Posted on 03/29/2003 11:53:24 AM PST by baylorbaylor
Edited on 03/29/2003 12:18:57 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
CENTRAL IRAQ (AFP) - Iraqi civilians fleeing heavy fighting have stunned and delighted hungry US marines in central Iraq by giving them food, as guerrilla attacks continue to disrupt coalition supply lines to the rear.
Sergeant Kenneth Wilson said Arabic-speaking US troops made contact with two busloads of Iraqis fleeing south along Route Seven towards Rafit, one of the first friendly meetings with local people for the marines around here.
"They had slaughtered lambs and chickens and boiled eggs and potatoes for their journey out of the frontlines," Wilson said.
At one camp, the buses stopped and women passed out food to the troops, who have had to ration their army-issue packets of ready-to-eat meals due to disruptions to supply lines by fierce fighting further south.
Civilians have remained largely out of sight since the invasion began 10 days ago. Towns and villages are virtually deserted, prompting speculation that most had shifted to safer ground before the fighting began.
Corpsman Tony Garcia said the food donation was an act of appreciation for the American effort to topple the brutal regime of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
"They gave us eggs and potatoes to feed our marines and corpsmen. I feel the local population are grateful and they want to see an end to Saddam Hussein," he said.
"It was a lovely, beautiful gesture."
Khairi Ilrekibi, 35, a passenger on one of the buses, which broke down near the marine position, said he could speak for the 20 others on board.
In broken English he told a correspondent travelling with the marines: "We like Americans," adding that no one liked Saddam Hussein because "he was not kind."
He said Iraqi civilians living near him were opposed to Saddam Hussein and that most were hiding in their homes and were extremely tired.
Lance Corporal David Polikowsky stood guard over 70 POWS near the broken down bus, saying how grateful he was for food cooked and donated by locals, which included oranges.
Looking on warily at the POWS he was guarding, who included two Jordanians, as well as an Iraqi colonel, captain, major and second lieutenant from special forces and the regular army, he said he had been moved by comments from local civilians.
He said they told him: "We welcome you. What is your name? We will pray for you."
He said another group of POWS, largely conscripts, had been moved south.
"They told me they wanted to go to America after the war. I said where. They said California. I said why? They said the song Hotel California and they left singing Hotel California."
Soldiers with this marine division -- on the east of a two-pronged thrust toward Baghdad -- have seen some of the fiercest fighting of the war so far.
They battled their way through heavy fire at Nasiriyah, Sharat and Rafit before pausing to resupply within 250 kilometres (180 miles) of Baghdad on Thursday.
Prisoners have been taken and pockets of displaced people carrying white flags have been seen along the way. Some have waved, others have asked the marines for cigarettes and water.
But US troops have been keeping a wary distance from civilians, mindful of reports that some Iraqi forces were mingling with civilians in order to drift through American lines and launch surprise attacks.
Ambushes and harassing fire along the massive communications lines to Kuwait in the south have caused casualties and disrupted supplies of water, food and fuel to the frontline troops.
Garcia and Wilson are attached to a Shock Trauma Platoon with the Marine Expeditionary Force and have treated about 20 civilians for war-related wounds in the past five days.
As troops munched on their feast, one medic warned the food could have been deliberately contaminated.
He was quickly disregarded as the hungry marines forged ahead to make a fondue out of a donated tin of Australian processed cheese, but the potatoes were eaten before the cheese could melt.
"Man I never thought a boiled egg could taste so damn good," one burly marine observed.
(Excerpt) Read more at story.news.yahoo.com ...
Bingo! I would eat the food. There are a lot greater dangers, like driving to work. To give poisoned food in the Middle East would be pretty unthinkable. Imagine how much the hearts and minds campain is accomplishing in a Middle Eastern setting. Our supplying food has a FAR greater effect than most realize. The 'Adults in charge' are smarter than we think.
Consider this possibility. The tank and LAR run to Baghdad was televised, so we wanted them to know we were closing in real fast.
Someone suggested the strategy was to panic the Iraqi command into bringing as much as possible of the Republican guard units back to defend Baghdad from this televised blitzkreig American assault, thereby pinning as many of them there as possible so that there would be less of them in the South, North, West and ?East to fight through.
Bunched up around Baghdad the Republican Guard divisions would be much easier to "soften" up from the air.
Um, if this is even close to true, we should not worry about civilian losses when we go after Iraqi forces in urban areas. Perhaps the civilians know the plan is to fight in such places, and have already made it out of dodge?
M'am I don't think you're a loser. The reason why I pinged you to my post is because you keep pinging me to yours. Which is fine, I don't mind debate and you're a nice enough lady but you should know by now when you respond to my posts that Mr. Rogers is not going to reply.
I promise I'll try to be nicer to you. I'm going to say a prayer for your son. OK?
And thank you most of all for your 'Tennessee prayer.'
You don't have to try to 'be nice' to me, AAA.......I never could stand Mr. Rogers (no offense to his family.....he was a good guy).
I can take honest criticism, even by cynics, if it's fair, and I like a good verbal fight as much as anyone. But IMO, it would be against your nature to be kind, because of your apparent instinct to ridicule those you don't agree with OR understand. Just try to be honest............ with yourself and others, and objective in seeking the real truth...........one that is not viewed through the darkened glasses of your cynicism.
And thanks for praying for my son. I very much appreciate that.
As far as your lesson on honesty, I'm always honest. My world veiw and yours are light years apart. The "truth" in your world is humorous (albeit slightly tragic) to someone like me, and I will never see your light. As a matter of fact, I'm going to instruct a family member to shoot me if my truth ever even remotely resembles yours.
You're right I'm not nice, although I try to be a good person (difference). I'm quite convinced you're a good person as well, who may think that she's a nice person. However you're a colossal pain in my ass, so what's the difference? Your supposed niceness is as aggravating and upsetting to some as the un-niceness you ascribe to me. So I guess we're even.
As usual we're not getting anywhere here, but please feel free to chat any time as I find you fascinating. Kind of like studying an alien species.
All that said, if you need someone to talk to about your son, you can email this lady. She had a son in the first Gulf War and understands what you're going through. She's talked to others on this forum by email and phone.
God bless.
Interesting. The truth that I seek, and have been seeking for 46 years of walking with the Lord, is God's truth, through studying Scripture and through prayer.
I don't claim to have found it all, but if you find me 'alien' in my search for God's truth, I do feel sorry for you. And as for political truth......I base my view on it's relationship to Scriptural truth. We may disagree on points, but if you find me 'alien' there, then you are not a Conservative.
Now I'll leave you alone, and pray that your family doesn't actually shoot you if you finally grow beyond your cynicism and anger. You seem to have the potential to become a decent human being, and might do the world some good someday.
The Hotel Califonia - THC
To be honest, I read or heard this somewhere and never took the time to analyze it. It may be a coincidence...
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