Sparrowhawk
04-11-03, 06:38 PM
It's always been that way.
Why then can't our troops keep some of the weapons, and other items belonging to the soldiers they kill in battle, or find in their searches?
<hr>
From Roger's posting of the AP story
Weapons Cache for Saddam's Son Odai Found
Boxes of ammunition and weapons discovered in southern Iraq by American forces in the first days of the war bore the address of the Jordan Armed Forces.
In Jordan, government officials scoffed at the idea the weapons found Friday were supplied to Iraq after the imposition of U.N. sanctions in 1990.
"If there was something found, it could've been very old, much before 1990," one official told The Associated Press.
"In the Arab world, it's common to exchange gifts, and the boxes said to be found - which are apparently of a trivial quantity - are very much in line with that custom," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Baghdad house had been looted by Iraqi civilians before the Americans arrived. Hundreds of empty Berreta pistol boxes littered the street and covered the floors.
At least a dozen Bushmaster XM-15 rifles, knockoffs of the U.S. Army's M16A4 and M4 assault rifles, and dozens of boxes of Colt Diamondback revolvers, were also in the collection.
The most valuable weapons were antique muskets in presentation cases. There were also dozens of knives and swords, many gold-plated.
Soldiers marveled at the collectible editions of common military weapons, German-made G3s, Kalashnikovs and gold- and silver-plated M-1 Carbines.
"I wish I had never seen this," said Capt. Chris Carter of Watkinsville, Ga. "I'll never be able to look at my gun collection the same way again."
The front page of the log book said Odai's weapons store was managed by Sameer Abel Hadi Hamed of the Special Security Service. A sample entry from Nov. 12, 2001, registered the arrival of "one 7.62 mm Tariq pistol in red box, in good condition."
One U.S. sniper found parts that fit his Remington rifle and picked up a new case for his.
U.S. commanders quickly sealed off the building and ordered troops to return any weapons they had taken. With a collective sigh, soldiers emptied their pockets of pistols and knives, putting them back in the building to be destroyed.
Soldiers took turns handling guns, including a fully automatic 12-gauge shotgun known among gangs in the United States as "street sweepers" and expensive shotguns designed for hunting and combat.
"I'm a shotgun man, and I know shotguns. That is one hell of a shotgun," 1st Sgt. Cedric Burns of Sylvania, Ga., said of an Italian-made Franchi, S.P.A.S. 12, mounted with a pistol grip for military use.
Why then can't our troops keep some of the weapons, and other items belonging to the soldiers they kill in battle, or find in their searches?
<hr>
From Roger's posting of the AP story
Weapons Cache for Saddam's Son Odai Found
Boxes of ammunition and weapons discovered in southern Iraq by American forces in the first days of the war bore the address of the Jordan Armed Forces.
In Jordan, government officials scoffed at the idea the weapons found Friday were supplied to Iraq after the imposition of U.N. sanctions in 1990.
"If there was something found, it could've been very old, much before 1990," one official told The Associated Press.
"In the Arab world, it's common to exchange gifts, and the boxes said to be found - which are apparently of a trivial quantity - are very much in line with that custom," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Baghdad house had been looted by Iraqi civilians before the Americans arrived. Hundreds of empty Berreta pistol boxes littered the street and covered the floors.
At least a dozen Bushmaster XM-15 rifles, knockoffs of the U.S. Army's M16A4 and M4 assault rifles, and dozens of boxes of Colt Diamondback revolvers, were also in the collection.
The most valuable weapons were antique muskets in presentation cases. There were also dozens of knives and swords, many gold-plated.
Soldiers marveled at the collectible editions of common military weapons, German-made G3s, Kalashnikovs and gold- and silver-plated M-1 Carbines.
"I wish I had never seen this," said Capt. Chris Carter of Watkinsville, Ga. "I'll never be able to look at my gun collection the same way again."
The front page of the log book said Odai's weapons store was managed by Sameer Abel Hadi Hamed of the Special Security Service. A sample entry from Nov. 12, 2001, registered the arrival of "one 7.62 mm Tariq pistol in red box, in good condition."
One U.S. sniper found parts that fit his Remington rifle and picked up a new case for his.
U.S. commanders quickly sealed off the building and ordered troops to return any weapons they had taken. With a collective sigh, soldiers emptied their pockets of pistols and knives, putting them back in the building to be destroyed.
Soldiers took turns handling guns, including a fully automatic 12-gauge shotgun known among gangs in the United States as "street sweepers" and expensive shotguns designed for hunting and combat.
"I'm a shotgun man, and I know shotguns. That is one hell of a shotgun," 1st Sgt. Cedric Burns of Sylvania, Ga., said of an Italian-made Franchi, S.P.A.S. 12, mounted with a pistol grip for military use.