Troops fear Rumsfeld's exit will end their Iraq mission

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2446536,00.html

Half of America and the upper echelons of the US military may be cheering Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation from the post of Defence Secretary, but there was no rejoicing yesterday among those most directly affected by his decisions: the frontline soldiers in Iraq.

Troops expressed little pleasure at the departure of the man responsible for their protracted deployment to a hostile country where 2,839 of their comrades have died.

Indeed, some members of the 101st Airborne Division and other troops approached by The Times as they prepared to fly home from Baghdad airport yesterday expressed concern that Robert Gates, Mr Rumsfeld’s successor, and the Democrat-controlled Congress, might seek to wind down their mission before it was finished.

Mr Rumsfeld “made decisions, he stuck with them and he did what he thought was right, whether people agreed with it, liked it, or not”, Staff Sergeant Frank Notaro said. He insisted that Iraq was better off now than before the war.

Staff Sergeant Michael Howard said: “It’s a blow to the military. He was a good Secretary of Defence. He kept us focused. He kept the leaders focused. It’s going to be hard to fill his shoes.”

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. THANK YOU SIR. MAY HAVE ANOTHER? Unfuckingbelievable.n/t

[SouthernBelle82]

2. It is unbelievable

I remember there was a guy who happened to be from my home town who questioned Rummy on why they didn't have proper armor for their vehicles and Rummy was just so insulting to them. Instead of giving them a proper answer or something he just so insulted them. So they would rather have a crappy guy there who gives a shit about them?

[Democrats_win]

3. I fear Bob Gates will turn their mission into Vietnam: coups & strong men.

U.S. Backed government in Vietnam:

First:
The Diệm regime had been initially able to cope with the insurgency with the aid of U.S. materiel and advisers, and, by 1962, seemed to be gaining the upper hand.

In 1963, a crackdown by Diệm's forces was launched against Buddhist monks protesting discriminatory practices and demanding a political voice. Diem's repression of the protests sparked the so-called Bhuddist Revolt,

Second:
Eventually, the administration determined that Diem was unwilling to further modify his policies and the decision was made to remove U.S. support from the regime.

The president was overthrown by the military and later executed along with his brother.

Chaos ensued in the security and defense systems of South Vietnam and, once again, Hanoi took advantage of the situation

--
This is only the tip of the iceberg on how the U.S. government backing of the Vietnam government was screwed up. Hopefully someone at DU will remind Americans what a mess this small part of the Vietnam fiasco was. We're just beginning on this path in Iraq.

[aquart]

14. Fear? I'm absolutely sure of it.

They don't have any other way to go.

But what I'm not sure of, is whether they have enough power to put a strongman in place, or whether any other party might also be backing one who will be stronger than ours, which means the civil war will continue, but with more defined structure.

[tblue]

4. I don't believe it. Then why did all the generals revolt against him?

[aquart]

15. Any wounded generals?

The emotional feeling is just not the same.

[tblue]

18. But he has them over there like sitting ducks, without proper body armor or armored vehicles,

allowed Graner et al to take the fall for Abu Ghraib and get sentenced to Leavenworth, keeps stop lossing them. And they have affection for this guy?

Oh, I know why: Stockholm Syndrome.

[Olney Blue]

5. It's always good to have another perspective. I wonder, though,

how widespread this opinion is among the troops?

[LonelyLRLiberal]

6. I doubt these comments reflect the views of everyone serving in Iraq.

Besides, it seems natural to want to believe, when your life is at stake and you have no control over your assignment, that what you are required to do is a worthwhile venture. I feel very sorry for the troops. None of this mess is their fault.

[Little Wing]

7. There's not a chance in hell that Staff Sergeant Michael Howard knows

anything about the discussions between Rummy and the Generals.

He heard it on the radio. I wonder who would have told him that.

[Straight Shooter]

8. Damn straight it will be hard to fill his shoes.

They're already overflowing with crap.

[steve2470]

9. ??? hard to believe nt

[NJ_Lib]

10. Since when did making decisions and sticking...

... with them blindly become such a noble virtue?

"That Bush is a swell guy, the way he feels about an issue on Monday is the same way he'll feel about it on Wednesday, regardless of what happens on Tuesday"... Stephen Cobert

[EFerrari]

11. This is The Onion, right? nt

[smalll]

12. Surprising, to say the least - it's interesting to note those troops were ...

"approached by The Times as they prepared to fly home from Baghdad airport yesterday." I take that to mean these were men who had just finished their time in Iraq. And in a funny way, it would make sense that soldiers who have served there might often feel like this. If they believe that there is any chance that Iraq can stabilize and become free, they might want us to keep going. For their fellow soldiers who died or were wounded, and for themselves - for that long hard year (or so) of their own lives they sunk into the project. They're never getting that year back you know.

[jumpoffdaplanet]

13. A B'rer Rabbit kind of fear

Doncha' think?

[emulatorloo]

16. Steady diet of Rush Limbaugh on Armed Forces Radio, IMHO n/t

[Bigmack]

17. There are still Vietnam vets...

who believe we could have actually won!

For the most part, soldiers and Marines haven't actually been following what's happening at the SecDef level. They usually are more interested in the "keeping my ass wired to my body" level.

When they get home and out and educated, they'll know just how fucked this whole thing was. That's when they're gonna hurt....knowing the US has pissed away 3000 of their comrades lives, and screwed up their young lives.

Some of the troops in Iraq today will, undoubtedly, listen to scumbags like Limpballs and fall for the bullshit line that the US could have won.

[sce56]

19. I would like to see them interview those who signed up for the Appeal

to Congress for Redress!
http://www.appealforredress.org/index.php

I Know lots did not like to go and then be in a no win situation and of course all who gave all for what Halliburton to earn high theft profits. My Son spent two tours there helping to restore electrical power. Now I have to hope he does not show any bad effect's from his time there in a country polluted by Depleted Uranium and given water treated by unskilled Haliburton employees that had not a clue what they were doing to ensure the water was really purified. One employee was dismayed to find that the people before him were giving the troops the backwash from the RO units instead of the purified water.

http://web.archive.org/web/20030602211200/


October 17, 2006,Will be remembered as the Enabling day of the 21st Century!
"The government will make use of these powers only insofar as they are essential for carrying out vitally necessary measures..."
~Adolf Hitler, March 23, 1933, before the German Parliament (Reichstag) as he urged them to pass his "Enabling Act"





Fascism Accomplished!

[texanwitch]

20. I am a precinct judge and on election day I helped Iraq vet cancel

an overseas ballot.

In the discussion we had he told me that during the 04 election the military went out of their way to make sure all the troops had the chance to vote.

The bad part was they were told to vote for Bush because he would make sure that they would get all the equipment they needed.

I had listen to this and not laugh, it was hard.

[neebob]

21. What?

Maybe they interviewed the guys with the "Help us Jon Carry we're stuck in Irak" sign.

[williesgirl]

22. The troops I know just want to come home, feel no good is being done there now.

[RaleighNCDUer]

23. Well, just because not everyone in the military is a moron

it doesn't mean that there are no morons in the military.

[Disturbed]

24. This guy speaks for the majority of 140K Troops?

Uh, don't think so.

[EFerrari]

25. Either that or they didn't interview the guy standing behind him

holding the gun to his head.

[fujiyama]

26. It's worth noting

that the Times of London is a Murdoch owned rag.

Take it with a grain of salt. This article speaks like propaganda typical of Murdoch's papers.