Posted on 12/09/2004 9:22:17 AM PST by Nascardude
Edited on 12/09/2004 10:05:10 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
RUMSFELD SET UP; REPORTER PLANTED QUESTIONS WITH SOLIDER
Thu Dec 09 2004 11:49:38 ET
Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts is embedded with the 278th Regimental Combat Team, now in Kuwait preparing to enter Iraq, and is filing articles for his newspaper. Pitts claims in a purported email that he coached soldiers to ask Defense Secretary Rumsfeld questions!
From: EDWARD LEE PITTS, Chattanooga Times Free Press military reporter
Sent: Wednesday, December 8, 2004 4:44 PM
To: Staffers
Subject: RE: Way to go
I just had one of my best days as a journalist today. As luck would have it, our journey North was delayed just long enough see I could attend a visit today here by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. I was told yesterday that only soldiers could ask questions so I brought two of them along with me as my escorts. Before hand we worked on questions to ask Rumsfeld about the appalling lack of armor their vehicles going into combat have. While waiting for the VIP, I went and found the Sgt. in charge of the microphone for the question and answer session and made sure he knew to get my guys out of the crowd.
So during the Q&A session, one of my guys was the second person called on. When he asked Rumsfeld why after two years here soldiers are still having to dig through trash bins to find rusted scrap metal and cracked ballistic windows for their Humvees, the place erupted in cheers so loud that Rumsfeld had to ask the guy to repeat his question. Then Rumsfeld answered something about it being "not a lack of desire or money but a logistics/physics problem." He said he recently saw about 8 of the special up-armored Humvees guarding Washington, DC, and he promised that they would no longer be used for that and that he would send them over here. Then he asked a three star general standing behind him, the commander of all ground forces here, to also answer the question. The general said it was a problem he is working on.
The great part was that after the event was over the throng of national media following Rumsfeld- The New York Times, AP, all the major networks -- swarmed to the two soldiers I brought from the unit I am embedded with. Out of the 1,000 or so troops at the event there were only a handful of guys from my unit b/c the rest were too busy prepping for our trip north. The national media asked if they were the guys with the armor problem and then stuck cameras in their faces. The NY Times reporter asked me to email him the stories I had already done on it, but I said he could search for them himself on the Internet and he better not steal any of my lines. I have been trying to get this story out for weeks- as soon as I foud out I would be on an unarmored truck- and my paper published two stories on it. But it felt good to hand it off to the national press. I believe lives are at stake with so many soldiers going across the border riding with scrap metal as protection. It may be to late for the unit I am with, but hopefully not for those who come after.
The press officer in charge of my regiment, the 278th, came up to me afterwords and asked if my story would be positive. I replied that I would write the truth. Then I pointed at the horde of national media pointing cameras and mics at the 278th guys and said he had bigger problems on his hands than the Chattanooga Times Free Press. This is what this job is all about - people need to know. The solider who asked the question said he felt good b/c he took his complaints to the top. When he got back to his unit most of the guys patted him on the back but a few of the officers were upset b/c they thought it would make them look bad. From what I understand this is all over the news back home.
Thanks,
Lee
EDWARD LEE PITTS FILED STORY ABOUT THE TROOPS BEFORE THE POW-WOW WITH RUMSFELD
Developing...
Well, I think we agree, though this guy, a 31 year old mechanic, should have been more circumspect, in my opinion, than to involve himself in this "plot". He isn't a 19 year old guy.
Again, I originally respected the soldier for asking the question. Thought it took chunks to do so. Now, for all we know, the reporter may have been whispering in this guys ear:
"Don't worry, man. Nothing is going to happen to you. This is a good and noble thing you are doing, getting the word out. They would never discipline you...too many people would be watching after this. What American is going to stand for having a soldier who is putting his life on the line, disciplined for speaking his mind..." etc.
While this is a fictional dialog...what do you think this reporter talks to these young men about in the long, boring hours of inactivity when they are sitting around?
Re your Post #83 -- You are right and Congress is culpable. They don't have the guts to declare a war, but have our troops fighting one on a peace time budget while they're playing pork barrel politics back home.
CNN??? D@am...I'm surprised they had him even ONCE...They even let him mention Somalia?? ALL the cable news networks need to be doing this, ALL of them, summing his and similar statements up on MUTIPLE (standard 15 minute for headline news) CYCLES. If only to prove me wrong for once.
Here is the problem. The soldier asked this:
Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles?
when he should have asked this
Sir, what is the status of up-armored humvees procurement, and how soon can we expect to recieve any?
One question is disrespectful whining, the other is professional but pointed. If you're going to speak to someone that high above your pay grade, you need to maintain a semblence of tact and decorum. Any wet behind the ears private could tell you that much.
txradioguy, thanks for your service. Honestly.
I do want to point out that there are many aspects of this situation that can indeed be laid at the feet of previous administrations. They are not blameless in this. Indeed, the cavalier approach taken to military preparedness and response to terrorist events, particularly their policy of viewing them as "law enforcement" issues may be the main reason we were struck on 9/11, and as a result, the main reason we are over there now.
We can disagree on this, but it is definitely not kool-aid or tin-foil hat wearing material to implicate the Clinton administration in this.
The real problem is that the occupation is being resisted far more then DoD expected. Is any one to blame for that? No, war is a serries of mistakes. DoD was warned by senior military and Israel. DoD did not listen and did not have a backup plan, very bad, but like I said, war is hell. Now troops are complaining about long deployments, stop loss, and armor. Troops ALWAYS complain! If you don't what to here any complaints then don't do a "town hall" in Iraq!
I'm with you. I have a love one in the Guard, so I knew long ago the Guard was being sent over there with inferior equipment or none at all. I don't understand the anger at the question. Our troops have a right to be properly equipped with no excuses.
Actually, he asked, "Now why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromise ballistic glass to up-armor our vehicles and why don’t we have those resources readily available to us?"
He's still embellishing, I agree. It creates the imagery of teams of soldiers scrambling frantically around, a la Junkyard Wars, (great program) scavanging for all those bits of 3" bits of 1/2 inch plate and ballistic glass those KWAZY Kuwaitis are always using and discarding during their daily Doom enactments.
Oops. Sorry, misconstrued your response. This should have been directed to jpsb...jpsb my previous response was to you.
EverOnward,
See my response at #922. Most (but not all) of the anger is directed at the reporter in this, in my opinion.
What I think is that the wording of the question was idiotic.
As mentioned by others, he should have asked about procurement of up armored humvees.
And the applause wasn't as robust as some claim.
Trust me.
Sources, please. Is this true?
Exactly what is the opposite of free trade you keep spamming about? The opposite of "free" is "slave"...so you think we need the slave trade to fix our problems?
Before you go into a lengthy explanation...don't bother.
There's a finite amount of capital in a closed system. Example : China. The peasants were revolting due to chronic poverty and death and disease, and when a whole lot of Chinese peasants revolt, the regime is gone, done, defunct, kaput, etc.
Lucky for the Red Chinese, they had Bill Clinton to open up their formerly closed system for them AND to sign Permanent Normalized Trade Relations, thus stopping any subesquent administrations from correcting the egregeous wrong he (Clinton) did to the American people via our economy.
Oh and Bill also opened the Pantagon to Chinese "press" members and invited Chinese agents to learn all the logiastics and tactics of our military in a one sided "exchange" program.
Well worded response, and, thank you for your service, sincerely.
What many seem to be missing is the corrosive effect this behaviour can have on the cohesiveness of a unit.
Bitching like this is not done outside the chain of command, in general.
The bush admin is vastly better, night and day, but the Bush admin is not perfect and makes mistakes, everyone does. 20/20 hindsight and all that, I am not dissing DoD, DoD will get the job done, I just don't like seeing someone that asks a hard question strung up. That just doesn't seem fair to me.
I was a soldier.
I'll trust my ears and the fact that the question was worded completely idioptically.
A soldier should ask a superior in the chain of command a question worded less whinily and more diplomatically.
It's called "Military Bearing" and "Respect".
Now, the question of "When are we getting up armored Humvees" is a legit question, and worded that way is a good question.
The armed services committee should see WHY more factories producing armor grade steel aren't operating.
Even if it was a set up, the fact is, on a number of occasions, the troops applauded loudly when soldiers put tough questions to Rummy. Obviously there are a lot of soldiers that have grievances on the way the Pentagon has conducted certain aspects of this war.
Do you have a problem with accountably for people at the top? What would be your reaction if this was happening under a democratic administration? Now be honest!
Military officials had given the Tennessee Guard unit "reassurance all along that this would be taken care of," said Tom Griscom, the paper's publisher and executive editor.
"We have pictures of soldiers in the 278th literally going through [a] scrap heap" scavenging steel plate for their vehicles, Griscom said.
"They [the soldiers] spoke for themselves," Griscom said.
Griscom said he supported the way Pitts handled the situation.
"Lee called in here yesterday on the [satellite] phone, told us how the questions had unfolded," he said.
"I am supportive of his trying to find a way to get a question asked," Griscom said.
Though there was some discussion at the paper about Pitts' handling of the matter, Griscom said, "I would not start by saying we made a mistake. I personally do not think we made a mistake."
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