Members Of Congress, Web Sites Back Officer Who Faces Punishment In Iraq Interrogation Case (West)

European Stars and Stripes via Early Bird ^ | November 28, 2003 | Lisa Burgess

[Pukin Dog]

You are right LTC West didn't beat him.

He aint right. Time will tell.

[archy]

I guess your point is we should just give up now since we lost 78 in November?

Not at all. This could be the point at which we begin to take a real agressive stance, instead of just shooting back when fired upon. Of course if it's made clear that such aggressiveness will buy the officer commanding a set of charges and specifications, they'll back off, and sometime early next year, we'll note a hundred more Americans killed in a month to come.

No really Arch, what are you getting at? I guess that we shouldn't have even bothered to fight back against the ambush yesterday, after all because of this LTC West thing our 4th ID guys' morale is obvoiously broken.

I'm less concerned for the 4th ID than I am for reservists arriving in-country, and more of whom will be taking over in the next six months, at least. And in particular, for their junior officers, from many of whom I've heard sad and disturbing thoughts, if understandable ones.

I posted the info about the ambush because whiners like you said that the morale of 4th ID would be crushed. Well for a crushed morale those guys kicked the livin crap out of the Fedayeen Saddam!

When I'm called a whiner by someone hiding behind his desk in Maryland, I'm not particularly impressed. Tell us about the ambushes you've pulled off, not those of otyhers. BTW, it was 54 enemy hostile KIA. Or were you reading the press accounts instead of the 4th ID AAR?

After all, they have Americans like you making sure that other officers won't be taking effective measures against them, and otherwise giving them aid and comfort.

I had almost forgotten why I offered before to give you a short class on the differences between officer and enlisted. Keep talking trash, you whiner!

I don't need lessons on that, having spent my first tour, 1966-1970, as an enlisted man, initially as an eleven-echo tank crewman. But I particularly don't need lessons from a chairwarmer who couldn't hack it in a line unit in a combat arms MOS.

-archy-/-

[Ispy4u]

Let's see arch. I'm still active, I've been in theater already this year. I was in Afghanistan last year. And you call me a chair warmer. Did you forget that I was 8 years Infantry or are you a has-been that has to disparage others service to make himself feel big?

What you don't know about Intel analysts cracks me up. You should not make assumptions about what someone does because of their MOS. The Army has an awful lot of "other jobs" for people that aren't necessarily apparent by their job title.

Anyway, I'm not going to get into a Peeing contest with a has-been. I know what I've done, and don't have to prove it to you. Even if you have done more than me in your career, that doesn't mean your comments hold water.

BTW those reservists arriving in country will do just fine. Their tours are 18 mos long with required 12 in country. What do you think they are going to do for the other 6? It won't be sitting on their duffs in garrison, I can promise you that. Some of it will be set aside for Demobilization, but the majority will be hell bent for leather training. They will be up to speed when they get there.

Anyway, here's to your moaning and whining about one LTC who can't maintain his self discipline. His story makes for a really good "no $H#T there we were" story, but in reality it costs us way more than any of us are willing to pay.

[XJarhead]

Thanks for what you're doing, and very well said.