Guilty....I Did Not Address This
I wasn't the only one who has not addressed it. Why is it that no one, either on the right or left, seems to want to tackle the horrible, awful, too graphic to describe torture of our two soldiers?
For all of the days since this happened, I've been too upset to address it. Actually, I've tried. I've deleted a couple of drafts, but there was just too much emotion involved...afterall, I'm ARMED! Do others share my rage...not just rage, but WHITE HOT RAGE at what befell those two heroes? Is that why they are not blogging, reporting, addressing it?
Speaking of WHITE HOT RAGE, if I am feeling that, can you imagine how our troops on the ground in Iraq are feeling? This latest media frenzy on the indictments of our troops over alleged "murders", with no visible reports about the capture and torture of our own troops is beyond the pale! That the media, the infamous MSM is more willing to believe a people in a country where our enemy doesn't even wear a uniform to identify them is, to me, beyond the pale!
In my case, it is part of it, but the second part of it is this; how did the kidnapping happen in the first place? They were armed. Right? I've asked my pal Major Dad to explain this to me. He's pretty busy, so if anyone else can explain how this could happen, please let me know.
For all of the days since this happened, I've been too upset to address it. Actually, I've tried. I've deleted a couple of drafts, but there was just too much emotion involved...afterall, I'm ARMED! Do others share my rage...not just rage, but WHITE HOT RAGE at what befell those two heroes? Is that why they are not blogging, reporting, addressing it?
Speaking of WHITE HOT RAGE, if I am feeling that, can you imagine how our troops on the ground in Iraq are feeling? This latest media frenzy on the indictments of our troops over alleged "murders", with no visible reports about the capture and torture of our own troops is beyond the pale! That the media, the infamous MSM is more willing to believe a people in a country where our enemy doesn't even wear a uniform to identify them is, to me, beyond the pale!
In my case, it is part of it, but the second part of it is this; how did the kidnapping happen in the first place? They were armed. Right? I've asked my pal Major Dad to explain this to me. He's pretty busy, so if anyone else can explain how this could happen, please let me know.
Dagney...
First, I suppose that I have to remind people that this is a war...not a garden party. It's very dangerous out there even when you're enjoying the relative safety of a FOB (forward operating base). The three soldiers lost at the checkpoint were "outside the wire" doing the job they'd trained to do.
Second, our enemy is a human one. Having said that, they are intelligent and adaptive. From the varying accounts of what happened, I gather that this was a two phased attack on the checkpoint, with the intention of the first phase being to divide the coalition forces into smaller "bites." Babineau, Manchaca, and Tucker were left manning the checkpoint while the rest of the unit chased down that first attacking force. Unfortunately there was a second group of insurgents that took advantage of the smaller, more inexperienced group of soldiers. They killed Babineau outright and later executed Tucker and Mancheca. Our enemy is not stupid...they were able to try something new that our guys didn't quite catch. Call it a specialty or gadget play, but they accomplished what they set out to do. I don't know that they realize what their actions have set into motion...I believe that they've just opened a trendously large, family sized can of whoop ass.
As I told our friend Jim Lago this morning on KKTX, I hope and pray that those three young men with maybe a combined 5 years of military experience fought by the rules of engagement they were under. I hope that they decided to fight rather than surrender and become prisoners. However, the recent accusations and allegations about US/coalition forces being too aggressive with non-combatants...and some servicemembers now facing charges might make the obvious reaction a little murky these days. Mr. Murtha, Mr. Kerry and all that want to paint our troops with a black brush...keep in mind the effect that your accusations have on the forces still in the field. If they're guilty of the charges, then they should face their punishment HOWEVER, we're still a nation of laws where you presumed to be innocent unless proven otherwise.
Please note, that much of what I've said here is pure conjecture...and that I have not spoken with anyone in the field to confirm/deny any of this. What I will tell you, with a great degree of pride, is that a former comrade from my Fort Ord days is commanding one of the other brigade combat teams in the 101st Airborne Division...and I trust in his abilities, leadership, and tenacity to help avenge the deaths of Mancheca, Tucker and Babineau and help drive this insurgency to its knees. At the same time, I know that he and the other senior leaders are working as fast as they can to help the Iraqis stand up and take responsibility for the future of their country!.
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Hope I helped answer some of the unknowns you might have had...
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Major, I cannot thank you enough. You have just proven a point that I've been trying to make, i.e., bureaucrats and media should not be allowed into the military equation! DoD should devalue any quotient, theory, or any non-military proven action. They have become a bureaucracy that proves my theory; bureaucratic efficiency is an oxymoron!
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Tough call to make here, Dagney...but the military must remain under civilian control. As many times as I grumble and grouse at times about the bonehead "suit" mistakes...we simply cannot have a military running the country. As sweet as that might sound...it just wouldn't work.
What I WILL say though...and I've said it time and time again, that citizenship should ONLY be extended to those that contribute to the country through service. This can be in uniform, in the Peace Corps, or some other form of public service...but to go from some smarmy prep school, switching the silver spoon from one side of the mouth to the other...and then into business working for "daddums" doesn't earn you a warm bucket of spit in my world....or Robert Heinlein's either.
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
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Over in Iraq, they call it white cold rage. You are not alone. I am still too numb to write about it myself. It is like a shock that you just can't shake. I know how these animals are, but that doesn't make it easier...
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I haven't written about it yet Dagney. I feel the same way - very angry, in a rage almost. I hope that we are combing through that area and killing every single damn terrorist boom! One shot in the head, another to the chest for good measure and move on to the next. These moslem terrorists are provoking me...In fact, due to my pre-menopausal afflictions, I would be a good candidate to do some shooting over in Iraq right now. I could do it easily. It would feel good to do it.
I had heard that the families of the young men had not been given the details of the torture by our government but the details had been reported in an Iraqi paper and then picked up by our media. So they heard it on TV. I had also heard that our government had not positively identified the bodies because they were so badly disfigured by the torture. I guess I'm waiting. Just waiting to hear that it was positively them. I know that it is but I have to wait to hear it from our government.
I've looked at the faces of those young men and I just am horrified. Just horrified. They were so young and there was no reason at all to torture them and then do what they did to their bodies. It's a disgrace upon islam and any claim that they are justified in what they do - they are not.
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Monica, these people have no humanity left. The Medrassas are producing another generation of inhuman, evil clones. It's unimaginable that such people exist, but the scary part is that more like them keep coming. This will be a fight for decades! Yet schools in the northwest United States are allowing our children to become "familiar" with the religion that produces these, by providing them prayer rugs and Korans. Meanwhile they're forbidding the Bible to even be mentioned! This is the reason I appreciate you, Grizzly Mama, and other moms like you. You are our hope for the future.
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