Base Commander Predicts 'Horrifying' War (update from the front...)

WOAI.com ^ | 3/14/03 | TARA COPP

[Exit148]

I read the Commander's words in tears.

[Defiant]

If they show it on TV the Wails will start and undermine our troops. Trust me.

I must say, I was a little bummed about the notion of 500 or so combat journalists, most of whom are undoubtedly young, liberal products of our nation's universities, and therefore out for a big story that makes them look good by criticizing the military, accompanying our troops into Iraq. In WW2 battlefield press was ok, because they were on our side. Now, they proclaim themselves to be neutral, while sometimes rooting for the other side.

I thought the Gulf War, in which the press was kept off the battlefield for the most part, was conducted correctly. Letting the press tag along behind, and accept the surrenders of Saddam's "elite" troops seemed the right way to do things.

The Pentagon surely remembers the lessons of Vietnam, and why they kept the press off the front lines last time. Therefore, I have been wondering why they would let these people interfere with their operations. I think I've figured it out though--

We want to scare the piss out of the world.

We want breathless accounts of the ease, horror and deadly efficiency with which we wage this war. We want live interviews with just-captured Iraqi soldiers describing their shock. We want it to be seen in Riyadh and Tehran and Beijing. That's what those 500 people are for.

Rumsfeld is damn shrewd.

[swheats]

"It makes my soul ache to know the democratic party and like minded truly could care less about anything but their politics.
"

AMEN

the consequence of failure

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/864802/posts?page=90#90

[risk]

Rumsfeld is damn shrewd.

It's heartening to read how strong the resolve is among all of you. I don't think we have an easy road ahead, and even if we're victorious in Iraq, we're going to have a lot of hurt kids coming back with nerve damage and all. Let's each swear an oath to keep after our presidents and congresscritters for the rest of our lives making sure these brave soldiers get their VA benefits.

One more thought: it looks like the appeasers/peaceniks are going to be defended without their express permission. Again!

[Defiant]

Amen. I am scared to death that Saddam gets that one lucky shot in that causes mass devastation among our troops. I pray that we get him first, and I hope that if anything does go wrong, we have the fortitude to regroup and do what has to be done. The media will be a big albatross if that occurs.

[river rat]

The Grave of the Hundred Head

by Rudyard Kipling.


There's a widow in sleepy Chester
Who weeps for her only son;
There's a grave on the Pabeng River,
A grave that the Burmans shun;
And there's Subadar Prag Tewarri
Who tells how the work was done.

A Snider squibbed in the jungle-
Somebody laughed and fled,
And the men of the First Shikaris
Picked up their Subaltern dead,
With a big blue mark in his forehead
And the back blown out of his head.

Subadar Prag Tewarri,
Jemadar Hira Lal,
Took command of the party,
Twenty rifles in all,
Marched them down to the river
As the day was beginning to fall.

They buried the boy by the river,
A blanket over his face-
They wept for their dead Lieutenant,
The men of an alien race-
They made a samadh1 in his honour,
A mark for his resting-place.

For they swore by the Holy Water,
They swore by the salt they ate,
That the soul of Lieutenant Eshmitt Sahib
Should go to his God in state,
With fifty file of Burmans
To open him Heaven's Gate.

The men of the First Shikaris
Marched till the break of day,
Till they came to the rebel village
The village of Pabengmay-
A jingal2 covered the clearing,
Caltrops hampered the way.

Subadar Prag Tewarri,
Biddin8 them load with ball,
Halted a dozen rifles
Under the village wall;
Sent out a flanking-party
With Jemadar Hira Lal.
The men of the First Shikaris
Shouted and smote and slew,
Turning the grinning jingal
On to the howling crew.
The Jemadar's flanking-party
Butchered the folk who flew.

Long was the morn of slaughter,
Long was the list of slain,
Five score heads were taken,
Five score heads and twain;
And the men of the First Shikaris
Went back to their grave again,

Each man bearing a basket
Red as his palms that day,
Red as the blazing village-
The village of Pabengmay
And the "drip-drip-drip" from the baskets
Reddened the grass by the way

They made a pile of their trophies
High as a tall man's chin,
Head upon head distorted,
Set in a sightless grin,
Anger and pain and terror
Stamped on the smoke-scorched skin.

Subadar Prag Tewarri
Put the head of the Boh
On the top of the mound of triumph,
The head of his son below-
With the sword and the peacock banner
That the world might behold and know.
Thus the samadh was perfect,
Thus was the lesson plain
Of the wrath of the First Shikaris-
The price of white man slain;
And the men of the First Shikaris
Went back into camp again.

Then a silence came to the river,
A hush fell over the shore,
And Bohs that were brave departed,
And Sniders squibbed no more;
For the Burmans said
That a white man's head
Must be paid for with heads five-score.


There's a widow in sleepy Chester
Who weeps for her only son;
There's a grave on the Pabeng River,
A grave that the Burmans shun;
And there's Subadar Prag Tewarri
Who tells how the work was done.

[anarabismybrotherinlaw]

Again, because of my screen name, I feel it necessary to remind all that I do not sympathize with or support Arabs or their cause after seeing them up close and personal. I also want to state that I support President George W. Bush fully and forever.

Nevertheless, I feel impelled to caution all that the horrors of the impending war will follow soldiers, et al. home. The following is only my opinions, but there is a firm basis for them if one studies the ongoing conflict in Israel and elsewhere, e.g., the recent terrorist bombing of an airport in the Phillipines.

The USA and most of the civilized world is used to wars that are goverened by the Geneva Convention, and after which peace follows, and all soldiers and citizens are safe from reprisals either at home or abroad. This is not to be the case once we launch a full-scale assault against Saddam Hussein. War will go on here and abroad - a nasty type of Guerrilla war, with a capital G. Suicide - actually - homicide bombings will occur sporadically between other attacks, just like they do now in Israel. Those who live in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area remember what it was like when the Beltway Snipers were on the rampage last year. Anyone, anywhere is a target, although military personnel and other government employees, including police, will be high priority targets. Large metropolitan areas such as DC, New York, Chicago, LA, etc., will be the hardest hit. It will be a hundred times worse than it was in DC in each affected city, and other weapons such as nerve gas and bombs will be deployed in places like malls, theaters, train stations, airports, and subways. These terrorists will not simply go away if we make nice to them. Thousands of Americans and numerous other allies have already died or been greviously wounded, injured, or made into widows and orphans. The terrorists want to slaughter us by the millions and enslave the rest.

We therefore have to destroy the entire terror network before we will be safe in our own beds, which, among other things, means taking over and remaking Iran, Suadi Arabia, and practically all other Muslim countries as well as Iraq. This will take more allies than we currently have, and I pray that George W. Bush and his advisers as well as our allies will have the wisdom of Solomon and the courage of David.

For the record, I'm not Jewish, but I have carefully analyzed recent events and have determined that they are in the right 99.44 % of the time, as the old soap commercial goes.

So, arm yourselves well and be careful. Stock up on food and watrer that you know has not been poisoned, and prepare otherwise the best you can. Good luck and good hunting when hunting must be done! I don't take any pleasure in shooting an enemy, and I am actually working on some non-lethal means of defense, but if I must, I will do whatever is necessary to defend myself, my family, and my country. Pray that none of us give ourselves over to mindless hate so that we don't make depraved retaliations like those we witness practically daily in the Middle East. We don't want to sink to the level of the terrorists and thus forfiet our own souls to the Devil!

[Theophilus]

Jackson: "Never take counsel of your fears."

[Mark17]

Just make sure we kill Sadaams sons too.

There are probably several million Iraqis who would love to do that.

[geopyg]

Chosen to Suffer

“They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.” (Acts 5:41).

All of us are called upon to suffer in one way or another. Much of our suffering goes to waste because it is not geared up with an all-compelling purpose. A great cause, such as liberty, chooses men who are big enough to suffer, men who “can take it.” It chooses men who have the stuff in them to endure hardships; who can laugh at privations; who are willing to give up privileges, comforts, and ease. It chooses men like the apostles who, after being treated in a most shameful way and cruelly flogged, came from that experience rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ.

Great causes have a way of choosing men who are worthy to suffer. And it is through men that suffer that great causes come to victory. The highest blessings that we enjoy today came in this way. Christ on the cross, Washington at Valley Forge, Lincoln baited by newspapers and even by his cabinet members, and a few among many who were chosen to suffer for great purposes and were found worthy – bringing victory to the cause that chose them.

In these days, the great cause of liberty is again choosing men to suffer for its sake. Shall we who are chosen be found worthy?

Prayer:

Our Father, we are being called upon to suffer for the sake of all men everywhere. The great cause of liberty, with all that it means, is calling for men who are worthy. Wilt Thou make us worthy in every way. Keep the high purpose of freedom upper-most in our hearts, and cleanse us from all selfishness. Dedicate us anew to the high cause of world brotherhood, and give us the victory of an enduring peace. And so shall our suffering be not in vain. In the Spirit of Christ we pray. Amen

Originally printed in a daily devotional that my Mom gave to my Dad as he was shipped off to the Pacific in WW II. “Strength for Service to God and Country”. Was the devotional for SEPTEMBER 11. Written by Dovert Walton McElroy, First Christian Church, El Paso, TX.

[Bedford Forrest]

For the Burmans said
That a white man's head
Must be paid for with heads five-score."

I'd say that's letting them off easy. In this connection, let us never forget those who died, in Pennsylvania, in the Pentagon, and diving out of the upper decks of the twin towers. LET US NEVER FORGET.

[Libertina]

Fight like you're trained, follow procedures and you'll get through this fine." sigh....nope, not a General Patton...

[RipSawyer]

"If we take a number of casualties and the French open their yaps, Bush can feel free to call me up. I may not be a spring chicken, but I can hit a chicken at several hundred yards."

A chicken at several hundred yards is beyond any shooting I have ever attempted but I will say that as a young boy I used to go out and shoot the eyes out of a chicken and then Mama would dress it out and cook it for supper. Funny how she never wanted to shoot, she could outdo most men at a lot of things but Mama never wanted to shoot. If necessary though, she would grab a live chicken and wring its neck.

[river rat]

Roger your last...

But never forgetting is best executed by GETTING EVEN...
And, Getting Even has nothing to do with counting enemy bodies to achieve some "balance"..

It has more to do with killing enough of the bastards to convince the living survivors to live in peace.

With the lunatic bastards we're dealing with now -- the death of millions may be required...

The expression "Bled quietly white" comes to mind....

Semper Fi

[DoughtyOne]

We've got you listed here as headed for France. Let me know if you change your mind. ;) BTW, we'll set you up with a sawed off shotgun for close in work. Take care bud!

[capitan_refugio]

If you are out of the country on April 15, then your filing date is much later. It is listed in the instruction manual. And from that date, you can request a further extension of three months. It is also my understanding that a serviceman in a combat zone has another type of extension. Check with the IRS. (Of course, if he is due a refund, file as soon as possible.)

[JimRed]

Frankly, I hope Desert Storm's "Highway of Death" looks like a DisneyWorld ride compared to what we give them this time.

Even better if they hang Saddam by his heels and we don't have to kill any of them!

[capitan_refugio]

I wish we had an Iowa class BB sitting a few miles off of the French Riviera. Then for every American casualty in the liberation of Iraq, we lob one round of HC or AP into Cannes.

I've have never seen a battleship (BB) fire a salvo in person, but as a kid living in Palos Verdes, around 1968-69, I heard thundering noises coming from out at sea. A neighbor friend's Dad, who was the XO on a destroyer (two tours to Viet Nam) said that was the New Jersey taking target practice on the seaside of San Clemente Island, about 50 miles away!

[Myrddin]

He is due a refund. I'll do his taxes and put the refund in his account. Thanks for the info with regard to deferred filing.