IG blames system failure in electrocution death

Military leaders and a major military contractor failed to protect a Green Beret who was electrocuted while showering in his barracks in Iraq, the Defense Department's Inspector General determined in a report released Monday. The early 2008 death of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, of Pittsburgh, triggered an investigation by the IG of Maseth's death, but also a review of 17 other electrocution deaths in Iraq. Uproar over it also led to the electrical inspections of about 90,000 U.S.-maintained facilities in Iraq, which are ongoing. The inspector general says in its findings that "multiple systems and organizations" failed and exposed Maseth to "unacceptable risk."