Yesterday an American Soldier told me that nobody cares about Soldiers. There wasn’t the tiniest hint of self-pity in his words. It was stated as fact, just simple cynical fact.
Me, being me, declared ‘YES they do. Many people do. The AMERICAN PEOPLE CARE!‘ I said it with passion and conviction.
‘Why do you think that?’, I asked.
‘We are pawns in a political game.’ he replied. He told me about how the guys over there all talk about it - privately. They see the news, they hear what people say. They know they are expendable.
‘It’s disheartening’, he said. Again said not with self-pity - just as fact.
I went into a tirade about how the loudest people are getting all the press and that he shouldn’t let that influence his attitude. I told him that most people, MOST people understand and know what they are doing there. Most people love and appreciate them and what they are doing. I told him that the average person isn’t like John Murtha, or John Kerry, or Air America, or any of the other narcissists that are willing to use the Soldiers’ lives for their own political gain.
In fact, I told him, most people despise those people for their carelessness with the lives of our Soldiers.
He listened, or didn’t listen, but he waited till I finished my onslaught in defense of the American people. Then he replied. ‘We know.’ That’s all. Just ‘we know’.
I felt like crying. I still feel like crying over it. I wanted to jump through the phone and make him understand that people do care. What he is doing is honorable and the people are behind them 100%.
But I’m powerless to make him understand. I’m powerless to make people understand how harmful words can be. I’m powerless to change anything.
All of this was in response to me asking him some questions about what they are doing. He skirted around my questions, but he finally started telling me what he could about his work.
‘We are having to train our troops to not shoot until we are certain that we are being shot at.’ He said they were training the troops to not shoot just because someone is shooting, they have to make sure they are shooting at them.
I asked, ‘What - you have to wait till you’re shot before you shoot?’. ‘Pretty much,’ he replied.
He told me that after the incident in which two Soldiers had been mutilated he had to have a long talk with his men about saving the last bullet for themselves should they find themselves over run.
‘You have to ask yourself, would you rather your mother get a letter that you died in battle or that you died mutilated with your penis cut off and crammed down your throat.’ he told his men.
He told me about ‘cultural sensitivity’ courses they are being required to take. He said the word around is that everybody is skittish about the ever present cameras and newsmen. They have to make sure nothing can be interpreted in the press to make the Americans out to be the bad guys.
‘Everybody’s afraid to pull the trigger. If you don’t pull the trigger, you might be killed, if you pull the trigger you could be ending your career.’ He added, ‘They’d really rather us be killed than get any bad press. So we aren’t supposed to pull the trigger.’
I’m watching Israel go after one Soldier. They refuse to leave this one Soldier to the horrible fate that the Palestinians undoubtedly would have in store for him. The news is calling it a ’stand-off’. It’s not a stand-off. Israel is beating the daylights out of them. But the press is doing all it can to give the Palestinians hope that they might be able to live through a real all out assault by Israel.
Why won’t America do that? Why does America tie the hands of our troops? Why don’t we kick the press out of the platoons and let them do what they need to do? Why would we RATHER OUR SOLDIER’s be killed than get bad press?
We are getting bad press ANYWAY. I’d rather the world RESPECT us than like us. No one can respect THIS kind of weak, lily-livered fighting.
It’s all so silly and at the same time so sad.
How does a mother stand having her child in this battle with the worst of the enemies being the American media and progressives who would see our Soldiers dead than admit there is a real threat from the islamic world.
I thought we learned that lesson in Vietnam.
Recent related:
January 28th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
I am in the 4/2 Stryker Brigade. If possible, I wish to remain anonomous for fear of repercussions from those in my unit. However, this information is public knowledge.
All that are killled are not Celebrities like Pat Tillman, but public attention should be brought to others just the same. Some are dying before we even get to Iraq, but I wonder who cares.
While Lieutenant Watada awaits trial, thousand of others in Washington State feel the same way. Not only are the ethics of this war questionable, we are sending soldiers to combat that are far from trained!!! Now they want to push more units in earlier than planned. We are not ready!!!
Is anyone paying attention to the soldiers that are so untrained that they are shooting each other, before we even get to Iraq ? One soldier fired his weapon 9 times, hitting one vehicle, hitting another soldier in the face and KILLING another soldier named Private Compean.
The meddic on site was reduced in rank for drinking problems. Maybe he was somewhat competent for an alcoholic; I’m not sure.
Bigger problems are lack of training and the right equipment. Although this unit has been in existence for 2 years, it was only a few months ago when everyone finally got weapons. Before that, we were sharing weapons to train with. This may sound minor, but rifles are supposed to be sighted-in different for each person and remain at those sight-settings. Someone was always borrowing my rifle, and then I would have to start all over adjusting it.
We have little-or-no equipment. The barracks we live in was supposed have been condemned more than a year ago. Heck, we even used our ponchos as curtains for more than a year, until they finally got us curtains. We fight over a roll of toilet paper, yet they say we are ready for war.
Our mortar platoon failed the last training exercise. They excused this saying that the Mortars were never in a Styker vehicle until this November and it will take some time to adjust. Maybe it is not their fault that they train by riding around in an old supply truck, pretending it is a Stryker vehicle, and pretending it has big guns on top, while saying “bang-bangâ€Â.
They can say that this unit has been training for 2 years, but that is far from the truth. The first year was hundreds of E1s getting baby-sat by only 1 or 2 Sergeants and an officer. The first year was mostly physical fitness and taking care of the lawn. They multiple law violations and discipline problems are documented including robbery, assault, rape and countless drug offenses. Just now are the right number of leaders and the right equipment in place to begin proper training.
The senior leaders all want to deploy immediately for 2 reasons. 1. They would be blamed if they ever admitted that we were not ready. 2. Getting to Iraq is the only way to ensure that they get promoted. It makes their reports look great, no matter how many die. They are trained to always volunteer for anything to please the big boss.
Should Compean’s death should be blamed on lack of realistic training??? His First Sergeant cheated during an evaluation by walking through the test area and noting where every assault might come from. He then went back and told his soldiers. Sure this makes him look good on an evaluation, but does it help to train soldiers? They might not be surprised during training, but how can they deal with a real surprise attack in Iraq ?
We are always drilled and scolded about what to say to the media. We are directed to say nothing. “That is only the job of Public Affairsâ€Â. That might keep us out of the headlines, but that is not going to keep us safe. This unit is 2 years from being ready for deployment.
April 6th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
I read these comments and all I see is HATE and KILL. That is what the America of 2007 is HATE and KILL. This war is nothing but an opportunity for CHENEY-ROVE, INC. to pick the pockets of the American people, I know, I saw a piece of it myself in the little part I was sent to.
God Bless our troops/kids, even the ‘true believers’, God forgive them they know not what they do. We can see how much America ‘truly cares’ for the troops in the treatment of the now 30K+ wounded and disabled. Especially the TBI and PTSD casualties. Cheney-Rove’s answer is to discharge them for ‘pre-existing personality disorders’ thus preventing them from getting any help whasoever. Yeah, America supports the troops, almost as bad as Vietnam.
We need to do a phased withdrawl from Iraq, as we ultimately will whether it be 2008 or 2011, declare victory and let nature take its course with the different tribes/sects of the Muslim Arabs in Iraq. If Rumsfeld had not been so arrogant in 2003 and had bothered to do his homework on the social dynamics of the Arab tribes and extended families and had worked within those structures 2003-2004, we might not have had a Walter Reed scandal in 2007.
February 5th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
thank you for the people commenting on this soldiers sadnessand the upport you share, ive spent almost 3 yrs in total in iraq, the ones who cause the misery are all the officers who fight from the back, the enlisted warfighter fights only to enlighten his LT or CPT or higher given orders in the rear vehicle or the back of the patrol.. ask any NCO
October 10th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
[...] know that when my son was in the difficult fighting in Iraq, there were times of great discouragement. With the political atmosphere as it is in the United States right now, it’s difficult for [...]