Casey presses Defense Secretary after meeting with mother of victim
WASHINGTON, DC– After meeting with Cheryl Harris, mother of Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth who was electrocuted while taking a shower in Iraq, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, demanding to know what steps the Department of Defense (DOD) has taken to ensure that no other soldiers serving in Iraq are electrocuted due to faulty wiring or negligent maintenance.
“One death by electrocution is too many and we already know at least twelve Americans have lost their lives in this manner,” said Senator Casey. “The Department has an obligation to inform the Congress and the American people of the steps it has taken to ensure that no future electrocutions occur on U.S. military installations in Iraq.”
In the letter, Senator Casey specifically asked the Secretary:
At which military installations in Iraq have the appropriate inspections and resulting repairs been completed to minimize the risk of accidental electrocutions from faulty wiring?
For each such military installation, on what date were these inspections and repairs completed? Please list the specific DOD entity that completed the inspection/repair for each such military installation.
Has the Department initiated any overarching changes to the manner in which it certifies the safety of military installations in Iraq to ensure that substandard oversight and/or negligent maintenance will not occur in the future?
According to the Army Criminal Investigation Division, Staff Sgt. Maseth died when the electricity in the shower facility short-circuited because an electric water pump on the rooftop was not properly grounded. An initial investigation by the Department of Defense’s Criminal Investigative Division office found that the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) was aware of the electrical safety hazard posed by this shower facility, prior to the death of Staff Sgt. Maseth. The Pentagon has turned over the investigation to the Department’s Inspector General for further investigation.
In April, Senator Casey asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate all accidental electrocuted-related deaths or injuries of military and contract personnel in Iraq. Because the Inspector General (IG) of the DOD was already conducting an ongoing investigation, the GAO declined Senator Casey’s request.
Full text of the letter is below:
Dear Mr. Gates:
Earlier this week, I met with Ms. Cheryl Harris from Shaler, Pennsylvania. She is the grief stricken mother of Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth, who was electrocuted while taking a shower in his living quarters in the Radwaniyah Palace Complex in Baghdad. According to the Army Criminal Investigative Division, Staff Sergeant Maseth died when the electricity in the shower facility short-circuited because an electric water pump on the rooftop was not properly grounded. As you know, his death by electrocution in Iraq is not an isolated case; at least eleven other service members have died in a similar manner since 2003 and an Army safety publication issued in 2004 highlighted electrocution as a serious threat to American soldiers in Iraq.
I am aware that the Department of Defense Inspector General is investigating this matter and the potential culpability of the Defense Contract Management Agency, responsible for overseeing the safety of military installations in Iraq, as well as Kellogg, Brown, and Root Services, Inc., the contractor tasked to perform maintenance on the facility where Staff Sergeant Maseth died. As critical as it is to establish accountability and assign responsibility for the deaths of Staff Sergeant Maseth and the other eleven American military personnel in Iraq, that is not the purpose of my letter today.
Instead, I write you today to ask what steps the Department of Defense has taken to ensure that no more American men and women serving in Iraq suffer needless deaths by electrocution due to faulty wiring or negligent maintenance. I have been informed that, whereas the specific facility where Staff Sergeant Maseth was killed may have been brought up to code, other U.S. military installations across Iraq continue to exhibit the type of problems that led to Staff Sergeant Maseth’s death. If so, this is unacceptable and must be remedied immediately. Specifically, I am asking you today for answers to the following questions:
At which military installations in Iraq have the appropriate inspections and resulting repairs been completed to minimize the risk of accidental electrocutions from faulty wiring?
For each such military installation, on what date were these inspections and repairs completed? Please list the specific DOD entity that completed the inspection/repair for each such military installation.
Has the Department initiated any overarching changes to the manner in which it certifies the safety of military installations in Iraq to ensure that substandard oversight and/or negligent maintenance will not occur in the future?
Ms. Harris told me that, while she wants justice and accountability for the wrongful death of her son, she is even more concerned that any additional electrocutions of American soldiers in Iraq due to faulty wiring not occur. Indeed, she has a personal stake here: another son of hers, Staff Sergeant Maseth’s twin brother, is currently serving in Iraq. While the Department of Defense investigates what happened in the case of Ryan Maseth and eleven other American heroes, the Department has an obligation to inform the Congress and the American people on the steps it has taken to ensure that no future electrocutions occur on U.S. military installations in Iraq.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senator
###
“One death by electrocution is too many and we already know at least twelve Americans have lost their lives in this manner,” said Senator Casey. “The Department has an obligation to inform the Congress and the American people of the steps it has taken to ensure that no future electrocutions occur on U.S. military installations in Iraq.”
In the letter, Senator Casey specifically asked the Secretary:
At which military installations in Iraq have the appropriate inspections and resulting repairs been completed to minimize the risk of accidental electrocutions from faulty wiring?
For each such military installation, on what date were these inspections and repairs completed? Please list the specific DOD entity that completed the inspection/repair for each such military installation.
Has the Department initiated any overarching changes to the manner in which it certifies the safety of military installations in Iraq to ensure that substandard oversight and/or negligent maintenance will not occur in the future?
According to the Army Criminal Investigation Division, Staff Sgt. Maseth died when the electricity in the shower facility short-circuited because an electric water pump on the rooftop was not properly grounded. An initial investigation by the Department of Defense’s Criminal Investigative Division office found that the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) was aware of the electrical safety hazard posed by this shower facility, prior to the death of Staff Sgt. Maseth. The Pentagon has turned over the investigation to the Department’s Inspector General for further investigation.
In April, Senator Casey asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate all accidental electrocuted-related deaths or injuries of military and contract personnel in Iraq. Because the Inspector General (IG) of the DOD was already conducting an ongoing investigation, the GAO declined Senator Casey’s request.
Full text of the letter is below:
Dear Mr. Gates:
Earlier this week, I met with Ms. Cheryl Harris from Shaler, Pennsylvania. She is the grief stricken mother of Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth, who was electrocuted while taking a shower in his living quarters in the Radwaniyah Palace Complex in Baghdad. According to the Army Criminal Investigative Division, Staff Sergeant Maseth died when the electricity in the shower facility short-circuited because an electric water pump on the rooftop was not properly grounded. As you know, his death by electrocution in Iraq is not an isolated case; at least eleven other service members have died in a similar manner since 2003 and an Army safety publication issued in 2004 highlighted electrocution as a serious threat to American soldiers in Iraq.
I am aware that the Department of Defense Inspector General is investigating this matter and the potential culpability of the Defense Contract Management Agency, responsible for overseeing the safety of military installations in Iraq, as well as Kellogg, Brown, and Root Services, Inc., the contractor tasked to perform maintenance on the facility where Staff Sergeant Maseth died. As critical as it is to establish accountability and assign responsibility for the deaths of Staff Sergeant Maseth and the other eleven American military personnel in Iraq, that is not the purpose of my letter today.
Instead, I write you today to ask what steps the Department of Defense has taken to ensure that no more American men and women serving in Iraq suffer needless deaths by electrocution due to faulty wiring or negligent maintenance. I have been informed that, whereas the specific facility where Staff Sergeant Maseth was killed may have been brought up to code, other U.S. military installations across Iraq continue to exhibit the type of problems that led to Staff Sergeant Maseth’s death. If so, this is unacceptable and must be remedied immediately. Specifically, I am asking you today for answers to the following questions:
At which military installations in Iraq have the appropriate inspections and resulting repairs been completed to minimize the risk of accidental electrocutions from faulty wiring?
For each such military installation, on what date were these inspections and repairs completed? Please list the specific DOD entity that completed the inspection/repair for each such military installation.
Has the Department initiated any overarching changes to the manner in which it certifies the safety of military installations in Iraq to ensure that substandard oversight and/or negligent maintenance will not occur in the future?
Ms. Harris told me that, while she wants justice and accountability for the wrongful death of her son, she is even more concerned that any additional electrocutions of American soldiers in Iraq due to faulty wiring not occur. Indeed, she has a personal stake here: another son of hers, Staff Sergeant Maseth’s twin brother, is currently serving in Iraq. While the Department of Defense investigates what happened in the case of Ryan Maseth and eleven other American heroes, the Department has an obligation to inform the Congress and the American people on the steps it has taken to ensure that no future electrocutions occur on U.S. military installations in Iraq.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senator
###
