'Waiting to Get Blown Up,' Some Troops in Baghdad Express Frustration...

[ProSense]

'Waiting to Get Blown Up'

Some Troops in Baghdad Express Frustration With the War and Their Mission

By Joshua Partlow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 27, 2006; Page A01

BAGHDAD, July 26 Army Staff Sgt. Jose Sixtos considered the simple question about morale for more than an hour. But not until his convoy of armored Humvees had finally rumbled back into the Baghdad military base, and the soldiers emptied the ammunition from their machine guns, and passed off the bomb-detecting robot to another patrol, did he turn around in his seat and give his answer.

"Think of what you hate most about your job. Then think of doing what you hate most for five straight hours, every single day, sometimes twice a day, in 120-degree heat," he said. "Then ask how morale is."

Snip...

"It sucks. Honestly, it just feels like we're driving around waiting to get blown up. That's the most honest answer I could give you," said Spec. Tim Ivey, 28, of San Antonio, a muscular former backup fullback for Baylor University. "You lose a couple friends and it gets hard."

"No one wants to be here, you know, no one is truly enthused about what we do," said Sgt. Christopher Dugger, the squad leader. "We were excited, but then it just wears on you -- there's only so much you can take. Like me, personally, I want to fight in a war like World War II. I want to fight an enemy. And this, out here," he said, motioning around the scorched sand-and-gravel base, the rows of Humvees and barracks, toward the trash-strewn streets of Baghdad outside, "there is no enemy, it's a faceless enemy. He's out there, but he's hiding."

Snip...

"My personal opinion, I don't speak for the rest of anybody, I just speak for me personally, I think civil war is going to happen regardless," Steffey responded. "Maybe this country needs it: One side has to win. Be it Sunni, be it Shiite, one side has to win. It's apparent, these people have made it obvious they can't live in unity."

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/26/AR2006072601666.html

[sutz12]

1. Welcome to Vietnam II

At least in Nam, though, the guys knew the powers that be wouldn't "Catch-22" their rotation date. They had lots of draftees to keep up the flow of cannon fodder.

[Ganja Ninja]

2. Why do these traitorous troops hate America?

They need a dose of Rush or Hannity then getting blown up might start looking attractive to them. :sarcasm:

[Felinity]

3. Well put! n/t

[jarnocan]

4. Is the BU**SH**INC. "doing a fabulous job" ?

(an often used bu**sh** phrase)
IMHO only in promoting horror and terror throughout our world.

[bluestateguy]

5. Troops MUST be allowed to openly criticize their government and CIC

Not disobey orders, but they should be allowed to publicly criticize the president and the Administration without fear of a court martial. If the Administration doesn't like it they might want to think about what it is that they are doing that is making a lot of the troops angry.

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Yet their military leaders say Bush is staying focused on winning.

What a crock.

[ProSense]

7. The White House rhetoric...

The White House rhetoric talks about troops who appreciate their mission and understand exactly why their work in Iraq is important and their sacrifices worthwhile. But actually hearing from the troops themselves, who haven't been reading the latest Republican talking points, offers a very different picture. They not only don't want to be there, they're not even sure why they're there.

Spec. Tim Ivey said, "It sucks. Honestly, it just feels like we're driving around waiting to get blown up. That's the most honest answer I could give you."

Sgt. Christopher Dugger, the squad leader, said, "No one wants to be here, you know, no one is truly enthused about what we do."

Spec. Joshua Steffey said he wished "somebody would explain to us, 'Hey, this is what we're working for.'" With a stream of expletives, he said he could not care less "if Iraq's free" or "if they're a democracy."

Spec. David Fulcher compared Iraq to the domestic war on drugs. "It's like this never-ending battle, like, we find one IED, if we do find it before it hits us, so what? You know it's just like if the cops make a big bust, next week the next higher-up puts more back out there."

Snip...

And let's not forget, Bush's new-and-improved plan for the war is to send more troops into Baghdad.

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/8042.html