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Thanks for your reply. I think even every few weeks, showers etc makes a big difference. If it was just this LT bitching, I'd be with you. But I am hearing similar tales of rock-bottom morale from returning troops. It's no good to say "tough it out" in an all-volunteer military, they will just get out.

This is not WW2 or VN, there is no next year's draft to rely on to get all the troops we will need. If they get out, and tell their friends and little brothers not to enlist, what will we do for an Army next year or two?

If it was just this LT bitching, I'd be with you. But I am hearing similar tales of rock-bottom morale from returning troops.

This is a good point. We have had other threads where some of the troops complained in an unprofessional manner and they have been slammed and I was among those posters dogging them. Not for their complaints but for the manner in which they complained- and I will stand by my comments. I just think if you want to complain to the world you ought to do it in an honorable manner.

But, having said that... You do have to add all this "chatter" from the troops up to a coherent picture after a while. I, personally, am not ready to make a judgement. I know there's a lot going on in Iraq at the moment and that the media is predatory in nature. I want the best for the troops but I would still hope they act in a professional manner whatever there current circumstances. This is not to say I don't want them to bitch or not to bitch regardless of their situation- I just don't want them to act in a way that brings shame on themselves and the Army (I'm an Army guy and I served in the 3rd ID "Rock of the Marne"- my prejudices are set).

But these "bitching and complaints" are useful intel for us over here comfortable in our homes. If you hear enough of it, there's something there. If the 3rd's gotta stay longer the least we could do is get them the things they need. We are not, after all, Russia. We are the richest nation in the known universe and like it or not, Iraq is our newly claimed frontier. We need to get those guys what they need if they don't have it.

This doesn't have to be a partisan matter. It doesn't have to be like "Bush fails troops". It simply means that since Vietnam we don't have any experience with supporting a long term mission. If we all focus on "supporting the troops" instead of hanging some politician out to dry for their problems we will be more effective in alleviating their problems.

That's the way I see it. I was just a little guy in the military but that's my opinion.

If we have no Army, so be it. Maybe when we citizens zip up the body bags of our relatives, kids, on our own soil - like the Twin Towers in New York, it won't seem so bad that someone who is sworn and paid to defend us is uncomfortable for awhile. Would we want to defend ourselves in the sands of Iraq or the city streets of New York? I can tell you that defending yourself from enemy fire, with 7 of your fellow soldiers dead on the tailgate of your APC is much more "unpleasent" than not having a shower. Thunder runs at night that practically invite and ambush was also unpleasent as the heat, humidity, etc. Where has there been a pleasent war? When I say a shower, I mean an Australian shower bag, hung over the barrel of a 50 cal. off the side of the track, with about 2-3 gallons of water.
It doesn't take much to clean up if you use a little ingenuity and that has always been the trademark of a US trooper. Have we lost that too? I can take an enlisted soldier bitching more than an officer. Any officer, no matter what rank, has a right and obligation to look out for his troops within the chain of command. If his troops suffer to the point of becoming ineffective in accomplishing their mission than their Lt is a sorry sack of S--T.