A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
President Bush said recently that we need to send more troops into Iraq to stem the rise in violence seemingly plaguing the region (really just certain areas). The Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Joints Chiefs of ASP, disagree with the proposal.
Throwing more troops at the problem isn’t going to solve anything. I’m all for increasing the overall size of the military, especially with our current operational tempo. More troops will only ensure that veterans are more rested before being sent back to combat. However, the problem doesn’t lie in the fact that we don’t have enough boots on the ground.
The problem lies in the fact that our hands are tied in Iraq. We can’t be effective the way the politicians have regulated what we can and cannot do there. For example, we had the ability to find, capture, and/or kill Al Sadr and his murderous militia, but we aren’t allowed to. We can find more bad guys through tougher interrogations (no, not torture) but we’ve been forced to coo our enemies into submission instead of extract good, hard intelligence. Putting more troops in Iraq just means you have more people on the ground who can’t do anything.
We need to play hardball with the Iraqi people. They need to be given ultimatums. Either they take an active part in destroying out of control militias or we leave. If we aren’t allowed to do the job anyway, why not just pull out. If the Iraqi people are not going to step up to the bat and start being more proactive in defense of their chosen and democratically elected constitution and government, then let them rot. Let them go back to their 15th century ways of the sword-wielding, horseback riding bandits. We can just push into Iran and take care of other, more pressing issues. Heck, maybe Iran will be more preoccupied defending themselves than sending fighters into Iraq to start trouble. Then we can see who disappears faster.
We can win this war, I don’t care what anyone says. We ARE winning this war, but no thanks to our politicians. Soldiers and Marines have had to use ingenuity and brainpower to find way to cut the ropes that bind our hands without making it look obvious.
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Military Dating Scams (More Nigerian Scammers)
LOL imagine that this scammer actually said if you dont know anything
[UPDATE] The "Face" of Military Dating Scams - The Wall of Shame
@ anonn this one was easy to figure out this liar basically tell where
[UPDATE] The "Face" of Military Dating Scams - The Wall of Shame
@ anonn still not sure why you are using my username but anywho great
Anatomy of a Military Dating Scam
i would love to see what pics he has sent you.....he has started email
sealpatriot
Hey Patriot,
Why are you saying the soldiers can’t do anything? Our brave troops have don tons and continue to do lots more everyday in almost 76 countries worldwide. This isn’t a negative reply, but a differing reply that is also somewhat curious. Give some feedback, later.
Thanks Patriot,
Sealpatriot a.k.a Ryan R.
Patriot
Ryan, I’m just saying that we could do so much more if our leashes were removed. Of course, I acknowledge everything we’re doing and constantly highlight the successes. The world is a better place because of the American Soldier, Sailor, Airman and Marine. Those 76 countries (and others) owe us a huge debt. The Middle East will as well…as soon as we’re allowed to prosecute the fight the way we’re trained to.
Donna
Why won’t they let our soldiers fight the way they have been trained? We are bowing to political pressure I’ll bet and also to the Iraqi government itself. Are those the reasons Patriot?!
sue
Ryan, a lot of times the ROE say you can’t do what needs to be done. When that happens the guys on the ground become very frustrated. Last year, I had a guy, sitting in the middle of Ramadi. There were terrorists laying IED’s in the roads hourly. The roads that OUR convoys had to go over. Our guys had to sit there and watch them and couldn’t take them out because they were so close to a mosque. A mosque I might add that they fled to as soon as they were done, and our guys couldn’t touch them because you have to respect their religious culture. A mosque that had an American flag painted on the ground at the door so that they could step on it as they went in. As I am sure you know in their culture, the bottom of the shoe is a big insult. So for them, this was a big show of disgust for the Americans. This is what Patriot is talking about. It is not the good things that our guys are doing. They are doing them IN SPITE OF being given “delicate” ROE. But how much more could they accomplish if the kid gloves were off.
PJ
I recently saw a two part special on the Military Channel, outlining the duty that US Marine Alpha Company was performimg in Iraq. Several things were remarkable to me in that documentary. The first is the reminder that our troops are so young. The second being that for a group of Marines who are trained fighting men the tasks they are being asked to do are amazing. These young men who went to Iraq to fight the enemies of freedom are being asked to perform as policemen, investigators and diplomats, while being threatened hourly with IED’s, snipers and ambushes. While watching the program I was astounded at how well these fighting men adapted to a situation created by politicians. They certainly didn’t like it, but they followed orders and did their duty very effectively. I am so proud of our men and women on the ground and feel so sorry for the way they are being forced to behave in Iraq. You’re right, more troops is not the answer. We’re way past that necessity. It should have been done a long time ago, accompanied by a plan for victory. As you said, these men and women need to used properly and be allowed to win, or we’ll witness another Saigon embassy retreat in Iraq.
White Rose
I have to agree with Patriot! Between the stories that my son has told me of his time over there and seeing it myself while I was there, I think a lot of the restrictions that are put on our Soldiers are wrong. They want to talk about our guys and gals being killed over there, well they need to look at the ties that they put on them and then they would realize that the restrictions are what is getting them killed!
Terri
I agree WhiteRose. If they were allowed to do their jobs the way they’re trained to do them, a lot of lives would be saved.
sealpatriot
Is it possible to petition the government into changing the ROE?