Engel: No One's Bothered to Explain War to Troops

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Judging by the excerpt Tucker Carlson played on his MSNBC show this afternoon at about 4:15 PM ET, Richard Engel's War Zone Diary is a powerful and moving documentary of the NBC reporter's experiences in Iraq. To his credit. Engel has accompanied troops on many combat patrols. Among other clips, we saw particularly compelling footage Marines on a night mission in the mean streets of Ramadi, in Anbar province, searching for - and finding unharmed - one of their comrades who had gotten separated during an earlier patrol there.

Speaking of combat, Engel even mentioned at one point that "it is very brutal but after some time you do start to see things from their [U.S. soldiers' and Marines'] perspective."

View video here.

But then, at the end of the segment, almost as if he felt obliged to throw a bone to the anti-war crowd, Engel added this seemingly gratuitous comment:

The war has changed on the soldiers. Initially they were fighting, they were told, that they were fighting to protect their families back home from terrorist attack. Then it was to 'support democracy.' And then to try to protect the Iraqi people from a civil war. It's gotten more and more vague, and more complicated, and no one has bothered to explain to the soldiers that they're fighting a different war.

Having spent a bit of time in Iraq, including in Anbar province, I can state that our troops have unprecedented access to real-time information. Even on bases in places like Fallujah, the internet, widescreen TVs airing cable news programs, etc. are widely available. Our troops can and do discuss what the war is about. The notion that our troops are kept in the dark about their mission is simply wrong. As a highly-experienced war-zone reporter, Engel surely knows this.

In any case, that quibble aside, from what I saw Engel's documentary should be well worth viewing.

Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Richard Engel ping to Today show list.

[toddlintown]

They follow orders, not "explanations."

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Good point. Also, if there were a lot of "explanation" going on, the libs would be criticizing military leaders for "brainwashing" troops.

[Jeff Head]

The war has changed on the soldiers. Initially they were fighting, they were told, that they were fighting to protect their families back home from terrorist attack. Then it was to 'support democracy.' And then to try to protect the Iraqi people from a civil war. It's gotten more and more vague, and more complicated, and no one has bothered to explain to the soldiers that they're fighting a different war.

Another elitist, tyranical liberal assuming that he, or someone, has to explain his version of the world view to these soldiers, who are adults themselves and have each volunteered for the service.

How absolutely arrogant...as if the soldiers, who are on the ground fighting and who volunteered to do so...don't know exactly why they are doing what they are doing. Most do.

[Mo1]

Sounds like a Kerry line .. the soldiers aren't smart enough to understand

[NickatNite2003]

Engel is a self admitted anti-war leftist.
is reporting allways has slant to it.

[lowbridge]

The war has changed on the soldiers. Initially they were fighting, they were told, that they were fighting to protect their families back home from terrorist attack. Then it was to 'support democracy.' And then to try to protect the Iraqi people from a civil war. It's gotten more and more vague, and more complicated, and no one has bothered to explain to the soldiers that they're fighting a different war.

Well, if only the liberal media would get it straght.

[tobyhill]

Maybe he should go back over there and tell these troops in his own words what this war is about now?

[airborne]

My old shirt says it best.

'82ND AIRBORNE'

Travel to strange, exotic places!

Meet new, interesting people!

And kill them!

[pfflier]

Anybody voluntarily enlisting couldn't possibly not know the current scope and dimension of the war.

This is another MSM attempt at alleging the military is uninformed and ignorant, or victims of a vast right-wing conspiracy.

[Steel Wolf]

Initially they were fighting, they were told, that they were fighting to protect their families back home from terrorist attack. Then it was to 'support democracy.' And then to try to protect the Iraqi people from a civil war. It's gotten more and more vague, and more complicated, and no one has bothered to explain to the soldiers that they're fighting a different war.

We (we being my unit) was never actually given an explanation. Being up on current events, I often had to provide a bit of background when the "Why are we even here?" questions invariably arouse. While I was happy to do so, it seems to me that the military hierarchy could do a much better job of explaining to the troops the whys and wheres of the mission. Like the Why We Fight videos from WWII. We don't have anything like that now, and it's a shame. The "you're a soldier and you'll do as your told" line makes for good TV, but it's a lousy way to keep volunteers on board.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Sincere thanks for your perspective -- and your service!