Mutiny?

I suspect that this will be used by the left to discredit Bush's policies in Iraq:

The Army is investigating up to 19 members of a supply platoon in Iraq who refused to go on a convoy mission, the military said Friday. Relatives of the soldiers said the troops considered the mission too dangerous, in part because their vehicles were in such poor shape.

[...]

The reservists are from a fuel platoon that is part of the 343rd Quartermaster Company, based in Rock Hill, S.C. The unit delivers food, water and fuel on trucks in combat zones.

[...]

A commanding general has ordered the unit to undergo a "safety-maintenance stand down," during which it will conduct no further missions as the unit's vehicles undergo safety inspections, the military said.

On Wednesday, 19 members of the platoon did not show up for a scheduled 7 a.m. meeting in Tallil, in southeastern Iraq, to prepare for the fuel convoy's departure a few hours later, the military statement said.

Sounds like pretty poor support for our troops. But the fact is, in a time of war, soldiers do not have the authority to decide which orders they will obey. Here's the bottom line:

"An initial report indicated that some of the 19 soldiers (not all) refused to participate in the convoy as directed," the military statement says.

The mission was ultimately carried out by other soldiers from the 343rd, which has at least 120 soldiers, the military said.

I am reserving judgment until the promised investigationis made. But my initial impression is that this is a serious breach of discipline in a war zone. It doesn't look good for these 19 soldiers.