OTIS, Ore., May 7, 2008
Parents Get Scary War Zone Voice Mail
An Accidental Redial Lets Oregon Couple Listen In On Their Son's Afghanistan Firefight
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Stephen Phillips, 22, is serving with the Army 546th MP Company 3rd Platoon in Afghanistan. (Courtesy Pettee family/KPTV)
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Stephen Phillips and other soldiers in his Army MP company were battling insurgents when his phone was pressed against his Humvee. It redialed and called his parents in the small Oregon coastal town of Otis.
Most the sounds were gunfire, but shouts can be heard, including, "More ammo! More ammo!"
"At the end, you could hear a guy saying 'Incoming! RPG!' And then it cut off," said John Petee, Phillips' brother.
Phillips' mother, Sandie Petee, and her husband, Jeff Petee, were not at home at the time of the call. When they checked their voice mail, they heard the shooting.
"His friend died a year ago in Iraq and I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, this may be the last time I hear my son's voice on the phone,"' Sandie Petee said.
Jeff Petee said that he and his wife were getting flowers for the family of his son's friend to mark the first anniversary of his death in Iraq when they missed the call.
"It's something a parent really doesn't want to hear," Jeff Petee said. "It's a heck of a message to get from your son in Afghanistan."
As soon as the voice mail stopped playing, the Petees began trying to reach their son.
"I finally got a hold of him," Sandie Petee said. "He was embarrassed, he said, 'Don't let Grandma hear it."'
Stephen Phillips, 22, is serving with the Army 546th MP Company 3rd Platoon and has been in Afghanistan about a year, his father said.
Nobody was wounded or killed in his son's unit during the firefight, Jeff Petee said.
Phillips could return to Fort Stewart in Georgia next week, his family said.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Like I said, Bin laden is better left ''unseen'' due to the fact that he has a LOT OF SYMPATETHIC followers and political leeches (the DNC and the liberal masses) WHICH might rally MORE VIOLENCE if anything is to happen to him.
Now you seem to have to hatred towards Bush. let me ask you this, if his actions or policies were UNCONSTITUTIONAL then we have every liberal media, the DNC and you guys ready to pounce on him. (dont give me the bullcr*p that he got that suppressed...Micheal Moore, Al franken, John Colbert, Jon Stewart, etc. had made millions SPREADING these allegations..) Bin Laden''s supporters cannot proceed with the impeachment process BECAUSE you cannot impeach anybody with allegations, scripts written by liberal writers and tabloid style facts.
FACT REMAINS: American civilians were attacked in a civilian location by people who has this twisted fundamental ideology that YOU AND I do not share. They are still out there, they are waiting for our defenses to weaken THEN THEY WILL STRIKE AGAIN.
AGAIN...are you sure you are a soldier?
I know that our govt is capable of doing many things and most people would not believe them. Did you ever wath th movie Apocalypse Now with Martin Sheen. Great movie about Vietnam but everyone assumed it was just a movie about Vietnam and didn''t take it seriously. I know i have reported to the govt where ben ladn is at and i know at least one other American has also made the same report. Nothing has happened. Only conclusion is they do not go get him for political reasons.
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you even said it yourself, we have the technology and protocols to to find bin laden, personally I think he is dead or we have a close tab on him and IS INTENTIONALLY NOT APPREHENDING HIM for political reasons..NOT TO WIN AN ELECTION but to avoid an spontainious outcry from the muslim and liberal world. if we have the likes fo murtha and al franken lamenting the death of foot soldiers CAN YOU IMAGINE the backlash from these crowds?????????
its tactical to have bin laden out of the picture..you were a ranger..YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT...
We have the most advanced technology and the best army in the world, yet five years later we haven''t captured or killed ben laden. Why not ? I think bush is saving that for just before elections to make the republicans look good. We know where he is at and yet we do not go wih him. I have wrote my senators and asked them why since we know and i get no reply. What does this tell you ? It is all a political game to th regime. I am sick of our troops dying over political nionsense.
Yesd i undersdtand your point but as a parent you know the anguis you feel when the telephone rings or there is a knock at the door, You have that dread of being notified that something has happened to your child. Most Americans have no concept of what combat is like. I do because i am retired military and served in combat. I was more afraid while my child was in Iraq than i ever was in combat.
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we can engage the enemy without them even knowing that we are coming..we have the technology to catch them where they stand..**humm reminds me of the recent spying case where the DNC were upset that we are spying on terrorists**
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the way american does it is that we take the war to their doorsteps.. it keeps them occupied there..KEEPING YOU AND I and all the loved ones those soldiers left stateside..SAFE.
Regardless (but personally i think it was the RIGHT MIDDLE EASTERN STATE TO START) what started Iraq..it gave the necessary foothold there..to make this war move faster is to allow our military to fight this war they way they were trained..FAST AND HARD. but we are bogged down with politicial correctnes..we have liberals who are very SYMPATETHIC towards the enemies of this state.
if it comes to military warfare..we would had ended this long time ago..we are fighting the liberals to move along and finish this off..
I am always happy to hear one of our troops came home safely. I don''t know if your black or white but it doesn''t matter. They are all soldiers and i am proud of all our soldiers. I hope we are out of Iraq soon.
God Bless our troops.
You can take your finget out of the lite socket now, it has been in there way too long, your brains are fried.
I have always been loyal to my country and to the soldiers who defend our country. I met my daughters platoon before they deployed to Iraq. They also feel we do not belong in Iraq, but they are professional soldiers and will follow orders like a true soldier does. I do not support the war in Iraq, but i do respect our soldiers.
I am 100% disabled Vietnam vet, my son is 100% disqabled while serving with army rangers, my daughter just returned from Iraq, and my youngest son is getting ready to enlist for army rangers. I
I am 100% disabled Vietnam vet, my son is 100% disqabled while serving with army rangers, my daughter just returned from Iraq, and my youngest son is getting ready to enlist for army rangers. I
Your right it is a parents worst nightmare. My mother called my son and told him my daughter had been wounded in Iraq. I am overseas and i spent a week trying to find out what happened and even had to get my senator involved. Turns out her first sgt called me and told me she was fine and let me talk to her. My mother just likes to make trouble when she can and doesn''t understand why i finally disowned her a few years back.
SO? according to you right wingers, he would be hop skip and jumping right into gezus'' LAP for a lap dance
in heaven- eternal paradise ferever, so we should be PRAYING that he does get hit by a RPG so that he can join gezus that much sooner!
"I finally got a hold of him," Sandie Petee said. "He was embarrassed, he said, ''Don''t let Grandma hear it."''
Yeah, dont let grammy hear it, just release it to the media so it gets broadcast around the GLOBE! How is this stupid cell phone call *NEWS*???
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