U.S. Army General Dubbed Father of the Iraqi Army

Defend America ^ | June 14, 2004 | U.S. Army Sgt. Jared Zabaldo

[Cronos]

Didn't the French under Lafayette help us out too?

[Cronos]

It is common knowledge that an Arab will trust you with his or her life if you give them proof that you will do the same in return. Most of these people, under interrogation, will look at you like a member of their own family if you pour them a cup of tea, light them a cigarette and sit down with them to chat instead of yell. It is the custom.

I will agree with you -- lived in Bahrain for some time and ARabs are pretty ok folks -- Saudis are another matter altogether....

[Cronos]

An Arab lets you into his house, pours you tea and you are safe.

Quite correct -- a guest is to be defended at all costs. That's why AlQ's attacks on the expats in Saud were treated with disgust by the rest of the Arab world(again, except for the Sauds)

[Cronos]

Another point most folks forget -- Syria is a secular regime: Christians, Druze etc. are treated very well there and as equal rights citizens -- there are more than 10% Christians in Syria and a large number of druze who aren't considered Musltim.

[Cronos]

Everything I needed to learn about Arabs and militant Islam, was driven deep into my heart on 9/11..

DO you include the 10% of syrians who are ARab Christians? or the 45% of Lebanese Arab Christians? Or the 2% Iraqi or Egyptian Christians?

[river rat]

You guys must have a blind spot for the defining term I used -- militant Islam...

The combination of Arabs specifically, and militant Islam as taught by the Wahhabi sect centered in Saudi Arabia, seems to be the main fountain of hate and the source of militant Islam as practiced by the Islamanazis....

I don't believe we are fighting any Arab Christians...

Semper Fi

[Cannoneer No. 4]

At the age of 33, in 1763, Steuben was discharged as a captain from the army, for reasons that are only speculative. The following year he received his "Baron" title when he became chamberlain at the Petty Court of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. He was the only courtier to accompany his incognito prince to France in 1771, hoping to borrow money. Failing to find funds, they returned to Germany in 1775, deeply in debt. Looking for work to reverse his fortunes, von Steuben tried employment in several foreign armies including Austria, Baden and France. He discovered that Benjmin Franklin was in Paris and that possibly, he could find work with the Continental Army in America.

[Cronos]

I don't believe we are fighting any Arab Christians...

No we aren't, I wish there was something we could do to help them out though. THe Assyrian and Chaldean Christians in Irqi are running away from the new Iraq.

[Cronos]

Seems like Steuben was a mercenary for all purposes

Interesting bit about the French helping us out. They haven't done much since, have they?

Steuben traveled to Paris in the summer of 1777. As luck would have it, he was endorsed for service by the French Minister of War (Count de St. Germain) who fully realized the potential of an officer with Prussian General Staff training. Steuben was introduced to General Washington by means of a letter from Franklin as a "Lieutenant General in the King of Prussia's service," a certain exaggeration of his actual credentials. He was advanced travel funds and left Europe from Marseilles. On September 26th, 1777, he reached Portsmouth, New Hampshire and by December 1st, was being extravagantly entertained in Boston. Congress was in York Pennsylvania, after being ousted from Philadelphia for the winter and on February 5, 1778, Steuben was with them. They accepted his offer to volunteer, without pay for the time, and on the 23rd of the same month, Steuben was reporting for duty to General Washington at Valley Forge. Steuben did not speak English, but his French was such that he could communicate with some of the officers. Washington's aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton as well as Nathanael Greene were a great help in this area. The two men assisted Steuben in drafting a training program for the soldiers which found approval with the Commander-in-Chief in March.

[river rat]

"THe Assyrian and Chaldean Christians in Irqi are running away from the new Iraq."

Ah yes, I'm sure our peace loving Arab Muslims informed them they were no longer welcome in Iraq...

I also suspect that the multiple bombings of Christian churches DURING SERVICES may have had the desired effect..

THEN -- we stand back and refuse to kill a renegade Shiite cleric and militant army camping in the dust of their "Holy Shrine" in Najaf.

Semper Fi

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Another perspective - many Iraqi Christians choose to stay, stand up for Jesus, defend their own country.

 

They are sowing His seeds in Iraq, speaking out in public at great risk to far more than their reputations, positions - risking their lives, and their families for a greater cause. 

 

Their's is not a popular story in international news rooms today.

 

Chaldaean bishop: “We as builders of the new Iraq”

 

[SunkenCiv]

Dunno. I'd heard of this before, but hadn't given it a second thought. :') Looks like he was quite handy to have around; wrote the book on army discipline used for 30 years in the US. The British employed Hessian mercenaries here and there, and the barracks in Germany where they billeted was later (in the 20th century) used for US troops for NATO. :')

George W. Bush will win reelection by a margin of at least ten per cent.