Fallujah Frank's war-weary cry

The Times (UK) ^ | 4/19/04 | James Hider

[saquin]

THE guns finally fell silent over Fallujah yesterday, leaving the men of the US Army’s psychological warfare team with one overriding concern: where was “Fallujah Frank”?

The “psy-ops” soldiers spend their days blasting the guerrillas with heavy metal music and taunting the gunmen into exposing themselves to American snipers.

But three days ago they suddenly heard an echo. An Iraqi was driving around with a loudspeaker inside the besieged city haranguing rebels in their own stronghold. Fallujah Frank had made his dangerous debut.

“There’s a Fallujah citizen — we call him Fallujah Frank — who’s addressing the Mujahidin or whoever’s attacking us and telling them to go out into the desert and face the coalition, telling them they’re hiding behind the women and children,” said José Martinez, a psy-ops staff sergeant.

“We’re trying to pull him into a secure area because he’s putting his life in danger.”

He added that nothing has been heard of “Frank” since a fragile ceasefire was negotiated over the weekend. He may even be dead.

The work of the psy-ops squad, who drive Humvee patrol vehicles close to the front, is designed to harass Iraqi guerrillas firing rifles and rockets from built-up areas of the city. A typical taunt is to sneer at their ability to hurt.

Tony Paz, a psy-ops captain, said: “We say, ‘Your bullets are like tiny feathers that tickle us and make us laugh.’ You can imagine some young jihadi will hear that, grab his gun and run out into our snipers.”

The psy-ops have toned down their jibes since the ceasefire in Fallujah this weekend, after the coalition’s deputy director, Richard Jones, met a delegation of Fallujah’s elders and tribal leaders, as well as a representative of the US-sponsored Iraqi Governing Council.

The negotiators said they were working to restore Iraqi security forces to the streets of the city, a third of whose inhabitants have fled. The Iraqi police force will then try to collect the insurgents’ weapons, although the negotiators did not specify how the poorly armed force would persuade die-hard fighters to part with their guns.

One of the few sounds on the empty streets yesterday was the psy-ops teams announcing a shorter nightly curfew and telling residents to tune into state radio to hear about the ceasefire.

They hope that Fallujah Frank’s bold move was a sign that the city’s inhabitants are tired of war and want a new collaboration with the coalition.

[LadyPilgrim]

Oh my!
I hope he's okay.
Never know what is going on in those folks minds!
But this is great!

[Jonah Hex]

Just damn, Frank!

You have to admit it, Frank has some big brass ones...

[Jeff Head]

The Iraqi police force will then try to collect the insurgents’ weapons, although the negotiators did not specify how the poorly armed force would persuade die-hard fighters to part with their guns.

This is rediculous. We look weak and afraid of our own shadow in doing this. To be negotiating with these animals at all is a travesty IMHO. The only option should be for them to come and lay down their weapons themselves, abjectly at our Marines' feet. or face THIS.

[edeal]

This guy reminds me of the Chinese student who single handedly stood in front of a line of Tanks during the Tienanmen square demonstration.

[texasflower]

You have to admit it, Frank has some big brass ones...

Indeed

[dirtbiker]

you have to admit, he's got the biggest, hairiest, brassiest set ever possessed by a male.......

[SCHROLL]

Well, you could look at it this way: the guys doing the negociating can also bring us targeting information. :)
I wouldn't be surprised that when (and it will) the negociating breaks down, those guys won't be eating a Hellfire sandwich for breakfast. Pretty smart way to limit civilian casualties if you ask me.

[Burkeman1]

Right- like this guy if for real?

Meanwhile AJ and the rest of the Arab and Moslem media is reporting how American troops are blasting songs from such heavy metal groups as AC/DC like "Hells Bells" and "Dirty Deeds done Dirt Cheap". They are translating those songs' lyrics to millions of their Arab and Moslem viewers. Nice- real smart.

[dirtbiker]

those guys....eating a Hellfire sandwich for breakfast.

Forget breakfast.......morning prayers would do.......send them to their final destination in a blaze of glory!!!!!

[McGavin999]

Brave man, I hope he survived.

[dirtbiker]

I dont see the problem with "Hell's Bells" lyrics: "don't take no prisoners, don't spare no lives; nobody's putting up a fight. We got your bell, it's gonna take you to Hell. We're gonna get ya, Satan get ya! HELL'S BELLS!

[M Kehoe]

I agree with your post 38 on the other thread. Sooner, rather than later. Force is the only language the terrorists understand. It is past time to go medieval on Fallujah and Nafja.

5.56mm

[TexKat]

This is rediculous.

Agree

Sadr has now called another cease fire for Monday and Tuesday.

[LadyPilgrim]

Yes, and these are the type people that are honorable beyond words!

They stand for something that is larger than themselves.
In other words they are driven by something inside.

[Jewels1091]

God's Angels be around 'Frank'.

[SwinneySwitch]

"The “psy-ops” soldiers spend their days blasting the guerrillas with heavy metal music and taunting the gunmen into exposing themselves to American snipers"

They should play "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"!

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.

CHORUS:
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps,
His day is marching on.

I have read His fiery gospel writ in rows of burnished steel!
"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you My grace shall deal!
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,"
Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free!
While God is marching on.

They'll all come out!

[ApplegateRanch]

As much as I like Battle Hymn, I still think Onward, Christian Soldiers would drive them wilder.

Maybe alternate them both, with a few other militant hymns tossed in.