Call of Cthulhu

Don't Vietnamize My Army

From WaPo comes this little ditty; I wonder if ShrubCo can dance to it?

Army Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack Jr., the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, who spent much of the year in western Iraq, said he believes that at the tactical level at which fighting occurs, the U.S. military is still winning. But when asked whether he believes the United States is losing, he said, "I think strategically, we are."

Seems like the guys on the sharp end are getting a bit frustrated and depressed by this whole Mess-o'-potamia thing. I can't imagine what it must be like to see your commrades and fellow Americans killed on a daily basis, and know that Washington is calling all the shots:

"I lost my brother in Vietnam," added Hughes, a veteran Army strategist who is involved in formulating Iraq policy. "I promised myself, when I came on active duty, that I would do everything in my power to prevent that [sort of strategic loss] from happening again. Here I am, 30 years later, thinking we will win every fight and lose the war, because we don't understand the war we're in."

A senior general at the Pentagon said he believes the United States is already on the road to defeat. "It is doubtful we can go on much longer like this," he said. "The American people may not stand for it -- and they should not."

All they really need is some decent leadership. Unfortunately, all they have is this:

Asked who was to blame, this general pointed directly at Rumsfeld and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz. "I do not believe we had a clearly defined war strategy, end state and exit strategy before we commenced our invasion," he said. "Had someone like Colin Powell been the chairman [of the Joint Chiefs of Staff], he would not have agreed to send troops without a clear exit strategy. The current OSD [Office of the Secretary of Defense] refused to listen or adhere to military advice."

Colonel David Hackworth (whose site--Soldiers for the Truth--played a pivotal role in breaking the Abu Ghraib story) seems to agree:

And now, because Mr. Rumsfeld and too many of his generals are into a fast-fix mode, the Pentagon has been dispatching Reserve and Guard units to combat zones even when they aren’t good to go. For example, I know of two enhanced infantry brigades that were rated as not combat-ready by Training Center commanders but were still sent to Iraq because boots were needed on the ground.

Does this failure of leadership end at the front line? Hardly:

LTG Sanchez cited recent reports of detainee abuse, escapes from confinement facilities, and accountability lapses, which indicated systemic problems within the brigade and suggested a lack of clear standards, proficiency, and leadership.

Our soldiers, active and retired, frontline and rearguard, are all crying out for real leadership and direction. They don't want to see the US Army pay in blood and honor for the ambivalent and wayward policies coming out of DC.

How to fix the problem? Maybe this is a start...