tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post2802012985151268956..comments2024-02-09T00:13:51.906-06:00Comments on Army of Dude: Enemies With BenefitsAlex Hortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-10293468134896548622009-05-28T15:46:12.655-05:002009-05-28T15:46:12.655-05:00these same guys would always shoot at us when we'd...these same guys would always shoot at us when we'd infil for skt's...they "thought we were dogs"<br />don't even get me started on the IPsjacobnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-18244703207353010922008-08-29T15:13:00.000-05:002008-08-29T15:13:00.000-05:00These days I rarely read anything except e-mails, ...These days I rarely read anything except e-mails, but i took one look at your blog and couldn't stop reading. Thanks for the insights - truly well written.ryanschulkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14133909288767104091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-30663858834103510562008-08-24T10:55:00.000-05:002008-08-24T10:55:00.000-05:00It is true about the lack of resistance in Japan b...It is true about the lack of resistance in Japan but Germany was another matter. The great thing about Japan was they still had leadership to guide them. Germany on the other hand did have a slight resistance that had needed to be quelled, though on a small scale. But, unlike Iraq, Germany's new government included all ethnic groups. The reason of course being, the Iraqi's are in charge of there government, and the Allied forces were in charge of Germany's, so much so that their constitution was written by us and not them[Germany].<BR/><BR/>Iraq is a new beast with similarities of the old invasions, with an insurgency that was seen due to racism as in the one seen in the Philippines. (To save those who have little computer room time, I am using the early 1900s Philippines as a good example of a US controlled country with an insurgent problem. The Filipino leader attacking us, was the man that we brought into the country ourselves to help fight the Spanish. Later, we refused to give them their independence, instead pandered to the US businessmen who felt that it was a way into China. The Filipinos (our "little brown brothers" to quote Teddy Roosevelt) decided that they were going to fight against us. When they were overwhelmed by the marines, they undertook sabotage of the American businesses.) Although Iraq is not quite the same, the lessons learned from history is a valuable one. When we had said Hearts and Minds, we meant it. It is amazing the results we had made just by showing the Iraqi's respect. But of course <BR/><I>You can get more with a nice word and a gun than you can with a nice word.- Al Capone</I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-85693633501416034332008-08-23T21:32:00.000-05:002008-08-23T21:32:00.000-05:00I didn't forget about Germany and Japan becoming a...I didn't forget about Germany and Japan becoming allies after WWII. I feel that conflict has little in common with Iraq. Those countries were sovereign nations bound by laws of war. They would have been no reason to start a guerrilla war after the Soviets reached Berlin, or after the second atomic bomb fell. Conventional wars end when one side cannot continue in a reasonable fashion, when giving up is more advantageous than pressing on. Though Iraq's military was resoundingly defeated in 2003, insurgent groups felt they could expel us by unconventional means (a problem every occupational force finds itself in). Their greatest strength is their avoidance of any rules or laws. They can disappear in any environment, they don't have uniforms or identifiable vehicles, and they can move much easier and quicker than us. I know you're aware of all this, but it's important to point out that when you put these characteristics together, it pushes to the right any identifiable and symbolic end to a conflict like Iraq. The war in Europe was considered over when Soviet soldiers raised their flag above the Reichstag. The insurgency got worse after the death of Zarqawi.<BR/><BR/>I don't disagree with the rest of your post. I agree that putting these people to work is the best way to keep them from shooting at us. But applying a military solution to an economic problem was a misstep. We gave them jobs that mirrored the ISF, but we knew it couldn't last forever. The best possible solution is for the 1920s to filter into the ISF. That is not happening thanks to Maliki. He obviously doesn't want a powerful and influential Sunni group to gain any more traction, especially when we have their back. They're being arrested, their OPs are being shut down, and they operate with little independence compared to what they had last year. Repeatedly they have threatened to go back to the bad old days, and we, along with the Iraqi government, are giving them the reasons to do that. With billions in surplus, they ain't exactly creating more jobs (working for KBR doesn't count). When we take away everything the 1920s gained without replacing it with a job in the ISF or somewhere else, then in idle they sit. And like you said, that's the most dangerous place to be in. Especially with a bad taste in your mouth and an AK in your hand.Alex Hortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-44421721411861308182008-08-23T20:40:00.000-05:002008-08-23T20:40:00.000-05:00It's good to hear that life is good and that you c...It's good to hear that life is good and that you can vent. <BR/>As far as the acceptance of the enemies into the fold, you forget that this has been done in Germany and Japan. Despite all belief, troops had to continually be reminded that we are no longer at war with them. <BR/>The Sunni part of that nation, although many of us would like to forget about them, are still a part of that nation as are the Shiites, Kurds, Turkmen, etc. To exclude a group begs for violence, as we see throughout the world in every country.<BR/>We are not at war with Iraq anymore. You may not know the significance of the "Mission Accomplished" speech as you were not in, but at that time our ROE cards were thrown out the window and the people we were shooting at became the people we were training. <BR/>Leaders were removed, but the soldiers stayed the same. <BR/>This is how wars end. You are in a conquering army that doesn't want the nation it swept through. The result is you have to turn the country over to the people you once fought, keep it stable until its economy grows (Iraq Airlines is starting up for the first time in 30 years), and you make a deal with the new government in order to maintain your sphere of influence. We've done these things. We closed smaller FOBs and in some areas, pulled out completely, turning it over to the Iraqis. The deal made will give an alliance between our nations for years to come.<BR/>The people in "Sons of Iraq" will be payed their stipend until the economy will support them to do something else. That's the way it works. When you leave people to idle things is when problems arise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-5828485069585784682008-08-23T14:54:00.000-05:002008-08-23T14:54:00.000-05:00Squid,I might have to go on top of a tall building...Squid,<BR/><BR/>I might have to go on top of a tall building with a large megaphone and say this:<BR/><BR/>This strategy has worked, but it only provides short term gains, and it comes as a cost to our national conscious about dealing with the bad guys. I can't imagine the outrage if we called a truce with al-Qaeda and fought, say, Iran alongside them. The only difference is that AQ has a face and a long history of transgressions. The 1920s only have one that dates back to 2003.<BR/><BR/>My gripe is simple: no one seemed to identify the intentions nor the ambitions of the 1920s when it came to working with us. They didn't view them as a Sunni group wanting leverage in a suddenly Shiite government, and they didn't see the relationship with our government was beneficial for them in two very critical ways: to help rid them of a more dangerous enemy (AQ) and to get paid while doing it. I linked to an article that suggests blackmailing is in the works, now that they are being marginalized by the Iraqi government. Top commanders demanded higher pay or they'd go (and go back) to AQ. <BR/><BR/>Flash forward a month, and <A HREF="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_SUNNI_FIGHTERS?SITE=AP" REL="nofollow">this doozy</A> comes to light. Now the Iraqi government is taking their goodies away and we're keeping mum. The insurgency was fueled by Paul Bremer disbanding the Iraqi Army in 2003. He threw all those guys with military training on their ass, so it was no wonder they were happy to emplace IEDS for cash money. Now we have come full circle, ready to toss them out again. From the article:<BR/><BR/><I>"We fought the Americans for four years and we fought al-Qaida, too," said al-Safi, a former Iraqi army commando during Saddam Hussein's regime who fought in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war. "We are an experienced armed group. We are fully capable of bringing the house down."</I><BR/><BR/>Something I have been saying for more than a year now. They got the guns, they got the money, and they got the experience thanks to us. When the time comes for a showdown, will it have been worth it?<BR/><BR/>Everyone has a different experience in Iraq, Afghanistan and anywhere else you might have been deployed. Those experiences shape your views more than anything. I have said repeatedly that I don't speak for anyone but myself. I don't suggest that my dealings with the 1920s should be used as a brush to paint the whole awakening movement. Truth is, at the beginning, we both hated each other. A guy in my platoon choked one out after he was mad dogging him from across the room. The 1920s stole cars, beat civilians and took over houses so often that we were ordered to detain them if we caught them doing it.<BR/><BR/>That was my view, my reality. It was grim, as you put it, as war often is. I get out my cynicism on this blog, but my life couldn't be better. I'm with a woman I love, I'm in school and work a job I enjoy. I smile every day at the memories I had in Iraq with my friends for life. Pandering to anybody would be a waste of time. I receive no compensation for writing here, as I shouldn't. I just tell stories and share opinions.Alex Hortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-10339520128271911872008-08-23T12:13:00.000-05:002008-08-23T12:13:00.000-05:00You paint a grim picture. If I had not taken the ...You paint a grim picture. If I had not taken the time after reading this to read your archives, I would have taken this at face value. If I had not had experience there I would have taken the article at face value. Having worked with Sunni groups that are now "Sons of Iraq" that did not attack us at a regular basis. Upon the "awakening" as you call it, the Sunni's were both helpful and essential for us in hunting down Terrorists (the type from countries other than Iraq) and insurgents. <BR/>The problems with your generalizations are that you are portraying the few to be the sum of the whole, rather than vice versus. The "Sons of Iraq" is larger than that and draws a large number of people to it, more than just the groups that attacked your battalion. The 1920's as you call them, can become diluted into a larger group. As the group becomes larger, the bad becomes diluted. Heck, we had this problem with the IP, ING, and IA. But the problem fixes itself as they become more visible which is why the army was on overwatch. Weed out the bad, keep the good, remember your job. <BR/>Personal note on the blog, not sure whether you are serious or just pandering to your fans. If it is serious, I hope that you are using the blog to be cynical and not that way all the time. I have seen too many young soldiers (and old for that matter) that whine about everything and forget to see the good things going on around them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-78875123187478267902008-08-23T11:57:00.000-05:002008-08-23T11:57:00.000-05:00Anon,A tip: trolling on blogs is a lot easier than...Anon,<BR/><BR/>A tip: trolling on blogs is a lot easier than writing them. I have a full time job and a full time school schedule. If you want content every day, either send me a check or go somewhere else.Alex Hortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-45701154297126501492008-08-23T08:40:00.000-05:002008-08-23T08:40:00.000-05:00Dude, you suck. Write something new so this old s...Dude, you suck. Write something new so this old shit goes away, or take down your blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-32603661865312306222008-08-21T16:26:00.000-05:002008-08-21T16:26:00.000-05:00Alex,I get it. I just wanted to make the point to ...Alex,<BR/><BR/>I get it. I just wanted to make the point to some of the other readers. <BR/><BR/>It costs a lot to embed. My sister -in-law was a Army PR person in Afghanistan and said to get a good story she had to bribe every local to get anything done. If I had the talent I would do it. My talents are in other fields. If you can get the funding started I think you may find people are willing to help.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-39564410521389492682008-08-21T15:56:00.000-05:002008-08-21T15:56:00.000-05:00Dickc,I never brought up this issue as something t...Dickc,<BR/><BR/>I never brought up this issue as something that is happening now. You're more correct on the assumption that this is for documentation purposes. Having said that, someone who is deployed in 2008 and working with these groups has a much different history and threshold with the Sons of Iraq. They were sniping at us and laying IEDs one day, patrolling with us the next. When our relief unit arrived, we told them, "Here's a group of assholes we used to fight. Good luck." It's a big difference being once removed from that relationship, and the rift will grow as units leave and new ones come in. Pretty soon, it'll all be water under the bridge. That's why I wrote this, to show a snapshot in time and attempt to explain where I think this is all going.<BR/><BR/>I have thought about embedding if anyone would finance it. I'd rather do Afghanistan (an infinitely more serious and important conflict), but it'd be great to go back over with my old unit. And I wouldn't stay for a couple weeks in the Green Zone either. A few months would be nice.Alex Hortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-56914680475537780442008-08-21T13:14:00.000-05:002008-08-21T13:14:00.000-05:00Pinkbunny, Don't you see you have just made a circ...Pinkbunny, Don't you see you have just made a circle of logic? Why would we not pay the clan leaders and there people to police themselves? <BR/><BR/>I like dude as much as anyone but he is not telling you what is happening now. He is telling you almost year old stories. Good stories that need to be told and documented. I have friends on the ground today. They tell me in the last year the change has been enormous. How ever it started it is looking like it will end well. <BR/><BR/>One guy I was talking with the other day compared it to giving the stray dog at his OP some MRE scraps to gain his trust. Eventually he did not need the scraps to become friends with the dog but he could not have started with out them. The dog sleeps under his cot now. <BR/><BR/><BR/>Dude, have you ever thought about a Michael Yon style trip?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-86428890278431426742008-08-18T12:47:00.000-05:002008-08-18T12:47:00.000-05:00I can only hope that more and more people make an ...I can only hope that more and more people make an effort to read posts like yours, so that they can get a good perspective on what's really going on. A majority of Americans do NOT realize that we are paying the Iraqis to not be insurgents. Unfortunately, the Republican propaganda continues to just call out "surge" and "success".<BR/><BR/>I still go back to the mishandling from the onset of the war with Rumsfeld and his cronies who totally screwed up with the dis-banding the Iraqi army. Americans do not realize we basically sent people back to their homes - sending the message your help is not needed to re-build your own country!<BR/><BR/>I don't think people realize the two components we have to instill back to the Iraqis for any long term success is Financial Stability and Pride. It will be so easy to cultivate "terrorists" if they have no way to feed their families, and if they have no pride in their existence or future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-13169260853663579692008-08-08T08:57:00.000-05:002008-08-08T08:57:00.000-05:00You make a really good point that isn't being talk...You make a really good point that isn't being talked about a lot. We are essentially paying for quiet, and paying not to be killed. We're paying tribute to our enemies, we're just not calling it that. I think it's because they are trying to pretend that things are "Working". But really, what does working mean? Great post.Army Sergeanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11353058340579444160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-25749753404094572372008-08-06T20:29:00.000-05:002008-08-06T20:29:00.000-05:00Dickc,There's a bit of Monday morning quarterbacki...Dickc,<BR/><BR/>There's a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking here. The strategy of working with insurgents had positive results, but that doesn't mean other avenues would've automatically failed in an alternate universe. Above all, I believe compromising our integrity to give the surge a boost was our biggest mistake. Politicians suggest working diplomatically with the enemy is tantamount to treason, but we have no problem with dealing with the 1920s.<BR/><BR/>"We have no control who becomes the dominant force in the area."<BR/><BR/>That's a problem we exhibit with these groups as their numbers grow. As they come in, we take their names and take pictures of their faces and eyes, but we had no security net to catch past transgressors (like AQI) from infiltrating the ranks. I was the guy who did the biometric data entry for my platoon, and here's how it went: they wrote their name on a piece of paper along with their hometown, height etc. The terp gives us the info and we enter it into a system. Then we give them a reflective belt, a brown t-shirt and presto! A brand new, minted patriot. The problem is, what keeps those who quit the force from keeping what essentially amounts to uniforms, or from giving it away to AQI buddies? We leave it all up to the honor system, which is not advantageous when working with guys who steal cars and beat up locals with chains (problems we dealt with). We barely have control of their actions, and the Iraqi population sees it as the U.S. giving martial law authority to guys who were setting off IEDs a year ago. Us handing over that kind of power to a Sunni group in a Shiite government is more than a little strange to people.<BR/><BR/>You speak of a final goal, which is a professional IA/IP force and something resembling a democracy. However, taking the easy road and it working isn't better than sticking to your moral code. Like I said in The Sandbox post, dropping an atom bomb on Baqubah would have been easy, but it wouldn't have been right. Putting a solution to work with obvious long term shortcomings when a long term problem is presented is not a recipe for success. It may resemble something of a success now, but remember, we don't hold this truce together. They do. Like the military teaches you, never give the enemy higher ground in which to fight. Sadly, we gave that to them on a silver platter and called it a solution.Alex Hortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-20356976842864010722008-08-06T12:52:00.000-05:002008-08-06T12:52:00.000-05:00So, if I have to choose between a retired general ...<I>So, if I have to choose between a retired general who knows his COIN and an increasingly disgruntled vet, I'm going with the former.</I><BR/><BR/>Yeah, how'd that work out for you in Vietnam?<BR/><BR/>You're going to take the word of a perfumed prince over the word of a grunt who just showed you pictures of the guys he worked with, what they did to Americans, how they operated, and what they were saying to him while he was working with them?<BR/><BR/>I guess it is true--you guys are proud of being ignorant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-61605512133633778452008-08-06T09:49:00.000-05:002008-08-06T09:49:00.000-05:00Fair enough, Let's use what you have seen to think...Fair enough, Let's use what you have seen to think this through then. What where the options in that given situation in 2006. <BR/><BR/>Kill them all. The first though of any airborne trooper. The option the 82nd tried in Fallujah in 03'. It is just not a viable option.<BR/><BR/>Kill all the 1920s, Bathests, Badr, Sadr, and any one else who attacks us. I think you would agree this must be seen at two levels. One is the strategic level. What will win the war. I cannot find any war where this has worked in long term. Even the most brutal suppressions fail over time. The second level is us ground pounders. How many of your friends would have to die to root out all these groups? Some of these groups would fight to the end unless they are given a different way out.<BR/><BR/>Leave them to sort themselves out. The problem I see here is we have no control over who becomes the dominate force in the area. AIQ may still have been kicked out over time because they really cannot govern. It's still a gamble with very bad odds.<BR/><BR/>The last option is a multifaceted counter insurgency.In my opinion the biggest part of the plan is using the oldest foundation in Iraq, the tribe. It is such a alien concept to the western mind. In Buhriz I heard after we got the tribe on our side they told there guys they would kill any of there own that fought with AIQ. They are men of there word, they killed there own. That is the power in Iraq now. As it should be. <BR/><BR/>I agree with you it would be very hard to stand shoulder to shoulder with someone who has tried to kill you, and you know hates you. I have always fought with absolutes. It is much easier for the Joe that way. I believe Iraq and to a greater extent Afghanistan cannot be fought that way. To that end you story works against what the final goal. You are demonizing the best strategy for a lasting piece. It may be a deal with the devil as you dad said but I disagree. The devil wants you soul, in this deal we keep our soul and maybe help a few other keep there's whole as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-86895039132128547352008-08-05T23:12:00.000-05:002008-08-05T23:12:00.000-05:00dickc,I generally don't dip into the analysis of p...dickc,<BR/><BR/>I generally don't dip into the analysis of political goings-on as far as solutions go. I leave that to much more capable guys (see The Long War Journal and Abu Muqawama). My intention with this blog is to take first hand experiences and try to relate them to you, the reader. Over at <A HREF="http://gocomics.typepad.com/the_sandbox/2008/08/enemies-with-be.html#comments" REL="nofollow">The Sandbox</A>, I tried to explain what I think should've happened. Back in reality, I couldn't tell you where we should go from here. Obviously the groups should be dissolved, but it's just not that simple. We certainly have a predicament on our hands, and I don't think anyone thought this far ahead.<BR/><BR/>I was just a common grunt. I had no part in cultivating counter-insurgency strategy, I just carried out the leg work. I don't think a solution post is in the future. My bread and butter is "this is what happened, and this is what I think about it."Alex Hortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-212825600537625322008-08-05T15:17:00.000-05:002008-08-05T15:17:00.000-05:00Maybe I am just to thick to get it. What would be ...Maybe I am just to thick to get it. What would be your solution? <BR/><BR/>I have read your blog from the first few days. I cried at your losses as I too have felt the same losses. I have watched you harden you opinions as you got back to the states.<BR/><BR/>With an open mind could you write in you next post what you would do instead of the awaking policy. I do not use the term surge because that is a separate issue. I will post my thoughts on that post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-63646058788184986162008-08-04T01:44:00.000-05:002008-08-04T01:44:00.000-05:00Well said as always. I was one of those who was s...Well said as always. I was one of those who was saying "calm down, this is what is going to happen and why" and having a holy hissy fit over arming and paying former insurgents when we first started renting the temporary loyalty of our once and future enemies. <BR/><BR/>I gotta remember to get over here in a more timely fashion. I think I will still look for a reason to link this.Blue Girl, Red Statehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15890972740723070652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-40793150865523784062008-08-03T13:03:00.000-05:002008-08-03T13:03:00.000-05:00I hate these guys. They're absolutely suspect and ...I hate these guys. They're absolutely suspect and I hate the way they grab their AKs from the ground and mean mug us when we roll through their checkpoints. Our briefs always say to treat them as if they were American forces. Yeah right.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03761965489811920355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-85028625726041208602008-08-02T17:41:00.000-05:002008-08-02T17:41:00.000-05:00How can you tell who insurgents are if more and mo...How can you tell who insurgents are if more and more are bred each day. Kill one, more will take their place.<BR/>Five years into this war and insurgents numbers aren't dwindling. A military solution alone cannot be used for Iraq.Victorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07551640391457802882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-31936069716070785162008-08-01T18:38:00.000-05:002008-08-01T18:38:00.000-05:00Dude,Thanks for the inside dope. So the Bush admin...Dude,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the inside dope. So the Bush administration is buying PR. It had to be something like that. Tthis is info we wouldn't hear from the monopolized media. You're the man. Keep on keeping on.<BR/><BR/>CuriouslyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-8622304596215720492008-08-01T14:45:00.000-05:002008-08-01T14:45:00.000-05:00Ronster,I'm not sure that I'm wrong about the pay ...Ronster,<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure that I'm wrong about the pay scandal since I cited a military.com story about it- unless the liberal media has now infiltrated that source. Whatever your view on the program is, there is at least one fact: members have proclaimed that they will go back to fighting us if we don't hike their pay. And a fact that I have personally observed, which is their remaining commitment to fight us anyway.<BR/><BR/>What I was trying to accomplish with the entry was to eradicate the dismissive attitude that the media, the pundits and clueless citizens like you hold. I'm not saying it didn't work, because it did. But to what end? Our self reliance was sacrificed. Our proclamation to never work with the bad guy, to stay on the moral high ground, has been diminished. And they're increasingly marginalized since taking a lot of the blows with hardly anything to show for it. They were promised jobs in the security forces (most were denied by the Shia government) and they will sit out the offensive that is taking place in Diyala right now. There are two choices: we can either give in to the threats, or go back to fighting them now. Either scenario is not so bright.<BR/><BR/>I'm not going to challenge a high ranking academic on the strategy, because it has proven to work. But it's a hell of a lot easier to sit in a leather chair and order men to work with killers than it is to work with killers yourself, to look them in the eye every day. And it's easier still to sit on the sidelines in the states proclaiming victory. I hope your grandchildren don't ask what you did during the war on terror, because you'll have to be honest and say "I trolled on a veteran's blog and called him disgruntled."<BR/><BR/>The war is won you say? Time to bring our boys home then, huh?Alex Hortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13729559701547002624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26907684.post-37800674945601990962008-08-01T12:39:00.000-05:002008-08-01T12:39:00.000-05:00Nice opinion piece but you are wrong about the pay...Nice opinion piece but you are wrong about the payola scandal you think you have uncovered. The attached link is an NPR interview with the "architect" of the surge and he has some opposing views. <BR/>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93065894&ft=1&f=1001<BR/><BR/>So, if I have to choose between a retired general who knows his COIN and an increasingly disgruntled vet, I'm going with the former.<BR/> Dude, the sky is not falling.The glass is not half empty. Maybe it was my head bouncing off the hood of a hummer, but I think we have won the war in Iraq… and if the insurgents defect…they will be killed. We know who they are now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com