

The Westville Marine's death remains under investigation, which is being carried out as part of standard procedure and not in response to the column, 1st Lt. Ken Kunze said at Camp Pendleton in California.

Birchfield, 24, was killed Feb. 19 while supporting combat operations in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. He enlisted in the Marines in April 2008 and was a rifleman assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

Daily Herald columnist Chuck Goudie blamed the military Monday for not telling the whole story of what led to Birchfield's death.

Goudie said he was contacted through e-mail by someone who reportedly was one of Birchfield's friends and a fellow Marine in Afghanistan. The e-mail states Birchfield "was killed by American Hired Local National Contractors that were high on opium the morning of the 19th."

The e-mail's author was part of a quick-response team that attempted "to bring (Birchfield) back from the fatal gunshot to the head," Goudie said, quoting the e-mail.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has the shooter and six other guards in custody, Goudie said.

Close to 1,000 family members, friends, veterans and others filled the Westville High School auditorium Saturday to bid farewell to Birchfield.

[Southsider2k12]

I just heard this story on the way home. Here is Goudies column from today

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=362567

Marine's death came at hands of U.S.-paid security forces
By Chuck Goudie | Daily Herald Columnist
Contact writer


Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield, 24, left, was killed while on patrol in Afghanistan on Feb. 19. Lance Cpl. Christopher "Doc" Marsh, right, said "Josh was truly one of a kind. He was the glue that held his squad together."




A photograph of Lance Cpl. Joshua H. Birchfield, 24, of Westville, Ind., is placed on an easel by fellow Marines preparing for Birchfield's memorial service this month in Helmand province, Afghanistan.




Members of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division surround the helmet, boots and gun used by their fellow soldier, Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield, who was killed on Feb. 19 in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

No American soldier should die the way Josh Birchfield did.

There was much more to his "supporting combat operations" death than what the military put out.

It was the standard Pentagon release.

A soldier is killed. A clerk types in their name. "____________ died while supporting combat operations."

There is no Pentagon form titled "What Really Happened."

If there was, in the case of the metro Chicago Marine, this is how it would read:

"Lance Cpl. Joshua H. Birchfield, 24, of Westville, Ind., died Feb. 19 after being shot in the head by a doped-up private security contractor hired by the U.S. government. We're sorry we hired the guy, obviously didn't check him out very well and we are devastated that we didn't do a better job protecting our own."

This disturbing information came to me after last week's column, in which I reported how Lance Cpl. Birchfield deserved more attention in dying for his country than Tiger Woods, who at the same hour had commandeered the nation's airwaves to apologize for cheating on his wife.

"Although I respect the fact that you wrote about Josh to let the world know that he died a hero, and he did, your facts are not even close to the truth," wrote one of Lance Cpl. Birchfield's friends and fellow Marines in an e-mail from Afghanistan.

Because the military hadn't yet reported the death, I surmised that Birchfield was in the Marjan province, where Marines had been in regular firefights with the Taliban.

Actually, he was on a routine patrol in the Helmand province.

"He was killed by American Hired Local National Contractors that were high on opium the morning of the 19th."

The author of the e-mail was part of a Marine quick-response team that tried "to bring him back from the fatal gunshot to the head. There has never been a more charismatic and honorable man I have ever met than Joshua Birchfield."

Birchfield was on his first combat tour for the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

His wake last week in La Porte County, Ind., drew several thousand people. To accommodate the mourners, his funeral on Saturday was held in the high school where he had graduated just few years ago.

But none of them knew the real story of what happened.

He was on a security patrol about a half-mile from a Marine forward operating base. About 7 a.m., as day broke, shots were fired at Birchfield's patrol team, according to members of his unit. The ambush was by U.S.-hired security guards who were supposed to be protecting a highway paving project from Taliban-installed roadside bombs.

"The contractors were able to have such proximity to a U.S. patrol because we pay them to work on our FOB (forward operating base), pave the 515 (highway), and provide security from Taliban IED (roadside bomb) implacers in the area," I was told.

Because the U.S.-backed contractors "are ordinary Afghanis, they are subject to corruption and play both sides of the fence between the U.S. military and the local Taliban," reported one of Birchfield's fellow Marines. "These men are armed to the teeth and supposedly here for our protection."

He said the shooter and six other guards were arrested after the killing and are in the custody of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

"They are also drug abusers. The shooter was found to have copious amounts of wet opium on him shortly after the shooting ... we found a bag of wet opium in the compound that the contractors were using to get high."

The Pentagon had no comment on the incident on Sunday.

But the Marine said that Josh Birchfield died for two reasons. "A mix of drugs and gray areas of loyalty between U.S. forces and Taliban seems to be the motivation behind the shooting."

Although Birchfield was the first U.S. service member he recalls being killed by a U.S.-paid Afghan guard, "we have been shot at by the contractors on several cases before this incident. We have been told to refrain from returning fire and attempt to identify ourselves as Marines so they stop shooting."

His fellow Marines held a small memorial service for him last Friday in Afghanistan. They huddled around the boots and helmet he once wore. And the gun he never had a chance to fire at an enemy bought and paid for by his own government.

• Chuck Goudie, whose column appears each Monday, is the chief investigative reporter at ABC 7 News in Chicago. The views in this column are his own and not those of WLS-TV. He can be reached by e-mail at chuckgoudie@gmail.com and followed at twitter.com/ChuckGoudie.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...38121893619.txt

Questions raised about Birchfield’s death

By Matt Fritz
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 4:19 AM CST
WESTVILLE — A column in a Chicago newspaper is raising questions about the death of a local Marine who was killed in Afghanistan last month.

The Department of Defense reported that Lance Cpl. Joshua H. Birchfield, 24, of Westville, died Feb. 19 while supporting combat operations in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.

A statement from the 1st Marine Division added that he was killed by small arms fire while on a dismounted patrol.

A column published Monday by ABC 7 investigative reporter Chuck Goudie for the Daily Herald of suburban Chicago claimed there was more to the story than the military was releasing, referencing unnamed friends of Birchfield who said the Marine was “killed by American Hired Local National Contractors that were high on opium the morning of the 19th.”

First Marine Division Public Affairs spokesperson First Lt. Ken Kunze said an investigation is being conducted by the Marines in Afghanistan in regards to Birchfield’s death, but explained that these investigations are routine in the military, and wasn’t prompted by the article.

He said he was made aware of the column the other day, and explained that the information didn’t “change the investigation one bit.”

Since the investigation is still ongoing, he said he couldn’t divulge any further information, but being an area native himself — he is from La Porte — he said he could sympathize with people who wanted more facts.

According to Goudie’s column, Birchfield’s patrol team was ambushed by the U.S.-hired security guards assigned to protect a highway paving project from Taliban-installed roadside bombs.

Goudie’s sources claimed the shooter and six other guards were later arrested and are supposed to be in the custody of the Naval Criminal Investigation Service.

Birchfield’s father, Bruce, was not pleased with the release of Goudie’s article, which predated the close of the military’s still-ongoing investigation.

“This guy up there who wrote this had no business doing it,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “Until the Marine Corps and the Navy give me complete investigative paperwork, I have no comment.”

— Bridget Flynn contributed to this report

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...f5343795091.txt

Josh Birchfield, Becky Williams recalled as heroes

Published: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 4:19 AM CST
First we said goodbye to a young Marine who represented all of us and made the ultimate sacrifice. As a Vietnam vet, even though I had never met the Birchfield family, I felt that I knew them my entire life. All of you veterans know exactly what I mean. You can read all the history of war, watch every movie possible, but if you weren’t there, you will never truly know the impact.

I purposely went to Josh’s father, a perfect stranger, told him I was a Vietnam vet, a dad, and I was sorry. Two grown men embraced and cried for more than a minute, and forever will be bonded.

Then we had the opportunity to show our gratitude to another hero in her own right, Becky Williams. Becky, like Josh, was taken from us much too early. Becky was one of the most gracious people I had ever met. She never ask for anything for herself. Everything she did was to make things better for someone else. She never wanted any recognition for her efforts. Just to see someone accomplish their goals through her efforts was all she ever needed. It truly was an honor to know her, and she made everything so much better, for so many. As we say goodbye, we must always remember the powerful impact these two heroes made in our community. I assure you that I will!

Jim Stemmler

La Porte

[Dave]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...38121893619.txt

Birchfield’s father, Bruce, was not pleased with the release of Goudie’s article, which predated the close of the military’s still-ongoing investigation.

“This guy up there who wrote this had no business doing it,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “Until the Marine Corps and the Navy give me complete investigative paperwork, I have no comment.”

First, my condolences to Mr. Birchfield for the loss of his son.

But, with all due respect, he's wrong here. It's the press's job to keep tabs on the government, and considering some of the colossal stupidity that's gone on in Afghanistan and Iraq (unarmored vehicles, soldiers having to buy their own body armor, graft and corruption on an epic scale), it is absolutely in the public interest for the information to come out that the people we are hiring over there to back up our troops are shooting them in the backs.

I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq is either going to have to go on for a generation, at the cost of trillions of dollars and thousands of additional American casualties, or we are going to have to withdraw. And if our future course is the latter, the sooner the better.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...f0652990381.txt

Many depts honored Birchfield

Published: Tuesday, March 9, 2010 11:50 AM CST
I would like to express on behalf of all emergency service personnel how great an honor it was to be able to participate in some way paying tribute to such a hero as Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield.

A special thank you to Westville Police Chief Deputy Rich Oberlie and Deputy Marshal Steve Aims for their great effort in coordinating the escort returning our hero from South Bend to Westville, the visitation and funeral procession to the cemetery.

A special thanks to La Porte County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Ulam who helped coordinate the closing of all intersections along this funeral procession and to all departments that assisted with traffic controls. They are Westville Police and Fire, La Porte County Sheriff’s Deputies and Reserve, Kingsford Heights Police, New Carlisle Police, Department of Natural Resources, Trail Creek, Long Beach, La Porte City and Indiana State Police Departments, Hobart, Goshen, Millersburg Police and Noble Township Fire Department. A very special thanks to the Patriot Guard and Dennis Francis, Westville and Union Mills American Legion for your help in making sure everyone stayed safe.

Thanks to those behind the scene, INDOT and La Porte County Highway Department for removing snow near and at the cemetery. Thanks to Commissioner Layton for making that arrangement and the Westville School Corp. for supplying buses to transport to and from the cemetery.

Thank you to all La Porte County residents for paying tribute to Josh.

Sheriff Mike

Mollenhauer

La Porte County

[Southsider2k12]

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=n...&id=7335884

Chuck Goudie
More: Bio, Facebook, Twitter, News Team

March 17, 2010 -- In Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. government has contracted to hire thousands of local residents as security guards. But what happens when those American-paid employees are also combatants?

Marine Lance Corporal Josh Birchfield found out the answer to that question. The northwest Indiana native was shot and killed by a contract combatant last month in Afghanistan.

A member of Congress from suburban Chicago wants to put a stop to the use of local security contractors in war zones - a move that would come too late for Josh Birchfield.

Related Content

Story: Ind. Marine's death tied to U.S.-hired Afghan guards
Our story begins at the end in a rural Indiana cemetery where Joshua Birchfield's headstone hasn't arrived yet. But there's no mistaking it as the Marine's final resting place after a funeral attended by a thousand people last month who mourned what the Pentagon was simply calling a combat death.

We now know there was more to it - a hidden danger - when Josh Birchfield's patrol squad marched off on a mission before sunrise on February 19.

At daybreak, Lance Corporal Birchfield and the Marines had taken up positions in a dry river bed in the Farah province when they came under fire.

According to military investigative reports obtained by the I-Team under the Freedom of Information Act, after they "received small arms fire," the Marine's spotted an "l-n or local national contractor on the roof." It was at a security checkpoint where local Afghan police and security contractors inspect vehicles and drivers for bombs and weapons.

The Marines are not allowed to return fire in that kind of situation, knowing that they were under attack by U.S. government-paid Afghan contractors. So, according to the reports, they "activated red, white and green flares" signaling they were U.S. Marines and "the contractors ceased fire." But not before Birchfield suffered a fatal "gunshot wound the head," casualty type listed as "hostile."

"These contractors often operate in the shadows without a clear chain of command," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, (D) Illinois.

North suburban congresswoman Jan Schakowsky is co-sponsoring legislation to curtail private contractors, who now make up an estimated 30 percent of the armed forces in Afghanistan.

"If you ask the question, 'can they get away with murder?' The answer is yes," said Rep. Schakowsky.

Marine witnesses told military police that the guards who opened fire on them, killing Lance Corporal Birchfield, had been using opium at the time. A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that investigators seized a 5 oz. bag of opium from the guard post.

There was nothing about drugs apparent in the Marine investigative report. However, numerous pieces of information were redacted, including several large chunks of the documents.

E-mails to the I-Team from the base where Birchfield worked suggest that some private contractors have dual allegiance to their jobs and to the Taliban.

The contract guard who killed Birchfield will not be held as an American prisoner or even prosecuted by the U.S. After questioning the local national contractor who fired at the squad, Marine officials turned him over to Afghan prosecutors for their own "criminal proceedings."

"At what point do we say, this is simply not worth it, to have these hired guns, to have these mercenary companies out there, these for profit business who we have become so dependent on that it is almost impossible for us to conduct war without them, and yet they are hidden from public view," said Rep. Schakowsky.

A congressional research service report in December was critical of lax contractor oversight by the U.S. The report questioned whether "contractors can undermine U.S. Efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan."

In Westville Indiana where Josh Birchfield grew up, his family received a military briefing Tuesday about the circumstances of his death but for the close community of 2,100 people, he was killed in combat. Period.

[Dave]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/0...7a609384167.txt

Marine Corps report: Birchfield shot by Afghan contractor

By The Associated Press
Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010 4:18 AM CDT
INDIANAPOLIS — The U.S. Marine Corps’ investigation of the February death of an Indiana Marine in Afghanistan concludes that he was fatally shot when an Afghan security contractor fired shots at a group of Marines.

The Marine Corps’ report, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request, says 24-year-old Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield of Westville was shot Feb. 19 when a security contractor working for a local company opened fire on a squad of Marines who had stopped in a dry riverbed during a combat foot patrol.

The contractor has been turned over to Afghan prosecutors for “future criminal proceedings,” Brig. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson, the top U.S. Marine in Afghanistan, wrote in an accompanying cover letter.

“This tragic event reminds us of the dangers and uncertainties of conducting counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan,” Nicholson also wrote in his letter.

The report, which found that Birchfield died in the line of duty, concludes the Marine Corps’ probe of Birchfield’s death, but the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service is still investigating.

The NCIS, which investigates the noncombat deaths of Navy personnel, said in a statement Wednesday that it is focusing on the “circumstances surrounding” Birchfield’s death.

Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jefferson Kaster said Wednesday that Birchfield’s family received the report and a briefing on it Tuesday.

Birchfield’s father, Bruce Birchfield, said Wednesday that he would have no comment on his son’s death until he received the NCIS’ report. He said he expects to receive that report and release a statement by Friday.

An NCIS spokesman did not return a telephone message left Wednesday seeking additional comment on its probe.

After Birchfield’s death, the military initially said he died while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Wednesday’s report said he actually died in the adjacent Farah province.

Although portions of the 17-page Marine Corps report were redacted, it describes the general events leading up to Birchfield’s death.

The squad was about an hour into a combat foot patrol when it arrived at the dry riverbed to “establish an observation post,” the report said.

As they arrived at the riverbed shortly before sunrise, the Marines noticed a security checkpoint manned by Afghan contractors nearby. The exact distance is redacted in the report.

About 80 minutes later, the first shots ran out from the direction of the Afghan security contractors. Members of the Marines’ squad quickly fired red, white and green flares to let the Afghan nationals know they were Marines and the shooting ended, the report said.

The Marines then realized Birchfield had been shot once in the head, and he died a short time later, it said.

The Marine Corps report includes a military e-mail sent Feb. 19 which says minutes before the shooting, one of the Afghan contractors “appeared to observe the observation post” where the Marines were located. That man then climbed from the roof and vanished behind the building and shortly thereafter the shooting began, it says.

Local Afghan companies hired and paid the contractors to safeguard their employees and equipment, according to a fact sheet prepared by the Marine Corps.

“In an inherently unpredictable environment, when independent Afghan companies contract security forces, incidents like this are possible,” the fact sheet says.

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/20...6e274076749.txt

Update not expected soon on Birchfield

By Bridget Flynn
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 4:42 AM CDT
WESTVILLE — More information about the death of Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield will not be released anytime soon from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

“It’s going to be about a year or more,” public-affairs officer Ed Buice said. “There’s a ton of evidence that is analyzed on any kind of case.”

The U.S. Marine Corps’ investigation into the Feb. 19 death of Birchfield, a Marine from Westville, concludes he was fatally shot when an Afghan security contractor fired shots at a group of Marines.

The Marine Corps’ report said the 24-year-old was shot when the Marines stopped in a dry riverbed during a combat foot patrol.

The contractor was turned over to Afghan prosecutors for “future criminal proceedings,” Brig. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson, the top U.S. Marine in Afghanistan, wrote in an accompanying cover letter of the investigation to The Associated Press.

“This tragic event reminds us of the dangers and uncertainties of conducting counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan,” Nicholson also wrote in his letter.

The report, which found Birchfield died in the line of duty, concludes the Marine Corps’ probe of Birchfield’s death, but the NCIS is still investigating.

The commission, which investigates the non-combat deaths of Navy personnel, said in a March 17 statement it is focusing on the “circumstances surrounding” Birchfield’s death.”

After Birchfield’s death, the military initially said he died while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Wednesday’s report said he actually died in the adjacent Farah province.

Birchfield’s father, Bruce, was not available for comment Tuesday night.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

[MCRogers1974]

1st Annual Joshua Birchfield Memorial Fundraiser
Location: Prairie Meadow Park, Westville Indiana

1st Annual Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield Memorial Tournament & Ceremony will be held Saturday and Sunday May 29th-30th, 2010.

Dedication of Fields
10:00 am Saturday; The town of Westville will dedicate and rename the Little League fields (Prairie Meadow) to BIRCH FIELDS.
Birch's parents will assist with the dedication. Everyone is encouraged to attend, to support and honor Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield.
Contact Steve Bachman or Mr. Swanson about info on the ceremony.

Men’s Softball Tournament
16 team tournament Saturday and Sunday starting Saturday at 8:00am with an hour break 10:00 - 11:00 (dedication)
A team of Marines that were stationed with Birch at the Twenty-nine Palms, California will fly in for the weekend and compete in the softball tournament.
Contact Cole Clemons about Tournament Info.

Free Food and Beverages
2 hogs have been donated. The Concession Stand will give away Free Food & Beverages to everyone to show appreciation of everyone’s support for Josh.
Contact Shane Hale on Hog or Beer Info.

Sponsors
Any business that would like to donate can set up a free booth to advertise or Raffle off products.
Businesses can provide us with a banner or sign to be hung up on the fences of the Fields.
Early Sponsors can be put on the back of Tournament T-Shirts (400 already ordered). We are Contacting All Media Outlets (Newspapers, TV, and Radio).
Contact Jaime Vales for Info.

Donations
We are looking for Donations of Hot Dogs, Chips, Gatorade, Candy, Etc., to give away at the Concession Stand. We are also looking for Volunteers to work the Concession Stand during these 2 days.
Contact Mike Rodriguez for Info. (219) 973-9847

Website
www.birchfieldmemorial.com
Hosted and Donated by CSINET

The Family Wishes for All Proceeds to go to the Josh Birchfield Foundation. This is located at the First Source Bank.

[Southsider2k12]

A sad update to this story...

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte...695ee79797.html

.INDIANAPOLIS | An Afghan security contractor convicted in the fatal shooting of a U.S. Marine from Westville was a frequent drug user who may have smoked opium or hashish hours before the killing in one of Afghanistan's top opium-producing regions, a U.S. military investigation suggests.

The report obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request hints that drug use was rampant among the private security guards spotted by Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield's unit about an hour before he was shot in Afghanistan's Farah Province on Feb. 19.

The U.S. Marine Corps previously concluded Birchfield died in the line of duty when he was shot by a local contractor as a group of Marines was on foot patrol. The U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which investigates noncombat deaths of Navy personnel, looked into whether a crime was committed and who committed it.

The agency's report states that an Afghan court convicted Birchfield's assailant in July and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. The report says the person, whose name is redacted, was working security for a construction company in Afghanistan's Farah Province when he opened fire upon spotting a group of men with guns who turned out to be Marines.

Birchfield, a 24-year-old from Westville, was struck once in the head and died before a medical helicopter arrived. The report calls Birchfield a victim of negligent homicide and in a statement to the AP, the NCIS says his death was "senseless and tragic." The report does not say what exactly the assailant was convicted of.

Although the report indicates drug use may have been a factor, saliva and hair samples taken from the man weren't tested for drugs. The NCIS told AP that Afghan prosecutors decided those tests weren't needed because the man confessed to Birchfield's killing. A suspected bag of opium found at the encampment where the assailant and other security contractors were keeping watch also was never tested, the agency said.

"Ultimately, the nature of the substance seized was not relevant to the conviction obtained in the homicide case," the NCIS said.

Birchfield's mother, Shelley Hacker, said she and other relatives received the 220-page report in early December but did not plan to read the entire document until early January because the contents will be upsetting. Hacker said the family has been dissatisfied with previous answers from the U.S. military about her son's killing.

"There has not been a real answer from any of the investigations. It's all been different and to me it just looks like they're trying to cover stuff up," she said. "We're just not happy with it."

According to the report, Birchfield and nine other members of his squad had hunkered down just before daybreak in a dry, waist-deep riverbed near a roadway. The Marines spotted an encampment about 340 yards away that Afghan men employed by a local construction company use to keep watch for enemy insurgents who sometimes place bombs on the road.

Some of the seven contractors were singing and dancing around fires outside the encampment's three mud huts as Birchfield's killer stood watch on a roof, the report states. The man opened fire about an hour later, shortly after sunrise, when he was apparently startled by the sight of the armed Americans, the report says.

The man at one point told investigators the shooting was "a big mistake" because the men he saw never pointed a rifle at him, the report says. But he later claimed he thought he was shooting at ducks, not armed men.

One of the contractors told investigators the assailant was a frequent drug user who may have smoked hashish or opium in the hours before the shooting, the report says. Also, a day into their detainment, some of the seven Afghan men began suffering body aches that a Marine quoted in the report deemed to be signs of opium withdrawal.

One member of Birchfield's squad told the NCIS that the contractors had a history of shooting at Marines patrolling the area. Another said those same men often used drugs.

"Pretty much everyone knows the security contractors routinely use drugs and work their posts while high on drugs," he wrote in his statement.

Vanda Felbab-Brown, a fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution think tank, said many Afghans use opium or hashish as an escape from the nation's grinding poverty. Felbab-Brown also said the nation's police agencies have a weak screening process for men seeking to become police officers and that men applying for security contract jobs face even less scrutiny.

"The only screening is, 'Can you use an AK-47?' And 'How fast can you shoot somebody?' There's no criminal check, no addiction check," Felbab-Brown said.