Mrs. M.
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- Nov 2, 2015
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U.S. Army Night Infiltration Course Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Five international soldiers were drowned during the night when their vehicle went off a treacherous stretch of road amidst rising flood waters in Southwest Missouri. They did not have an escort and were reportedly unfamiliar with the area.
The soldiers were returning to Fort Leonard Wood where they were receiving officer education in military policing, chemical defense and engineering. The Maneuver Support Center for Excellence is part of a program to educate international soldiers. Some of the bodies were discovered in the car and others were found nearby.
The names, ages and countries of the deceased have been released:
Maj. Mohammad Hassan Ibrahim, 32 yrs. Old, Egypt
Maj. Akram Abu Al-rub, 38 yrs. Old, Jordan
Capt. Ahmed Moussouni, 32yrs. Old, Algeria
Capt. Ahmed Abdelghani, 29 yrs. Old, Egypt
Capt. Hasman Hussin, 33 yrs. Old, Malaysia
Fort officials have reported that the bodies are being returned to their own country for burial.
According to one news source, a witness saw the vehicle go off the road but said they lost sight of it as it was suddenly swept away by the water. Locals in the area stated that unless you are familiar with the topography of the area around Fort Leonard Wood, it is easy to become disoriented. Perhaps that is why it has earned the nickname, Fort Lost in the Woods.
As these international soldiers were mostly from desert lands they would not have been accustomed to navigating a vehicle during a flood.
This accident was tragic and unnecessary. The men were traveling without an escort and were not from this country.
Why is our military training international soldiers with American tax payer dollars? When did we start funding the education of foreign soldiers on military policing, chemical defense and engineering? Who authorized such a program and just how many of these international soldiers are currently on American military bases?
According to one news source these international soldiers are called trainees. After looking at one Fort Leonard Wood website, it is hard to tell how many of these trainees are living on the base. According to a 2000 report there were 13,666 trainees on base. Military officers and private citizens stated that this number is underestimated by approximately 23%.
On the same website Fort Leonard officials released a report that there were 21,250 available bedrooms / barracks available for trainees. On that particular website there is no mention of training International soldiers.
There was another website – a community forum offered by Fort Leonard Wood, that announced two classes in Arabic and other multicultural education material. It was being presented as new and the date on the Arabic language classes was listed as 2012 which means they have been giving these classes for at least the past 4 years.
How many Middle Eastern international soldiers are currently staying at Fort Leonard Wood? It's anyone's guess.
Due to the lack of transparency the Obama administration has become known for, it is incumbent upon the American people to do their own investigation to get to the bottom of this.
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News stories:
5 international soldiers who drowned in Missouri floods identified
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5 Soldiers Who Drowned in Missouri Floods Identified
Army Identifies 5 Foreign Military Drowning Victims of Missouri Flood | Military.com
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