Pte. Mark Anthony Graham 1 RCR - 04 Sept 06

[The Bread Guy]

A few more details about the investigation from the U.S. side, shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act - http://www.cb-cda.gc.ca/info/act-e.html#rid-33409

Air Force says Spangdahlem-based pilot fired on Canadian soldiers
Scott Schonauer, Stars and Stripes, 13 Sept 06
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?article=39990&section=104


KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — The Air Force confirmed Tuesday that a pilot from the Spangdahlem, Germany-based 81st Fighter Squadron fired on Canadian soldiers in last week’s fatal “friendly fire” incident in Afghanistan.

The A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot, whose name and rank were not released, has been grounded and is assisting with an investigation into the accident, said Col. Alvina Mitchell, a spokeswoman for U.S. Central Command Air Forces.

“During this time, he will be working strictly with the [investigation] board,” Mitchell said by telephone.

Both the U.S. Air Force and NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan are looking into the incident.

Brig. Gen. Stanley Clarke, deputy director of strategic planning for the air staff at the Pentagon, is leading the Air Force investigation, Mitchell said. Clarke is a member of the Alabama Air National Guard and is a pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours in the A-10, F-16 and C-26, according to his official biography. He arrived in Afghanistan last week.

The friendly fire incident occurred in southern Afghanistan as part of Operation Medusa, an effort by Afghan National Security Forces and coalition soldiers to clear insurgents in the southern part of the country.

On Sept. 4, NATO troops were fighting Taliban insurgents at close range in Kandahar province’s Panjwayi district when coalition soldiers called in close air support, according to an alliance press release.

Two A-10 jets answered the call for help, but one of the pilots mistakenly strafed a group of Canadian soldiers with the jet’s 30 mm Gatling gun. Canadian army Pvt. Mark Graham died and dozens of other Canadian soldiers were injured.

Graham, a former track-and-field runner who participated in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, was a member of The Royal Canadian Regiment.

The accident brought back memories of another friendly fire incident involving U.S. warplanes and Canadian troops in Afghanistan more than four years ago. On April 17, 2002, an Air Force F-16 dropped a bomb over Tarnak Farms, killing four Canadian soldiers and seriously injuring eight others.

The Air Force found Maj. Harry Schmidt, an Illinois Air National Guard pilot, guilty of dereliction of duty for his role in the incident. He was fined more than $5,000 and was given a letter of reprimand. A second pilot, Maj. William Umbach, received a letter of reprimand and was allowed to retire from the Guard.

The 81st left for its deployment to Afghanistan in May and is expected to return home to Spangdahlem by the end of the month.

Capt. Diane Weed, a spokeswoman for the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem, referred all questions to U.S. Central Command Air Forces, which oversees U.S. air forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The U.S. accident board will try to “get to the bottom of the details” of the incident, Mitchell said. Typically, pilots would be offered both counseling support and legal advice in similar situations.

“It’s up to the member to take advantage of that service,” Mitchell said.

 

[tomahawk6]

Another article. This one from Air Force Times.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=0-AIRPAPER-2086023.php

Another friendly fire attack
Second mistaken A-10 airstrike this summer kills one Canadian soldier, injures about 30 others

By Bruce Rolfsen
Staff writer


The friendly fire death of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan who died during an A-10 Thunderbolt attack Sept. 4 is generating protests in Canada but few comments from U.S. military leaders.

Details of the accident are sketchy, pending an investigation of what is apparently the third incident of Canadian friendly fire casualties caused by U.S. attacks since 2002.

The Canadian troops were part of Operation Medusa, a NATO drive to clear Taliban insurgents from an area near the Arghandab River about 10 miles southwest of Kandahar. 


The fighting had been intense and Sept. 3, four Canadian soldiers died battling the Taliban.

As dawn broke Sept. 4, the fighting continued “at close range in close country,” according to a NATO statement.

The NATO troops called for close-air support and two A-10s arrived overhead.

At approximately 5:30 a.m., one of the A-10s mistakenly fired its 30mm cannon on the Canadian soldiers, a statement from Central Air Forces said.

One soldier died and about 30 other Canadians were wounded. The soldier who was killed was identified as Pvt. Mark Anthony Graham of the 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, from Ontario. Graham was a member of the 1992 Canadian Olympic track team, running in the 4-by-100-meter relay.

The attack was the second incident this summer of Canadian casualties from a mistaken A-10 assault. According to Canadian press reports, an A-10 dropped a bomb July 8 that wounded one soldier southwest of Kandahar.

Four days after the fatal Sept. 4 attack, U.S. Central Command and Air Force officials were not commenting on how the accident would be investigated or what the role of the Canadian military would be. U.S. officials wouldn’t discuss the status of an inquiry into the July 8 incident.

The Air Force hasn’t identified the A-10 pilot involved in the Sept. 4 attack. U.S. Central Air Forces spokesman Col. Alvina Mitchell said the pilot was not currently flying combat missions.

The Air Force wouldn’t identify the A-10 units involved. However, the only A-10s flying in Afghanistan are based at Bagram Air Base.

The identity and nationality of the planes’ close-air support controller also have not been released.

Canadian Defense Minister Gordon O’Connor told the CanWest News Service on Sept. 7 that U.S. officials had invited Canadians to sit as observers on the U.S. investigation board for the Sept. 4 incident.

Previous investigations

In past friendly fire cases, an Air Force brigadier general with a fighter or bomber background has typically headed each board. Depending on how the investigation progresses, it can take six months to a year for a public version of the board’s report to be issued.

Commanders can use the report to decide if anyone could be punished for the incident.

The board often focuses on how the pilot identified the target, the guidance from close-air support controllers, and if equipment issues were a factor.

U.S. and Canadian officials defended their troops’ training and practices.

“We do have communications, we do have training, tactics and techniques, and procedures to mitigate the risk, but we can’t reduce those risks to zero,” Canadian Brig. Gen. David Fraser told a reporter at Kandahar Air Base.

Mitchell expressed a similar view. “We have standard joint and combined procedures that we train to and have always used in combat,” Mitchell said in a written response to questions from Air Force Times.

At Bagram, A-10s from the 52nd Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and the Reserve 442nd Fighter Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., are near the end of a 120-day rotation.

In an early August interview, Bagram-based A-10 pilots said they were accustomed to working with close-air support controllers from NATO nations fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. One flier pointed out that the pilots from Spangdahlem routinely worked with controllers from European militaries.

In a Sept. 7 interview with Air Force Times, Canadian Army Maj. Paul Payne said Canada’s controllers, called forward air controllers, train beyond NATO standards.

The Canadian controllers often are artillery officers or noncommissioned officers. To be “combat-ready” they must attend a month-long course and then spend six months practicing the skill.

The Canadians typically practice with Canadian Air Force F/A-18 fighters, Payne said.

However, the cooperation between Canadian and U.S. militaries on close-air-support issues is growing.

Payne pointed out that he was speaking from the U.S. Army’s Fort Sill, Okla., where 15 Canadian students and six instructors were training with their U.S. counterparts.

He said at least two Canadian controllers a year attend the Air Force’s Air Ground Operations School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

The Air Force and Canadian military have worked together before to learn what led to a friendly fire attack.

In 2002, the Air Force and Canadian military conducted a joint investigation into friendly fire deaths of four Canadian soldiers. However, each nation issued its own report and conclusions.

The investigations found that the servicemen died when two Illinois Air National Guard F-16 pilots — Maj. Harry Schmidt and Maj. William Umbach — mistakenly dropped a 500-pound bomb on soldiers who were conducting a nighttime training mission with small arms and anti-tank missiles. The pilots said they thought the ground fire was aimed at them as they flew at about 20,000 feet near Kandahar Air Base.

The case ended with both pilots receiving Article 15 reprimands.

Bruce Rolfsen can be reached at (703) 750-8647 or brolfse@airforcetimes.com.

 

[the 48th regulator]

Fantastic story of the boys;

Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act - http://www.cb-cda.gc.ca/info/act-e.html#rid-33409


'Miracle' soldier mends
Two brain surgeries after friendly fire
By SARAH GREEN, TORONTO SUN



Canadian Cpl. Bruce Moncur shows off his tattoo as he awaits his release yesterday from Sunnybrook hospital. He was wounded in Afghanistan. (Ernest Doroszuk/Sun) 
Bruce Moncur's survival is a miracle.

But the 22-year-old corporal, injured in last week's friendly fire incident in Afghanistan that killed one soldier and injured more than 30 others, shuns any suggestion he's a hero.

"They all call me a hero, but I don't feel it all," Moncur said yesterday in an exclusive interview with the Toronto Sun. "I feel like normal Bruce from Windsor. The miracle thing sounds a little better."

There's a scar shaped like a comma above his ear after two brain surgeries -- one in Afghanistan, one in Germany -- to repair the damage caused by shrapnel. Moncur -- released yesterday from Sunnybrook hospital, anxious to go home -- also suffered wounds to his buttocks and lower back.

He will need therapy to help with his balance and difficulty he's having with handwriting and remembering numbers.

Yet his family and friends were relieved to see his smile and good humour intact, to see "Bruce was still Bruce," said his best friend, Tyler Millman, who joined the reserves with Moncur five years ago.

"He's one of the lucky ones. He's getting better every day. He's young and strong," said his aunt Marg Moncur, who learned of her nephew's injuries when he called her from his overseas hospital bed. It's a conversation he doesn't remember.

His doctors said "he's a miracle. He's definitely a miracle." Moncur's commitment to his fellow soldiers -- his friends, his brothers -- is also unshaken. "If I could be back with the boys, I would."

It was 5:30 a.m. last Monday when two A-10 Thunderbolts, the U.S. jets dubbed Warthogs with their distinctive roar, opened fire on the Canadian camp.

Moncur's company was already reeling from the deaths of four soldiers the previous day during a ground assault on Taliban insurgents.

"The next day, we were soldiers," Moncur said. "It's time to do our job."

The soldiers were burning boxes as they prepared to fold their camp. They initially didn't believe the bullets were coming from the skies.

"We thought we put ammunition in the fire," he recalled.

His memories are blurry from there. He remembered flying through air and a searing pain in his head and arm.

In those first terrible, confusing moments, he thought he lost the limb, but it turned out to be okay.

"It was right out of a movie," Moncur said. "It was pandemonium. It was like Saving Private Ryan. Bodies everywhere."

Waterloo's Ryan Pagnacco, 27, suffered deep wounds in his arm, legs and back in the attack.

"I tried to crawl my way out of the area," recalled Pagnacco, dressed in an "Army" T-shirt in his room at Sunnybrook. Like Moncur, he was anxious to get home.

"Everyone was on the ground. Everyone took cover. There was people lying everywhere."

Soldiers scrambled to help the wounded. One bandaged Moncur's injuries while Pagnacco credited another with saving his life, wrapping tourniquets around his legs and arm

Asked about the friendly fire incident, Moncur said simply it is an unfortunate reality of war. "It sucks to get hit like that. Sometimes it happens."

Moncur praised the care he received here at home and abroad. In Germany, staff even fetched him McDonalds, a "Royale with cheese," he said with a smile, citing the hamburger made famous in the movie Pulp Fiction.

Later this month, he'll see his beloved Detroit Tigers at a game with his best friend and he's planning to get a tattoo on his left shoulder -- his right bears a Maple Leaf -- of an eight ball. His platoon was called the Crazy Eights and the tattoo will include the name of two soldiers from the platoon, Frank Mellish and Mark Graham, killed during those two awful days.

Canadian Cpl. Bruce Moncur shows off his tattoo as he awaits his release yesterday from Sunnybrook hospital. He was wounded in Afghanistan. (Ernest Doroszuk/Sun)

dileas

tess

 

[17thRecceSgt]

No words needed here.  Just a  ...

 

[The Bread Guy]

to this lad, as well as to ALL the others healing as a result of their service!

Thx for sharing some GOOD news from the media!

 

[amberaston]

As an American news like this sickens me. I would like to send me deepest apologies to all the family's of anyone who was injured and my prayers go up for the deceased. I have no words that will console at a time like this, I can only say I will keep Canada in my prayers. God Bless!!!!
AMA

 

[GAP]

As an American news like this sickens me. I would like to send me deepest apologies to all the family's of anyone who was injured and my prayers go up for the deceased. I have no words that will console at a time like this, I can only say I will keep Canada in my prayers. God Bless!!!!
AMA

Nobody likes to see it, whomever is responsible, but, given that, that is the nature of war. I don't make light of it, but it happens here, there, before and probably long after. You can't have close air support, and not have the possibility of blue on blue.

 

[Loachman]

I was able to attend Pte Graham's funeral yesterday.

This account, from today's Toronto Sun, sums it up quite nicely:

*********************************************************

Tower of strength leaves a void behind

By MICHELE MANDEL

HAMILTON -- To his friends, his family, his teammates, Pte. Mark Graham was a superhero.

But when even Superman is struck down, they wondered yesterday, how are mere mortals to soldier on?

Graham was a 6-foot-4 smiling tower of strength and kindness, a larger than life, former Olympian who in his heyday set even American track star Carl Lewis trembling.How could he truly be gone? And how could he have been cut down, not in battle, but in so called "friendly fire?"

Yesterday more than 1,200 mourners struggled to find answers to those questions as they filled the two levels of West Highland Fellowship Baptist Church. There were young fellow soldiers from CFB Petawawa in their neatly pressed uniforms and wizened veterans who came wearing poppies and medals. There were former high school classmates who remember him winning "Mr. MacNabb" and fellow athletes who raced with him at track meets around the world. Strangers who were brought together by their love of an extraordinary man, and their need to make sense of a death that makes no sense.

Olympic sprinter Donovan Bailey said he and many of Graham's old teammates had recently lost touch with him and didn't even know he was in the army.

"It was such a shock," Bailey said outside the service. "He was the most intimidating sprinter that ever lived just by showing up -- not by his attitude but just by walking in. Even Carl Lewis feared him in 1993 in Stuttgart."

The irony, Bailey said, was that behind this imposing figure was the nicest man. "He was such a gentle giant, a happy-go-lucky guy who was always laughing, always joking."

Graham, 33, was killed Labour Day and more than 30 other Canadian soldiers were wounded when a U.S. warplane mistakenly strafed them with cannon fire west of Kandahar.

"His death by friendly fire will test your faith to its limits," acknowledged Capt. Rev. Greg Bailey in his homily.

The military chaplain then asked mourners to find it in their hearts to forgive those who were responsible.

But what a tall order that is for those who loved him best.

Before the service began, a video collage of family photos played on the church screen, poignant moments of this big, fierce-looking man embracing his two brothers and parents and friends with a smile so warm it almost melted the sombre mood.

Among these snapshots of a life cut short, none was as touching as that of Graham cradling his tiny, newborn daughter in his massive hands, a look of such pure joy and pride shining from his eyes.

And then the video was done, and the church was suddenly deathly still as Graham's flag-draped coffin, a military honour guard at his side, was brought in followed by his grieving family -- father Al and stepmother Linda, his two brothers, Jason and Daniel, himself a fledgling Canadian soldier, and Graham's beautiful 7-year-old daughter, Shae-Lynn.

Tirus Tyler, his former high school track mate, eulogized his good friend as not only a great athlete who represented Canada at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and even sang for the Queen, but as a man who loved poetry and inspiring those around him. Even after years of success as a track star at the University of Nebraska and Kent State before injuries ended his career in 1994, Graham returned home to his Hamilton high school to help coach a new generation.

"He was our friend, our teammate, a hero to us all," Tyler said, reading a poem written in his honour by another friend. "Let us never forget that this brave soldier answered this country's call."

Tyler then called Shae-Lynn forward to accept a track baton from her father's former high school teammates as a symbol of the great moments they had all shared. As she threw her arms around his neck, many in the congregation dissolved into tears.

"Mark was our superhero for years, he truly was," Tyler said after the funeral.

"What they say is true," one of his fellow trackmates said in a letter to his family. "God takes the best first. Save me a lane in heaven, bro."

STRONG FAITH

A man of strong faith, Graham cut such an impressive figure when he showed up in full military uniform to bid goodbye to his church before heading out to join his battalion based in Petawawa. His pastor, Rev. George Horton, remembers the special prayers they said that day for his safe return.
Instead he returned to them in a coffin nine days ago at Trenton. "It took every possible ounce of strength to stand and watch," Horton said after the service, his voice shaking. "I thought that was the worst. I didn't know there was more."

But in a private viewing, he said, they were allowed to glimpse at what "friendly fire" had done to the strong young man they had all loved. "That was the most difficult of all."

For even the best-loved superheroes are mortal. Graham will be laid to rest tomorrow in a private family ceremony at the National Military Cemetery in Ottawa.

*********************************************************

I never had the pleasure or privilege of meeting him in life, but it's obvious that his family, his friends, the CF, and the Country lost a lot - as we have in all of these cases.

I did have the chance, instead, to briefly talk with some of his friends and family and it is no wonder that he was the way that he was. They, too, even in their pain are great people.

Crappy way to meet them, though...

 

[The Gues-|-]

I never had the privilege of meeting Mark but I have heard many things about him through his proud brother Dan.  Tpr. Graham was advised of the grim news while on our Armoured DP1 course.  RIP Mark, my thoughts and prayers go out to the Graham family.  I will see you soon Dan!

 

[Loachman]

Dan was one of the ones that I spoke with - pretty easy to pick him out of a crowd, even a crowd of that size. I also spoke with Mr Graham, Tirus Tyler, and the Pastor. I've never met better.

The baton was a stroke of pure genius. There was so much symbology in that in many ways.

I am glad that there were enough of us present to show our support, and they're getting plenty from their church and community as well. The church, in turn, is also very supportive of us and several people approached me (and most likely everybody else in uniform) and expressed that. It was nice to see several police forces represented as well.

There was also a collection for a trust fund for Shae-Lynn. I hope that she never goes wanting for anything.

But none of this will ever fill the gap.

 

[time expired]

First my condolances to pte Graham`s family and also to his comrades.
I hope this does not start an avalanch of yank bashing,close air support is a hazardous mission
at any time,it has to close to be effective and the room for error is very small,but one should
not forget that without close air support the casualties would likely be much greater.
                      Regards

 

[geo]

TE....
One of the problems with the CF is that there aren't too many occasions to train & practice with close air support.  The blue boys don't get asked to come down to ground level and the green boys are limited in their education.

THAT's something that's got to get fixed.

 

[foerestedwarrior]

Well my understanding(little about the blue side of things) is that the fast air has little air time to start with so they use it on other skills..(if that is indeed the case) I think there should be more cross training, because as has been seen, there is a need for air support(rotary and fixed wing). I geuse we can put that on the list of wants.

 

[3rd Horseman]

It is sad to have to ask this question again but it needs to be asked. Where was the Canadian FAC? We have in the past had very good FAC training, Cdn FACs are (or were) the best in the world what is going wrong or are these just unusual accidents?

 

[HItorMiss]

The FAC involved in this incident IS not only good but EXCELLENT! he saved our lives countless times the day before and I'm 100% sure that team is still saving lives today.

I will not tolerate insinuations or statements that they are not EXCELLENT at their jobs on here or in person, anyone wanting post such can kindly STFU, that goes for the Pilot of that A-10 as well

3Rd Horseman please reffer to this thread and my post's in it for any more of your speculation on our FAC's

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/50354.0.html

 

[big bad john]

Speculation by anyone without firsthand knowledge of the incident or an expertise in FAC is pretty useless.  I would venture to suggest that nothing can be gained from such speculation.  So, I would ask the Mods to lock the thread.

 

[Old Sweat]

There is nothing to be gained from speculation. I accept HoM's comments, especially as I learned from a (very reliable) source that the FACs had controlled about 150 strikes during the operation using a variety of air assets, and this was the one that went horribly wrong.

 

[McG]

Speculation by anyone without firsthand knowledge of the incident ... is pretty useless.

If you were not there and have not been privy to information available from that location or from the cockpit of the aircraft, then you are well outside your lane to debate this.  Anyone that does have information on this should not be posting about it until investigations are complete.

 

[big bad john]

This thread was reopened at my request to post the following News Release from DND and not for anyone to start speculating on anything.  Be warned!


http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/view_news_e.asp?id=2101

News Release
Military Board of Inquiry into Sept 4 Friendly Fire incident
CEFCOM NR–06.27 - October 3, 2006

OTTAWA – Lieutenant-General Michel Gauthier, Commander Expeditionary Force Command, has convened a military Board of Inquiry (BOI) to examine the circumstances of the A-10 friendly fire incident, which took place on 4 September in Panjwaii District, Afghanistan, during Operation Medusa. The incident claimed the life of Private Mark Graham and wounded a number of other Canadian Forces personnel.

A BOI is an administrative investigation normally convened to examine and report on complex or significant events. It serves to determine what occurred, how and why it occurred, and proposes measures that might prevent the possibility of recurrence.

Named as the President of the BOI, Colonel Jean-Luc Milot will head a team that will collect and assess the available evidence in order to determine the circumstances and sequence of events that led to the casualties, including the death of Private Graham. In addition to the President, the BOI includes three core members plus specialist military advisors and an officer from the U.S. Air Force. 

There are a total of four investigations now underway related to this friendly fire incident. In addition to the Canadian BOI, the US Air Force (USAF) and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have each convened separate inquiries. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service routinely investigates deaths of service members while on duty.

Canadian Forces Brigadier General, Duff Sullivan, is serving as Co-President of a U.S.A.F. Combined investigation Board (CIB), the membership of which also includes a CF Legal Officer and another CF specialist advisor.

ISAF has commenced its investigation, also with international representation.  The Canadian representative to this investigation is Colonel AJ Stephenson. 

All four investigations will issue separate reports.

It is anticipated that the Canadian BOI, its advisors and support team will depart for Afghanistan shortly to begin the investigation. At the completion of the BOI, the Canadian report will be submitted to Lt-Gen Gauthier for consideration, and subsequently to the Chief of the Defence Staff.

The findings, results and recommendations will then be made public, subject to the limitations on the releases of information imposed by the Privacy Act and the Access to the Information Act.

-30-

 

[McG]

Inquiry into fall's friendly-fire death in Afghanistan completed
Canadian Press
Published: Wednesday, February 07, 2007

 
OTTAWA (CP) - A military board of inquiry has finished its investigation into a friendly-fire incident in Afghanistan last September which killed a Canadian soldier and wounded several others.

The report will be studied by the staff before being passed on to Lt.-Gen. Michel Gauthier, head of the Forces expeditionary force command.

It will then go to Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of the defence staff, before it is released publicly.

It could be months before the report is released, however.

While the senior officers cannot alter the report, they can ask the board of inquiry to reconvene if they feel the document falls short of the terms of reference.

Pte. Mark Graham was killed Sept. 4, when an American A-10 ground attack plane mistakenly strafed a group of Canadian soldiers in the Panjwaii district of Afghanistan.

The United States air force, NATO forces in Afghanistan and the Canadian Forces national investigation service all conducted their own investigations of the incident. None of these reports have yet been released.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=4329befe-9abc-4f85-b725-8922024707ca&k=40080