Wednesday, May 31, 2006

A Hell of a Way to Fight a War!


A bearly-restrained press is chomping at the bit to go after a story, at least what we THINK is a story, from a place called Haditha in Iraq.

We actually know very little about the so-called massacre at Haditha. (The incident is said to have occurred on November 19th of 2005.) A number of civilians are said to have been slain, by US Marines, as retribution for a number of their men (one or more) being wounded, or killed, by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) … what you and I would call… a bomb.

"The Conservative Voice" has an excellent article on the Incident, what we know... and what we don't know. The article was written by Michelle Malkin. We strongly recommend that you go there and read the article. You can find it at "The Conservative Voice" at:

http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/14981.html

There's even more at Texas Fred's place called "Ace in the Hole", over at:

http://texas-freds-house.blogspot.com/2006/05/party-marines-spoiled-in-haditha.html

The MSM, and the political “Left” has been on a crusade to turn the Iraq war into another Viet Nam since, oh, about 48 hours into the conflict. They began by calling Afghanistan a “quagmire” and almost instantly referred to Iraq as the same. Their hope, apparently, is that they can convince enough Americans that all is lost and that the US is in over it’s head in Iraq in order to influence the government’s prosecution of the war and cause a US defeat or, worse, a cut and run scenario, called a “retreat”, or as the politically correct language has it... an “exit strategy”.

Now, some of the MSM are bringing up the My Lai incident, in Viet Nam, and comparing the Haditha incident with the My Lai incident.

Now, I have to tell you that I was never pleased with the way the My Lai incident was portrayed by the media and… the way, in my opinion, the US soldiers involved were persecuted for carrying out their orders. In fact, I distinctly remember circulating petitions to the President to release those men, accused of wrong doing in the My Lai incident, and sending those petitions to the President of the US.

Just days ago, two members of the media were killed and a third was very seriously wounded in an IED attack as they stood outside their armored vehicle in Iraq.

There is something extremely dishonorable about killing people with a bomb! Especially these remote controlled bombs. There is someone watching, and lying in wait, to push the button on the device, to take out an unexpecting vehicle and it’s occupants. It takes a very low, very dishonorable, person to do that.

The Europeans and Asians tend to call the Americans “cowboys”. That’s fine by us! A “cowboy” is a “man of honor”. Yes, he is a man of action… and swift action at that! But, he will not “shoot you in the back”. That is a coward’s way. That is the way a man of dishonor would do it… and that’s the way the insurgents and the terrorists do it. That kind of behavior, that kind of warfare, is abhorrent to Americans! It is the coward’s way of making war. And that is exactly what we now understand as the way the enemy in Iraq, and around the world, chooses to fight… the coward’s way.

Now, having said that, try placing yourself in the place of the Marines, and as a Marine, you see your fellow Marines being killed, day after day, by a bunch of worthless, world class cowards, and your anger continues to build. You swallow it… and you continue to watch as the “civilians” give those cowards sanctuary, and aid, and comfort, and you begin to fume. It is a powder keg with a lighted fuse. At some point it will explode. That is a given.

I am not going to condemn a group of US servicemen for essentially “losing it and cleaning the house”! The day I can walk the streets in Iraq with 80 pounds of gear strapped to my back while dishonorable men take potshots at me… and even more cowardly men set bombs to kill me and my buddies… and I can do this and not “lose it” myself, then I MIGHT, I MIGHT, bring myself to say something detrimental about those who did, most likely, exactly what I would have done under similar circumstances.

I have argued, from shortly after we invaded Iraq, that we have not prosecuted this war aggressively enough. I still believe that. I think “total war” is the way to go. I have absolutely no belief, nor interest, in winning hearts and minds. I believe in winning the war and instilling fear in the hearts of the enemies of the US. You do that by “cleaning their clock”. Then you walk away and leave them sitting atop a pile of rubble that WAS their country. You do not rebuild their country. Hell, we call that “urban renewal”, not WAR!

So, have at it! Condemn what those guys did, if they did anything at all, but do not expect the ordinary, average, American to back you. We won’t.

Those are OUR troops over there. And the earth’s rift-raff, and cowards of the lowest kind, are picking off our troops one by one, day after day. Those who give them aid and comfort share the same category with the SOB who pushes the button on the remote firing mechanism to detonate that bomb. So far as I am concerned, they did the deed just as surely as the coward who placed the bomb, and pushed the button. So, don’t try to convince me they are innocent!

The US Military cannot continue to place good men, in a war zone, with that kind of burden on their shoulders, everyday, and expect them to perform at their highest level. If they continuously have to worry if they are about to do something "politically incorrect", then they ARE going to HESITATE and they ARE going to get KILLED… or get their buddies killed.

This is a hell of a way to fight a war!

Longstreet

9 comments:

  1. Infants! They murdered infants in the name of MY country! Not to mention women.... Any wonder why I call 'em, "The many, the stupid, the Morons.... I mean Marines"? If an occuping force of any nation harmed my wife or my children you'd better believe I'd have them in my crosshairs. There are "Codes" to war, anything else is Guerrilla or in this case Terroristic in nature. You speak of the North occupying the South, well We're occupying a foreign nation and you expect everyone to be ok with that? The only reason we are there is because Osama and his gang wanted us out of Saudi Arabia, so we went to Iraq to appease him, so he wouldn't bomb us again, that and to double the value of Exxon Mobile's oil holdings. So we had to pick a country we could bully.... Brave President we have here.... Why doesn't he threaten China to give up it's Nuclear program? Because China can't be bullied, that's why!

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  2. I could not have said it any better...

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  3. Remember the USMC Lieutenant who was court martialed at Camp Lejuene? He was demonized by the same people and then the trial revealed he was INNOCENT !!! It would be hard to see your friends killed in front of a house and not think the ones in the house knew nothing about it. Wait for the trial PLEASE !!

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  4. Question,Frank
    Why didn't LBJ confront China
    about their nuclear program? It
    started in 1965. Why didn't Harry
    Truman confront the Soviet Union about theirs? They had the Bomb in
    1949. Ol' Grits never tried to
    "bully" India or Pakistan to give
    up their nukes. Why not? How about
    the Slick Willie method with North
    Korea. Give them EVERY thing they
    want and all they have to do is
    promise to "play" nice. You see
    what that got us. Nada.

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  5. Well hoosier, I never felt the need to serve, I know how to dress myself (I can pick my own clothes for the day). I don't need some candy a** chicken sh** telling me how or when to cut my hair. If you see some of my other posts I respect the old timers who served, these young hacks ar just there to, "Keel Stuffs". I also have used several weapons, "Flint lock" type during primative weapon season with a buddy. My-Ex father-in-law was a Re-inactor and I played with a few of the Era pistols..... a bit crude but when you actually do shoot something it is like shooting it with a sledge hammer.... kinda funny. AR-15, 9 mm, SKS, M60.... by the way it is real hard (impossible to keep from climbing) to shoot one one armed like Rambo. 12 guage auto (street sweeper) 22... but who hasn't, burp gun.... old WWII German killing thingy, only good for about 10 ft. M-1 carbine w/ collapsable stock.... for para-troopers. By far I love the brutallity of a large mass-low velocity weapon through a watermelon or a nice "Green Tip" armor peircing round. It's amazing what you find for the correct amount of currency.

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  6. After further thought.... I'll wait for the trial, (Court Marshall) and see if that turns out any info..... I just saw blood covered walls and reports from an American witness to the mess and bodies of infants and women....... I humbly ask for an oversight of my quick judgement.

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  7. Interesting, Frank
    When was the last time YOU talked to a Marine currently serving?
    I get to Travel frequently with my wife on her job. I make it a practice to talk to ALL Armed Service members we encounter. First, I thank them for their service. I then inquire as to whether they need money,food or to
    use a cellphone to call home. Frank,do yourself a favor:engage
    your brain before you engage your keyboard. You have accepted the
    Leftist dogmas that ALL military
    members are knuckle-dragging cretins,unable to do anthing but kill. I have found the truth to be exactly the opposite. Case in point; my nephew was discharged from the Corp in June,2004. In 2002,he and his FAST(Fleet Anti-Terrorism/Special Tactics)platoon
    were shipped to Puerto Rico to provide security at the Navy's firing range located there.He has told me about the rocks,bottles,Molotov cocktails and
    s--t the wackos,lead by Robert F.
    Kennedy,Jr. threw at them. Yes,Frank,S--t. Human feces. They
    (the wackos) were also brandishing
    machetes threating to behead and emasculate the Marines. How were the Marines armed? Batons,pepper spray and Tazers. The ROE(Rules of
    Engagement)were simple;keep the wackos off the range but use NO
    FORCE unless attacked.Could YOU do that,Frank?No? Maybe a little Parris Island discipline instilled by a candy a-- ,chicken s--t
    DI would help. Kinda blows your WAG (Wild Ass Guess) about
    the Corps away,doesn't it.By the way, I wouldn't say that in mixed
    company. Could get you hurt.
    I am surprised. You have fired a
    weapon! How's your marksmanship?
    Where did you fire an M60? The ONLY
    LEGAL machine gun shoot near you is held
    at Knob Creek Shooting Range just south of Louisville.I prefer Ma Duece. Nothing like a .50BMG to wake up the neighbors.

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  8. Last time I fired a 50 cal both ears bled! My loader and I would switch off. I finally settled with a BAR. I wanted as little of that 50 as I could get!

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