Kristian Menchaca

Infobox Military Person
name=Kristian Menchaca
born= birth date|1983|5|29
died= death date and age|2006|6|19|1983|5|29
placeofbirth=Brownsville, Texas
placeofdeath=Iraq


caption=
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Army
serviceyears=
rank=Private First Class
commands=
unit= 1st Battalion, 502d Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
battles=Post-invasion Iraq
awards=
laterwork=

Kristian Menchaca (May 29, 1983–June 19 2006), Brownsville, Texas, was a United States Private First Class of the United States Army. He was married to Christina Menchaca of Big Spring in September 2005, before he was deployed to Iraq.

Military life

Menchaca was one of two U.S. soldiers seized by the Mujahideen Shura Council during an attack that left a third soldier Spc. David J. Babineau shot to death on a roadside checkpoint on June 16, 2006, in Youssifiyah, Iraq - an area known as the Triangle of Death. Menchaca was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502d Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. PFC Thomas Lowell Tucker also went missing in that same incident. Residents in the area were offered $100,000 for any information leading to the finding of the soldiers but they refused.

On June 20, 2006, military sources reported that the bodies believed to be Tucker and Menchaca were found in Youssifiyah. The bodies of two U.S. soldiers were mutilated and booby-trapped, with IED's on the road leading to them. Senior Iraqi general Major General Abdul-Aziz Mohammed told Reuters [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13432770/ Al-Qaida claims killing of two GIs - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com ] ] that the men were tortured and killed in a barbaric way. Relatives of Menchaca reported they had been notified that his body had been found. Mujahedeen Shura Council, a group linked to al Qaeda said in their statement: "We announce the good news to our Islamic nation that God's will was executed and the two crusader animals we had in captivity were slaughtered"..."And God has given our Emir, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, the good fortune of carrying out the legitimate court's command in person." Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman, when asked about the claim by the Shura Council that it was holding the soldiers, said they have no independent confirmation of that report. Another US soldier was killed and eight were wounded during the search operations. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060620/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq] [ [http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/20/soldiers.missing/index.html CNN.com - U.S. soldiers' bodies mutilated, booby-trapped - Jun 20, 2006 ] ]

On July 10, 2006, a video showing the bodies of Kristian Menchaca and Thomas Tucker was posted on an extremist website, purportedly by al-Qaida in Iraq. Although the video does not show the actual executions, it shows the two corpses laid out on a road and being taunted by the alleged captors, who present the head of Thomas Tucker to the camera like a trophy, and stomp on the head of Kristian Menchaca. It was widely reported in July 2006 that a Jordanian man, 'Diyar Ismail Mahmoud', a.k.a 'Abu al-Afghani', alleged as personally being behind the killing and mutilation of Menchaca and Tucker, had himself been killed in a firefight with Iraqi security forces. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-07-18-checkpoint-killer_x.htm?csp=34 Killer of 2 U.S. troops dies in firefight - USATODAY.com ] ]

On September 23, 2006, a second mutilation video of the two soldiers was broadcasted on the internet. It shows the two soldiers being dragged on the streets and their bodies being set on fire. Thomas's head is kicked by an insurgent.

Family criticizes U.S. Government

Mario Vasquez, the uncle of Kristian Menchaca, stated that he and the family heard about his nephew's death by watching television, when Iraqi Maj. Gen. Abdul-Aziz Mohammed announced the finding in a statement early Tuesday June 20, 2006. [ [http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/21/cnna.vasquez/ CNN.com - Dead soldier's uncle: Family found out on TV - Jun 21, 2006 ] ] Ken MacKenzie, another uncle, stated that "The U.S. government did not have a plan in place, my nephew has paid for it with his life. The government should have offered a $100 million reward and offered to exchange mujahideen detainees for the soldiers' lives. It seized enough money from Saddam Hussein to afford it." [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/20/AR2006062000373_pf.html Relatives of Soldiers Killed in Iraq Mourn ] ]

Execution video

On July 11, 2006, the Mujahideen Shura Council released a graphic video showing the bodies of PFC Thomas Lowell Tucker and PFC Kristian Menchaca, who were allegedly kidnapped, tortured and beheaded by insurgents. A voice at the beginning of the video states that it is being presented as "revenge for our sister who was dishonored by a soldier of the same brigade." The video referring to the Mahmudiyah incident, in which four United States Army soldiers with the 502nd Infantry Regiment raped and murdered a 14-year-old [cite web|url=http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-07-09T211450Z_01_COL944937_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-RAPE.xml|title=404 error|accessdate=2006-10-15|publisher=Reuters] Iraqi girl named Abeer Qasim Hamza, after murdering her mother Fakhriyah Taha Muhsin, 34; her father Qasim Hamza Raheem, 45; and her sister Hadeel Qasim Hamza, aged 5.

The voice continued to state that upon learning of the rape/murder, the group "kept their anger to themselves and didn't spread the news, but were determined to avenge their sister's honor." A statement issued along with the video stated that "God Almighty enabled them to capture two soldiers of the same brigade as this dirty crusader." [ [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060711/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_rape_case] Dead link|date=March 2008]

ee also

*Mahmudiyah incident

References

External links

* [http://press-release.blogspot.com/2006/06/mujahedeen-shura-council-of-iraq-press_19.html Mujahideen Shura council of Iraq adopts the kidnapping of the two American soldiers near to al-Yosofiah area]
* [http://216.87.159.39/news/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=11695 Military Confirms Deaths of Missing Texas and Oregon Soldiers]
* [http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/06/20.html#a8794 video of Menchaca's uncle Ken MacKenzie being interviewed]
* [http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/14869888.htm Military says at least one of kidnapped soldiers was beheaded]
* [http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060622-13319.html U.S. Department of Defense - News Release]