From a soldier in Baghdad
The following message comes from a friend of mine who's fighting in Baghdad. His words speak volumes as to the toll this war is taking on those who are actually fighting it. Here's to hoping he gets home soon safely (his tour was just extended through October).
***********
I have been "surging" now for 1.5 months and things are still just as shitty. We have pushed into both Sunni and Shia areas and cleared them. The insurgents are running out of room and the more frequent patrols are making it harder for them to move weapons and bombs. I have been concentrating on the neighborhoods that produce the car bombs. I make the Iraqi Army approach any car that is parked on the street and search it. If I really don't like the way it looks I will call the Explosives guys and blow it up. It is quite rewarding to pull the igniter myself. Needless to say I have about 1 "suspicious" car a day...The political fighting in DC is starting to wear on the soldiers. I have no answers for them when they ask questions. Personally I don't feel we should be here any longer. The Iraqi's will never stand up for themselves while we are here. Why should they? Twice as many Americans died in March compared to Iraqi Army. They are smarter than we give them credit for. I just tell my troops to do their job and try and protect them as much as possible...In the meantime, while all eyes are on Baghdad, some of my buddies up North are in some serious shit in the Sunni triangle. It is really bad up there and the fighting will never stop using the "soft" approach. Why can the insurgents shoot mortars at us, bomb us, set booby traps for us, snipe us and move freely among the populace that supports them? I'll tell you it is because we do not do anything back to them. If we shot mortars into the neighborhoods that they shoot from and said "fuck the collateral damage" it would greatly hinder them. Think about it, would you let someone shoot a mortar from your yard if you knew it would bring a whole salvo on your house? Probably not. I just don't understand our leaders and am sick of the whole lot of them. Republicans and Democrats, it doesn't make a bit of difference, either pull us out or shut the fuck up and let us do our jobs without complaint, micro-management, and bickering. I don't think any party is truly right, but I do know that unless they figure something out quick, it is time to come home...
***********
I have been "surging" now for 1.5 months and things are still just as shitty. We have pushed into both Sunni and Shia areas and cleared them. The insurgents are running out of room and the more frequent patrols are making it harder for them to move weapons and bombs. I have been concentrating on the neighborhoods that produce the car bombs. I make the Iraqi Army approach any car that is parked on the street and search it. If I really don't like the way it looks I will call the Explosives guys and blow it up. It is quite rewarding to pull the igniter myself. Needless to say I have about 1 "suspicious" car a day...The political fighting in DC is starting to wear on the soldiers. I have no answers for them when they ask questions. Personally I don't feel we should be here any longer. The Iraqi's will never stand up for themselves while we are here. Why should they? Twice as many Americans died in March compared to Iraqi Army. They are smarter than we give them credit for. I just tell my troops to do their job and try and protect them as much as possible...In the meantime, while all eyes are on Baghdad, some of my buddies up North are in some serious shit in the Sunni triangle. It is really bad up there and the fighting will never stop using the "soft" approach. Why can the insurgents shoot mortars at us, bomb us, set booby traps for us, snipe us and move freely among the populace that supports them? I'll tell you it is because we do not do anything back to them. If we shot mortars into the neighborhoods that they shoot from and said "fuck the collateral damage" it would greatly hinder them. Think about it, would you let someone shoot a mortar from your yard if you knew it would bring a whole salvo on your house? Probably not. I just don't understand our leaders and am sick of the whole lot of them. Republicans and Democrats, it doesn't make a bit of difference, either pull us out or shut the fuck up and let us do our jobs without complaint, micro-management, and bickering. I don't think any party is truly right, but I do know that unless they figure something out quick, it is time to come home...
posted by Ben at 11:27 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home