Interesting article from an unlikely source. I hope it does not get zotted. Instead, let's talk about it.
I have people checking on the gentleman's bona fides. It will take a day or two. Holiday, you know.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
mark
Thanks. I think he'll turn out to be legitimate.
A lot of replies to this thread follow the form, "I've talked to a lot of soldiers, and they say otherwise!" What these respondents may not realize is that "Mr. Bill" isn't just another soldier, and that SF and other military advisers bring a different perspective to the table. A perspective that is especially suited to carrying out the President's intent in Iraq. Doesn't mean he's necessarily right, but the article's worth reading.
The most distressing aspect of the situation is on page four. The author has the linguistic and cultural skills to move easily through Iraqi society, but most soldiers do not. Even if Private Snuffy learns to passably pronounce assalam aleikum and the other usual "cultural awareness" tidbits, that's not enough for him to make any real connection with the local civilians, or to read potential threats. To him, the populace is still inscrutable, alien, and very threatening. Evidently, the reverse is true, as well. The two groups are stuck in a Clausewitzian reciprocity, or as the Untouchables put it, one brings a knife, the other brings a gun.