NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200604/s1625403.htm

Australia's first military casualty of the Iraq War (2) was about a week ago. Australian soldier Jake Kovco died from head wound from pistol shot. Originally it was reported he died when cleaning a pistol which had a live round in it. He had served 4 year in the Oz army - someone like that would not leave live rounds in a pistol while cleaning it!

OK, they apparently flew his body back to Australia. Well, almost. His body is still in Kuwait and somehow they got a body of a Bosnian-Serb instead.

Then, new reports are he did die from being shot in the head but it pistol was not his and he never touched it. He died in a room with two other soldiers - but the gun was discharged by one of the those two.

...

What a fiasco! Jake Kovco's family are rather upset now.

He had served 4 year in the Oz army - someone like that would not leave live rounds in a pistol while cleaning it!

While it is extremely unlikely that he would leave a round in his gun, there are many soliders in the army and they clean their guns often, so something like this is bound to happen sooner or later. Perhaps ten years there was a fatality in the Australian military when a range officer managed to fire an unloaded gun.

When my father was in the army a guy managed to shoot himself through the chest with his pistol while sitting on a bus. The full metal jacket bullet went straight through him but he was up and playing tennis three weeks later. The guy sitting behind him however died instantly when the bullet went into his brain. In another incident a soldier put his carbine down on a table and it went off and shot a guy who was resting his arms on the table through both elbows. Ouch.

So I know nothing about the situation you described, but I do know that accidents can happen when people have guns around, even if they are highly trained professionals, the same way an extremely careful driver can still have a fatal accident.

My grandpa was telling me about an incident during WWII he witnessed where an officer put a big messy hole in his hand while showing off with his Colt 1911.

It's the kind of thing that happens when people get careless with any tool.

It's the kind of thing that happens when people get careless with any tool.
*immature laughter*

Oh, what is the chance of your own gun being pointed to your head while cleaning it? It's more likely someone else cleaning their gun might be accidentally pointing it at you to me.

I don't know, I've seen enough MORONS look stright down the barrel to check it while they're cleaning a pistol to believe this guy shot himself. And these morons were US Marines. (Needless to say, I corrected them and showed them how to look through the barrel from the receiver end - never point a gun at anything you aren't intending to shoot!)

That said, clearly a full investigation is needed here.

I'm gonna say what everyone's thinking:

He shot himself. And they don't want to publish it because it's bad PR for their involvement in Iraq.

And the thing with his body is a riot. Apparently the wife demanded to speak to Howard, got the connection and expressed her distress in "understandably colourful language".

Golden!

I don't know, I've seen enough MORONS look stright down the barrel to check it while they're cleaning a pistol to believe this guy shot himself. And these morons were US Marines. (Needless to say, I corrected them and showed them how to look through the barrel from the receiver end - never point a gun at anything you aren't intending to shoot!)

I understand that in the army you are required to look down the barrel at certain times to "check it" in some way. I read about a chap who worked in the armory never understood what it was he was supposed to be checking. He kept looking down barrels and they all looked the same to him. In the end he just passed every rifle as "checked" without bothering to look.

Well been in a war myself. Accidents and near accidents do happen. Can tell you of a time when our armored column surrounded a group of Iraqi's supposedly surrendering in Desert Storm. We had made a U shape around a group of about 30 iraqi soldiers. A commander sitting atop his abrams was yelling at these soldiers to stop. They didn't so he fired his M2 in front of them. Well another commander two tanks over on his M2 unloaded on this group. Come to find out much later he said that he had his finger on the trigger and he accidentally discharged by putting to much pressure on it. A few Iraqi's were wounded because of this.

Another time I know of a group of soldiers messing around with with there rifles shot one of themselves in the foot.

Also we slept in shallow pits with our weapons. I did hear of a soldier taking his head off with his M16 in his sleep. Whatever he was dreaming of he pulled the trigger with the barrel pointed up toward his head. Although the proper way is to have butt up and barrel down. Shit does happen. Although I would have to hear more of this particular case. Sounds kind of funny with the current details.

<Snip>
Already posted it dude. Get your own news story.

To be more specific:

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=479680

To be more specific:

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=479680

Except his thread predates yours by about two hours and five minutes.

Except his thread predates yours by about two hours and five minutes.
*cough* *runs away to avoid flaming*

I am extremely suspicious on this one. This mornings newspaper revealed that the Kovco family has accused the military/government of foul play. Whilst they aren't quite justified, they aren't unsubstantiated.
Think about it. Australian soldiers are some of the most competently trained troops (especially in safety) in the world (In contrast to the US).
Furthermore, he was a head shooter(sniper), which requires further training. Finally, his parents raised him on gun safety, and swore that he would never keep a firearm loaded unless he was planning to use it right away.
Next up, the initial story is that he was cleaning it whilst it was loaded. The military has retracted this story, and replaced it with the story that the gun discharged itself whilst sitting on a nearby table. So Jake Kovco placed his head at table level when it accidentally went off?

So far, suicide seems like the logical explanation, but get this.

Jake Kovco's body was supposed to have been transported back to Australia ASAP. However, what ended up happening (after several delays) is they 'accidentally' sent the body of some Serb. Further, they happened to send it on the day before a muslim holiday, so upon the families discovery of the wrong body, the correct body could not be shipped until after this muslim holiday (as the body was being kept in Kuwait). The correct body has been in Kuwait, in a 'private' morgue for 2-3 days now. The body is due to arrive sometime today.

Terrible mistake? maybe. Covered up suicide? maybe. Something more sinister? maybe. Only time will tell.

Except his thread predates yours by about two hours and five minutes.
And actually addresses the contreversy emerging about what really hapenned.

I understand that in the army you are required to look down the barrel at certain times to "check it" in some way. I read about a chap who worked in the armory never understood what it was he was supposed to be checking. He kept looking down barrels and they all looked the same to him. In the end he just passed every rifle as "checked" without bothering to look.
Not in any sane military. That's asking Private/Lt Moron to put a bullet in the eye.

You check load status either by a "loaded" indicator, by pulling back on the slide/chatging handle sufficiently to partially extract a loaded round - just enough to "See Brass" or by just charging the weapon - magazine out if you want it empty or loaded magazine in if you want it ready to fire.

He either capped himself or a buddy accidentially did it while fucking around.

Australian soldiers are some of the most competently trained troops (especially in safety) in the world (In contrast to the US).
Other than this particular sentence, you have a point.

Most US units are pretty well-trained as far as fighting wars is concerned. The problem is when they need to deal with people they aren't supposed to shoot, and with communication between units.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200604/s1625403.htm

Australia's first military casualty of the Iraq War (2) was about a week ago. Australian soldier Jake Kovco died from head wound from pistol shot. Originally it was reported he died when cleaning a pistol which had a live round in it. He had served 4 year in the Oz army - someone like that would not leave live rounds in a pistol while cleaning it!

OK, they apparently flew his body back to Australia. Well, almost. His body is still in Kuwait and somehow they got a body of a Bosnian-Serb instead.

Then, new reports are he did die from being shot in the head but it pistol was not his and he never touched it. He died in a room with two other soldiers - but the gun was discharged by one of the those two.

...

What a fiasco! Jake Kovco's family are rather upset now.
Ah i was going to post something about this.
Bloody fiasco.

I agree, there's something very fishy about the whole situation.

Now I've heard that his wife may have broken up with him via letter.