Military Truck in Washington D.C. Crushes Bicyclist

As I reported this morning, there is a strip between the White House and the Walter E. Washington Convention Center that is blocked  off to most traffic. Because there are many heads of state from across the globe in town, there is an almost constant sound of sirens in certain sectors of D.C.

When motorcades pass by certain streets, military trucks move into place to block traffic. This evening as various motorcades headed to the convention center, for a speech by President Obama, a military truck moving into place for a passing motorcade crushed a bicyclist. I happened by the accident scene just moments after it occurred. My live blogging from the scene is here.

Amazing after the media has the shots they need. Police are moving media half block away.

Fox TV cameraman heard sound: It was a terrible, terrible crunching sound.

Confirmed female.

Witness Marc Abbott terrible noise and scream. Something I will never forget.

Military trucks were moving into place to block traffic for presedential motorcades headed to nuclear summit.

Witness says front face of victim completely flat and caved in.

Note Not clear if female. Body is covered still on street.

BULLETIN Army truck has run over and killed a female biker. AT the scene.

US Combat Troops in Iraq Are Being Redeployed to the U.S.

Pre-election combat troops in the U.S.?

Yup.

The Army Times reports:

Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.

It is not the first time an active-duty unit has been tapped to help at home. ...

But this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities.

After 1st BCT finishes its dwell-time mission, expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one.

The command is at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., but the soldiers with 1st BCT, who returned in April after 15 months in Iraq, will operate out of their home post at Fort Stewart, Ga.,

Michel Chossudovsky breaks the whole thing down here.