Too many soldiers are victims of electrical hazards in Iraq

Ryan Maseth, a decorated Army Ranger and Green Beret and a native of Shaler, Pa., died in Baghdad in January. He was not killed by enemy fire, but was electrocuted while taking a shower.

The Army first informed his mother, Cheryl, that Ryan died because he took a small appliance into the shower. Only due to her persistence did she learn that Ryan was in fact electrocuted due to an improperly grounded water pump.

Ryan had been repeatedly shocked by the electrified water. A fellow soldier who discovered his body, burnt and smoldering, was also severely shocked by the lingering current.

Ryan was one of more than a dozen Americans, including 10 soldiers, who have died by accidental electrocution since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. Other soldiers have been electrocuted, like Ryan, in the shower, by power lines, and in one case, while powerwashing a Humvee.

The danger posed by faulty wiring at U.S. military installations in Iraq has been clear for some time. In October 2004, the Army released a report describing electrocutions in Iraq as a "killer of soldiers" and calling on military facilities to ensure that they have properly grounded electrical systems. The Defense Department issued another alert in February 2007, nearly a year before Ryan's death, calling electrical safety concerns the most urgent non-combat safety hazard for U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

KBR is the military contractor responsible for electrical repairs at the base where Ryan died, as well as other U.S. military facilities throughout Iraq. KBR's spokeswoman has denied any connection between the company's work and the pattern of electrocutions.

Documents received by the House Oversight Committee indicate otherwise. According to a safety assessment prepared by a Defense Department inspector, widespread deficiencies with electrical systems are a "major challenge" at KBR facilities. They have resulted in 283 fires throughout Iraq, killing additional soldiers, injuring others, and destroying a large U.S. military dining facility.

In addition, two former KBR electricians recently testified before the Senate that KBR failed to ensure that its subcontractors were qualified and had a corporate culture that discouraged the voicing of safety concerns.

But the blame doesn't stop at KBR. Army officials and the Defense Contract Management Agency leaders (DCMA) knew about these problems, yet failed to take action. According to one contracting official, the failure to correct these deficiencies "results in direct liability issues for our agency as well as individuals who were briefed regarding this finding, to include the Army and KBR."

Defense Secretary Robert Gates must apply the principle of personal accountability to leadership at the Army and DCMA as he did with the Air Force following a series of mishaps with the transport of nuclear material.

Ultimately, however, the most urgent priority for the Defense Department is to ensure that faulty electrical wiring does not kill any more Americans in Iraq. The Defense Department has ordered safety inspections, but it has tasked this assignment to KBR, the same contractor that was responsible for maintaining these facilities in the first place. We believe the department should conduct these inspections with certified U.S. government personnel.

Our young men and women serving overseas, and their loved ones, make tremendous sacrifices in volunteering to serve their nation. Although they assume the risk that they may die in combat, they should not have to fear death while taking a shower or washing a vehicle.

It is long past due for the Pentagon to recognize the severity of the danger posed by these electrical hazards, and it is imperative that the Defense Department ensure that no more Americans needlessly lose their lives.