‘It just feels like we’re driving around waiting to get blown up’

July 27, 2006

The Washington Post’s Joshua Partlow got the chance to spend four days with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division in Baghdad recently and came away with a key observation: there’s a serious morale problem among U.S. troops.

Army Staff Sgt. Jose Sixtos considered the simple question about morale for more than an hour. But not until his convoy of armored Humvees had finally rumbled back into the Baghdad military base, and the soldiers emptied the ammunition from their machine guns, and passed off the bomb-detecting robot to another patrol, did he turn around in his seat and give his answer.

“Think of what you hate most about your job. Then think of doing what you hate most for five straight hours, every single day, sometimes twice a day, in 120-degree heat,” he said. “Then ask how morale is.”

Frustrated? “You have no idea,” he said.

The White House rhetoric talks about troops who appreciate their mission and understand exactly why their work in Iraq is important and their sacrifices worthwhile. But actually hearing from the troops themselves, who haven’t been reading the latest Republican talking points, offers a very different picture. They not only don’t want to be there, they’re not even sure why they’re there.

Spec. Tim Ivey said, “It sucks. Honestly, it just feels like we’re driving around waiting to get blown up. That’s the most honest answer I could give you.”

Sgt. Christopher Dugger, the squad leader, said, “No one wants to be here, you know, no one is truly enthused about what we do.”

Spec. Joshua Steffey said he wished “somebody would explain to us, ‘Hey, this is what we’re working for.'” With a stream of expletives, he said he could not care less “if Iraq’s free” or “if they’re a democracy.”

Spec. David Fulcher compared Iraq to the domestic war on drugs. “It’s like this never-ending battle, like, we find one IED, if we do find it before it hits us, so what? You know it’s just like if the cops make a big bust, next week the next higher-up puts more back out there.”

“I mean, if you compare the casualty count from this war to, say, World War II, you know obviously it doesn’t even compare,” Fulcher said. “But World War II, the big picture was clear — you know you’re fighting because somebody was trying to take over the world, basically. This is like, what did we invade here for?”

“How did it become, ‘Well, now we have to rebuild this place from the ground up’?” Fulcher asked.

He kept talking. “They say we’re here and we’ve given them freedom, but really what is that? You know, what is freedom? You’ve got kids here who can’t go to school. You’ve got people here who don’t have jobs anymore. You’ve got people here who don’t have power,” he said. “You know, so yeah, they’ve got freedom now, but when they didn’t have freedom, everybody had a job.”

And let’s not forget, Bush’s new-and-improved plan for the war is to send more troops into Baghdad.

July 27, 2006 at 9:22 am

This is an intriguing quote from the article:

“‘No one wants to be here, you know, no one is truly enthused about what we do,’ said Sgt. Christopher Dugger, the squad leader. ‘We were excited, but then it just wears on you — there’s only so much you can take. Like me, personally, I want to fight in a war like World War II. I want to fight an enemy. And this, out here,’ he said, motioning around the scorched sand-and-gravel base, the rows of Humvees and barracks, toward the trash-strewn streets of Baghdad outside, ‘there is no enemy, it’s a faceless enemy. He’s out there, but he’s hiding.‘”

Is it just me, or does this sound an awful lot like the Vietnam War, or perhaps even more similar, the Soviet-Afghan War?

I’m sure this is just a case of the radical ultra-liberal Washington Post imposing their personal political views in a story and using th etroops as props to try and tun the American public against the war. My

I wonder what the response will be?
1) Restrict access to the troops to FOX News
2) Bust the soldiers brave enough to speak their minds to buck private
3) Have Joshus Partlow fired then arrested and sent to Gitmo
4) Suspend freedom of the press all together
5) All of the above and some evil Marquis de Cheney crap I cannot even think of.

War on terrorism. War on drugs. Why do we do it? Because it profits the Bush Crime Family. In more ways than financially.

Remember the FEMA post from the other day? Journalists not being allowed to interview Katrina victims who are stuck in FEMA trailer parks, unless there’s a “representative” present ast the interview? I’m guessing that we’re not too far away from having “political representatives” assigned to troop units in Iraq, because we “can’t have individual soldiers straying from the Big Plan”—now can we?

Troop morale is a sham in Iraq, and the incredulously-dense administration that pretends to govern knows it. Herr Bush pronounces the formulation and deployment of “a new plan” for Iraq to stave off political annihilation, just as Herr Hitler pronounced the development and deployment of “wonder weapons” to stave off military annihilation….

Golly, a real reporter talking to real troops! Am I dreaming?

Steve writes above.

“I’m guessing that we’re not too far away from having “political representatives” assigned to troop units in Iraq”

You’re right. They’re called commissars.

Maybe now that the insurgency’s “last throes” were over a year and a half ago, maybe Cheney would like to saddle up and take a shift. Those soldiers would probably love to show him around to see all the freshly painted schools.

I wonder how many of our troops believe Rush Limbaugh’s BS about our finding WMDs and Saddam’s “strong connections to Al quaeda”.

Maybe Rush would like to take a ride with them too.

Our illustrious WH crew ought to change their Iraqi foreign policy title to “Operation Fatal Circling” as it is obvious to any sane observer that this current President and his “advisors” have gotten us in a real jam. I’m tired of the hackneyed link made by Mr. Bush’s battalons of apologists between supporting his politicies and supporting our fine men and women in uniform (the troops).

Supporting the Bush foreign policy is by no means supporting the troops. This is a leadership crew that intimated, “You go to war with the army you have.” Yes, this Administration sent our children off to war without the necessary equipment and munitions to effectively stay out of harm’s way. It has forced good Americans to return to the horror even after the terms of service had been met. I cannot think of one decent human being who is currently serving in the Executive Branch of our govenment, can you? -Kevo

I beleieve these soldiers will get their asses chewed for talking. No more talking to reporters! Free speech is just one more of our freedoms that is long gone.
The sad thing is we will be there a long time. The really sad thing is more soldiers will die, more innocent people will be killed. Bush and Cheney will be well rewarded by Halliburton for the billions of stolen dollars they fed them. Onward christian soldiers/ freedom on the march as we lose all freedoms at home.

Hey WaPo, who wrote the subheadline?

“Some Troops in Baghdad Express Frustration With the War and Their Mission”

Some???

Which of the troops you interviewed didn’t express frustration?

And I now see why we’re still over there. Because:

“…we’ve lost too many Americans here already, we’re committed now. So whatever the [expletive] end-state is, whatever it is, we need to achieve it — that way they didn’t die for nothing,” he said. “We’re far too deep in this now.”

Good luck trying to convince the true believers that this isn’t a good reason to lose more lives. I would ask them “how many more lives would it take before you would say ‘that’s enough, let’s go home’.”

I would like someone to take a poll of the troops, ask them two questions:

1) Do you think Bush exaggerated the threat in the run-up to the war?
2) If Bush lied us into this war, what should be his punishment?

I thougth Laura Ingraham said that all the reporters were writing their stories from their plush hotel balconies?

I’m sure the talk radio shows will rip this story for concentrating on the “negative” side of the war.
Then they’ll get some caller who’ll say “well, my son just got back from Iraq, and he said things over there are better than the liberal media is reporting”, “stay the course”, “Iraqis love Americans”, blah, blah, blah.

Love of freedom and democracy and all that other rah-rah BS goes out the window for grunts after that first round goes past your head, I can tell you. Or you find out a friend you’ve known since Basic just got killed.

After that, it’s all about getting your guys and yourself home in one piece.

racerx,

none of their kids are other there, so as far as they’re concerned, who cares?

I don’t think this is necessarily representative.

One of my best friends just got back from his second tour in Iraq. He was on the bomb squad, so he literally drove around, waiting to get blown up. But he didn’t complain. He does understand why he was there, and he also thinks it’s getting better. So I don’t think this piece represents all soldiers.

So he’s ready to go back for another tour or two, right?

Oh, and can he explain exactly why were in Iraq? Not one of our elected officials seem to find a coherent reason that’s stuck so hard. The primary reason — WMDs — never panned out. And that “democracy” thing isn’t going so hot either.

In reality-based war, few of the troops give a rat’s ass about freedom, democracy, Old Glory, Iraq, Bush, or Sean Hannity. Mostly, they want to survive and to help each other survive. There are always the “John Wayne” few who enjoy fighting and sounding off to reporters, but they are also the ones whose immediate presence is avoided by the others.

Recognition of low troop morale in Vietnam came long after morale had sunk. Given the situation our troops face in Iraq, no sane man — as the Post article demonstrates — can put up with endless danger and frustration that never touches the Deserter in Chief. Soldiers may be brave and patriotic, but they aren’t stupid. They know when their sacrifice is being wasted.

I think we’re going to read more and more sad stories along these lines.

“So I don’t think this piece represents all soldiers.” – Addison

Of course it doesn’t, and no one should make the claim that all soldiers in Iraq have poor morale. I’m sure there is a limited minority that is positive about the mission there. But that doesn’t mean that the vast majority wouldn’t rather be anywhere but in Iraq. Just think of the mentality of these soldiers; as the one soldier said, they want another WWII. A definitive “good guy” and a definitive “bad guy.” They want to punch Nazis like Captain America did, not fight insurgents that fight in the shadows.

Good afternoon, my name is Spc. Patrick Ziegler with U.S. Central Command. While it is not my place to get involved with any political debate I do enjoy reading the comments. I would like to invite your readers to stop by the U.S. Centcom website at http://www.centcom.mil If you are interested at all in the day to day happenings in Iraq, Afghanistan and all the other locations in the Central Command Area of Responsibility then you will find the website to be a good resource.

Shouldn’t PAO’s announce themselves as such?

I don’t think that the morale of our troops is as important as the incredible waste of our troops. The fallacious justification for the war is bringing many people’s morale down. Some of our troops will reason that this is their job, they are helping their country, and it is not for them to reason why. Others are not as able to do that type of compartmentalization.

This war is a lot like Vietnam because our enemy is invisable and probably uncatchable. Having lived through Vietnam, and all of its mistakes, I am stunned that our leaders would make such a stupid choice again. Most of them are of my generation and though they personally managed to avoid service, were they really so drunk that they don’t remember the grief that touched America? The shameful lack of stewardship is the thing that this “moral administration” will be remembered for.

“Some of our troops will reason that this is their job, they are helping their country, and it is not for them to reason why.” – Gracious

You know, people paraphrase “The Charge of the Light Brigade” all the time, but they never consider the fact that if Lords Lucan and Cardigan had just stopped for a minute, really looked over their orders, and asked Captain Nolan what Lord Raglin’s intentions were, they could have executed their orders, advanced down the correct valley, stopped the Russians from taking away the Turkish guns, and saved the whole damned brigade at the same time. Nobody actually ordered them to charge the Russian guns from the front, so they didn’t actually “perform their duty”. They just got killed and their brigades military effectiveness totally destroyed.

Reasoning WHY should be a soldier’s, and certainly an Officer’s, first duty.

Good afternoon, my name is Spc. Patrick Ziegler with U.S. Central Command. While it is not my place to get involved with any political debate I do enjoy reading the comments …

I thought the government and military were monitoring web traffic in a far more clandestine manner. Apparently not.

Lance: Thank-you for the history lesson as I was not aware of the details of the battle, but my point is my point. Most soldiers have to take orders even if they might personally disagree. Orders come from the top down and if an order comes, even if it is misunderstood, a soldier has to execute that order. That is why the improper stewardship of our military resources is such a grievous crime.

As someone who has read a lot about the Johnson presidency, I have one thing to say: You have to congratulate BushCo on creating another Vietnam out of thin air!!!

AAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder if Rumsfeld would be willing to give up just air conditioning for the remainder of the war. I bet if he had to do just that our troops would be home before the end of the summer. Today he delayed the homecoming of 2500 troops with a flippant remark. Let the soldiers decide if we should stay or not they know what is really happening there.

Uh ho. I think if this begins to get wider play, Rove and Bush may have to counter with another one of those staged, scripted “talks with the troops.”

“Most soldiers have to take orders even if they might personally disagree.” – Gracious

I’m not suggesting that soldiers refuse orders that they disagree with. I’m just suggesting that soldiers be sure they don’t ‘obey’ orders that they got wrong if they have the opportunity to clarify them.

As you say, soldiers have an obligation to obey orders and leaders have a moral duty not to waste the military capacity they wield because they have obedient soldiers.

And Rummy is certainly wasting the U.S. Army and Marines.

Let them fight , and let them do it with out being hinderd . They are not police . Sgt. Dugger is my son . This is his 3rd tour of Iraq . The last being because of the stop loss policy . Are they tired of walking around being targets ? Hello …. What my son does not understand or has not said is , America will not let the troops fight a war , like during WW2 . We have become too soft . Hell if Hadji runs out of magazines at Gitmo we are abusing him . Wake up America , there is more to the words then ” disgruntled , disillusioned soldiers . They are willing to fight for us , want to fight for us . We just need to leave our candyass politics out of it , or send them home .

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