Posted on 06/02/2004 12:48:08 AM PDT by kattracks
What really happened in Fallujah was a great deal different from what was portrayed in the news media, said Robert Kaplan of The Atlantic Monthly, the only reporter embedded with the Marine company (Bravo, 1st Battalion of the 5th Regiment) that led the advance into the heart of the city in the pre-dawn darkness of April 6.The Marines won the battle in the streets, only to lose it in the news accounts, Kaplan said in an op-ed article in The Wall Street Journal May 27.
"Whenever the Marines with whom I was attached crossed the path of a mosque, we were fired upon," Kaplan said. "By the standards of most wars, some mosques in Fallujah deserved to be leveled. But only after repeated aggressions was any mosque targeted, and then sometimes for hits so small they often had little effect. The news photos of holes in mosque domes did not indicate the callousness of the American military; rather the reverse."
"I was in the city for the first days of the battle. The overwhelming percentage of small arms fire -- not to mention mortars, rockets and rocket-propelled grenades -- represented indiscriminate automatic bursts from the insurgents. Marines responded with far fewer, more precise shots.
"The only time I saw angry or depressed Marines was when an Iraqi civilian was accidentally hit in a crossfire -- usually perpetrated by the enemy," Kaplan said. "The humanity of the troops is something to behold."
Far from being driven from Fallujah, the Marines were boxing in the insurgents against the Euphrates river at the western edge of the city when the cease fire was announced, Kaplan said.
(Excerpt) Read more at frontpagemag.com ...
ping
goodmorning kattracks,
the faithfull are lurking.
GODBLESS AND GODSPEED MARINES!
we know God is watching,screw the media!
in the end,God wins.
SEMPER FIDELIS
The Iraqis are stepping up to lead their nation.
Saddam's gone.
It is a great victory for our troops, who removed thousands of neighborhood thugs - terrorist/wannabes and their sponsors, and set up neighborhood advisory councils in communities across Iraq even as they brought clean water and vaccinated children - and for all the mockery THOSE actions will be lasting, as will the loyalty of the Iraqi people...as is clear when you get past the 24/7 spin and listen to them.
Unfortunately, our free press mostly ignored the voice of the two most important groups on the ground in Iraq - our troops, and the majority of Iraqis - the victims of Saddam Hussein who ARE grateful and will remember who paid the price for their freedom.
Let the UN prance, those with eyes to see, know.
Thanks to Frontpagemag.com for sharing the good news.
More comments here.
A defeat snatched from the jaws of a great victory for our troops. We left with terrorists celebrating in the streets and without either of the stated objectives being accomplished, the turn in of all heavy weapons and the capture of the murderers in the Fallujah bar-be-que massacre.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.