Tough Talking for Marines in Iraq

Wired ^ | 6/7/03 | Noah Shachtman

[Ranger]

Don't tell the members of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force about information overload. They already know all about it.

During Gulf War II, members of the force often had to use a helmet headset, four radios and two laptops at once to communicate with their comrades and commanders -- all while crammed into light armored vehicles crawling across the Mesopotamian desert.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

In spite of this, the air support was there when they called - from ships hundreds of miles away with very few Coalition casualties, we took out thousands of RGs before reaching Baghdad, supply lines - though a few divisions went hungry for a day - remained amazingly fluid.

Our troops did a fair job using the "cumbersome" equipment.

[steplock]

This is nothing more than - What happens when you get an ignorant reporter (who knows just enough to make him a fool) trying to write like he knows more than the professionals in the Marine Corps.

1. "units never seemed to receive enough of one communications asset"
2. "Marine Corps Systems Command did not respond to repeated calls to comment on the report, found by Wired News on Col. David Hackworth's website, Soldiers for the Truth."

Response to #1: NOBODY in battle doesn't want MORE and MORE information. Information (Intelligence) about your enemy is key to victory. This stupid reporter apparantly assumes otherwise.

Response to #2: Col Hackworth the source? < BARF! > To think I used to like the guy.