Generally, Doug Poor doesn’t pay much attention to what politicians are up to. But these days, he is both interested and impressed by what U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe has to say.

Poor is the father of Eric Ross, the 26-year-old Army staff sergeant who was killed in Iraq earlier this month. Snowe announced Thursday that she has requested an investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of Ross and two others from his squad.

“She is very sincere about it,” Poor said Thursday night. “She is on a mission, and she is going to save some lives.”

Specifically, Snowe wants to know whether U.S. troops were let down or even outright betrayed by Iraqi forces during what was supposed to be a joint operation Feb. 9. She also demands explanations about how the operation was planned and executed.

“The tragic death of Sergeant Ross raises disturbing questions about the nature of his mission in Iraq, the role of Iraqi forces, and even the loyalty of those forces,” Snowe wrote in a statement. “And the Army has an obligation to Sergeant Ross’ family, the brave men and women serving in Iraq, and the American people to answer those questions.”

Ross and his squad of eight men were forced to take the lead in entering a building during an operation in Baqubah, Iraq, according to Snowe’s statement and other accounts. The building was booby trapped. Ross and two others were killed in an explosion, and four others were badly wounded when they kicked in the door.

Ross was a native of Kenduskeag. His widow lives in Lisbon. In an interview earlier this week, 19-year-old Allison Ross said her husband had told her hours before his death that he felt the mission was poorly planned.

“He was scared about it,” said Allison Ross, who is six months pregnant.

Snowe attended the funeral for Ross on Wednesday. The senator said she has spoken with his family several times since he was killed.

“We spent a long time on the phone,” Poor said Thursday. “I explained what I had heard from very reliable sources.”

Snowe was convinced that the failed mission in Baqubah raises serious questions about many aspects of the operation and of the war in Iraq as a whole. In her letter to the Pentagon, Snowe asks pointed questions about the operation and how it was handled.

“For example, what was the specific mission? What was the mission profile? Were Iraqi units supposed to enter the building first? What tactical intelligence formed the underpinning of the mission? Where did the intelligence come from? How was it collected and analyzed?”

Snowe’s letter was addressed to Maj. Gen. Galen B. Jackman, chief of Legislative Liaison at the Pentagon. Her questions about the deadly mission continue throughout the letter.

“Why didn’t the Iraqi squad enter the building? Did they have intelligence our troops did not?” she asked.

In her letter to the Pentagon, Snowe asks that she be provided with the military’s assessment of the operation that killed Ross and two others from his squad as well as findings on the failures of the operation. She also requests that the Army provide her with what plans it has put together to avoid such failures in the future.

Snowe has said that after examining the history of cooperation between U.S. and Iraqi soldiers in joint operations, she is convinced the U.S. should not commit any more troops to Iraq.

“American troops can no longer fight this war for the Iraqi people,” she said. “They must take an active role in securing their future.”

Poor, Ross’ father who lives in Corinth, says he will be waiting along with Snowe for whatever answers the Pentagon has to provide.

“If my son’s death will prevent another squad from getting blown up, great,” he said. “I’m behind her 100 percent.”