Michael D. Steele
Michael D. Steele | |
|---|---|
War in Afghanistan Iraq War | |
| Awards | Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart Meritorious Service Medal |
Michael Dane Steele (born September 15, 1960) is a retired
Steele was investigated in conjunction with the murders of three unarmed Iraqis during Operation Iron Triangle. The four soldiers charged in the case testified that Steele had instructed them to "kill all military-age males".[1] Steele denied giving such an order, and was formally reprimanded but not charged.[2]
Background
Steele is from the small Southeastern town of
Operation Gothic Serpent
In August 1993,
On the afternoon of 3 October 1993, Task Force Ranger received intelligence that two leaders of Aidid's militia were at a residence in central Mogadishu. In response, the task force sent 19 aircraft, 12 vehicles, and 160 men to arrest them. At 1542 hours, in
The Delta operators and Rangers, under the command of Captain Steele, provided security around the crash site of Super 61 and fought off thousands of armed insurgents through the night. After 15½ hours of intense fighting, a convoy of armored vehicles arrived to extract them. The Rangers then provided security around the convoy and fought their way out to the safety of the
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Steele commanded the 3rd Brigade (Rakkasan) of the 101st Airborne Division from June 2004 through November 2006. During his command, he oversaw the transformation of the unit from a traditional three battalion infantry brigade into a six battalion infantry brigade combat team composed of two infantry battalions, a reconnaissance squadron, a field artillery battalion, support battalion, and special troops battalion.
Steele and his brigade deployed to Iraq the fall of 2005 and conducted operations primarily in
In November 2006, Steele successfully completed his command with the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division and was assigned as the Deputy G3, Training, United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) at Fort McPherson, Georgia, where he coordinated the training for CONUS based Army forces.
Iron Triangle murders
For killings of unarmed combatants during Operation Iron Triangle (2006), four soldiers were taken to an
Steele also instigated the use of "Kill Boards" to track how many Iraqis each company in his battalion had killed,[3] while one of Steele's battalion commanders, Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Johnson, Jr. has written that "Colonel Steele constantly articulated his judgment and displeasure that my battalion was not being aggressive enough toward the insurgents."[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b AP (July 21, 2006). "Soldiers in Iraq Say They Were Ordered to Kill All Adult Males". Editor & Publisher.
- ^ a b c d "Army Says Improper Orders by Colonel Led to 4 Deaths". The New York Times. January 21, 2007.
- ^ a b "G.I.'s Say Officers Ordered Killing of Young Iraqi Men". The New York Times. 3 August 2006.
- ^ Cloud, Daniel; Jaffe, Gregg (2009). The Fourth Star and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the US Army. Crown Publishers.
External links
- Bowden, Mark (December 14, 1997). "Black Hawk Down: An American War Story". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the originalon October 20, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
- Brecher, Gary (January 26, 2007). "How to Steele a Promotion". The EXILE. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
- Daragahi, Borzou; Barnes, Julian E. (August 3, 2006). "Officers Allegedly Pushed 'Kill Counts'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
- Karl, Jonathan (August 1, 2006). "Army murder case: Why it's significant". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2006. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
- Worth, Robert F. (July 28, 2006). "Sergeant Tells of Plot to Kill Iraqi Detainees". New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2009.