My son had served in Gulf War 1 with the 82nd for 8 months. In January 2003, when the big blow-up occurred because Shinsecki (sp?) said we needed 350,000 troops for the invasion, I called my son and asked how many he would recommend. He said 450,000. In March 2003, Bush went in with, I think, 170,000. After Bremer’s year was over he said we should have had 500,000.
The problem was that if they were going to do it that spring, then they needed to move with what they had. Summer, the weather would have been too hot, especially with poison gas protective gear. Summer temperatures often hit 115f. Waiting until fall put it too close to the elections a year later. So Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld decided on an inadequate force with no depth for civil control, protection of assets other than oil, etc. etc.
The first units into Iraq were on TV and one of my old NCO’s called as he could not believe men apparently did not know how to call in TAC AIR or have ARTY to take out a tank and other obstacles that had them stalled. Next, they let some buses full of Iraqi troops get behind them -unbelievable. Granted, our military had no real combat since Vietnam and when battalion and company grade officers and NCO’s do not have the experience like the Army had in Vietnam with WWII and especially Korean war types it shows.
The first units into Iraq were on TV and one of my old NCO’s called as he could not believe men apparently did not know how to call in TAC AIR or have ARTY to take out a tank and other obstacles that had them stalled. Next, they let some buses full of Iraqi troops get behind them -unbelievable. Granted, our military had no real combat since Vietnam and when battalion and company grade officers and NCO’s do not have the experience like the Army had in Vietnam with WWII and especially Korean war types it shows.
This is the reason we seemed to be losing at first according to a beloved freeper well connected with the military.