Posted on 08/26/2006 1:36:07 PM PDT by jmc1969
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Saturday praised the work of an Army brigade whose one-year tour in Iraq was extended just as they prepared to return home, and said he saw no reason for the soldiers or their families to be angry at him.
"I don't put it in that context," he said. "These people are all volunteers. They all signed up. They all are there doing what they're doing because they want to do it. They're proud of what they do. They do it very, very well."
The Pentagon chief was meeting privately later Saturday with 172nd Stryker Brigade families at Fort Wainwright, the unit's home base. Rumsfeld's aides said they expected as many as 600 people to attend and to have a chance to ask questions.
Reporters who traveled with Rumsfeld from Washington, D.C., were to be excluded from the session.
Asked why reporters would not be permitted to cover the event, Rumsfeld at first replied, "I don't have any idea. I haven't addressed the subject." Later he said he makes it a practice to make all family meetings private.
Rumsfeld said the 172nd Brigade was an effective force during its nearly one-year deployment to the Mosul area in northern Iraq. He said the soldiers performed well in the short time since they shifted to Baghdad as part of an effort by U.S. commanders to quell sectarian killings.
(Excerpt) Read more at montereyherald.com ...
Rummy, I have to disagree with you. Your vision for a smaller military is not holding up to the realities in Iraq and Afghanistan and a long war against Islamists. And what about dealing with Iran? Where would such forces come from give the current situation?
We need a larger military. If Rumsfeld refuses to acknowledge that fact, he needs to step down and let in someone who does.
Rummy knows what he's doing.
I hope he is also giving them double pay.
I disagree. He has clung to his notions of what the military should be despite rising evidence that we need more boots and more material. This far into a long war, we should not have to be recalling retired active-duty men without a new threat revealing itself. And I have no idea where we would get the forces to deal militarily with Iran, which is a grave threat in its own right.
And quite frankly, his comments probably are the wrong thing to say. He should not talk about them being volunteers. He should simply thank them for their sacrifices and not try to engage in political damage control with his statements.
I share your concern about the size of our military - especially the Navy.
Wasn't that peace dividend great?
Seriously, the military could be expanded by a reasonable amount given the nature of the threat we face.
Just when I think I'm staying up with things I get blindsided with something like this. Excuse me while I try to lift my lower jaw off the keyboard. I'm stupified.
Retired Army
I agree with everything you say, dirtboy, but I think there is something much more serious going on. When this 172nd Bde was extended I told people there would be hell to pay. Rummy is trying to put a good face on this thing but I have a feeling the families in Alaska are about ready to storm the Pentagon. No doubt he has been receiving bags of hate mail.
On a lighter not - if that's possible - do you think we'll soon see Navy personnel with the Ranger Tab?
ping to post 8
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your service to our country.
I am appalled to read what you have written here. It is an insult to you both as a professional and as a citizen. It reflects poorly on the the senior officers, and is very reminiscent of the way they failed the troops during the Vietnam era.
I hope and pray that those who report to Rumsfield get some courage and start fighting for the men who are doing the heavy lifting.
Your countrymen are proud of you, and many are praying for you daily.
Again, thank you for your service.
Chuck_101...101st Airborne, Vietnam, 1965-66
Ping to #8. Got any input on this?
Although I think Rumsfeld has some good ideas, and from an institutional standpoint I think (in ways individual Soldiers often may not notice) he has been a positive influence, I do disagree with him on manpower.
I do NOT agree with those who have said we should put more boots on the ground in Iraq; I do believe they would just provide more targets for insurgents, increase the perception of occupation, and make it harder to eventually withdraw.
However, I do think we need more troops to allow us to rotate people through combat theaters in a more reasonable manner! Right now they are projecting that Army troops will spend 1 out of every 3 years in an overseas deployment indefinitely (and I think it will be about 1 out of 5 for Reserves and 1 out of 6 for National Guard).
At least for the active duty, I would ask "WHO IS GOING TO SIGN UP FOR THIS?" I've known people with MORE than 10 years service (i.e. more than halfway to a lifetime pension) who have quit just because they were tired of that much time away from their families -- that's not even taking into account any of the physical danger than goes along with this profession.
As the proud daughter of a retired career Navy aviator, I am disappointed to read your post.
My father wasn't there when I was born; he was doing a mission in Okinawa. He met me when I was about three months old. He was away for one of my sister's births as well. My mother had to move halfway across the country once with two babies once when Dad was away at a training course. Mother raised the five of us children all over the world.
Not once during all of the years of our Navy life did I ever, ever hear either one of my parents complain.
I have been in Iraq for nearly three years now as a civilian because I want to do my part to support this mission. While I am not in the danger of daily moves around the country, it can still get pretty rough here. I've come under gunfire and mortar attacks on a few occasions.
However, like my parents, I chose my path. It would be dishonorable to complain.
May God protect you and keep you safe.
"However, like my parents, I chose my path. It would be dishonorable to complain."
You are right, I should not complain. There are a lot of guys in far worse situations than me. Had a bad night last night and I am kind of shocked with the realization of what a lot of military guys and gals are going through and about to go through. Disregard my last comments.
Please don't apologize for venting your pain and anger. I haven't been a fan of Rumsfeld for a long time. I think his continued service as Secretary of Defense is an inexplicable blind spot in President Bush's vision.
But apart from your personal suffering, and to look at it coldly and objectively, you are describing an appalling waste of the nation's resources--a man trained at enormous expense to be an expert in specializied activities who is going to be sent on a completely different mission that doesn't require anything like his previous training. If we have sufficient troops, why on earth are we doing things such as P3pilotJAX describes?
I am seeing the effect of Rumsfeld on the Air Force at second-hand, and it is bad. Our vaunted air power is being compromised in a similar way, with equipment being worn out faster than it is being replaced, and the number of airmen being reduced. Events in Iraq are not convincing me that our military is going in the right direction.
"There are not enough men in the military and they are abusing those of us who are here because the stars don't want to increase the quotas."
Are you referring to the recruitment quotas that we're being told are being met? Are the quotas being tailored to agree with the number actually being recruited?
This would be very disturbing.
You are so right about the tastelessness of that "volunteer" remark. The utmost respect and intelligence should be evidenced when a decision is made to extend a military tour. I assume that the extension is based on absolute necessity. How could a different decision have been made if they were drafted? What does "volunteer" have to do with it?
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