How we're "winning" in Iraq?
| By Alan Franklin - Jan 18th, 2008 at 2:42 pm EST |
In the Tom Clancy novel Red Storm Rising, the key moment that you know the Soviets are going to lose comes when Clancy describes them having to forcibly muster older men and wounded soldiers into "C" rank formations to keep their offensive from crumbling. It's a symbol of broken ambition, when dreams of military conquest meet the attrition of a bogged-down war effort.
A modern parallel can be drawn:
Hurt GIs OK'd for light duty
As the news media turns away from Iraq as a salient issue, owing to our recent "success," it should be noted how perilously close we came to failure there--and what it really means to keep our army at "combat strength" after five punishing years of war.
A modern parallel can be drawn:
Hurt GIs OK'd for light duty
Fort Carson's top general said Thursday that 79 injured soldiers were sent to war last month and that most are working in light-duty jobs within limitations set by doctors.
E-mails obtained by The Denver Post on Wednesday indicated that the 3rd Brigade Combat Team was struggling to reach deployment goals.
Maj. Gen. Mark Graham said six soldiers have returned to the United States because of inadequate rehabilitation available in theater; another 61 remain in Iraq, and 12 are in Kuwait.
But Graham said he has asked Fort Carson's inspector general to conduct an internal investigation to ensure that proper procedures were followed in sending the soldiers into war zones...
As the news media turns away from Iraq as a salient issue, owing to our recent "success," it should be noted how perilously close we came to failure there--and what it really means to keep our army at "combat strength" after five punishing years of war.
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A soldier still recovering from a leg injury is a slow moving target for a sniper, or severely hampered from seeking shelter during mortar or rocket attacks. The bad news just keeps building.
I really agree with the bumper sticker -
"If you aren't outraged, you're not paying attention!"