Confused Start, Decisive End (Barf Alert)

Washington Post ^ | April 13, 2003 | Rick Atkinson, Peter Baker and Thomas E. Ricks

[Drango]

Confused Start, Decisive End
Invasion Shaped by Miscues, Bold Risks and Unexpected Successes

By Rick Atkinson, Peter Baker and Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, April 13, 2003; Page A01

BAGHDAD, April 12 -- It was the low point of the war for the two generals.

On March 27, outside the city of Najaf, Lt. Gen. William S. Wallace, commander of the U.S. Army's V Corps, met with Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the 101st Airborne Division. As they sat on gray folding chairs in the desert wasteland, the war seemed to be in dismal shape.

The critical crossroads city of Nasiriyah had degenerated into a shooting gallery for U.S. convoys. An Army maintenance unit was ambushed on an overextended supply line. In just one day, 36 U.S. soldiers and Marines were killed, taken prisoner, or missing. Before dawn the next day, the first deep strike by AH-64D Apache attack helicopters was beaten back by small-arms fire that downed one chopper and riddled 33 others with bullets. Then a harsh sandstorm swept in, grounding U.S. helicopters, jamming some weapons, bringing most operations to a halt and demoralizing the troops. And they had not yet engaged the Iraqi Republican Guard, which they expected would greet them with chemical weapons.

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snip...click on the link. Long story

[Drango]

And so it starts...liberals suggesting the military was just "lucky".

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[blake6900]

Tom Ricks wasn't even in Iraq...he never made outta DC.

Ever notice that even when the comPost is wrong, it's never really wrong. I'm just surprised that the revisionist history took so long to begin.

[Defiant]

These liberal reporters were indeed confused at the start of the war, but now they can see how decisive was their ignorance.

[GB]

Absolute silliness. I'm sure Normandy didn't look too promising five minutes after we hit the beach on 6/6/44. You know, it's not unheard of for U.S. forces to need a bit of time to get their act together and get totally into gear and adapt to what's in front of their faces, because the battlefield is not always like it's drawn up in advance or as its presented during preparation/war gaming. It's not a case of the war going badly or the plan for the war being lousy; it's a case of having to adapt to circumstances and words can't express how proud I am of our troops for doing it so well.

The fact that so many people in and out of the media went into such a state of histrionics and couldn't deal with that simple concept shows the absolute lack of knowledge, not just in the media but elsewhere in the country, of military operations and military history.

[SonOfDakota]

Some retired generals were arguing that U.S. forces in Iraq should wait for reinforcement from the 4th Infantry Division, and some Army officers on active duty privately agreed with that view.


It never ceases to amaze me how 'effin brilliant these guys are AFTER they retire. But not surprising how "their kids" listen to them, and nod their heads obediently.