CBS Journalists Douglas and Brolan Killed, Dozier Wounded in Iraq

Two CBS journalists accompanying U.S. troops on a Memorial Day patrol in Iraq, Paul Douglas and James Brolan were killed and colleague Kimberly Dozier was wounded when the convoy was attacked.

CBS Journalists Douglas and Brolan Killed, Dozier Wounded in Iraq Photo Two members of a CBS News team, veteran cameraman Paul Douglas, 48, and soundman James Brolan, 42, were killed and correspondent Kimberly Dozier, 39, was seriously injured Monday when the U.S. Army unit in which they were embedded was attacked. They were on a patrol with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, when their convoy was attacked. They were reporting a “routine” story, covering American troops for Memorial Day. The trio was only planning to be out for a few hours, in order to get back to the CBS Baghdad bureau in time to edit their piece

Following what the U.S. military is calling a “curious incident” in the Karada neighborhood of Baghdad, Dozier, Douglas and Brolan got out of their armored vehicle. That’s when a nearby car packed with explosives detonated. Douglas and Brolan died at the scene. Dozier sustained serious injuries and was flown to a U.S. military hopsital inside Baghada’s Green Zone, where she underwent surgery. She is in critical condition, but doctors are cautiously optimistic about her prognosis. The attack was among a wave of car and roadside bombs that left about three dozen people dead before noon Monday, including one explosion that killed 10 people on a bus. Nearly all the attacks occurred in Baghdad.

“This is a devastating loss for CBS News,” said Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports, in a CBS statement. “Kimberly, Paul and James were veterans of war coverage who proved their bravery and dedication every single day. They always volunteered for dangerous assignments and were invaluable in our attempt to report the news to the American public.” “Our deepest sympathy goes out to the families of Paul and James, and we are hoping and praying for a complete recovery by Kimberly. Countless men and women put their lives on the line, day in and day out, in Iraq and other dangerous spots around the world, and they deserve our utmost respect and gratitude for the work they do,” McManus said.

Douglas, 48, had worked for CBS News in many countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Rwanda and Bosnia, since the early 1990s. He leaves behind a wife, two daughters and three grandchildren. Brolan, 42, was a freelancer who had worked with CBS News in Baghdad and Afghanistan over the past year. He was part of the CBS News team that had received a 2006 Overseas Press Club Award for its reporting on the Pakistan earthquake.

Dozier, 39, has been a CBS News correspondent, reporting from Iraq, for the past three years, Before that, she served as London bureau chief and chief European correspondent for CBS Radio News from 1996-2002. Dozier is the recipient of three American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) Gracie Awards for her radio reports on Mideast violence, Kosovo and the Afghan war. Dozier and her London-based crew are among the latest American television journalists to become casualties in Iraq. Former ABC News “World News Tonight” co-anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt suffered severe injuries in a roadside bombing in Iraq Jan. 29, 2006. Woodruff is still recovering from serious head injuries and broken bones. Cameraman Vogt has returned home to France for more rehab.

Sad news, indeed. These are the risks war correspondents take, of course, but a hell of a price to pay for bringing us news from the front.

OTB News

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Fersboo says:

    They were just mercenaries.