This story appeared on the ABC Nightly News tonight. It was more moving when you actually saw and heard the disheartened troops, but here is a transcript. ************ A Big Letdown Soldiers Learn They’ll Be in Baghdad Longer Than Expected By Jeffrey Kofman F A L L U J A H, Iraq, July 15— The sergeant at the 2nd Battle Combat Team Headquarters pulled me aside in the corridor. "I've got my own 'Most Wanted' list," he told me. He was referring to the deck of cards the U.S. government published, featuring Saddam Hussein, his sons and other wanted members of the former Iraqi regime. "The aces in my deck are Paul Bremer, Donald Rumsfeld, George Bush and Paul Wolfowitz," he said. He was referring to the four men who are running U.S. policy here in Iraq — the four men who are ultimately responsible for the fate of U.S. troops here. Those four are not popular at 2nd BCT these days. It is home to 4,000 troops from the 2nd Brigade of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division. The soldiers were deployed to Kuwait last September. They were among the first troops in Baghdad during the war. And now they've been in the region longer than other troops: 10 months and counting. They were told they'd be going home in May. Then in early July. Then late July. Then last week they heard that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had mentioned them on Capitol Hill. "The 2nd Brigade is — the plan is that they would return in August, having been there something like 10 months," said Rumsfeld. He added: "The services and the Joint Staff have been working with Central Command to develop a rotation plan so that we can, in fact, see that we treat these terrific young men and young women in a way that's respectful of their lives and their circumstances." Solid words from a solid source. Soldiers called their families. Commanding officers began preparations. ‘I Don’t Care Anymore’ Now comes word from the Pentagon: Not so fast. The 2nd Brigade will be staying in Iraq "indefinitely." The earliest they could return home is October. "If Donald Rumsfeld were sitting here in front of us, what would you say to him?" I asked a group of soldiers who gathered around a table, eager to talk to a visiting reporter. "If he was here," said Pfc. Jason Punyahotra, "I would ask him why we're still here, why we've been told so many times and it's changed." In the back of the group, Spc. Clinton Deitz put up his hand. "If Donald Rumsfeld was here," he said, "I'd ask him for his resignation." Those are strong words from troops used to following orders. They say they will continue to do their job, but they no longer seem to have their hearts in the mission. "I used to want to help these people," said Pfc. Eric Rattler, "but now I don't really care about them anymore. I've seen so much, you know, little kids throwing rocks at you. Once you pacify an area, it seems like the area you just came from turns bad again. I'd like this country to be all right, but I don't care anymore." Wondering Why What they care about is their families. Sgt. Terry Gilmore had to call his wife, Stacey, this week to her that he wouldn't be home in a few weeks to see her and their two little children. "When I told her, she started crying," Gilmore said, his eyes moistening. "I mean, I almost started crying. I felt like my heart was broken. We couldn't figure out why they do it. Why they can keep us over here right after they told us we were coming home." Sgt. Felipe Vega, who oversees the platoon, sat alone in the platoon quarters, writing a letter. A photo of his wife, Rhonda, was taped to the wall above him. It is Vega's job to maintain morale. That's not easy, he told me, when the Army keeps changing the orders. "They turn around and slap you in the face," he said. When asked if that's the way it feels, he said, "Yeah, kicked in the guts, slapped in the face." Losing Faith The 2nd Brigade originally came to Kuwait for six months of exercises. Then they stayed to fight the war. Like the others, Vega thought that would be the end of it. "What was told to us in Kuwait," he said, "was the fastest way to go home was through Baghdad. And that's what we did." But more than three months later they are still here. "Well it pretty much makes me lose faith in the Army," said Pfc. Jayson Punyhotra, one of the soldiers grouped around the table. "I mean, I don't really believe anything they tell me. If they told me we were leaving next week, I wouldn't believe them." Fighting words from men who are eager to put down their weapons. abc news
It's just one unit who is been on the front lines far too long. I can't believe they haven't pulled them back and rotated them back to the world. I remember when my MAU got extended twice and an 8 month deployment turned into 10 months. Did we get an extra two months off? Hell no. Six months later, bam, we are back underway. Some of the Marines in my squad were b****ing and moaning about it. I told them, "Listen here, assholes. You don't have to like it, you just have to do it." I feel for those Army guys, but that statement applies to them as well. I know for a fact that if some of our Marines were whining on TV like that, we would've had hell to pay for embarassing the Corps and making us look like a bunch of spoiled brats. When you enlist, you swear this oath: ''I, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.'' This oath may be taken before any commissioned officer of any armed force Notice the line obey the orders of the President of the United States? You swear that oath, you had better mean it. Besides, I think the news probably was on a little fishing expedition to find people dissatisfied with the mission over there. It just makes it look like all of the Army over there is dispirited. The Creed of the United States Marine This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will . . . . My rifle and I know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit . . . . My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strengths, its parts, its accessories, its sights, and its barrel. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will . . . . Before God I swear this creed. My rifle and I are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life. So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but Peace! Major General W. H. Rupertus, USMC
Maybe they don't have dictionaries in Alabama. Allow me... mo·rale ( P ) Pronunciation Key (m-rl) n. The state of the spirits of a person or group as exhibited by confidence, cheerfulness, discipline, and willingness to perform assigned tasks.
I don't think much in what they say conflicts with obeying orders, unless those orders included lying about how you feel about the situation. From recent news reports - we only have one full active duty Army division that could replace them, so perhaps they are holding them back for contingencies, i.e. North Korea, and the Marine Corps is perhaps saying "we won't ever do peacekeeping"?
The problem, said one 2nd Brigade officer, who also asked not to be identified, is that the decision makers in Washington are out of touch with what's happening in Iraq. "It doesn't seem like anybody higher up cares to realize what these soldiers have been through, or what they're going through on a daily basis," he said. "I can guarantee you they've never stood out in a checkpoint in the heat of the day, day after day, full battle rattle, always wondering if today's the day somebody's going to shoot me. Do they even care?" Knight Ridder
This is one more symptom of a much larger disease. It is becoming obvious that this Administration absolutely and without reservation simply does not care about the "little guy", whether he works on an assembly line or serves in the armed forces. The only people this Administration cares about are the ones that donate money to their campaign.
I went to the U of A, that's why I'm the Bamaslammer. Yes, we do have dictionaries there and here in Georgia. I just don't see why they would go and b**** on natl. TV like that. It makes our Army look like a bunch of whining wussies. When you sign on that dotted line, you are also signing up to represent the U.S. Those guys should've thought about that before they blabbed like that. Frankly, they should be home already, but like I said earlier, "You don't have to like it, you just have to do." b****ing like that is like pissing in the wind.
Soldiers understand they have a job to do. But when it becomes increasingly clear (by everything else becoming increasingly muddled) that you are just being used as a blunt instrument by leaders who always believed themselves above putting on a uniform themselves... I'm not exaggerating, and I used to be in the military; no "shout-downs" please: when asked about why he avoided Vietnam, Cheney said, "I had other priorities at the time." And Rumsfeld is fairly well hated, even (especially?) in some military circles, thanks to his utter disdain for soldiers. When explaining policy, pre-invasion, of using light fast forces rather than the larger number of troops that the Army was requesting for Iraq, he was talking to a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff like this: "Are you following me? Do you get it now?" Rumsfeld has recently been saying we need to send more troops to Iraq for a more prolonged stay. The soldiers have been away from their families for nearly a year. They've earned the right to complain. It won't change things much, but they can do it.
Well, you better know that the GI Bill is simply an inducement, not a sole reason for signing on the dotted line. If that is not simply a fringe benefit for the priviledge of serving the country you love, you are going to be one hurting unit for four years. They knew what they were getting into when they signed on the dotted line in their recruiter's office. As we said in the Corps, "First to go, last to know."
Well, you better know that the GI Bill is simply an inducement, not a sole reason for signing on the dotted line. If that is not simply a fringe benefit for the priviledge of serving the country you love, you are going to be one hurting unit for four years. They knew what they were getting into when they signed on the dotted line in their recruiter's office. As we said in the Corps, "First to go, last to know." Did they sign away their right to voice their opinion?
Yes. When you sign on that line, you also lose most of your constitutional rights as well, including the First Amendment. I had to go see my battalion adjutant because my pickup truck had a bumper sticker that said "Don't steal, the government hates competition." He ordered me to rip it off because the military is not allowed to even participate in politcal campaigns in any way, except to vote. And he said that bumper sticker was offensive. So I did as ordered.
honestly, i think the answer to that question is, "yes." there's a whole different set of rights and system for justice in the military...JAG...military tribunals...court martial proceedings. all very different from civilian proceedings. more concerning to me is not this one particular instance...but the ability of the men and women of the armed forces to personally shape policy by exacting pressure on any administration through the media like this. if the men get uncomfortable in war time...as war time tends to be uncomfortable...they can start with these sorts of activities. that's a bit concerning to me.
more concerning to me is not this one particular instance...but the ability of the men and women of the armed forces to personally shape policy by exacting pressure on any administration through the media like this. if the men get uncomfortable in war time...as war time tends to be uncomfortable...they can start with these sorts of activities. that's a bit concerning to me. I think it's more important to hear these things than not. The soldiers are going to feel them regardless and their quality of work will be affected by it. Leadership can only respond to it and formulate the best policy if they know what's on the minds of the people who are executing those policies. If the soldiers' hearts aren't into it, I think that needs to be accounted for when determining the missions and strategies that are going to be used.
Major, I'm not trying to be a jerk at all, but that just wouldn't work. The military is founded on one principle, following orders immediately and exactly. You don't question authority at all..... Under no circumstances. If we have a military questioning their C in C's motivations constantly and refusing to follow his lawful orders, our system of doing things would break down completely. And trust me, you want folks in the military who follow orders without question, even if it means their deaths. But if the order is a known unlawful order (under the dictates of the UCMJ)....in that case, question it and refuse to obey it lest you too are thrown into the wheels of UCMJ justice and end up cracking big rocks into little ones in Levenworth.
I'm not trying to be a jerk at all, but that just wouldn't work. The military is founded on one principle, following orders immediately and exactly. You don't question authority at all..... Under no circumstances. If we have a military questioning their C in C's motivations constantly and refusing to follow his lawful orders, our system of doing things would break down completely. I agree that you have to follow orders - and there's no sign that these guys aren't doing that. However, you also have to know the mindset of the people being ordered to do stuff - that's just simple people management. You're not going to be able to come up with the best plans unless you know all the info. Whether its done in private or through the media, it needs to be made known. I'm guessing these soldiers feel much more comfortable voicing this stuff to the media than to superiors who have the power to penalize them. It would be different if, by not voicing those opinions, the people didn't feel them - but that's not the case.
Good point about the people management angle. I guess you probably have more experience in corporate America (I work at a newspaper now after college and after the Corps) than I do. In the Corps, the Commandant instituted a direct email line to him and encouraged everyone from the lowliest private to the generals to use it. Maybe if the Army had that we wouldn't be in this predicament.
