Richard Reeves: Soldiers Can't Speak Freely

The Hartford Courant ^ | July 29, 2003 | Richard Reeves

[BillyBonebrake]

I'm with the kid in Fallujah, the Army private in the Third Infantry Division, who said Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ought to resign. Rummy and his crowd led and misled those soldiers out there to occupy a country we can defeat but not control.

Rumsfeld, who should never have been given an army to play with, is either nuts or incompetent. I tend toward the former. He and President Bush overreached in sending 16 of the Army's 33 combat-ready divisions to win an easy war and now have to leave them out there to occupy the desert - something they are not well-trained to do - until we withdraw or find someone to take our place.

Now, there's a problem. We mocked and bullied most of our allies in the run-up to war - we didn't need the wusses of Old Europe and old everyplace else - and now we are begging the people we ignored, the United Nations and our own North Atlantic Treaty Organization, to come bail us out.

We can't really win this game. In that way, we are repeating the mistakes we made in Vietnam all those years ago. This is quite a different war in quite a different place, but there is this similarity: The Vietnamese and the Iraqis have been there forever and will be there forever, but we will leave sooner or later.

[xtorpedoman]

how about a flat frog or two?

[xtorpedoman]

how about a flat frog or two?

[MamaB]

Could it be that this person is one of those who wants to do what he wants and can not! He has a boss that allows no talking back. I also think it might just be a liberal plant to have a story like this in the news.

[dwilli]

I spent a year in the Marine Barracks on Guam. I kind of enjoyed it. Every time there was a typhoon alert, we had to tie off the palm trees between the barracks.

The diving and snorkeling was fantastic.

[Coop]

I for one am fascinated to learn that we have 33 active duty divisions.

And all this time we thought we had been downsizing! Now we know what those $800 toilet seats were REALLY paying for.

[mattdono]

Was it like this?

[armymarinemom]

This was hard to read. The story line seemed to fade in and out.
I keep hearing the press talk about soldier writing home and complaining. We do have a few whiners but most of them just talk about being sick of the heat and missing an easier life. They don't talk about firing their leadership! The press really looks hard for troops wearing long faces to pounce upon for a good story.

[xtorpedoman]

LMAO!
it was much worse.
no McDonalds! that Horror of it all!
lol

[Steve_Seattle]

If people like Reeves had been in charge, we would have lost World War II, the Jews would have been exterminated, and Europe would be a huge fascist dictatorship. And that would be just fine with Reeves.

[SerpentDove]

Somebody call a WAAHmbulance.

[theDentist]

I just re-read it. you're right. mea culpa.

[gaspar]

No, it is journalist Richard Reeves who is using his own scenario to give the soldier a bad name. There are indications aplenty that the journalist corps in Iraq and the Gulf is suffering from the Viet Nam syndrome and has a number of Dan Rather, Peter Arnett, Robert Scheer wannabes who will make their bones by denigrating the military, its mission, and its men.

[twigs]

might just be a liberal plant

That could easily be the case!

[Reagan Man]

Bottom line, the United States military isn't a democratic institution. If any soldier doesn't agree with an order by a superior, that soldier is entitled to use the chain of command to be heard. Otherwise, strict disipline is the order of the day and keeping your mouth shut in public is standard operating procedure.

[mark502inf]

Errr....um....he says that soldiers should not be allowed to complain to the media. Reading is fundamental.

Thanks, Austin. And although enroute to that conclusion Reeves loses no chance to throw in some gratuitous slams at the administration, he makes a very good point about civilian control of the military and how that requires discipline and control within the military itself.

[mark502inf]

I don't believe a soldier wrote that at all. A very clever liberal wrote that and planted it. They are scummy pieces of garbage.

A reporter who clearly identifies himself as such wrote this article--not a soldier.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

He and President Bush overreached in sending 16 of the Army's 33 combat-ready divisions

What the hell does this mean? Does anyone know how long it has been since we had 33 divisions??? We might have 16 Brigades in Iraq if you include the Marines, but the Army doesn't.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

Could it be that this person is one of those who wants to do what he wants and can not!

He'll never be married!

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I spent 5 years on Guam (Air Force), once gave some Marines a ride from Big Navy to NCS. The Marine Baracks there was really run down when I saw the place ( 1987 ). One of the guys told me that they sometimes had flames coming out of the ventalation units.

[mark502inf]

Does anyone know how long it has been since we had 33 divisions??? We might have 16 Brigades in Iraq if you include the Marines, but the Army doesn't.

Yeah, the guy screwed up his brigades & divisions--in answer to your question--WWII when we had 80+ divisions!

However, we do in fact have more than 16 U.S. Army brigades/regiments in Iraq:

1AD-3

101st-3

4ID-3

173d-1

2d Cav-1 (regiment)

3d Cav-1 (regiment)

82d-1

1ID-1 (equivalent)

3ID-2 and going down

and there are two National Guard enhanced brigades already there--one from Florida and the other from the mid-west.