Posted on 07/10/2011 12:17:06 PM PDT by george76
A widow revealed how her soldier husband was blown up in Afghanistan days after senior officers had apparently ‘laughed off’ his complaints that insurgents were being allowed to plant explosive devices unchallenged.
Sergeant Peter Rayner, 34, phoned his wife in a ‘highly stressed’ state four days before his death and was upset that his fears were not taken seriously.
She said he and his men had watched the enemy, using night-vision goggles, plant improvised explosive devices and were not allowed to attack them. He was allegedly told by one officer: ‘I am an Army Captain and you will do your job.’
...
Sergeant Rayner’s widow Wendy told an inquest in Bradford that the Army had promised that her concerns would be dealt with, but she said: ‘I have been fobbed off.’
Mrs Rayner told Bradford Coroner's Court her husband, who joined the Army at 17, had feared his own death. She said: ‘He was concerned about the number of explosive devices being planted in the area they were patrolling and had told higher ranks because he feared one of them would be killed.
‘He said they could see people planting these devices but could do nothing about it.
Sergeant Rayner told his wife that officers told him that he and his men could not open fire on insurgents planting bombs or make contact with them. His complaints were rejected by a Sergeant Major and a Captain, the inquest heard.
‘I think that if more notice had been taken of him, then he might not have died,’ she said. ‘Peter loved his men and would have done anything to stop them being killed.’
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
We learned, and for a long timethat was our plan. But hubris set in, and we forgot.
We learned, and for a long timethat was our plan. But hubris set in, and we forgot.
Get our troops out of there already. We are not in it to win it in any meaningful way.
We have gone a step further since Vietnam — we now fight the enemy overseas and simultaneously let him in through the backdoor a.k.a. Muslim immigration.
And congresscritters are quiet while planning their next pay raise.
It’s horrid enough to lose someone you love, much less in a war, but because their superiors are reluctant to confront the real enemy is inexcusable. I don’t know that I’d have it in me ever to forgive.
On another forum a poster (a Scotsman) claimed it was a good rule. Afghan peasants often bury meat in a hole due to lack of refrigeration and shooting someone because they were digging a hole in a hill was murder!
If someone plants a bomb alongside a road or trail I doubt they’re preserving meat. Shoot them.
Is the deceased a US or UK soldier? (didn’t click the link...that’s why some excerpts are useless)
Zero’s kinder, gentler, ROE and handling of muzzies bears fruit..........
He was British, but it could apply equally to any soldier serving there.
Does US military have the same ROE?
If so, lets come home. Hell, lets come home anyway.
I can’t say so, but wouldn’t be surprised. Two places to check are blackfive.net and thisainthell.us.
Kill them and hang their bodies from telephone poles.
This is why I am against all the wars. Total bullshit to allow deaths like this. Bring em all home - our men are not deserving of this bullshit, same w the uk.
So far, with exception, I am very disappointed in our Congress that was sworn in to Office in January 2011
When I showed our ROE to my wife after returning from Iraq she got really pissed.
Today it is:
“It is all about winning hearts and minds and using the least force possible,’ the spokesman said.”
Yesteryear, during the Vietnam War, an other domestic commie said:
“We are winning the hearts and minds of the people.”
Communism then and now.
PC ‘war’, getting our troops killed for nothing!
But more than 600 have died.
great points here. this isn’t rocket science. and we need to remember that it wasn’t only McCrystal, but also Petraous.
Gen. Petraous also signed off and approved of these insane ROE. (kind of the opposite of Col. West...)
“Winning hearts and minds with restraint only works when the civilian population values restraint. Arabs and Afghans do not value restraint, they value force. Consequently, Arabs and Afghans see our “restraint” as weakness.”
///
brilliant point.
our leaders fundamentally do not understand the culture there.
liberals accuse the US of being egocentric and looking at things through the filter of American culture. Instead of making the effort to understand their culture.
...yet that is exactly what they have done. and it is getting our troops killed.
also, RWGinger pointed out:
“A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘The whole point of a counter insurgency operation is to protect the civilian population.’
...how is showing restraint by NOT killing insurgents, achieving the “goal” of protecting the civilian population, from the insurgency?!?
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