Posted on 06/24/2005 11:49:22 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative
A suicide car bomber slammed into a U.S. military convoy in Fallujah, killing two Marines, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday. Three Marines and a sailor were missing after the attack.
CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin reports that five female Marines are said to be dead, according to officials. They are members of a supply unit who were being driven into Fallujah to assist in searching local women for hidden weapons when their vehicle, which was equipped with armor, was struck by the bomber.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said another 13 Marines were wounded in the Thursday night attack and said some women were among the casualties.
The car bomber targeted troops assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force, an earlier military statement said. Fallujah, the Anbar province town 40 miles west of Baghdad, was the scene of a large-scale campaign in November by U.S. troops to rout militants.
An earlier report also had said six Marines were killed.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
There should never be winter, it should be summer all the time.... But that's just an opinion.... an unrealistic and pointless opinion.
We will never return to days of an all male force, if there ever truly was such a time. Women are a needed and permanent part of the military, and deserve our support.
"When, oh when, are we going to take off the gloves and fight this thing as wars should be fought?"
We've been doing that for the last two and a half years and I believe we're winning. Don't expect it to be over overnight. What's important is the trend, and the trend looks good fo us. Whatever it takes we're going to be there until we win, even if takes another 5 years or more.
This ain't no cakewalk.
Well said. It is way past time to shoot first when in doubt and ask questions later.
Let the adherents to the religion of sensitivity and politically correct, provide the blood for the altar of their God-Alfred E. Newman. "what, he worry???"
If you believe that OKC was just two pissed off white guys than I have some swamp property loaded with alligators to sell you.
"There should never be winter, it should be summer all the time.... But that's just an opinion.... an unrealistic and pointless opinion."
Indeed. Indeed it is.
Good point.
Managing an empire is hard work. The Romans can teach us a lot about how to do it, if that's what we've decided to do as our foreign policy.
We do indeed thank these extremely brave young women-God bless their gallent and patriotic hearts. Like America's tough enough, pioneer women, without whom there would be no USA as we know it-these heroic ladies remind us once again that guts are not limited to one gender.
We males do not mean it as disrespect for women , to wish we could spare them the pains of going to war. It is I believe, more a matter of respect and recognition of the reality that in war or peace,most women, during their life time, will experience more pain in the name of love and devotion, aka child birth, than most men will ever experience in war or anywhere else.
We thank you ladies, one and all. Thank you for your sacrifice in war-we thank you for your pain and sacrifice in peace, without which the human race would have long ago ceased to exist.
I see that youv bought the Liberal spin hook, line, and sinker.
With the Liberals is it hatred of America that drives statements like this. What is YOUR excuse?
And what exactly have YOU done to make things better?
This war has turned out to be a complete horror show for our side.
Oil prices are higher than ever, the place is now a disaster zone, and our people are open targets from now on. This is *never* going to stop over there.
We blew it right after 9/11 by not using our strategic nuclear forces to put an end to this war instantly.
I will certainly concede a Middle Eastern connection to Oklahoma City, but I'm even more cynical about this "war on terror" if our government can't even tell the truth about that incident.
Remember, all warfare is psychology. We can win every battle in Iraq, as we did in Viet Nam, and still lose the war at home, which is all that counts.
"Cut that crap! It's a LEFTIST movement and there have never been more enthusiastic promoters than those presently in the White House and Defense Dept."
What I stated and highlighted in bold above is a well researched fact, and I don't believe I'll let myself be bullied by some ignorant foul mouth today. Ever hear of Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer, Nancey Pelosi, Joe Biden (all Democrats, all rabid feminists)? Of course the Democrats are leftists. I do see the White House acquiescing to that somewhat, certainly not the Defense Dept. Unlike you, many politicians maintain a "weaselly" decorum. Many politicians strive for a courteous demeanor to those they disagree with. They do that in an effort to appeal to the widest spectrum of voters. In my humble opinion, Ted Kennedy is the most notable exception to those above stated political axioms.
Psychology and perception play a role, but mass warfare is a battle of logistics.
We can win every battle in Iraq, as we did in Viet Nam, and still lose the war at home, which is all that counts.
I remember it well. I was in Vietnam during the Tet offensive in 1968. Vietnam was the first televised war, which is why public opinion played such a role. WWII and Korea were not brought into the living rooms every night nor were the MSM hell bent on seeing the US lose.
Well, since the United States has never drafted anybody into the Air Force or Navy, there is no reason to think "the military" will require it now. As for the Marines, they've used relatively few draftees; 2% in Korea and 12% in Vietnam. I suspect the resumption of the draft will boost enlistments for them in both the reserve and active component, probably making up any shortfall.
Now, as for drafting folks into the combat arms, which is where the recruiting shortfall is most severe, we'd need to draft men as before. However, I think it is safe to assume that the resumption of conscription will flesh out all units of the Guard and Reserve and even most active units. We would have the option of raising both physical fitness and ASVB standards, so no drafting women into the army would be unnecessary from a manpower standpoint.
I daresay when a conflict is between a great power and a limited insurgency, logistics are a minimal concern. The Viet Cong got by on almost nothing and won, and the jihadis are fighting the U.S. with leftover explosives and suiciders. As long as more and more are willing to die for Allah, they cannot be stopped.
Perception is ALL in this war. Television rules the world. As long as teevee lefties work to end this war by filtering the truth, the jihadis will win. It's inevitable.
When, oh when, are we going to take off the gloves and fight this thing as wars should be fought?
Where do you intend to find the male recruits?
When men start acting like men and women start acting like women, there will be plenty of men. It is only the Army that is really short on recuiting.
Not so. What makes us a great power is our ability to project our pwwer abroad. You don't suport a military force of 150,000 personne/ over 5,000 miles with food, ammo, bases, equipment, etc. without an effective logistics tail. The old measure was that it took ten people to support one at the tip of the spear.
The reason that the European countries are no longer world powers is because they cannot project power. They couldn't even pull off Bosnia and Kosovo without our help.
The Viet Cong got by on almost nothing and won
Not so. The VC were supplied by the NVA, with most of it coming down through the Ho Chi Minh trail. The Chinese and Russians supplied Vietnam with massive amounts of ammo, military equipment, and food. The supply ships in Haiphong Harbor were backed up waiting to be unloaded. We made the mistake of allowing the NVA and VC sanctuaries and not bombing strategic military targets for fear of percipitating a conflict with the Soviets and Chinese. As a result, the NVA had a world class air defense with the latest Soviet missiles and antiaircraft defenses.
The VC didn't win on the battlefield. They were totally decimated during Tet, which resulted in the NVA sending in troops to replace them. As noted before, the US lost in Vietnam because people like John Kerry and the Dems in Congress convinced the American people that we were losing militarily and that the continued sacrifice of Americans was in vain.
jihadis are fighting the U.S. with leftover explosives and suiciders. As long as more and more are willing to die for Allah, they cannot be stopped.
That's the perception they are trying to create and that is our challenge. The Palestinians were doing the same thing in Israel. Of course, they can be stopped. It takes resolve and patience to win the day. If the vast majority of Iraqis (and it is innocent Iraqis who are suffering the bulk of the casualties) believe that the insurgents must be destroyed, the enemy cannnot win. Certainly, we cannot lose militarily. It took the British almost ten years to defeat the Communists in Malaysia.
Perception is ALL in this war. Television rules the world. As long as teevee lefties work to end this war by filtering the truth, the jihadis will win. It's inevitable.
I don't share your pessimism. If we stay the course, we will win. That is inevitable. This time we will not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory like we did in Vietnam.
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