Iraq patrol told Rummy is gone, barely blinks

[deadparrot]

ZAGARIT, Iraq — Hashim al-Menti smiled wanly at the Marine sergeant beside him on his couch. The sergeant had appeared in the darkness Wednesday night, knocking on the door of al-Menti's home.

<snip>

The sergeant went upstairs to tell his Marines, just as he had informed them the day before that the Republican Party had lost control of the House of Representatives and that Congress was in the midst of sweeping change. Al-Menti had told them that, too.

"Rumsfeld's out," he said to five Marines sprawled with rifles on the cold floor.

Lance Cpl. James L. Davis Jr. looked up from his cigarette. "Who's Rumsfeld?" he asked.

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/nation/15981318.htm

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. I'm sure not every soldier

is as clueless as this fellow.

[benddem]

3. read below

he's not clueless. He's average.

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. So are fifty percent+ of Americans

who didn't vote Tuesday.

The world is full of people like him, who just aren't interested in politics or the rest of the world for that matter.

[yorkiemommie1]

22. like my coworker who knows all about the new James Bond

and couldn't wait for us to stop talking about the elections so she could talk about James Bond.

[saigon68]

23. LOW HANGING FRUIT killing Islamics by the score

Islamics= Those guys with diapers on their heads

</sarcasm>

[benddem]

2. that is no surprise

the average grunt has absolutely no concept of the hierarchy beyond his battalion command. It isn't in their world view. I'm not saying this in a deprecating way, I was in the military for 22 years and although I did know who the SecDef was...unless he was coming to visit....he bore no relevance to my life.

[jayctravis]

20. Yeah, it's not like they hear from or see them very often.

[Turbineguy]

4. I t may also be that

Lance Cpl. James L. Davis Jr. has a fine sense of humor.

[polemic_realism]

6. that's what I thought...eom

[Tight_rope]

11. I damn sure hope you are right!

[lapfog_1]

7. Which is why I call BS on this other story

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2954113

I just don't think the vast majority of combat troops spend much time on who the SecDef is or what his resignation means.

[underpants]

8. My own story-when Clinton was inaugurated

Sgt:"You aren't worried about a draft dodger being Commander-in-Chief???"

Me:"What f**king difference does it make to me? I am still going to walk through mud and stand outside in the rain all day in the trackpark to do maintenance with parts that don't exist and smoke as many God damned cigarettes as I can stand just to pass the time just like I have been doing under Bush for the last 2 miserable f**king years"

Sgt:"Oh.... yeah"

True Story.

[Tight_rope]

21. Thanks for enlighten me!

[Tight_rope]

9. "Who's Rumsfeld?" he asked" WTF...He's the man that was trying to get you killed!

This guy sounds like my co-worker. JUST FUCKING CLUELESS. Only problem is that she is a civilian out of harms way...but as for Lance Cpl. James L. Davis Jr. it's more pathetic.

[Tight_rope]

10. I'm still in disbelief at what Lance Cpl. Davis asked.

A year ago my co-worker didn't know who Dick Cheney or Tom DeLay were (and we live in Houston, TX).

People like Lance Cpl. Davis and my co-worker gave the world a reason to hate American's.

[stillcool]

13. bombing them to smithereens...

is probably a better motive for hatred. I am fortunate to have the time to read, digest, and determine where my version of truth lies. If I did not have the time, I would be your co-worker. As it is, I often think I am drawn to misery, like a moth to a flame, and that...not any character asset.. provides the impetus for my interest.

[brentspeak]

18. ???????????????????????????

Even if Cpl.Davis really didn't know who Rumsfeld was, what kind of idiot foreigner would hate Americans because of that?

[Knurled99]

12. I call bullshit on that one

A lance corporal in the Marine Corps surely knows his chain of command, which includes the secretary of defense right under the president. The marine might have had his mind on the difficulties of doing foot patrols or may have just zoned out on his cigarette- but in any case, I really doubt he'd have no clue who Donald Rumsfeld is.

[karlrschneider]

14. He could have just been sarcastic...I know when I went to basic

long ago and far away we were required to know the SecDef, Secretaries of all the service branches
and the JCS as well as our own chain of command up to the Base Commander.

[armodem08]

15. see NYT story: Marines’ Reaction to the News: ‘Who’s Rumsfeld?’

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/10/world/middleeast/10marines.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1
On the second page:
"Another marine, Lance Cpl. Randall D. Webb, was scanning traffic through his rifle scope, worried that they had been spotted and the insurgents would soon know where they were.

“I think they see us,” he said."

Is that Senator-elect Webb's son? I read that he's a lance corporal in the Marines.

[Johnyawl]

17. Webb's son is named Jimmie

[Ezlivin]

16. Didn't know who Rumsfeld was, but knew all about Kerry's gaffe?

Hell, guys even made a sign about it.

I wonder if the news to the soldiers is filtered?

Nah....

[geebensis]

19. I'd Bet A Weeks Pay The Marine Was Joking

Those guy's lives are at stake. They're paying attention. They know who Rumsfeld is.

Also, marines are know for their, errr, *dark* humor.

[Massachusetts]

24. Agreed

"They're paying attention. They know who Rumsfeld is".