Posted on 01/02/2006 7:28:29 PM PST by jmc1969
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told servicemembers here that 2006 will be "a bad year for the enemies of the United States."
"I promise you that I won't forget who is doing the work when I make my recommendations" to the president and the National Security Council, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said at an air base near here as part of a United Service Organizations tour he is leading.
Pace, accompanied by his senior enlisted advisor Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, hosted the trip to thank servicemembers for their efforts in the war on terrorism. He visited Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and Djibouti during the trip.
Pace spoke of the commitment that servicemembers demonstrate every day. He told servicemembers throughout the region to take time to think about all they have accomplished. "And it's not just in support of the global war on terror," he said. "You have been superb in everything you have been asked to do, whether it is tsunami relief in the Pacific, hurricane relief back home, or earthquake relief in Pakistan."
(Excerpt) Read more at defenselink.mil ...
Anyone who led a Rifle Platoon in Vietnam and came back to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs must have a huge brass pair.
Arrh arrh ARRRH arrh arh!
The beast needs to be killed from its toes, upward. I'm not sure that cutting off its head would be a smart move just yet.
Neither will see a sunrise later then Dec 06 -
Both UBL and Zarqawi will be killed at the first opportunity. There is no "grander scheme" going on here.
Both need to be put in the ground. And both will be the second we can put shooters on them.
I assume you understood my reasoning, but I don't see yours except as a matter of policy tailored only for popular cheers -- and what strategic benefit?
Why do you think cutting off the head isn't a good move yet?
You either don't know how war works or you've been reading to many spook novels.
What I understand is those who typically like to think deep thoughts often forget there is nothing more complex then avoiding the obvious.
The reality being we have lost brave warriors and have others who are currently risking their lives 24/7 to capture both of these men.
The minute we have actionable Intel that will allow us to put shooters on these SOB's.....those shooters will put them in the ground. Period.
And regardless of what many deep thinkers like to speculate there is enormous value in both of these men being dead. In fact far more value then with them being alive.
But then again the common sense of such....is much to "common" for those types to agree.
Nevertheless, I am correct. The minute we can put guns on either of them, it will be done.
Better heads are always waiting to fill a void. I've always felt that Bin Laden and Zarqawi may be betrayed internally by the envy of their cut-throat rivals. That's Mideast politics (and South American, and Central African....).
Only a relatively small number of leaders are needed compared to the millions of turd-world killers desperate to throw their lives away. Those millions need to be addressed for our security, and their loud-mouth leaders provide a highly needed conjugate to target them effectively.
Neither. Let's not talk about me.
The reality being we have lost brave warriors and have others who are currently risking their lives 24/7 to capture both of these men.
Revenge and spite are valid motives, but they do not describe the effects of killing terrorist leadership.
The minute we have actionable Intel that will allow us to put shooters on these SOB's.....those shooters will put them in the ground. Period.
They will. I ask if they should.
And regardless of what many deep thinkers like to speculate there is enormous value in both of these men being dead. In fact far more value then with them being alive.
You've provided no reasons... I'm not looking for a fully-referenced essay to couter my opinions, just a few points if you have them.
Nevertheless, I am correct.
Notwithstanding, I am absolutely right!
I couldn't find his height but I know Myers was a tall fella, probably 6' 3" at least.
My old boot camp series commander is a midget compared to either of them, he's a Marine Lt. General these days.
For a kid from Brooklyn, he done real good, and I hear ya on leading a rifle platooon.
I don't buy that their value is currently greater alive then dead. I think Bin Laden and Zarqawi's biggest asset other then the level of devotion of their followers is the large financial resources they are able to pull in for their operations.
If those two were taken out it will be much harder for those who take over to get money as they won't have anywhere near the notarity nor will they have the links to get the money. It took Zarqawi and Bin Laden years to build the necessary links to be able to pull in millions from all over the Middle East. The guy who replaces them might not be starting entrely from scratch, but he won't be anywhere near where the al-Qaeda leaders before him were at.
PR matters of course, but I don't buy that it plays such a role in our military endevors that we would not target Zarqawi or Bin Laden because they are worth more to us as regonizable enemies for the US public. I don't know if that is what you were implying or not, but that is my view.
I would also like to say that from a political prosepective 2006 will be the last year we are going to have a big enough force in Iraq that the casulties will remain a big issue for the US public. There is no better time then 2006 to catch these bastards, because after 2006 (if things go well) we won't have to worry about Congress forcing us out of Iraq early.
There won't be any regonizable leaders that will be able to replace Bin Laden are Zarqawi as real global leaders for the movement I suspect. Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan will be controlled enough by the US and our allies (by increasing local security forces) to prevent anyone from organizing anywhere near the level of violence those two have been able to do over the years.
In terms of the US pubic there isn't the time for another al-Qaeda leader to gain the level of noterity of Bin Laden and Zarqawi if they were killed tomorrow. It took three years of violent attacks for Zarqawi to build up a decient name regonization of the US masses. And, that was at a time the US interest was focused on Iraq and international terrorism. I suspect as US casulties and the number of US troops go down in Iraq in 2006 and we go further from 911 (barring another attack on the US) that the interest in terror related stuff will continue to drop for the US public.
The War on Terror will be a very long war, but once we get away from the point where we have US deaths from IEDs in Iraq every other day (by late 2006 hopefully) the only real threat that could derail the entire US War on Terror from within the US will be gone.
As to your first point Zarqawi and Bin Laden have enough experience since fighting the Soviets two decades ago at creating totally devoted inner circles and instilling enough fear in the young and up and comers that I never had much of a belief that they would be turned in from within. You don't stay on top of the wolf pack that long without knowing how to keep the other wolves at bay.
I agree DevSex, the most important thing to reconize is that the second we do get actionable intel on where they are we will act on it and killing them does matter alot.
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By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2004 -- Hue City, 1968. Back then, this South Vietnam city was ground zero for the Tet Offensive.
North Vietnamese regulars and Viet Cong guerrillas took advantage of the Vietnamese New Year holiday of Tet to launch attacks the breadth and width of South Vietnam. But nowhere was the fighting more vicious than in Hue City, the historic capital of the country near Da Nang.
 Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Marine Gen. Peter Pace stands surrounded by former Marines who served with him in Hue City, Vietnam, in 1968. Photo by Mamie Mae Burke(Click photo for screen- resolution image); high-resolution image available. |
Marine 2nd Lt. Peter Pace walked into this maelstrom of combat. He took command of the 2nd Platoon, Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, in February 1968 and participated in some of the most deadly fighting of the Vietnam War. The bonds he forged with the men of Golf Company last to this day.
Marines and soldiers battling in the city faced house-to-house fighting. U.S. casualties were devastating. These men fought bravely, and many died.
Hue City was one of those key places in history that tests the courage and tenacity of all involved, and creates bonds and memories that reach far beyond that time and place.
Recently, Golf Company recalled those days of combat, sacrifice and friendship at the home of now-Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
His experiences from Hue City affect him today. "In the jungles of Vietnam, I learned from lance corporals, corporals and sergeants what sacrifice was all about," Pace said in 2001, soon after becoming vice chairman. "It was their blood that gave me a debt that I can never fully repay."
The men at the Golf Company reunion were those lance corporals, corporals and sergeants. Pace is not "the general" to these former Marines; he's "Pete."
The platoon posed for pictures with the general. "Anybody looking at that would see a bunch of middle-aged guys who couldn't put together a very good basketball team," Pace said. "But what I see is a bunch of great Americans who did what they had to do and would do it again in a heartbeat."
Physically, these men certainly have changed, but the camaraderie was the same, and the sense of humor that saw them through those harrowing times is apparent. "My wife says I should get in shape," one man told a friend. "I tell her I am. Round is a shape."
Another man patted his stomach and said, "I'm ahead of the power curve if someone decides beer bellies are sexy."
Mike Ervin was then-Lt. Pace's radio operator in Hue City. A lance corporal at the time, he remembers the first time he met the lieutenant.
"We were on the western outskirts of Hue City still chasing the (North Vietnamese army)," Ervin said. "We were scoping out a hill with a big bunker on it, and taking fire. Here comes this person walking through the bushes with new utilities on."
Ervin soon learned that the new guy listened. "We could tell he valued our knowledge and listened to our advice," he said.
Golf Company had taken many casualties. "We'd lost probably half our force on the first day of Hue City," Ervin said. "And even those still on line were walking wounded."
Pace developed a close relationship with the men. Ervin said the general carries a picture of the first man who died under his command and knows the names of all the rest, Ervin said.
Lester Tully was a lance corporal squad leader in 2nd Platoon. "A platoon is normally about 30 to 35 guys," said Tully. "We were down to 13."
He said that when Pace arrived, he called the squad leaders together. "He told us, 'My name is Pete Pace, and I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm brand new here. If you guys will help me out and talk to me, I promise that I will listen,'" Tully said.
He said that was just the opposite of a lot of officers. "He was our third lieutenant in just a couple of weeks," Tully said. "He was just another officer to start with, and he proved himself by listening and looking out for us, because he knew that we were going to look out for him."
Tully said Pace followed through. "He made us enlisted guys want to be with him and show him things, and we had no problem with him being an officer and we being enlisted," he said.
"It was probably the most difficult time of all our lives," Tully said. "We saw hundreds of people killed, and we expected to be killed any day, any minute. Then he came along and things got better. There were times that we didn't know where our next meal was coming from. We were running out of bullets. But he knew what we needed and helped us out by getting it."
Barney Barnes was another lance corporal squad leader, a job that should have been held by a sergeant. "I never saw another officer do this, but every night before we went on patrol or ambush, the squad leaders and platoon sergeants and him would sit down and have a meal together," Barnes said. "That was kind of unheard of. We would eat supper together and talk about what kind of day we had and what we expected to do that night."
Barnes, from Broken Arrow, Okla., said that Pace is "a product of what we did in Vietnam. The bond that was forged back then remains today." He said the general's ability to listen is one reason he has been successful.
All of the men are proud of their former platoon leader who has risen to four stars and the second highest position in the armed forces.
And he remembers how the men subtly -- and not so subtly -- helped him learn his job. "I remember early on the guys were filling sandbags for a position and I -- trying to find my way as a new leader -- went down and started filling sand bags with them," Pace said. "One of the squad leaders said to me, 'Lieutenant, we've got this. We need you to be thinking about the next patrol or the next thing that we have to do. We can do the sandbags. We need you to do what you're supposed to do.'"
The bond forged in war created trust among the men. Pace said that speaking with his comrades "grounds" him. When old friends call they ask him about how he is doing and what is happening. During the run up to Operation Iraqi Freedom, many of his Golf Company Marines called to check on their lieutenant, said Tully. "The trust is absolute," Tully said. "He knows we will tell him the truth as we see it."
The bonds of combat are not unique to the 2nd Platoon. Men have been bonded by shared experience throughout history. William Shakespeare wrote of it in Henry V: "We few. We happy few. We band of brothers. For he that sheds his blood with me today, shall be my brother. Be he ere so vile, this day shall gentle his condition."
Nor are these bonds unique to the military. The New York City Fire Department experienced the same type of bonding in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001.
And the men and women now fighting against terrorism around the world are experiencing the same thing. "We followed how the 5th Marines did in Iraq," said Tully. "They fought with honor. And I expect they have an idea of how we feel about each other."
Pace said that as a young officer he was humbled by the experience of command. "Anybody who can be working with young men like that, who doesn't feel a sense of awe about how loyal they are and how willing they are to do what the nation asks them to do and to follow a young second lieutenant's orders into combat, … if you as the lieutenant don't feel humbled by the whole experience then you really have missed a real opportunity," he said.
The general said he feels indebted to the men of the platoon. "The reason I'm still on active duty is because of the young guys I worked with in combat who followed my orders and died. There is no way I can repay them or repay their parents or their families other than to come to work every day and try to do the best I can," he said.
"It is why I will stay on active duty as long as my country wants me. But it's also why, when I leave, that I'll feel good but not content," he continued. "I'll feel good that I've done the best I can, but I'll never, ever feel like I've done enough."
Biography:
Gen. Peter Pace, USMC
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Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Marine Gen. Peter Pace, left, greets Lester Tully, his squad leader from Vietnam, during a reunion of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, at Fort Myer, Va. Photo by Mamie Mae Burke |
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High resolution photo. |
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Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Marine Gen. Peter Pace meets with fellow veterans and their wives of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. Pace and the men served together in the Battle of Hue in Vietnam in 1968. Photo by Mamie Mae Burke |
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High resolution photo. |
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2004/n10072004_2004100702.html
Gen. Peter Pace, U.S. Marine Corps, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is congratulated by his son Marine 2nd Lt. Pete Pace at a welcoming ceremony for the new vice chairman held at Fort Myer, Va. on Oct. 15, 2001. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and President George W. Bush were on hand to formally welcome Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers, U.S. Air Force, and Pace to their new posts at the Pentagon. Gen. Pace becomes the first Marine Corps officer to hold one of the two top uniformed positions in the DoD. DoD photo by R. D. Ward. (Released)
" 2006 will be "a bad year for the enemies of the United States."
I understand this to mean Iran, the 2nd of the Axis of Evil!
Iran falls, Syria goes. Syria has been "unhelpful".
If he makes it to say Gaza or some other shit hole to set up shop, he is going to be around for a long while. Besides. He has not seen his wife in a long time. He may be as horney as hell at this point.
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