Posted on 07/18/2003 10:47:44 AM PDT by StatesEnemy
Edited on 07/18/2003 11:13:59 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Dear Col Hackworth,
I am currently on the ground in Iraq and have been since I came over the LD on 31 March.
While the Army did a great in winning the war, what is not being covered is how broke the Army logistics system is and the damage it is doing to the long term readiness and moral of the Army. The Army seems to have this NTC rotation mentality, which consists of f*** it live in the dirt and filth you only have to be here for a month. That works at NTC, but it seems no one has thought of how to sustain an Army in the field for weeks and months at a time. The answer has always been, "after a month or so, we will contract with the locals for everything."
The problem is that outside of a few areas in Kurdistan and the north, Iraq is so poor that there is nothing to contract for. Moreover, we don't trust the locals enough to contract with them even if they did have something of value. Units all over the Army came to Iraq without basic things necessary for life support in the field. I a m talking about portable sh*tters with cans that you can burn. You can't live somewhere and have everyone sh*ting in cat holes for weeks at time. Units came here without tents. The 855th MP Company, a guard company from Arizona was allowed to mobilize without any tents. They lived on the ground in the most God awful piece desert you have ever seen for over two weeks. Units came here without proper heaters for the water in their MKTs, so that when they started serving T rats, they didn't cook them enough and didn't clean the serving treys properly and everyone who ate from there got sick. If its not a life or limb issue, its nearly impossible to get medical care.
Soldiers get literally hundreds of flea or mosquito bites and they can't cream or benedril to keep the damn things from itching. The army issued mosquito netting, but didn't give anyone any poles for their cots, so the stuff is basically useless. I am not talking about bringing in the steak and lobster every week. I am talking about basic health and safety issues that continue to be neglected by the Army. Even beyond that. If we are going to be here for a year, we need to start thinking about MWR and R&R for people. You can't just lock people up in a compound and feed them T-rats and MREs for a year and expect them to be as effective at the end as they were at the beginning. To my knowledge no one has given any thought to any kind of pass or MWR activities for soldiers. Division staff sits around in their air conditioned vans watching satellite AFN goofing off on the internet and just don't give a shit about anyone else.
Meanwhile, soldiers are living in the dirt, with no mail, no phone, no contact with home, and no break from the daily monotony at all. I went to a division rear in May and practically got in a fist fight with this Captain up there over letting my private, who hadn't contacted home since we left the U.S., send an e-mail over his office's internet. This clown spends his days sending flowers to his wife and surfing the net and he won't let my private send an e-mail to her husband. F*cking disgraceful and all too typical of today's army.
The fact is, soldiers can put up with anything and will do the right thing. The problem, however, is that at some point they are going to go home and hit their ETS date. I can tell you right now, a lot of good people are going to get the hell out over this deployment. The good soldiers won't put up with this crap. They will get out and get good jobs on the outside. We are breaking the Army and the reserve corps with this deployment needlessly. I understood when the war was going on.
But the war is over. This is peacekeeping and guerrilla warfare. Our supply lines are clear. There is no excuse why basic health and safety issues and moral issues like mail cannot be addressed. They are not being addressed because the army doesn't know how anymore. Units spend their lives preparing for 2 week warfighters and one month NTC rotations and never think, "okay, how are we going to live out here for six months or a year." Its just not part of the Army's thinking anymore and it s a shame.
Pissed Off Army Officer
I have one on my 4x4 rigs now here at home. Makes hunting and camping trips very enjoyable when yer clean....er
Stay Safe !!
The army does this kind of thing after every extended time of peace. Heck, the finest Indian Fighting Army in the World nearly starved to death outside of New Orleans as they were getting shipped out to the Mexican American war and the supply trains didn't show up for a month.
The Army that beat the Nazis and Japs was routed in the first few months of the Korean War and the Marines nearly froze to death on the Chosin. In fact, our technology was so outdated for a while that our Sherman tanks couldn't compete with the new shaped charge of the RPG--in order to defeat the shaped charge, our soldiers and Marines lashed frozen dead bodies to the sides of the tank to 'stand-off' the shaped charge and ruin the focal point of the shaped warhead. I've seen unauthorized pictures of those tanks festooned with corpses. It looks just like hell. Nowadays, the army would put soldiers up on charges for such innovative thinking
Right now, the soldier-gear has not kept up with the weapons in effectiveness. The tents are unchanged since WWII. The sleeping gear is unchanged since WWII and american soldiers have simply never been force to sustain themselves--and there is still currently no emphasis on it.
It is all screwed up over there right now. The first Gulf War was kind of a validation exercise, except that it wasn't really long enough, or 'hot' enough to validate anything--yet we thought our methods were sound.
Afghanistan was thought to demonstrate that: "Hey, the Army is in great shape!", but it wasn't the 'leg' army that was fighting that war--it was the other real, effective 'Army' (Spec Ops of all services) Now, we send in the leg army that has been dumbed down, under trained, under funded, under lead, semi-tough army and we are watching it flounder. It is no surprise to me.
Y'know what's funny? I just volunteered to take a job in Iraq, in my company, to rebuild information systems for hospitals, schools and such... I really hope I get to go. I just love that kind of thing...
The 3rd ID is not. We are simply not a 'field army' anymore.
Oh...I see...so THAT's why you posted this whiner's letter.
For another view:
And when the dogface soldiers of the 3ID see a group of SEALs or EOD guys living like "McHales Navy" with improvised showers, a bar, ten times the water per man, etc etc etc, how do you think that affects morale in the 3ID?
Like CRAP is how it affects morale! Almost as bad as delivering a message to a staff officer's trailer, and feeling that blast of A/C, and seeing their TV and fridge.
ARGGGHHHH!!!!! People here DO NOT UNDERSTAND!!!!!!
That reminds me of standing .50 cal watch on the bridgewing in the gulf (91-92) listening to the Captain use the "emergency/you wife just drowned your kids and your mom needs to know how to make your car payment cell phone" to talk to his wife. every night when the sun was going down.
I always knew when we were going to make a course change. It always followed his call dropping and then a few curse words. "Come to port and make a new heading... (180 degrees the other way."
I swear that man could smell when the atmospherics were ripe to get a signal all the way to Bahrain.
If I hadn't had no respect for him already (he would get all crybaby/blubbery whenever speaking to us on the 1MC about our completing an evolution well.
I much preferred the "hard partying" Mustang I had on my first ship. He actually blew out his ACL playing basketball in Rota (our first stop on our Med deployment) and could have bailed out but just lived out of his at sea cabin for the duration. Oh, and he lubed up liberally at every port call. 22 port calls in 19 different cities during the cruise. I saved not one dime that six months. Thank you NATO task force!
Bull sh*t. The Pentagon has been going apeshit over Rummy's 'streamlined' and 'Just In Time' troop/supply movements. The man never served a day in uniform and should stick to the politico side of war.
Oh those f&*king d^&ks.... I've seen the same kind of thing--a sailor/soldier would get a reprimand ruining his/her career for e-mailing his/her spouse in the hospital--while the G#da*&ed ranking officers will spare no effort or expense of the government to talk to Mrs. Pogue Rankingofficer. I hated it--it was rampant, ruined morale and made every officer look bad...
Rumsfeld bio from defenselink:
Mr. Rumsfeld attended Princeton University on academic and NROTC scholarships (A.B., 1954) and served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as an aviator and flight instructor. In 1957, he transferred to the Ready Reserve and continued his Naval service in flying and administrative assignments as a drilling reservist until 1975. He transferred to the Standby Reserve when he became Secretary of Defense in 1975 and to the Retired Reserve with the rank of Captain in 1989.
Fercrissakes--this is his 2nd time as Sec Def.
Stay Safe !
I spent a year too. One time, wore the same fatigues for three weeks. Streams and bomb craters made do for wash up. Probably had 50 showers during that year. Didn't eat for five days one time. It all seemed trivial while humping a 60 lb pack, plus weapon and assorted ammo in 115 degree heat. No cell phone, no reporters(too dangerous) and no calls home.
Did we bitch? Every painfull minute of the day. Loudly and proudly.
Did we bitch too reporters and other outsiders? No, if they had asked how it was... we would have told them to go get FU**ed. Soldiers always bitch. Reporters don't have a clue when it comes to the military. They were also considered the enemy by 1969.
I appreciate the hardships you went through.
Did you deal with it by writing anonymous letters to talking heads in the media who've done nothing but bash the plan since day one?
I'm betting you didn't.
All things said and done--I agree: that is the part that gripes my ass...
I also don't like "Anonymous sources" since there is no way to verify if they are even who they claim they are or are going through what they claim to be.
I also wanted to let you know that I am definitely not the one who hit the Abuse button and got your post pulled. I've never done that. I don't even know why someone complained.
Thanks again for your service. I really do appreciate it, as I appreciate the hardships our soldiers are going through today. I just wish they'd leave the media out of their complaints, no matter how legitimate.
This type of reporting can only weaken support for the effort domestically, and embolden our enemies to continue their efforts to demoralize our troops.
Have a good night,
-Steve
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