Defend America Photo Essay ~ Fallujah

Defend America ^ | April 16, 2004

[TomasUSMC]

Some folks say: We did NOT lose militarily in Viet Nam. Our soldiers won the war.

We killed more of the enemy, won more of the battles but we lost that war. 50,000 dead for what?

We should have just leveled Hanoi and Haiphong and on down the line until there weren't any more North Vietnamese left to pick up a rifle. Instead we got involved in a police action. House to House, rice paddy to rice paddy, anthill to anthill, valley to valley. The enemies game and rules.

Of course we won militarily, so what we lost the War, and 50,000 great Americans.

The question is what are we going to do in this war on terror? The same thing? Rules of engagement, truces, ceasefires?

I don't see people in America telling the President to fight this war for real, I just see people supporting the President blindly. We did that in Vietnam and lost even though our troops kicked butt the whole time.

Just because you don't surrender don't mean you can't lose.
We could have stayed in Vietnam and sent one million troops and we still would have won militarily but we would have lost the war and had to leave just like we did in 1975 because we were fighting according to the enemies rules.

Just like in Nam we can lose in Iraq, even if we do not surrender or pull out or lose our political nerve. Even if we were to stay there with 500,000 troops we would lose because we are playing by the enemies rules. AND the enemy, has no rules.

We allow the enemy to regroup, we allow the enemy to hide in churches, we conduct limited kinder gentler compassionate conventional warfare when we have the military might to conduct unlimited complete annihilating quick warfare. Instead of, after telling the civilians to get the hell out, blasting Fullujah with B52s, we call a truce.

We are afraid and scared of emboldening the enemy, instead of making sure the enemy is afraid to death of emboldening US!

So what does the enemy do? The resupply, regroup, attack our supply convoys to Fallujah, and other rear areas.

And soon, very soon, you will see the enemy take advantage of our kinder gentler compassionate combat by exploding a horrifying WMD and killing 5000 of our troops. That is what we will harvest for all of our good will and "hearts and minds" tactics.

The People need to tell the President:

Either Fight with everything we have - or get everything we have - out of there.

[speekinout]

Either Fight with everything we have - or get everything we have - out of there.

I agree with that. But we did win militarily in Viet Nam, and we are close to winning in Iraq.

We surrendered in Viet Nam, and the Leftists here would like us to surrender in Iraq.
Sure, if we don't surrender, some more American lives will be lost. But what they have fought for will be achieved, and their war will not have been fought in vain.

We do not have to slaughter thousands of Iraqis to win. Most Iraqis would just like to live in peace. It is ridiculous (I almost used more inflammatory language) to think otherwise.
We will never lose militarily. Our military is too good for that. We either win or surrender.

[ohioWfan]

Amen to what you said, speekinout.

Tomas, read those words carefully.

Your prophesy of doom is wrong. Our soldiers WON in Viet Nam, and they are winning in Iraq.

The policy in Viet Nam was made by politicians, and now it is being made by the military with a Commander in Chief who possesses courage and commitment to military victory.

If you don't believe that now, you will eventually, because it is the truth.

As speekinout said, we do not NEED to slaughter innocent Iraqis as you would like our soldiers to do. This is a different era with different weapons, and this is a different war.

Every time you say it is the same as Viet Nam, you hurt the soldiers and their families, just as the left does when it makes the bogus comparison in their effort to regain power

The only difference is that it is their intent to hurt us. I assume your intent is not to do harm.......but I don't have a clue as to why youm on thread after thread, continue to demoralize our brave soldiers and their families with your dark words.

It is shameful, IMO, and you should stop.

[ohioWfan]

The similarity of 'burning vehicles' is not enough to make the continued comparison, as Tomas does, that we are in another Viet Nam.

Please read what I posted to him.

He is demoralizing the troops and families of troops who read his dark words, and that is, in my opinion, wrong.

I included you in my post to him because you seemed to be giving unqualified assent to his negativity and pessimism. If you don't feel the same as he does, good.

btw, just having the power to 'unleash overwhelming destruction' doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, or even the best option militarily.

As a vet, you should know that.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Jesus but he looks like a baby. Thankfully he made it back home safely.

[speekinout]

ohio, we have the best military forces ever assembled. As you know. We will never lose militarily.
Those of us at home *must* do all we can to re-elect President Bush so that we will not surrender. President Bush has the courage and the determination to finish the war on terrorism. We have to be united and strong. The best thing we can do for our superb young people is to make sure that their leaders are committed to them, and will never abandon them.
Our wars are about political will.

[GretchenEE]

I LOVE this photo of "a terrorist captured with tools used to make improvised explosive devices".

Dear God I love our guys, I love our stuff, I love the fact that the Lord has prospered this nation with men and material and the will to fight for the right things, and that He helps us. I do not have the words to express it well enough.

[GretchenEE]

4th Battalion on Parris Island

What's the story with that?

[GretchenEE]

Anyone know what the sniper (post 37) has wrapped around his weapon, what it's made of, and its purpose?

[archy]

Anyone know what the sniper (post 37) has wrapped around his weapon, what it's made of, and its purpose?

Yep. It's strips of *Sniper veil* a*veil*able [sorry!] in colours ranging from rocky/sandy, as per the Swiss one shown below, to the more greenish ones the Brits and Russians issue. And if you don't like the green colour of one for use in Afghanistan or Iraq, just leave it out in the sun a few days, then dye it with MRE coffee or messhall tea.

The Canadians and Dutch have them in varying colours, too, as do the South Africans. The Marine in the pic uses cloth veil strips for camo on his rifle. I like tan masking tape strips.

[TheBattman]

The problem is with the definition of "slaughter innocent Iraqis" is. We all know that the liberal press will portray anyone that isn't in some sort of a uniform of our enemy as an "innocent". What if the crazies in Iraq were to begin using young children - is that child an "innocent" if they try to get a bomb near our boys? It all comes down to who defines the terms of war.

[river rat]

"...btw, just having the power to 'unleash overwhelming destruction' doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, or even the best option militarily. As a vet, you should know that.

Madam, I've tried to be polite..
I'd appreciate it if you would refrain from giving me advice on what I should know or think about when it is appropriate to use ANY military options...

I remain steadfast in my opinion that it is long overdue to deliver a destructive blow that leaves large numbers of the Islamist lunatics stone silent in death or horror at the enormity of the attack.. As always, that decision will be made by the commanders in the field within the framework of their "political constraints"...... I am hoping that the "political constraints" are not going to produce another constrained military as in Vietnam....

You can make of that anything you wish... That is your perogative....and I'll offer no advice. Too many keyboard warriors and "mothers in waiting" seem to be happy trading Marines for lunatics at a ratio of 1:10.
Personally, I believe that's a lousy trade - and would take years and THOUSANDS of dead Marines to show any effect..

I believe it's still not too late for the body bags of coalition forces to stack up, as they did in Vietnam....if we practice TOO MUCH RESTRAINT..

Time will certainly tell...
I'll be the first to celebrate being wrong by being too worried.... I prefer that to being wrong about being overly optomistic.

Semper Fi

[GretchenEE]

Thanks for the info. What's it made of?

[archy]

Thanks for the info. What's it made of?

It varies. Some of the WWII ones are a cotton net mesh. The more recent ones are of expandable nylon, sort of like an oversize tulle.

Here's one commercial offering. There are many variations.

[radu]

Another great photo essay you've posted, RC!
Prayers continue for the safety of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thanks for the pings, y'all!

[A.A. Cunningham]

I'm not intimate with what female recruits, re 4th Battalion Parris Island, are taught on T-1. Thus the possibility exists that they are told not to walk on the top of a berm/ridge, although I doubt it. Male recruits in all three battalions at both depots are not taught that on T-1. It is not taught on T-1 at Quantico either. There are instances; reconnoiter, secure area, etc. when one will walk on top of a berm/ridge in the same manner pictured. I question the honesty of the poster to whom I responded.

[ohioWfan]

Too many keyboard warriors and "mothers in waiting" seem to be happy trading Marines for lunatics at a ratio of 1:10.

You've claim you've tried to be polite?? And then you make this horrific accusation of me??

Thank you for your service to this great nation at a difficult time..........and welcome home.

This conversation is over.

[ohioWfan]

Thank you, big ern.

He was recognized at a community breakfast last week, and afterwards someone came up and said, "He looks like he just got out of Jr. High! And THESE are the guys defending our freedom!"

Thank the Lord that my son came home safely. But he went to the funeral of a 'boy' his age yesterday.......a boy of 20 from our town who died protecting us from harm.

It will be a great day when they all come home, but how thankful I am that there are so many who are so young, and so brave.

[ohioWfan]

I'm talking about the literal slaughter of innocents that some on this forum are calling for........not the distortions and twisted lies of the leftist media.

For the record, after a year in Iraq, my son said he never met an Iraqi man, woman or child who did not want our soldiers to be there. He was greeted with waves and thumbs up wherever he went.

[proud American in Canada]

Thank you for the heads up in #6 regarding the "Conflict of Interest" book.