Idaho Nat'l Guard tells soldiers stick to approved themes...

[stevedeshazer]

...when dealing with media

BOISE, Idaho (AP) The Idaho National Guard has issued a set of talking points for soldiers to use when speaking to the media, reminding them to focus on support for the war in Iraq and confidence in American troops.

In this month's newsletter to the 116th Brigade Combat Team, the unit's public affairs officer told soldiers that referring to the approved themes ''adds continuity to the message we are portraying as a unit.''

The five ''command themes'' are:

pride in being on active duty

support for the U.S. presence in Iraq

confidence in American troops

commitment to unified forces

appreciation for families and employers

''Those are the messages we want out there right now,'' Capt. Monte Hibbert, who wrote the article, said Wednesday in a telephone interview from Fort Bliss, Texas, where he is training with 2,000 other Idaho National Guardsmen for a one-year tour in Iraq beginning this fall.

more: http://www.boston.com/dailynews/196/nation/Idaho_National_Guard_tells_sol:.shtml

[pfitz59]

1. Stupid soldiers....

Shrubya commands the troops:
"sit"
"speak"
"beg"
"roll over"
"play dead".....
................
...............
"dammit, I said PLAY dead...."




Tools in the on-going struggle...

[qazplm]

2. uh excuse me?

no, its the law, soldiers have to follow, they dont have a choice, they cannot downgrade the mission or the chain of command...especially not when talking to the media, which is why if asked as a soldier and officer, I would just say "no comment".

[Joanne98]

6. He said play dead

Can't you follow orders? Bark Bark :)

[BrotherBuzz]

7. Why does Captain Monte Hibbert just call them guidelines...

if it's the 'law' and they don't have a choice?

<snip
Hibbert said he did not intend to restrict soldiers' comments to the media.
"We just give them guidelines," he said. "They can talk about how the deployment is affecting them personally, and they're free to express their opinion."
<snip

They never attempted to stifle my opinion when I was in the service. But, then again, I was just a dumb draftee that 'added no value, no advantage, really, to the United States armed services ... '

On edit: I'm still dumb - I left a word out!

[Redhead488]

11. They are guidelines only

They can't stop soliders from saying what they believe or feel as long as the soliders don't criticize their superiors or their civilian leadership.

[nolabels]

13. This could prove difficult

http://www.antiwar.com/

Suicide bombing, assassination strong signal from Iraqi insurgents

By Tarek El-Tablawy, Associated Press, 7/14/2004 17:11
(snip)
On Wednesday, a statement posted on a Web site and attributed to al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility for a mortar attack near Allawi's home last week. The statement said the militant's group would continue to pursue Allawi, whom insurgents view as a collaborator with President Bush and the 160,000 foreign troops in Iraq.

''We are after you,'' the statement said.

Violence around the country since the transfer of power has killed scores of U.S. soldiers, Iraqi national guardsmen and Iraqi civilians.

But Baghdad, despite several daylight gunbattles and fatal mortar attacks, was relatively calm before the devastating bombing Wednesday.

The U.S. military in Baghdad had staged a major counterinsurgency operation including checkpoints, raids on suspected insurgent hideouts and extra patrols to prevent attacks that could disrupt the handover of power. That operation ended by the beginning of this week.
(snip)
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/196/world/Suicide_bombing_assassination_:.shtml

[stevedeshazer]

8. So,

It's normal to order soldiers to say something they don't believe to the press?

Were/are you in the military?

[FlemingsGhost]

3. " ... shut up and die like a hero. Oh, and smiles everyone."

:puke:

[Rose Siding]

4. Name, rank and serial number

Cuz the press is the enemy- WE'RE the enemy.

[Joanne98]

5. Talking points for troops

Sounds like a "self help book" Calling Tony Robbins....................hahahahahahahahaha

[Rose Siding]

9. Did they do this during Vietnam?

Did they control the mssg like this? or earlier?

I can't imagine Edward R Murrow sitting still for this.

[central scrutinizer]

10. they didn't all get the memo

In a recent trip through Idaho at a gas station, I encountered a woman Guard member just returned from Iraq. She had been wounded and was quite candid about the situation over there: "You wouldn't believe how much the people hate us because we are occupying their country."

[MountainLaurel]

14. And did you tell her

"Well, if someone was occupying YOUR country, bombing civilians and tearing up homes under the possibility that a terrorist might have once set foot there

WOULDN'T YOU HATE THE OCCUPIERS!"

Sheesh.

[THUNDER HANDS]

12. did Rove write the talking points?