***Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - Day 10 - LIVE THREAD***

Everywhere! | 29 Mar 2003 | An.American.Expatriate

[null and void]

Good Morning.

This is the Daily Thread of Operation Iraqi Freedom - LIVE THREAD.

It is designed for general conversation about the events of the day. In depth discussion of events should be left to individual threads - but links to the threads or other articles is highly encouraged. This allows us to stay abreast of the situation in general, while also providing a means of obtaining specific information.

Please have mercy on us dial up limited FReepers! Limit the big graphics, post links instead. A breif description of what the graphic is would help:

To all who helped this get started, thank you!

Special thanks to An.American.Expatriate for staring the daily threads, Mo1 for the screamer, the AdminMods for their tolerance, mhking for the video links, and, of course, Belly Girl...

[error99]

Care to share the URL?

[Straight Vermonter]

That is what forward observers are for. Sitting in a little hole or in an vulnerable elevated position (think churchtower) far from the aid of your unit sometimes closer to the enemy than your own guys takes some cojones.

[r9etb]

Just logged in to snag #2000

[B4Ranch]

The guys with bigger cojones are the scouts and sniper teams.

[TomGuy]

(aside from the media hysterics).

Keep in mind that most of the major media have an agenda. That agenda has little to do with the success or failure of this war. That agenda is to do a "gotcha" on the Bush administration, at any cost. They tried it when the War in Afghanistan started; they are continuing it now. Some of the major "contributors" to the effort include Helen Thomas, Terry Moroan, Dan Abrams, David Gregory, and many, many others.

[Queen of Excelsior]

I was watching on cbsnews.com Live cam,but I switched to MSNBC(I hate green Cam). Is that bombing or wind noise? Don't hear it on the CBS cam.

[Straight Vermonter]

Constant rumble on bagcam.

[SoldiersGirl]

I never second guess what our military planners are doing. I try to figure it out, because it's fun...but I never doubt them. Sometimes we just can't comprehend all of the logistics and planning that goes into a battle. I can't look at one movement and see the end result laid out in front of me, which is probably why I always lose at RISK. I agree that a lot of these armchair analysts on the news need to shut up for a while..watch what's happening and have faith. Undermining our military leaders and second guessing them on the news every night just adds more fuel to the liberal/anti-war fire.

[error99]

The MSNBC cam has the mike volume up really high.
The 'background-noise' sounds kind of like static on your radio.
The 'whooshing-sound' is cars going by on the street below.
Occasionally you can hear a bang or a boom or a pow.
But they are rare.

[error99]

Oh, I absolutely agree with you on that.
It was the comment made at # 1915
that got my britches in a bunch for some reason.
Maybe I am just cranky tonight, I don't know.

[SoldiersGirl]

I was just offering you some back up brother :-)

[not-alone]

Thanks for post 1964, it helped me

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Low turnout at anti-war rallies:

LONDON - Anti-war demonstrators held a series of rallies around Britain on Saturday but turnout was well down from the huge crowds seen at protests before the start of military action in Iraq (news - web sites).

One group of demonstrators planning to join a march to the British Broadcasting Corp. headquarters in London was asked by organizers to wait an extra half hour before starting off.

"I don't think we have enough people to do it at the moment," Paul Green told the group of around 50 people.

[Sacajaweau]

bump for later

[Krodg]

but the problem is that they also have an effect on our side. when they came out that first weekend talking about surrenders and regime collapse, they provided a false sense of security to our own citizens that this was going to be a "cakewalk".

It would only be a problem if our military had a "false sense of security". I would think they would pray that some of this misinformation will lead to more enemy laying down their weapons instead of their lives.

[muslims=borg]

The thing is WE dont know what tricks Franks has up his sleeve. I'm sure they've been planning the liberation of Bag for over a year. With our superiority, getting to Bag was not the problem so I'm sure they put a hec of a lotta planning into the liberation of it.

[Robert A Cook PE]

No.

As a former officer, and professional armchair critic, i CAN criticise what's going on.

The military makes errors, I agree. Look at WWII - the sub campaign on the east was a disaster, the Navy's (initail) refusal to accept jeep carriers, their refusal to accept the small USCG and USN subchasers, and DDE's and diesels and PT boats, and their refusal to accept Higgin's boats. The bomber commands refused to release B-24s for patrol duty in mid-Atlantic, and the convoy requirement itself was rejected by the USN despite the experience of the Brit's off the Channel and near the UK.

All these purchasing and strategic decisions were overruled by civilians in power. We are right to criticize, as long as we are also humble enough to realize we don't have their ultimate responsibility.

War is a combination of civil and military pwer and experience. We are, at best, observors.

[Cboldt]

Armored unit must have ground troops with them or else they don't last long.

Agreed, Vermonter and I are just helping each other get educated on the meaning of military map symbols. I assume there are some ground troops with the tanks, and that not all infantry travels with armor.

[Straight Vermonter]