Dead GI's email "heartbreaking"

The Tampa Tribune ^ | Sep 26, 2012 | Howard Altman

[BerryDingle]

TAMPA --

Army Staff Sgt. Matt Sitton's letter from the combat zone helped turn a congressman against the war in Afghanistan.

His letter to his wife from about the same time offers a glimpse into the experiences shaping his views of the war. In the letter, Sitton lashes out at his commanders, saying they were blaming their troops for failing to stop casualties. He wonders in his writing about why troops are even in Afghanistan.

And he predicted the conditions his men were subject to would have ripple effects far beyond the battlefield.

Complaining about an unnamed company commander, Sitton wrote that the commander doesn't realize "that we are exhausted. There is going to be so many violent crimes and dui's and drug incidents when we get back. I'm telling you right now thats gonna happen cause people are so disgruntled over here."

Sitton was killed by an improvised explosive device on Sept. 2 in an Afghanistan field. It was the same field he had complained in his letter to U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young that he and his men were forced to constantly walk through for no apparent reason.

In his letter to his wife, Sitton elaborated on what he said were his commanders' views on the threat IEDs posed to U.S. troops.

[BerryDingle]

Matt Sitton's mother, Cheryl Sitton, said a commander blaming the troops for IED incidents is "shameful."

"That's almost like saying to every mom and dad and wife and husband that it is your child's fault that they are dead if they stepped on an IED," she said. "That is just shameful of them to make a statement like that."

[driftdiver]

I’m sure its coming from the top and not his unit commander.

[Leaning Right]

The entire article is a must-read. It should be included in any historical accounting of the war. Thanks for posting this sad but important article.

[dalebert]

Outrage!~!!!

[Darteaus94025]

This “President” uses American soldiers as pawns for his domestic political power. His additional goal is the destruction of the American military through demoralization, attrition of men and equipment, and defunding. This will allow his anti-American allies in the world a more free reign.

[BerryDingle]

[Leaning Right]

This “President” uses American soldiers as pawns for his domestic political power.

True. But I must add that the previous president (Bush II) used American soldiers as pawns for his nation-building schemes. Disasters both.

[drypowder]

US military commanders?? NOT. Political lackeys seeking promotion from the Muslim in the WH at the expense of our young men and women is more accurate. It's outrageous and sickeningly shameful that the MSM has literally forgotten about our troops fighting in Afghanistan. All for the sake of saving obozo.

[Bigg Red]

Maybe my tinfoil is on too tight, but this thought came to me recently.

We know of the Soros Administration’s desire to defang our military. Could they be putting our best deliberately in harm’s way?

[SaraJohnson]

No matter what level the treason is coming from...

The Muslim Brotherhood, like the communists during the Viet Nam war, have infiltrated. Their enemy is Americans and they are in a mode of success right now.

[trotskylvalia]

Any war is terrible and fought by the bravest.

The real reason for this war dragging on, like it does, is using wrong weapons to win.

Lets see what would break enemy’s will to fight, the training in jumping jacks or, intense but sporadic mass bombing of enemy’s population centers.

So every day, for few years, when enemy wakes up, their eyes and ears are alert to sound from the sky.

Bombs are cheaper that American lives.

[SaraJohnson]

We know of the Soros Administration’s desire to defang our military. Could they be putting our best deliberately in harm’s way?

---

Duh...leftists - in both parties- all leftist- before Reagan came along, did the same in the Viet Nam era! They sympathized with the enemy and left the US soldiers out to dry.

Get out of the military and don’t let people you love enlist right now! Americans are the US gov’s enemy.

[blueunicorn6]

Lots of emotions around this one. There’s no good answer. We need to fight to win or get out and if we’re going to get out, and it’s to our advantage, then look for a cease-fire. It’s too damn late to worry about looking chicken. Our President has already done that. And somebody voted for him.

[McGruff]

Sitton was killed by an improvised explosive device on Sept. 2 in an Afghanistan field. It was the same field he had complained in his letter to U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young that he and his men were forced to constantly walk through for no apparent reason.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

[ansel12]

You want blanket bombing of the population centers in Afghanistan?

[trotskylvalia]

Much preferable to population centers in US.

Remind me why we lost war in Vietnam? Are you LBJ ‘s long lost brother?

If Afghanistan vanished from the planet today,how would markets react? Sand prices will go up?

Then again we can terraform it.

[ansel12]

I’m not surprised that you don’t know what happened in Vietnam, with theories such as LBJ having a “lost brother” you don’t seem to know the history of the time. Your childish but vicious desire to erase entire nations from existence reads like a twisted child’s view that watches too many B-Nazi movies and is deeply effected by them.