Troops given the go date

ABC Radio News | 3/15/03 | ABC Radio News

[grahm_crackers]

Top of the hour (1:00 pm EST 3/15/03) ABC Radio News is reporting that U.S. Troops in the Persian Gulf have been given the go date for hostilities against Iraq to start. It is reported that ground and air troops are to go to war at the same time. The ABC source said that G-day (Go Day) has been communicated to all allied troops in the area.

I'm searching news wires for more confirmation......

[Carry_Okie]

It will be good to watch Kofi choke.

[I_saw_the_light]

now that I have corrected my html stupidity- Impressive eh?

[Dog]

Heard it also...

[Grampa Dave]

Makes sense to invade and free the oil wells and other areas from being blown up before or as the air war really starts.

Hard to tell when the air war really started. Since February we and the Brits have been averaging 500+ sorties per day. We just used a B1 bomber.

[Otta B Sleepin]

I find this to be HIGHLY unlikely...

Actually, I heard the same thing a few days ago on FNC. They were saying it would not be like Desert Storm, where air assaults took place first. Sorry I can't remember who the speaker was who said it.

[mikegi]

FYI, Federal Law Enforcement was told to be on alert from March 28 through mid April..

I certainly hope that's wrong. We're flying on April 4th. I'm not worried about terrorism, I'm worried about people freaking out and disrupting our flight plans. We had a flight in early Nov 2001, during the anthrax scare, that was grounded because a "suspicious white powder" was found in the aft galley. We had to deplane and wait three hours until they could get another plane. What a hassle!

[grahm_crackers]

"Heard it also..."

Thanks, I can't find anything on the 'net. Had you heard this before?

[Redcloak]

I doubt that this is accurate. Bush, Blair, and Anzar are attending a summit meeting in the Azores tomorrow. The stated purpose it to work out diplomatic strategy. My guess is that they will also settle on the final timetable; i.e. if the UN fails to meet it obligations, we move in X hours. It is likely, however, that the military has been warned that the order will be issued within 72 hours.

[grahm_crackers]

If reports from last week are to believed, when this thing starts the British Paratroopers are going to immediatley jump in and take Baghdad airport from the get-go.

[JimRed]

We had a flight in early Nov 2001, during the anthrax scare, that was grounded because a "suspicious white powder" was found in the aft galley.

Powdered coffee lightener, no doubt.

[bcoffey]

"It is likely, however, that the military has been warned that the order will be issued within 72 hours."

It could be that we're going on xx/xx/xx no matter what... either with or w/out the UN.

On the other hand, this announcement should slow down Mr. Blix' making travel reservations to Iraq.

[Mr.Clark]

I find that really hard to believe. Unless there is some coup being plotted, there is no way we're sending paratroopers into Baghdad right away. What I expect, and my opinion is worthless and usually wrong, is 3-4 days of really intense bombing, then the blitzkrieg begins.

[ewing]

Don't worry the flight attendants will treat you like gold if you make it known that you are military.

Heck, the boys couldn't eat all of the food that they were getting when the flew to Brandenburg!

[jlogajan]

"It is reported that ground and air troops are to go to war at the same time."

I find this to be HIGHLY unlikely...

Well, it is certainly speculation dressed up like a "leak." But never the less, it is a likely scenario. The aircraft will be able to strike deep within Iraq from the git-go. The heavily armored ground troops will take a few days to move through Iraq. So unless they engage Iraq forces on the way to Baghdad right away, the nature of the business is that the air forces will end up striking targets first even though both ground and air forces are launched at the same instant.

If you really wanted simultaneous assaults, you'd have to launch the ground assault first by several days. That doesn't make much sense.

[medscribe]

The Azores meeting has nothing to do with diplomacy. It is a war council. The military didn't make a massive show of force yesterday just to wait on "diplomacy." Anything that has to go on at the UN is now irrelevant. And from the news channels this morning, it seems that the other members of the UN SC are finally realizing what tomorrow's meeting will be all about. It is not the final push for diplomacy, it is the final preparation for war.

[I_saw_the_light]

The photo I posted came with the following caption-
'Tanks and soldiers of the 7th Armored brigade gather for a briefing by US Lieutenant General Jeff Conway Commanding General 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in the Kuwait desert, March 14, 2003. Leaders of the United States, Britain and Spain will hold an emergency summit on Sunday in a last-gasp diplomatic effort to overcome opposition in the U.N. Security Council to a resolution paving the way for war on Iraq (news - web sites). (Dan Chung/Reuters) '
I dont know much about how the military does things, but that looks like a huge briefing in the photo to me.

[ewing]

Not just British..

[Illbay]

I think that would be quite scary, for the government to be able to knock a radio network off the air for any length of time.

[sweetliberty]

If we can't get the Communist News Network off, what makes you think that we'd be able to suspend ABC? I just wonder how many lives these "news" sources have, and will, cost because they don't have the sense or the decency to know when to keep their mouths shut about troop movement.

[Peach]

Godspeed to our military. Remember to fly your flags, folks.