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View Full Version : Web Site Kicks Sand in Faces of GIs in Iraq Asking for Mats to Ease Hardship of Sleep



stephanie
01-23-2007, 04:40 AM
I've been reading about this for a couple of days now...The orginal email was posted on F. Republic, and I've seen it on about three other conservative websites...It was also mentioned on Rush and Fox news, I guess.............People were pretty upset about it...
So they sent the company emails...


Tuesday, January 23, 2007


An American GI assigned to one of the harshest posts in Iraq had a simple request last week for a Wisconsin mattress company: send some floor mats to help ease the hardship of sleeping on the cold, bug-infested ground.

What he got, instead, was a swift kick from the company's Web site, which not only refused the request but added insult to injury with the admonition, "If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq."

Army Sgt. Jason Hess, stationed in Taji, Iraq, with the 1st Cavalry Division, said he emailed his request to Discount-mats.com because he and his fellow soldiers sleep on the cold ground, which contains sand mites, sand flies and other disease carriers.

In his email, dated Jan. 16, 2007, he asked the Web-based company, registered to Faisal Khetani, an American Muslim of Pakistani descent:

"Do you ship to APO (military) addresses? I'm in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq and we are trying to order some mats but we are looking for ships to APO first."

On the same day, Hess received this reply:

"SGT Hess,
We do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.

Bargain Suppliers
Discount-Mats.com"

Khetani on Monday told FOX News that the person responsible for the email reply had been fired. The Web site, meanwhile, has been temporarily taken down.

Hess emailed that he has since found two mat suppliers willing to ship to an APO address in Iraq.

FOX News' Douglas Kennedy contributed to this story.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245718,00.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now here's a story written today about this in the Milwakuee Journal Sentinel..


By ANNYSA JOHNSON
anjohnson@journalsentinel.com

Military supporters bombard West Allis company with messages; fears for safety arise
Posted: Jan. 22, 2007
What began as a brief e-mail exchange between a U.S. soldier in Iraq and a Wisconsin-based online retailer has erupted into an international incident that has pitted military supporters against free speech advocates and threatens to shut down the local company.
E-Mail From Bargain Suppliers
Quotable
We would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.

- Bargain Suppliers employee

If you look at the polls, his opinion is reflected by a majority of Americans
now.

- Othman Atta,,
Islamic Society of Milwaukee
Bargain Suppliers of West Allis said its discount-mats.com Web site had to be taken down Monday to address the thousands of e-mails it's received since news of the exchange - in which an employee voiced opposition to the war in Iraq - began circulating on the Internet last week.

Vice president Sajid Nasir said the employee is being "held accountable." But he said the incendiary and threatening nature of some of the e-mails - and voicemails left at the West Allis home that co-owner Faisal Khetani shares with his parents - have shaken the family.

"It's really getting out of control," said Nasir, who described the messages as "angry and vulgar."

"Our main concern is for the safety of the family. That's more important than the business," he said.

Repeated attempts to reach the Khetanis were unsuccessful.

The controversy exploded last week when a soldier, identifying himself as Sgt. Jason Hess of the Army's 1st Cavalry Division, sent an e-mail to discount-mats.com asking if it ships to military addresses.

Someone on the other end answered no, but went on to add that "even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq."

A handful of Hess' friends got wind of the exchange, and soon it was ricocheting around the Internet - first on the Web site snopes.com, then on conservative and military forums and blogs - and has since made its way to talk radio.

Military supporters were outraged, calling it disrespectful and urging one another to flood the company with e-mails and calls.

Several posted Khetani's name, telephone number and address, which is also the business address, though Nasir insists it's for mailing purposes only.

Many of the messages invoked anti-Middle Eastern or anti-Muslim sentiment. (Khetani is Muslim, Nasir said.) Others vowed to shut the company down, and a few suggested they might make a personal visit.

"I think it's disgraceful," said Sgt. Maj. Dennis Webster, executive director of the First Cavalry Association in Copperas Cove, Texas, who learned of the e-mail exchange from a reporter.

"He's certainly entitled to his opinion. That's what soldiers defend," Webster said. "But there's a matter of respect. A young soldier isn't making those decisions. He's following orders."

Eduardo Briones, a Milwaukee native and retired Army sergeant who lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., said: "All he needed to say was no."

"I personally think we screwed up in the war, but that's not the fault of the soldiers. That's the fault of the politicians," he said.

Anti-war and free speech advocates were equally offended, by the widespread criticism of the company and the individual who responded to the soldier.

"This is a matter of free speech," said Julie Enslow, an organizer with Peace Action Wisconsin in Milwaukee. "It is totally irresponsible for radio stations and bloggers to attack a person for his personal political views." (WTF) Othman Atta, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, said he would fault the worker for his lack of tact but defended his right to speak his mind.
"If you look at the polls, his opinion is reflected by a majority of Americans now," Atta said. "In the United States, everyone one is free to speak their opinion."
Atta appeared concerned that the controversy might fuel anti-Muslim and anti-Middle Eastern sentiment.

"Some people will look for any excuse to target people from the Middle East," he said.

A person identifying himself as Hess, who was reached via a military e-mail address, has agreed to an online interview but has yet to respond to a list of questions.

West Allis police said Monday that they were aware of the controversy.

"We're monitoring the situation, in case somebody decides to retaliate," Capt. Tom Kukowski said.

"But we're hoping people use good judgment."

I know when this story broke....I don't believe anyone knew it was OWNED BY A MUSLIM.....But you see who the poor victim is in this story....(The mat company and their owners)..
They can have FREE SPEECH, BUT WE CAN'T??:(

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=555527

dirt mcgirt
01-23-2007, 11:38 AM
It was a stupid reply. If they lose business because of this then HAHAHAHA. However, why in the fuck are the Soldiers asking private businesses to send mattresses? It's the Army's responsibility to provide them with cots. I'd have turned down the request as well but just in a more patriotic reply. Makes no sense to send them matresses. The Soldiers can't be lugging around full or twin size mattresses around Iraq.

darin
01-23-2007, 11:42 AM
Seriously - that focker should have asked his SUPPLY SERGEANT...geesh...what a tool. I honestly can't believe soldiers wouldn't have cots. At least the PT-Mat...wow.

5stringJeff
01-23-2007, 11:50 AM
My understanding from the story is that the sergeant were looking to purchase mats, not get them for free. Also, if these soliders are combat arms (e.g. infantry or armor) they most likely don't have cots, so it makes sense that they would order sleeping mats.

Gaffer
01-23-2007, 12:13 PM
Not sure what they use if anything for sleeping over there. But you are always trying to find a way to be more comfortable. When I was in it was a matter of finding a spot clear of rocks and roots and low water level. So far my reading on the troops there is that they usually operate out of an FOB so sleeping is done in relative safety and comfort. Though troops out in the open areas may not get that luxury.

The sergeant was looking for a mat to lie on, kinda like a rug. It's not a matress and can be easily carried. Hopefully this will be bad advertisement for the rug dealer and hurt his business a lot. Sounds like the employee blew their cover as patriotic Americans.

retiredman
01-23-2007, 12:32 PM
Not sure what they use if anything for sleeping over there. But you are always trying to find a way to be more comfortable. When I was in it was a matter of finding a spot clear of rocks and roots and low water level. So far my reading on the troops there is that they usually operate out of an FOB so sleeping is done in relative safety and comfort. Though troops out in the open areas may not get that luxury.

The sergeant was looking for a mat to lie on, kinda like a rug. It's not a matress and can be easily carried. Hopefully this will be bad advertisement for the rug dealer and hurt his business a lot. Sounds like the employee blew their cover as patriotic Americans.


I agree wholeheartedly

dirt mcgirt
01-23-2007, 12:33 PM
Doesn't matter if they're looking to buy mattresses with their own money or not. They shouldn't be sleeping on the ground if they're going to be in a location for more than a week. They should have asked for cots. Chances are they already have them and just wrote that they were sleeping on the floor to justify inquiring about a luxury item like that. The only way ordering a mattress makes sense is if they're at their permanent camp and their mailroom isn't backed up and can handle big packages. When I went downrange some people put two cots together and an air mattress on top of it but it was at a camp that was already built up by Brown and Root. Scouts don't need to be lugging around mattresses and bed rails all over Iraq if this isn't for a permanent camp. There's no place to put them in Bradley's or Humvees with all the other equipment that they take. Only inflatable air mattresses make sense, especially for Scouts on the go. :dunno:

dirt mcgirt
01-23-2007, 12:39 PM
Not sure what they use if anything for sleeping over there. But you are always trying to find a way to be more comfortable. When I was in it was a matter of finding a spot clear of rocks and roots and low water level. So far my reading on the troops there is that they usually operate out of an FOB so sleeping is done in relative safety and comfort. Though troops out in the open areas may not get that luxury.

The sergeant was looking for a mat to lie on, kinda like a rug. It's not a matress and can be easily carried. Hopefully this will be bad advertisement for the rug dealer and hurt his business a lot. Sounds like the employee blew their cover as patriotic Americans.
Oh regular mats and not matresses. Now that makes sense.

Hey check this out:

http://http://www.discount-mats.com/logo200.gif
Discount-Mats.com is Experiencing Technical Difficulties...
If you are inquiring about your order, please contact us via phone or email.
Thank you for your understanding & patience.

^
http://www.discount-mats.com/

Hehe.

stephanie
01-23-2007, 12:58 PM
My mistake....I didn't see that fox put it as a mattress....

It was a mat...

I noticed them saying mattress this morning also......

sheesh..

Don't you love how the activist Say's the mat company has a right to free speech, then turns around and say shame on the radio and the bloggers for speaking theirs...

typical left wing shout down....Didn't work....:D

darin
01-23-2007, 01:11 PM
My understanding from the story is that the sergeant were looking to purchase mats, not get them for free. Also, if these soliders are combat arms (e.g. infantry or armor) they most likely don't have cots, so it makes sense that they would order sleeping mats.

Everybody gets a PT Mat, Jeff.

Gaffer
01-23-2007, 01:50 PM
Doesn't matter if they're looking to buy mattresses with their own money or not. They shouldn't be sleeping on the ground if they're going to be in a location for more than a week. They should have asked for cots. Chances are they already have them and just wrote that they were sleeping on the floor to justify inquiring about a luxury item like that. The only way ordering a mattress makes sense is if they're at their permanent camp and their mailroom isn't backed up and can handle big packages. When I went downrange some people put two cots together and an air mattress on top of it but it was at a camp that was already built up by Brown and Root. Scouts don't need to be lugging around mattresses and bed rails all over Iraq if this isn't for a permanent camp. There's no place to put them in Bradley's or Humvees with all the other equipment that they take. Only inflatable air mattresses make sense, especially for Scouts on the go. :dunno:

I am sure things haven't changed that much since I was in. But in a war zone if your out in the field, at best you might have a fox hole. That's where you sleep. Even if your in one spot for a week. You still sleep in the position your occupying at the time. Infantry troops carry everything they are going to need on their backs. You don't ever carry extranious shit when your humping it for miles at a time. The only time a mat or an air mattress would make sense is if they are in a base camp FOB or mechanized. Those outside of the cities are sleeping on the ground.

5stringJeff
01-23-2007, 03:26 PM
Everybody gets a PT Mat, Jeff.

You and I both know how crappy those things are. Plus, they don't fit in your ruck.

dirt mcgirt
01-23-2007, 03:56 PM
You and I both know how crappy those things are. Plus, they don't fit in your ruck.
When the packing list required it, I always just rolled up my mat and had it secured on the outside, top part of my ruck. I just put it under the straps, put my foot on the ruck to smash everything down, and pulled the straps tight. You're right though, those things were pretty crappy. In my experience, trying to find one from CIF with the green ties still intact was almost impossible. :D

Gunny
01-23-2007, 09:36 PM
I am sure things haven't changed that much since I was in. But in a war zone if your out in the field, at best you might have a fox hole. That's where you sleep. Even if your in one spot for a week. You still sleep in the position your occupying at the time. Infantry troops carry everything they are going to need on their backs. You don't ever carry extranious shit when your humping it for miles at a time. The only time a mat or an air mattress would make sense is if they are in a base camp FOB or mechanized. Those outside of the cities are sleeping on the ground.

Yeah, but it sure was funny watching "boots" try to hump all that bullshit.:beer: