Marines’ Reaction to the News: "Who’s Rumsfeld?"

[demokatgurrl]

Priceless!

ZAGARIT, Iraq, Nov. 9 — Hashim al-Menti smiled wanly at the marine sergeant beside him on his couch. The sergeant had appeared in the darkness on Wednesday night, knocking on the door of Mr. Menti’s home.

<snip>

The marines had been on a continuous foot patrol for several days, hunting for insurgents. They were lost in the hard and isolating rhythms of infantry life.

They knew nothing of the week’s news. Now they were being told by an Iraqi whose house they occupied that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, one of the principal architects of the policies that had them here, had resigned. “Rumsfeld is gone?” the sergeant asked. “Really?”

Mr. Menti nodded. “This is better for Iraq,” he said. “Iraqi people say thank you.”

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. Mr. 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.nytimes.com/2006/11/10/world/middleeast/10marines.html?hp&ex=1163221200&en=e2b42fbea8b9beb7&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[demosincebirth]

1. Sounds about right

[sutz12]

3. Sounds like BS to me...

All servicemen are taught their chain of command, from Pres, to SecDef, down to their squad and fire team leaders.

[quiet.american]

4. Actually when I was in USAF, I had no idea who SecDef was. n/t

[benddem]

8. no they aren't

the company commander and bn commander are the command they know. I don't know why people think these guys should know the name of the sec.def.

[zanne]

10. I wonder if they'd be able to name the enemy.

I know that they're there to help their buddies and they say that they're there "fighting for freedom". But I wonder if they really know or have a deep conviction about who they're fighting and just who/what the enemy is. It's never specific when they're being interviewed.

[demosincebirth]

12. They are taught a lot of stuff, but most just remember the

things that important to them. Who cares who the SOD is.

[keepCAblue]

2. Guess Kerry's gaffe wasn't so off target. n/t

[ieoeja]

6. Right. Because four years running around in the dark...

... looking for your enemy while avoiding getting shot yourself, is absolutely no excuse for not knowing what's going on in the larger world.

Or maybe that is an excuse. Which leads to the question, what's yours?

[Graybeard]

5. Sorry, but this is nonsense...

...one of the first requirements in all branches of the
military is to memorize,memorize,memorize your chain of
command...from your own squad leader on up to the C in C.

[ieoeja]

7. In bootcamp, yes.

After which you promptly forget all the political hacks in between. Cause a trooper running around in the dark in Iraq just may have something more immediate on his mind than which politician got caught doing meth with a male prostitute that particular week.

[benddem]

9. and you really think they remember it ?

that's nuts. The average grunt has no concept of what the Sec DEf does.

[DinahMoeHum]

11. Does it really matter? Odds are, most Marines thought Rumsfeld

was a candy-assed pussy to begin with.

:evilfrown:

[wicket]

13. LOL

:rofl: