In Dying, Colonel Broke a Promise to His Troops

[ECH1969]

At a prayer breakfast in Baghdad last week, Col. William Wood tearfully promised soldiers in the California National Guard battalion that the killing and wounding of soldiers in his battered unit would come to an end.

No more soldier photographs, he pledged, would be added under his watch to the already crowded wall at Forward Operating Base Falcon where the battalion honors its dead.

Less than 48 hours later, the 44-year-old Wood died in a roadside bomb explosion when he came to the aid of a fallen comrade. He was the highest-ranking American officer to die since the war began.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-guard2nov02,1,2620555.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

[CottonBear]

1. How ironic and so very sad.

He is the highest ranking US officer to die in Iraq. :(

[jackster]

2. Godspeed Col Wood....

thank you for your service from a grateful nation

We're so sorry we sent you to die for a lie

[Metta]

3. Yes, a sad irony.

R.I.P. Colonel Wood.

[saigon68]

4. "BRING EM ON" shouted the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

18. This post accounts for about 5,000 of your posts.

It's as timely now as it was 2 1/2 years ago.

[saigon68]

22. Actually its more than 3,000

It will go on for another

10 years according to Powell

15-20 years according to Kindasleezy Rice

up to 25 years according to Brain addled McCain

and FOREVER according to Cheney (at least until we kill ALL ISLAMICS)

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

27. Without a doubt, the AWOL Chimp's scream will echo through

history for generations. It will be a voice talking in the heads of many a disenfranchised youth. On both sides.

[Straight Shooter]

5. Coming to the aid of a fallen comrade.

:cry:

[Lerkfish]

6. how could anyone promise such a thing?

that seems odd.

tragedy for him and his family, but I wonder at what bizarre rhetoric people try to jam into the heads of our brave soldiers?

[Bridget Burke]

7. None of his soldiers' names were added to the List.

Just his. Guess he believed his own "bizarre rhetoric."

[daleo]

9. In retrospect, it almost seems like a sort of Delphic Oracle statement

Technically true, but in some other horrible way than first interpreted. Maybe he had a sense his number was coming. Veterans talk about this sort of thing.

[AnneD]

15. A good military leader ALWAYS, ALWAYS puts his troops above himself.

You are there to lead and do everything you can to make sure your troops are taken care of. A good military leader never asks troops to do something that he himself would not do. A good military leader does all that he can do to minimize his troops exposure to hazard. This man was a good military leader. He was not spouting bizarre rhetoric-he was sincere in his belief that none of his boys would died. In combat, you stick togather-your lives depend on it. The fact that he rushed in proves that he cared for his troops above himself. Not all military leaders are like this. In Viet Nam, those that were not leaders wound up fragged. What a devastating loss.

[Lerkfish]

16. I think you misunderstood me...I'm saying I don't think the actual

promise was appropriate. I'm not commenting on this guy's record or actions beyond that.

Let me explain it better: I personally don't think its right to lead your men to think they will not die when going to battle. Its important that the risks be explained honestly.


but hey, just my two cents.

[AnneD]

29. Believe me,

as a grunt, you know you can die. You are fresh meat and you do NOT need the risks explained to you. When I signed on that line, I knew it was a possibility. Before you leave for a combat zone, you write a last letter to be sent to your loved ones upon your death. You can't get more honest than that.
It is nice to know that your leaders don't want you to die and will do all that they can to prevent it. He was reassuring his troops. His actions at the end proved he was willing to do all he could to prevent the death of a soldier.
I think it is difficult to explain this to anyone that does not have an imtimate understanding of the military. Dad was career USAF and I was USAR.
Just from the short snippet, and knowing what I know-he was a soldier's leader-the one you want and trust to get you through combat in one piece.
Just my well worn 2 cents worth.

[Lerkfish]

33. fair enough., you convinced me. nt

[Media_Lies_Daily]

32. I don't think you, or anyone else, knows what he meant by his remark....

...he may have been more than willing to keep his troops out of harm's way while still appearing to follow his orders.

Or, he may simply have had a premonition that he personally was going to die before any of his troops did.

[brainshrub]

8. What a waste of a life.

We should value people like this, not waste them for a lie.

So sad, so sad.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

10. Poor guy

Sounds like he was as out-of-touch as his Commander-In-Chief.

I mean, a colonel in tears before his troops? That's one stressed-out officer who needed stateside medical leave pronto.

And making a promise like that to his soldiers? That's just crazy.

When I read about something like this, as tragic as it is, I always wonder about the many ways people find to commit suicide.

I hope he's at peace, that's all.

[achtung_circus]

14. He seems to have died, as most soldiers do,

not for lofty ideals, but for the people who are their surrogate family in the hell into which we place them.

He apparently died trying to help one of his men.

That's often what it boils down to.

[The_Casual_Observer]

11. He died for a nothing war fought for the sake of bush's vanity

[Gronk Groks]

12. Ok, maybe I'm paranoid...

...Colonel promises to add no more dead OR injured soldiers under his watch. Highest ranking American officer dies 48 hours later...

...military could not let a Colonel start disobeying orders ???
Maybe not a coincidence ??? After all ANYONE can set an IED...

[kamtsa]

31. Yes, you are ;-) (n/t)

[jody]

13. Col. Wood is the first Colonel to die from combat injuries but,

Col. Westhusing died June 5 of non-combat-related injuries in Baghdad.

It's past time to begin an organized retreat from Iraq. All we need is a Commander in Chief who puts troops ahead of his own political agenda.

[leesa]

17. Not a wise thing to promise.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[dionysus]

20. that's a coldhearted and cruel statement to make

you're no liberal.

Applauding the death of an American, how sick are you?

[superconnected]

23. If Americans don't die, the US people won't wake up.

I don't applaud anyones death. But I certianly don't believe this man has a right to live say, more than an iraqi he's ordering his troops to shoot at.

I can't seem to shed tears for our volunteer army on this now. I guess I'll sing "another one bites the dust", instead.

[ECH1969]

21. Wrong

"At a prayer breakfast.... Another KKKrusader down for the count."

US troops are not evil crusaders.

[superconnected]

24. US troops are tools of Bush.

Okay, some unwanting to be tools, but still, tools.

[Vickers]

26. Just because somebody uses a hammer to bash somebody's head in

does not make the hammer evil. :eyes:

[superconnected]

34. are you saying it makes the person who does it evil?

Then, I agree.

Thanks for substantiating my point.

[Vickers]

35. Yes, that is what I am saying. And the hammer is innocent.

:thumbsup:

[Nihil]

25. Who said "evil"?

> US troops are not evil crusaders

On the other hand, when senior officers lead "prayer breakfasts" while
their troops commandeer mosques & houses, I suspect that the Iraqis
might not agree with you.


There again, his comment reminded me more of those other famous words:
"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."

[legin]

28. Casualty figures for this battalion

<<snip>>

"Wood's death and three others from the same unit last week added to the mounting woes of the Modesto-based 1st Battalion 184th Infantry Regiment, which has been mired in controversy and misfortune since it began training in the New Mexico desert more than a year ago.

The battalion's casualty rate, 11 killed and more than 100 wounded among its 700 troops, is one of the highest among all National Guard units in Iraq."

<<snip>>


http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/3432492

(assuming they have been there about a year, should be about 3.5 dead and 35 wounded. Possibly points to a difference in military efficiency between fully trained troops and National Guard troops)

(Using a rule of thumb; for 1 year posting to Iraq, 1:200 chance of being killed, 1:100 seriously wounded, 1:20 wounded)

[madmark]

30. Our service people have been served a sh*t sandwich by Bushco

It should be mandatory for every chickenhawk to have to take that ride from the Bagdag Airport to the Green Zone and back.

[superconnected]

36. meanwhile I watched a lot of people enlist after the iraq war started

because they said they may never get a chance to fight in a war again.

I saw them at my very liberal UCC church. Kids were joining left and right last year.

I'm glad to read enlistment numbers are down this year.

My point is, not all the poor troops, in our VOLUNTEER army, are innocent by standers whom bush inflicted war on. The Iraqis however did not sign up so I feel for them - especially the civilians our poor:nopity: troops are killing.

[superconnected]

37. What year did we start this war? Wasn't it 2001.

In 2 months it will be 2006. Gee, I wonder how many troops really can't get out of this. Seems like they have to voluntarily re-enlist every 4 years. Wouldn't 3/4th of them have had to enlist/re-enlist during the war by now.. oh wait it could be ALL of them at this point.

Poor poor troops. They don't want to fight in a war. Too bad they signed up for THAT job. Sort of like firemen get sent to fires sometimes huh. And when was the last war that WASN'T political corruption for money. Gee, WWII.