Hey, Everything Is Just Peachy Keen In Iraq

Soldiers for the Truth ^ | Pissed Off Army Officer

[StatesEnemy]

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

[cibco]

'The man never served a day in uniform and should stick to the politico side of war."

Kind'a thought he flew some of them there Navy planes...

[AAABEST]

You could have at least yelled at me or something instead of being so nice about the whole thing. I knew the post would be pulled. You're still my bud, you just were there at the time where I heard these "digs" for the last time.

When we were in theater we weren't allowed near reporters, I didn't like them anyway. I haven't the foggiest why these guys aren't under strict orders not to talk to them.

That said if things are crappy, with modern communications word is going to get out. We have to solve the problem of the crappyness, not the soldiers running their faces.

It seems to me as if much that is going on wasn't anticipated. Could be good in a way, as I was getting sick and tired of the TV war mentality and people talking about "opening a can of whoop-ass" and all that crap. That's not where our heads need to be, sobriety is what's needed. If this causes people to sober up about spending blood and treasure in rotten places then good for us.

Dead I honestly do regret opening up on you like that, I felt safe because I've known you a while. I've been known to do that with people I like every now and again, even family and friends. I hope you'll forgive me.

[Travis McGee]

116 is right on.

[Travis McGee]

It's a mission worth doing and I support it. But like chookter said, "we have a garrison army relearning how to be a field army."

We can "fake it" for 2 weeks or a month. But with no rear area for showers, a little in-country R&R etc, it will just wear out the troops for no good purpose. We can do better than this.

[Travis McGee]

I hope you do get to go, they can use you over there!

[Travis McGee]

Folks have no idea what a God a C.O. of a ship at sea is! I had mostly great ones. Some were truly outstanding.

[Travis McGee]

No problemo amigo. We'll get it right.

[Travis McGee]

I salute you, buddy.

[Mr. Mojo]

BTTT

[HairOfTheDog]

'nation-building/hearts and minds' crap is NOT THE MILITARY'S MISSION!!!

It is now. We walk out or falter now and there was no point in going at all.

[danmar]

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.

Gee, whiz soldier, what did you think joining the armed forces is all about? Club Med perhaps? Some PS Games, personal PC, own cell phone?

I can not believe my eyes, for what I am reading! What else does this cry baby needs...back massage, a hooker, fine wine and a good cigar?
He had better change his attitude ASAP, before becoming the laughing stock of his company. I am a former Army Captain, and this guy makes us look like whino's, which is not the norm.

No wonder the Marines are making jokes all day long, about the "wimps and cry babies" of the Army.

If this guy is for real, he IS one pathetic looser, casting a very bad shadow over the integrity of the Army.

[cibco]

"I salute you, buddy."

Thank you but my point is that we are being feed so much BS that it is hard to sort things out. The Warrior's deserve the best and we should support them. They made a unreal combat accomplishment and the Dems have torked me off with their BS as they have made the spectacular acomplishment of our people to seem like it toke no effort.

The Press is the largest danger to our country now. They still have a degree of accountability to the major population of the US. I hope they die in wherever...

[Criminal Number 18F]

Don't even get me started on QM. I have one particular QM O6 in mind, that is gonna stay deployed forver because he knows me and my guys are loose in the Zone of the Interior (as they said in WWII).

I had the bad fortune to be shanghaied into an INSCOM assignment, just as the MI Corps was established in the eighties. They gave us all certificates, suitable for framing... I promptly made a paper plane of mine while all the MI girls (of both chromosomal arrangements) were cooing over theirs. Still have it, and it still flies great. (Good thick paper).

The regular units can defend themselves against these irregulars. It is not rocket science. Just do good perimeter security, stay alert, watch your buddy's back. As a career-long irregular, when we got tripped up it was never somebody's master plan to bag us, it was just one alert snuffy when we were counting on carelessness.

All your stuff on sanitation, etc. is true. Sadly, its all there in basic field manuals. What I have often seen with GIs and people in general is that they will sit and wait to be told what to do. You have to be proactive on improving your situation.

Latest word is that the tour in Iraq is going to be one year, and that 3rd will be coming home by the end of sept. or so. I think a lot of the bitching has been caused by the kind of spastic changes of plan. American soldiers are not Prussians. You gotta tell them what's up, and the conventional army always forgets to do this.

Finally, a book recommendation. For anyone that has ever suffered under some 10-watt Pol Pot who thinks he's actually Napoleon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0970874693/103-8292140-7493414?v=glance

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Criminal Number 18F]

One thing that really helped in Afghanistan was when my mom sent a bunch of spices... garlic salt, red peppers, etc. Helped to make the GI food more interesting. WHen I left I gave some to my reliefs and some to the locals that supported us.

Just a suggestion for anyone making up a package for our GIs anywhere (Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Phillipines, Colombia, Bosnia, Kosovo and many other unpleasant places).

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Travis McGee]

I agree 100%.

[Travis McGee]

bttt

[river rat]

I find this thread very disturbing.

The "officer" doing the complaining, sounds like he must squat to pee.....and needs to have his brain housing group - readjusted...

I hope this clown doesn't represent our new "Professional - Be all you can be Army"....

It's NORMAL for gunts to bitch....it's their birthright..
But this clymer is bitching "in public", and in this regard is unworthy of his warrior officer status...

On another level, his bitching would be regarded as comical by the average draftee that endured Vietnam...

Twelve months MINIMUM "in country" - unless wounded or killed.
1. No cell phones or satelite phones to call home....EVER!
2. No showers - unless you count the rain, rivers, filthy rice patties or a container full of holes hanging from a limb.
3. No burn or chemical toilets -- but lots of holes and ammo cans.
4. No shortage of "poles" to hang net -- CUT the damned things down.
5. Mail drop -- at least every 2nd month.
6. More men killed during some days, than entire Iraq operation..
7. No female "warriors" to snuggle up with, when lonely.
8. No cots or tents....When we needed shelter - we built a temp. shelter and prepared a bed from the natural materials of the site..
9. Leaches attached to your body - during many of the river crossings......and this clown complains about flea or mosquito bites!

I guess now I understand why our recent "wars" are of the 3 to 6 week vintage....that appears to be the extent of our modern Army's ability to be in the field....

Semper Fi

[river rat]

I forgot to add..

This "officer" has been in country since March...
Not quite 4 months!
Already, sounding like he's at his wit's end..

Semper Fi

[Travis McGee]

Excellent "reality check" worthy of its own thread!

I am sure that some other VN vets could add some observations.

[kms61]

There are a lot of people on these threads throwing words around like "losers," "wimps," and "crybabies."

How many of you have spent a day in this country's uniform?

If you have, thanks for your service, and you have room to talk.

To the rest: Those guys are over there. You're sitting in front of a computer posting casting aspersions on people who, whatever attitude some of them might have, are in harm's way on YOUR BEHALF. Guess who's deserving of more respect?

Talk's cheap. If you think you can do better, march down to the recruiting station and sign your name on the dotted line. Until then, STFU.