Letter from Senator Jim Webb: RE: Our Soldiers And Sewage Showers in Iraq

See my earlier post of March 23, 2008 and my letter to Senator Webb and to Senator Warner regarding Halliburton's cutting costs on its equipment and services it furnishes our troops in Iraq while pocketing the difference. This is the first letter I have received from Senator Webb that was not a "robo" letter or the generic one he usually sends (please see the post of April 7, 2008).


May 9, 2008

Dear Patricia:

Thank you for contacting me regarding allegations that KBR, Inc. (KBR) installed faulty and unsafe electrical systems in Iraq, resulting in the electrocution and death of at least one U.S. soldier.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General (IG) is conducting a full investigation of this incident. The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is also probing it, and Senator Bob Casey has called for a Government Accountability Office investigation.



I am deeply concerned by reports of such accidental deaths and injuries of military and contract personnel in Iraq. Please be assured that my colleagues and I will continue to monitor this situation and exercise necessary oversight to ensure that U.S. troops in Iraq are provided with proper and safe facilities.



Achieving greater accountability and oversight in the way contractors support U.S. military operations are two of my top priorities. You may be interested to know that on January 28, 2008, the President signed into law a provision that I introduced with Senator McCaskill and several other senators (H.R. 4986) to establish a Commission on Wartime Contracting that will examine U.S. wartime contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Commission will study the impact of the government's growing reliance on civilian contractors to perform wartime functions and make recommendations to remedy today's systemic problems.


As both the son of an Air Force officer, the father of a Marine, and a Marine veteran myself, I understand the sacrifices that our service members and their families make every day. I have worked on these issues throughout my life, and they continue to be one of my top priorities as a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. Be assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as the U.S. Senate considers this issue.

Thank you once again for contacting my office. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff if we can be of further assistance.



Sincerely,




Jim Webb

United States Senator