Posted on 05/28/2007 5:12:28 PM PDT by ASC2006
At 23, Marine Corporal Ryan Vistek considered himself a war-hardened veteran. In 2004, he fought against Moqtada al-Sadr's militia when it staged an uprising in several parts of Iraq.
But sometimes experience no longer counts as lessons learned. Before he deployed to Iraq for the second time earlier this year, he and other Iraq combat veterans were pulled aside and told — essentially — to forget everything they'd learned.
The new mission for Marines like Vistek is to act less as warriors and more as policemen and goodwill ambassadors. In al Qaim, a community of farmers and merchants along Iraq's border with Syria, the Marines have been employing a classic counter-insurgency strategy since the end of 2005.
The emphasis here has shifted from hunting down and destroying the enemy to providing security in al Qaim's cities and villages. Capt. Luke Gové, Vistek's company commander, said the Marines are the best-trained and best-equipped force in the area. He asks rhetorically, "are we the best force to conduct a counter-insurgency? Absolutely not." But they will have to do.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
They are adjusting tactics to the situation in very short cycles and becoming skilled in police work and well as multicultural relations and diplomacy. There are brilliant anti-insurgency techniques being applied here, with input from all over the world.
While the MSM continues to cover bombings, they are missing that our military professionals are evolving to a new level, and acquiring institutional knowledge that will pay off for decades to come.
I thought they were Marines not cops.
Reagrds
We could have elected Kerry to get this. After all, he called terrorism a law enforcement problem.
Maybe the new War Czar can find a way to actually win the war, which will probably be next to impossible as he is saddled with PC and the current rules of engagement.
I thought they were Marines not cops.
I agree, Marines are not cops, If a Marine points a weapon at you that should be the last thing you ever see.
They did not build a reputation as cops, but as tough as nails combat troops. Stay that way.
Jack
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