Soldiers Frustrated At Being "Nice Guy" (MUST READ!!)

Chicago Sun-Times (Daily Telegraph) ^ | March 25, 2003 | Oliver Poole

[BushCountry]

The United States suffered 148 killed in action, 458 wounded, 121 killed in nonhostile actions and 11 female combat deaths during our very successful 1991 Gulf war. We are well below that now (15 killed in action) and on the doorstep of Bagdad! Some people just can't take success!!!! Jeez, this is the most successfully executed war in history of mankind as it stands now. Every record is being broken. We are going against a fairly strong army.

[stimpyone]

But don't these folks know that we're here to liberate them - just like the Vietnamese?

[honway]

Troop morale is better than public morale, at this point.

How am I meant to protect my men when the generals are denying me the ability to bomb enemy positions?"

If these are indeed the rules of engagement, I am afraid you are badly mistaken.

These generals need to get their $hit together, fast. The war of liberation was a falacy sold by bad intel from the CIA. The Iraqi people do not want liberation, they want destruction of U.S. forces.

If our politicians and generals are not prepared to wage total war, our soldiers,sailors, mairines and airman will pay the ultimate price for this PC war.

[stimpyone]

These Generals and politicians didn't learn a damn thing from studying Vietnam

The politicians running this war (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Perle, etc.) ducked Vietnam.

[Cboldt]

If these are indeed the rules of engagement, I am afraid you are badly mistaken.

The "If" in your statement is duly noted.

[dd5339]

Ping!

Semper Fi

[Wolfie]

These Generals and politicians didn't learn a damn thing from studying Vietnam.

They learned all too well. Its easy and effective to trade soldiers' lives for career advancement.

[Minty]

Could that be all there is? I can't believe for one that they be. Definitely even when we are paying a precious price with the lives of our boys and girls, I refuse to believe that PC would take common sense out of our generals. These guys knows how to damage and destroy, that is their purpose and expertise. I believe that even though things may look shaky now in the end there will be nothing left of our enemies, not even seed of them. Sometimes is worth to wait for our chance, they then will hit them once just once because there will be nothing left to hit again.

They will squirm and die in the sun. Those guys are yellow in their pants, fedayin and all, special or not, our boys are following the yellow line they leave behind. The more they speak the worse they cover their fear and desperation. I have never seen worse liars than these. Our boys and girls will tango with them. Their judgement day is closing fast on them and THEY KNOW IT!

I only hope for the unearthing of the whole truth regarding Russia, France and the whole United Nations of Crime role in aiding and abeting this crimirat that is SadDam. I want it to go farther in the revealing of their true nature, purpose and agenda. Then every drop of blood and suffering will be worth it.

[AppyPappy]

In reality, more people are being murdered in America than we are losing in the Gulf.

[holdmuhbeer]

The British are in the process of cleaning out the city as we speak.

[texson66]

The PC Rules of Engagement are supposed to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.

The fighting with one hand behind your back is endangering our servicemen and women. Drop the nonsense. Hit targets anywhere at anytime. Take the fight to the enemy!

If we had worried about this in Germany, we would still be in France with the Russians overunning Paris (wait a minute maybe ...)

Anyway, when you have them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow!

[GraniteStateConservative]

We don't have the might to fight a holy war on several fronts.

[Kevin Curry]

The Iraqi people do not want liberation, they want destruction of U.S. forces.

I don't agree. They want liberation but are hedging their bets on the side of Saddam and his sadist sons in the event coalition forces don't get the job done. There is a tipping point at which the tiny trickle of internal Iraqi opposition will become a flood. That point will occur when they discern Saddam, his sons, and closest associates are no longer in charge. If Saddam is dead or incapacitated, that would explain why his closest associates continue to show films of him. They need his aura to keep the ordinary citizens cowed. When the aura is lifted, their own lives will be nasty, brutish, and short.

[honway]

We are well below that now (15 killed in action) and on the doorstep of Bagdad!

I hope you completely appreciate the strategic significance of a logistics line running from Kuwait to Baghdad, when our control over the region surrounding the supply line is tentative at best.

[Beck_isright]

If W is allowing the politicians to make the rules of engagement, we will lose at least 10% of our boys and maybe more. I'm not thrilled with some of the military decisions now coming to light either which indicate that the comments in this article might be true. First the continuing battle in Al-Nasiriyah for the bridges indicates we've lost our mind. Those civlian targets which are obstructing our taking the other side of those bridges should have been warned then obliterated. We can not let our Marines be picked off to act "humane". War is not humane. Second, what moron ordered an Apache attack on the Medina division without hi/mid/lo cap anti-aircraft supression support??? I've heard of some lamebrain moves but sending choppers in without fixed wing support takes the cake. If all of this pans out to be verified after the war, it really will suck. Because the idiots who ordered it will get promotions. And it's a scarey thought to think they could be on the JCS some day.

V

[Double Tap]

Exactly. We will get more and more support from the Iraqi's as we demolish Saddam's strangle hold on the country.

[Kevin Curry]

The only loss we have taken on the "tenative" logistics line was the result of a small convoy of trucks taking a wrong turn.

We have the means and will to keep the logistics line healthy and intact. Harrasment with small arms fire and RPGs from rag-tag irregulars is not going to disrupt it. We have realtime satellite and drone imagery to supplement nightvision and infrared detectors on the ground. The irregulars show up like white rice on black paper long before they get into firing position.

[BushCountry]

You're right. We should call it quits while we are ahead. Forget about all the sucesses and go home with our tail between our legs. We have the worst fighting force on the planet, our generals are a bunch of bumbling idiots.

The glass is never half full is it? As Rushbo would say, "negative nabalms of negativity!"

[holdmuhbeer]

I just love all the armchair generals around here. Our Generals didn't ascend to their position by being stupid and incompetent despite what some of you losers think. You can talk Clinton pc army, etc all you like but I have full confidence in our military and our leaders.

[holdmuhbeer]

I wasn't picking out you as one of the armchair generals I just had to respond, I guess I should have responded to all.