Iraqi civilians feed hungry US marines

AFP/Yahoo ^ | 3-29-03

[muggs]

Our troops are not "starving" as this headline put out by AFP(Agence France Presse) seems to purport, IMO.

I would say they are pretty darn hungry if they are down to eating one MRE a day so they don't completely run out of food.

[MHGinTN]

It appears you missed the added note from the Soldier Rick interviewed ... he has a stash of his favored MRE stuff in addition to the issue MREs. Getting a bit full of yourself aren't ya!

[gcruse]

I don't remember the soldier setting aside MREs. But even if he was, they were still rationing themselves to two a day. That means going hungry at times. I can't imagine why you are in denial over this.

[MHGinTN]

Bwahahaha ... not one Soldier has said he's going hungry. Denial? Bwahahaha

[in the Arena]

An Iraqi farm worker walks Thursday through the remains of a building that was struck by artillery shells and missiles Wednesday in the Al Usfiya farming complex, about 10 miles south of Baghad. ALI HEIDER/AP

The caption forgot to mention the liberation of the a/c unit...

[Let's Roll]

A friend of mine is married to a Marine officer who has been in Nasiriya among other places - she said they are down to one MRE a day. She also just received pics of him and some other officers and they are noticeably thinner.

Now, having said that, he also told her he feels great and is in good spirits. IMO the food is available - our guys have simply outrun their supply lines - they are just too good. But we already knew that.

[Steve Eisenberg]

Is this true...we don't have food?

The angle I would look at is this: The refugees wanted to give the Marines a gift, and were undoubtedly glad that they actually had something the Marines could appreciate. It would be heartwarming, but not all that surprising, for villagers to offer a small group of Marines a home cooked meal as an alternative to field rations. That refugees did it is really impressive.

[TheSpottedOwl]

It's funny but when I read where the Iraqis stopped and offered food to the soldiers, it rang a bell. Took me a while to remember. A lot of people are fond of saying that Middle Easterners are stuck in the 14th century, so they might want to also remember that 30 years of savagery by Hussein and the Ba'ath Party have replaced fierce pride with gratitude towards liberators. I see pictures of mass(not ambushes)surrenders, and I get an odd feeling.

No flames please. You all know which Iraqis I'm talking about.

[TheSpottedOwl]

They said that ALL the people that they were able to communicate with kept asking "When are you coming? What's taking so long." And she said that the Iraqis are in their homes, COOKING for the American troops. I believed them.

I believe them too. I'd also like to apologize for taking 12 years to get there.

[Republican Party Reptile]

Take that New York Times and France!

Slight irony here, the story is attributed to reporting by AFP, and AFP IS the French Press Agency :)

[TheSpottedOwl]

I wonder if they know this song is about THC (marijuana)?

Lol, when I first read that, I went uh oh. I thought the song had to do with being in hell. Now I'm trying to remember the darn lyrics. Are you sure it's about pot?

[Spyder]

they were still rationing themselves to two a day. That means going hungry at times. I can't imagine why you are in denial over this.

Considering the minimum number of calories in a single MRE is about 1200, two MREs equal 2400 calories - perhaps a bit low for a strapping young marine involved in heavy activity, but nowhere near starvation rations, particularly in a warm climate.

[JohnBovenmyer]

Kinda like the Clintons leaving the White House, huh?

I'm sure Bill just had a strong sentimental attachment to that sink.

[tet68]

I liked this one.

[AAABEST]

It is crap through and through to cast aspersions on one of the most effective military movements in history. This is a blitzkreig of the most devastating type. But you prefer to listen to the networks desparate to diminish Bush's accomplishment. Why is that?

You Bush bot neo-pinkos are all alike. Go straight for the poster instead of arguing the point. Every time. Like clockwork. It's all about Georgie and all with opposing opinions must be taken after.

You're all schizzy freaken nutjobs.

I'll make one more attempt to stick to the point before I wave bye-bye.

I see things with my own eyes, I don't watch the networks. Anyone could run across a desert at full speed if you don't want your men to get any sleep, you want your logistical assets to be left behind and you want to leave your ass wide open. Not that it shouldn't ever be done, but at least there should be a reason.

We ran across a desert at a gazillion miles an hour to sit 50 miles outside of Baghdad? Can you tell me the purpose? No you can't, because you haven't the slightest clue, not the foggiest idea. I got news for you, neither does anybody else so don't feel bad. What's funny is that anyone thinks that this is the work of military genius.

Take of your political glasses for two seconds and watch FOX News, they really are rationing MRE's and they really have outran their supply trains, and they really are sitting in the desert waiting, and those mechanics really did get killed because some very basic and ancient military doctrine was ignored. That's secure the ground you capture.

See, for some odd reason some of us (like you) think every General is a paragon of virtue. Some Generals are the cream of the crop, some are the bottom of a cesspool, some are something in between. They all love types who swallow everything that's fed to them. Gives them elbow room.

[TheSpottedOwl]

warning their men not to eat anything offered to them. IMO, the offerings are dangerous, but not because they have been deliberately poisoned. In that region near the Eurphrates, the water is very risky in summer, and they use local pools of water preparing their food. The locals are alright, they are hardened to those germs. Outsiders come down with violent gastric fevers.

You should see the look on people's faces when I tell them we eat in Tijuana when I make my perscription medicine run. Knock on wood, so far so good. There is a little stand right under the walk over bridge that sells great tacos, among other things. They shave the meat off an undetermined animal leg, pile it on homemade tortillas. You can then go to the condiment stand and pile on cabbage, fresh salsa, and guacamole. Wash it down with genuine Dos Equis or Corona. Mmmmm goood :)

[TheSpottedOwl]

You're all schizzy freaken nutjobs.

Dude have some faith. I don't have cable, know better than to believe the spin on regular tv; I don't have a clue about how to run a war, and don't need to. After 8 years of Clinton I again have faith in my president and my government. Shit happens to the best of plans, and things will work out exactly when they are supposed to. No one will starve out there, and they are going to be fine.

Just have faith.

[Thebaddog]

You da man, my friend. Keep your faith and pass it along. Your message is the one.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

In some Arabic cultures you are prohibited from harming a person with whom you've either hosted in your home or shared a meal with.

I wouldn't bet my life on THAT.

[don-o]

You're all schizzy freaken nutjobs.

Michael Savage, phone in.

Someone is stealing your schtick.