Army IG Reviewing Soldier's Death by Friendly Fire in Iraq

The Army inspector general's office has launched a review of a friendly-fire case at a security checkpoint in Iraq that claimed the life of a young Ohio soldier, Army officials said.

Spec. Jesse R. Buryj's death from a gunshot to the back led to a series of investigations by the United States and Poland. Soldiers from both countries were manning a traffic circle in Karbala in May 2004 when a suspicious dump truck crashed through barriers and ignored warnings to stop. A bullet hit Buryj, 21, as he fell from the turret of his Humvee after the truck -- which was carrying an unarmed driver and passenger -- collided with it during the nighttime incident.

Investigations determined Buryj most likely was hit by friendly fire. U.S. officials said Polish troops probably were responsible for his death, while Polish officials vehemently denied that their troops could have shot him. Critical evidence that could have answered the question was not collected, according to investigative reports.

Buryj's family, in Canton, Ohio, was told he died in a car accident. His parents did not learn the truth until nearly a year later, after they asked President Bush for help.

"The IG will review the matter to determine if proper policies and procedures were followed," said Col. Joseph Curtin, a top Army spokesman at the Pentagon. He said the review is not an official "investigation."

After The Washington Post published an article about Buryj's death last month, Polish officials privately complained to the Pentagon that they were unaware that the United States blamed Polish troops for the shooting. It was a rift U.S. officials sought to prevent early in their investigation, which cited the incident's international sensitivities.

"Because they didn't do a proper job after the accident, finding the truth now would be simply impossible," said Marek Purowski, a spokesman at the Polish Embassy, who noted that U.S. officials did not collect weapons in Iraq to compare with ballistics evidence from the bullet that hit Buryj. "It's not our doing, it's not our responsibility. It's not the first story where there are some differences. It happens, even among friends."

Peggy Buryj, Jesse's mother, said she met with Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) on Saturday morning and learned that Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey had assured him that an IG review is underway. Army officials confirmed the review this week but declined to elaborate.

"I don't know what they can do now, because it is what it is," Peggy Buryj said of her son's death, now nearly two years ago. "I don't have any faith that they're ever going to get to the bottom of it. I just want them to admit that things weren't right. I'd like an apology. I have no expectations now."

Peggy Buryj, who met Bush on a campaign stop in 2004 and was asked to appear in a Bush campaign commercial before the election, said no one from the Bush administration has contacted her since her son's story became public. An Army casualty assistance officer called her to offer a meeting with the medical examiner who handled her son's case, but she said she wants access to higher-ranking officials.