Posted on 02/26/2005 9:21:08 PM PST by mark502inf
ROCK HILL, S.C. - The Army Reserve company that drew attention when some of its soldiers refused a mission to transport fuel along a dangerous road in Iraq has returned home, with members honoring the officer who led the unit through the controversy.
The 343rd Quartermaster Company came back to the Rock Hill Memorial Army Reserve Center on Friday, and returning soldiers presented the unit's flag to the company commander, Capt. Victor Baez-an. He took charge after some members of the unit balked at the Oct. 13 mission, saying their vehicles were in poor condition and did not have armor.
"He pretty much came in and wiped the slate clean," Sgt. Anthony Amo said. "He put pride back into this unit. He made us all keep our heads up high, no matter what people said about us. He made us proud to serve our country."
Twenty-three reservists refused to deliver supplies from Tallil air base near Nasiriyah to Taji north of Baghdad. The military has disciplined the soldiers by giving them extra duties or reducing rank.
"Everybody came out of this, and we came out of it together," Baez-an told the troops Friday. "Don't let Oct. 13 define you guys. You define yourself."
Forty-two of the 119 troops currently assigned to the 343rd arrived Friday from Fort Stewart, Ga. Four remained at Fort Stewart for medical treatment and others arrived earlier or returned to their homes in other states, said Maj. Bill Ritter, spokesman for the 81st Regional Readiness Command.
During its yearlong deployment, the unit delivered 2.5 million gallons of fuel, 1.3 million cases of water and 300,000 cases of rations, the Army said.
The first company commander was removed after the October 13th incident. Look what a difference a new leader made. Napoleon said: "There are no bad regiments, only bad colonels."
Jimmy Carter comes to mind when I think of bad Colonels. Carter had an opportunity to lead and he chose not to. I blame Jimmy Carter for the spread of radical Islam, his unwillingness to stand up to Iran for 444 days that spanned through late 1979, through January 1981 is what gave birth to radical Islam
So, what ever happened to the leader?
I blame Jimmy Carter for the spread of radical Islam,
More than enough blame to go around on this subject.
I'm starting to think that 9-11 was the high watermark for radical Islam.
Jimmah and Bubba did more to help spread Islamic Terrorism than 10 Osama's ever could. They showed them that we can be afraid and we WILL negotiate. What a damn shame.
There's something vaguelly Stuart Smalley about this story, like it's more important for the soldiers to feel good self esteem than to do their duty. I'm not coming down on them as I have forgotten the details of this incident, merely observing how this particular piece portrays the homecoming words.
A lot of people here at the time were calling for mass hangings and so on for the soldiers. Most did get low level punishment--reduction in rank, fines, extra duty--but whenever a whole unit like that has a problem, you need to first look at the leader. And from the story it sounds like the change in command was all that company needed to get back to where it was accomplishing its mission. Those soldiers just needed a strong commander and they were good to go.
I don't know exactly what went down here. What I DO know is that if we are going to send our soldiers out into battle, the LEAST we can do for them is to give them the things they need to protect themselves and to fight.
Jimmy Carter comes to mind when I think of terminal cancer, and the way cancerous idiocy spreads.
LOL, I did say "bad" Colonel :-)
I lived about 600 hundred yards from that unit's headquarters in Rock Hill last year. In our little neighborhood, everybody was Republican except for one whining Bush-hating clown, who'd been sent over with that unit to Iraq for a year. Seems he signed up for all the bennies, and was p'd off that he actually had to fulfill his end of the bargain. 'Course, it didn't help any that his wife started fooling around on him when he was overseas, but hey...a contract's a contract.
But listening to him spew about his experience being deployed, it seems to me like his outfit is a problem unit.
You are not alone. Is there any wonder why they suddenly became agreeable to the US when they found out that Reagan won the presidency?
I hate to say this...but all of the last six presidents helped to spread Islam...even Reagan. The adminstration of the 1980s helped to provide lots of stinger missiles to the Afghan freedom fighters (Ossama was a member of the group after leaving Saudi Arabia). We had CIA folks there in Afghanistan training Afghan freedom fighters on tactics, and helped them rid the country of the Soviets. Success stories of the expulsion of the Soviets ran around the Middle East for a decade. The freedom fighters were all Muslim and they never gave any credit to the US or the CIA or the missiles. So success stories are often told around the fire of how strong-will Muslims kicked the evil invaders out of Afghanistan. ((It doesn't work too well today with the Gringo's who kicked the Taiiban out of Afghanistan))
Baez-an seems to be a good officer.
Snapped them back into shape.
""He pretty much came in and wiped the slate clean," Sgt. Anthony Amo said. "He put pride back into this unit. He made us all keep our heads up high, no matter what people said about us. He made us proud to serve our country."
The Commander at Abu Ghraib, the NG commander accused of stealing other units vehicles, and this mutiny incident. Weak female Commanders who had no business in a warzone- let alone commanding troops.
It's a good point, but what I was referrring to was the fact they (terrorists) grew much bolder during the Clinton administration, with Carter's help. If Clinton would have hit them hard after the Disco bombing, the first World Trade bombing and eventually the Cole, 911 may never had happened.
Carter and Clinton both blinked for the UN and allowed NK and now Iran to develop nukes ... Bush II is stuck with that mess.
the LEAST we can do for them is to give them the things they need to protect themselves and to fight.
A good mechanic gets the job done with the tools at hand.
A strong leader can, and will, motivate his/her troops to accomplish missions. It is every soldiers right to point out deficiencies which will impede mission accomplishment. It is the leaders' duty to correct those deficiencies.
We are no longer in the era of "The Charge of the Light Brigade". Our soldiers are not comodities to be written off as casualties of war on a whim or by a poorly chosen course of action.
"A good mechanic gets the job done with the tools at hand."
That's why housewives use shoes for hammers and knives for screw drivers... but being a housewife (or a mechanic for that matter) isn't life threatening. Our troops aren't Mc Guyver. Our government cannot train them up to do things and then not give them the tools that will enable success. That is setting them up for failure. If our country has the money to give food to other countries and give our politicians cushy retirement plans (while they sit pretty while our sons, daughters, mothers and fathers sleep in the sand and get shot at at any given time) then SURELY our country has the money to equip our soldiers to enable them to protect and take care of themselves.
I am not a soldier. I am a mother. It is VERY selfless of a soldier to look at his/her situation in the way I have quoted you. (above) I dont' know if you are a soldier. If so, it speaks GREATLY of your character and bravery to say something like that. However, because I am a mother...and my baby boy might be out there one day, I speak from a mothers heart. Not only for my own child, but for ALL our children. If my son were to go into battle one day, I would insist he take the machine gun over the bb gun. If you are not a soldier, then how dare you say something like your quote above... shame on you.
A young soldier from my church came home from Iraq this week. The funeral is today. May God bless the family of Cpl. Kevin M. Clarke, 21, Tinley Park, IL and fill their empty hearts with His love and comfort.
I was a soldier for years and we were the best equipped in the world, and they still are, I don't know what you've been reading. I was there first hand and I never felt let down by what they gave me to do the job.
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