Check out this WaPo story on the complaints of Marines stationed in Iraq. As the story points out, the grunts eye view isn't always the most accurate, but it's still pretty depressing. Key quote:
"The reality right now is that the most dangerous opinion in the world is the opinion of a U.S. serviceman," said Lance Cpl. Devin Kelly, 20, of Fairbanks, Alaska.
Lance Cpl. Alexander Jones, 20, of Ball Ground, Ga., agreed: "We're basically proving out that the government is wrong," he said. "We're catching them in a lie."
Saturday, October 09, 2004
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5 comments:
Palooka, how do you know? Is there a reasonable poll to study? Suppose they are lying to the pollster because they do not wish their commanding officers to know. How much mind reading did you study in college?
Thanks, Palooka. The situations in various towns seem mixed and occluded. It will be significant if 1200 American grunts can stay in Samarra for more than a few weeks without becoming victim to a string of guerrilla attacks. Some of the other signs are not so good: the instructions to personnel for staying safe INSIDE the green zone; Richard Beeston's report that beheading vidos are a very popular purchase in the big cities.
I feel for the guys interviewed for the story and the thankless job they are doing, but to take the pulse of an army by asking E3s and E4s what they think about getting shot at is horsedung. I don't understand why no senior NCOs or Company Grade Officers were interviewed for the story. Guess what - when they're not carrying out the job of being part of the best fighting force in the world today, junior enlisted Marines, and for that matter soldiers and sailors, complain, and then complain some more. No question things are tough over there now, and they're going to stay tough through the elections and as responsibility for security transitions at what will seem like a snail's pace to the Iraqis. Our government has to do everything it can to support our deployed troops, and has to continue to impress on those of us at home how critical a job our Marines and soldiers are doing, but I for one am not going to wring my hands in despair because some junior enlisted Marines say everything is going to hell.
How tough is it? Check the Reuters story this morning on the extraordinary security measures INSIDE the Green Zone(Oct. 10). People have to fear kidnapping in there. As for outside the zone... Moral? Follow Shinseki's advice on troop levels, or just get out. This Titanic is going down.
Well, there's another reason why the troops voted for Bush: He was less socialist and thus less evil domestically than Kerry was (in spite of his dangerous, unconstitutional and misguided foreign policy). Perhaps that's why troops are donating more to Ron Paul than any other candidate, including the mainstream "Republicans". Think about it. http://www.ronpaul2008.com
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