European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 4, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 the stars and stripes monday March 4,1991 \ a. A. A. A. a. A. Gis accounts differ from official report by Luke Britt staff writer soldiers with burned and bandaged bodies Are still wondering Why fellow americans attacked their peaceful part. Rof the desert one night in february and killed two of their comrades. A someone was too anxious and trigger Happy a said pfc Robert m. Gebhard 21, one of the survivors of the Friendly fire attack. Gebhards quiet War became deadly in a Way he never imagined when shortly after Midnight on feb. 17 an Apache helicopter fired a hell fire missile into the rear compartment of his m2. Bradley fighting vehicle an d a secon d h e 11 f i re in to a n Earby m113 armoured personnel Carrier the first missile killed two people in the Bradley Chi. Jeffery t. Middleton 23, of Oxford Kan., and pvt. 2 Robert d. Talley 18, of Newark . Both were members of the Germany based 2nd army div fwd. Quot a the Bradley a other three occupants suffered Burns and shrapnel wounds and All three members of the my 13 Crew were burned. A. A a a a the soldiers in the Bradley were incr a a a bars of he co 1st in 41st inf regt from Karlstedt Germany. The soldiers in the my 13 were members of cob 101st military intelligence in from fort Riley Kan. At least 10 other . Service members As Well As nine British soldiers May have been killed by Friendly fire in the Gulf War. But those deaths occurred when . Aircraft tried to attack enemy units during close fighting with Allied forces. A your platoon had t seen any iraqis. We had not fired a single shot a said spec. Khim to who was in the Brad a Leys gun Turret when the hellfire hit. A we weren to even moving and had t moved for at least two an investigation revealed that . Col. Ralph Hayles 1st inf div Apache battalion commander fired the missiles. Hayles was relieved of command feb. 21, not because he fired on americans but because the attack violated division a guidelines prohibiting commanders from operating weapon systems in combat a a a division spokesman said. J the survivors said they never saw or heard the Apache although the entire my 13 Crew was outside its vehicle when the first missile hit. That fast made the soldiers question whether the Apache was close enough for Hayles to identify what he was shooting at. A you know even before we left Germany they began pounding target identification into our Heads a to said in an interview at the army regional medical Center in Lan Stuhl Germany. �?o1 remember thinking earlier that night that they seemed to want us to see the enemy a face before we shot at the platoon of six Bradley spaced 1,500 Yards apart formed a line Abolt 414 Miles Long the soldiers said. The my 13, loaded with radar equipment was about 50 feet to the left of the doomed Bradley. The platoon reported its location to battalion Headquarters using what Gebhard Ca lied a a Yery precise Gri d sys Tern. A a a there a no doubt in my mind that they knew exactly where we were a he said. But the Apache Crew a just did no to know where we were. A a Pentagon spokesman would not comment on the soldiers views but did say that it is something that will come out during the investigation. . Central come reports said the Apache attack occurred when a Small american ground Force attached to a division task Force skirmishes with probing iraqi troops. . Ground forces called in air support and apaches responded. The platoon was part of a screen of Bradley covering the right flank of the task Force which was located near the kuwaiti \ Border the soldiers said. They had moved a Well away from the main task Force and set up their position facing the iraqi front. The soldiers said their Job was to Alert the division to iraqi movements. To and Talley were the Bradley a Quot scouts. They normally sat in a Compart Merit in the rear to said. Middleton the Bradley s gunner had come Down into the compartment moments before the attack and to replaced him in the gunners Turret next to the Bradley a commander sgt 1st class Richard Miller. A then we were hit a to said. The Impact knocked Down Miller and to in the Turret which was filled with fire and smoke within seconds to said. He and Miller jumped from the vehicle and to went to the rear to try to save Talley and Middleton. �?o1 looked into where the missile had hit Quot to said. A there was More fire brighter fire than anything 1 could Ever imagine. It was like a v to said he heard a scream but is sure the two soldiers were dead when he reached the compartment. Gebhard interviewed by Telephone at the army Hospital in Bremerhaven Germany managed to get out of the vehicle Drivers scat with moderate Burns. Just Friendly fire Accident m113 armoured personnel Carrier m2 Bradley v 5 i hellfire missiles to second hellfire hits m113 armoured personnel Carrier wounding three other soldiers. First hellfire missile slams into m2 Bradley killing two soldiers in rear compartment and wounding three other ah-64 Apache source eyewitness accounts a. After he hit the ground however the see Ond hellfire crashed into the m.113, and he was hit with shrapnel and knocked against the Bradley. A a. A i looked up and saw a couple Guys on fire a Gebhard said referring to two of the my 13 Crew members. A they took off running. There was no stopping to and Gebhard said they realized that the Bradley loaded with 12 anti tank missiles 100 pounds of plastic explosives and hundreds of 25mm rounds would explode. The three Bradley survivors and an unidentified my 13 Crew member scattered into the desert several Hundred feet from burning vehicle and in less than two minutes they said the Bradley was a a melted by spectacular explosions. The my 13 was also destroyed by the blasts. Unarmed and thinking that they had been hit by iraqis the wounded soldiers Lay in their hiding places until the a shadows Quot that gathered around the burning Bradley spoke English. As word of the Apap be a attack spread through the ranks of the ground forces soldiers who rely on the Apache for air support began to criticize the helicopters performance. Soldiers have told Media Pool reporters that the Apache performs Well during the Day but at night the helicopter has problems finding iraqi forces that ground troops with night vision equipment can plainly see. Aps amps Susan Harris Gen 11. Norman Schwarzkopf the desert storm commander and head of . Central come also criticized the excessive use of firepower by Apache Crews that night. Central come spokesmen said at least 100 laser guided hellfire missiles were fired in what were described As a Border in an Effort to avoid another Accident the spokesman said pilots were being shown night photos of ground units to improve their ability to distinguish Between Friendly and enemy forces in Low Light situations when most mistakes in identification occur. Officials also said Allied ground equipment was being marked with a distinctive tape. A Central come reports said the British vehicles attacked feb. 26 were marked with he special tape. The military has promised a full report to the families of the dead soldiers but those wounded in the attack said they be been left in the dark. A we were a pretty close team a to said of his Bradley Crew. A i want them to Tell me what happened. We deserve to but it is unlikely that the Apache officer who fired the missiles will be disciplined further a military Law expert said. A no matter what else happens he a beep relieved of command a an army attorney in Germany said a Hay less career is in the tries to Cope by Luke Britt Staft writer Joyce Middleton a universe has collapsed to the size of a 3-by-5 Inch photograph of her smiting Soldier son standing next to his Bradley fighting vehicle. Since the morning. That her teary eyed husband and the army a casualty notification officer showed up at her employer with news that her son had been killed in saudi Arabia she has relied on this image of her a Gutsy Little boy to help her Cope with How he died. Middleton Cpl. Jeffery Middleton 23, and pvt. 2 Robert d. Talley 18, both members of the 2nd army div fwd from Karlstedt Germany were killed feb. 17 when a lieutenant colonel in an Apache helicopter fired hellfire missiles at their Bradley fighting vehicle,-<.ud a nearby m113 a Mored personnel Carrier. Six other soldiers were Hurt in the attack. A military investigation identified it. Col. Ralph Hayles commander of the 1st inf div Apache battalion As the Man who had fired the missiles. Hayles was relieved of command feb. 21, officials said because the attack violated division guidelines prohibiting commanders from operating weapon systems in combat. A if there it Justice in this world this is it a the Mother said in a Telephone interview from her Oxford Kan., Home a but seeing this officer relieved of his command does no to change what has happened. Jeff s still gone Quot in the Middleton Home there a a wooden clock that Jeffery made when he was. Keep Perferi. Precious treasure for the dead soldiers Mother. A lie was thinking about the army even then Quot she said. A the clock is in the shape of an armoured division came by his military career Natu Yoo Aen cock Inai Mcnery Maue Wurn no Vas Sophomore in Oxford High school. Fhe Dock has a few Nicks and it does no to keen perfect Lime in More but its a rally. His in the army during t he 1960s As an ordnance specialist and his Grandfather served in world War ii. Lie played fullback on Bis High school football team ran track was a student Council member and Sang in the choir. His Mother said he did All the things most Young men do including falling in love Jeffery married Gina Stevens on feb. 18,-1989. Two years later to the Day an army officer stood before the 22-year-old woman and told her that her husband was dead Gina Middleton said that coping with her grief has t allowed her much time to Ponder the circumstances of her husband s death. A right now 1 done to want to think about who killed him a she said from her parents Home in Leesville la. Quot but it is ironic that because lies been relieved of command this commander will get to come Home Safe after news of Jeffery s death spread through his Hometown classmates from High school created the Jeffery Middleton memorial scholarship fund. A Jeffery joined the army because he wanted to finish College and the arrays College fund was going to help him do that a his Mother said. A a he a be proud to know students will get Money for College in his name forever.�?�. Despite the bitterness that the Mother said her family struggled to overcome the Middleton supported the War. Quot we taught Jeff to love his Joyce Middleton said. A after he joined the Artyv he said More than once that head give his life if he had to a. T the military has promised to give the Middleton a full report of what happened in the desert. But no one has told Joyce Middleton How to Cope with the thought that the Young Man in the ,> sir a Hng next to his Bradley is gone forever or told his widow How to sleep without having nightmares. / and no report or explanation will Stop his Mother from reliving time after time the last words her son Ever said to her. Quot done to worry about me mom a she said he told her in a phone conversation a week before his death. Quot ill be
