Posted on 02/08/2005 1:45:04 PM PST by MoralSense
On the 11th anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu, which I wrote about in "Black Hawk Down," Maj. James Lechner was again fighting an urban battle, this one in Samarra, Iraq.
Maj. Lechner had sustained a terrible gunshot wound to his lower right leg as a lieutenant in Mogadishu. Now he was commanding a unit responsible for training and then leading the 7th Battalion of the new Iraqi army on a mission to retake the northern city, which had been held for some time by insurgent forces.
"There must be something about me and the first week in October," Maj. Lechner wrote me in an e-mail shortly after his forces helped retake the city.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
I read this this morning with the WSJ and was impressed. It is fascinating. The officers want the perks and the territory but not the responsibility. Reminds me of democrats who will do anything to get elected but none of the hard stuff.
This is an excellent post. I previously believed not using the existing army was a mistake. This editorial proves me wrong.
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