Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys..: April 25, 2004

May 1, 2004

They also serve, who watch and wait...

...sometimes in vain. From my blogbuddy Rammer comes this, which deserves a wide readership.

Excerpt:

I am studying for my masters in psychology and nothing I have read or studied prepared me for this. Michael always used to tease me when we talked about different issues "what chapter is this?" he would say. Nothing or no chapter ever prepared me for losing the love of my life in war. I still remember all of the things he told me before be left and now I have to live by them, that is the only thing that gets me through this pain, and his supportive friends. I visit his grave at least three times a week � not wanting to leave him lonely. It�s a cold spooky place, but when I am there I question why he is there.

You should read the rest. To do so, go vist Rammer, here. Those soldiers discussed in the post below - whether they realize it or not - spit on this soldier's grave, and in this woman's face.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on May 01, 2004

On the Mistreatment of Iraqi Prisoners

In the comments to this post I am obliquely called to task by a (I assume) left-wing college student who wants to know where the outrage is over the still unfolding story about the alleged mistreatment of Iraqi prisoner by US troops. Actually, the evidence produced so far looks pretty damning to me - but I'll stick with the alleged because that's the way it works until the Courtsmartial process is done. That whole innocent before proven guilty thing.

The site linked to - a LIveJournal site run by transmigrant, has some very graphic photos that I hadn't seen. No apologies for not having seen it yet. Not being a college student, I'm working twelve hour days and running an internet charity drive. So, I'm not up on the news. Hell, dude - I haven't even been reading other people's blogs.

My response to the commenter (I don't think the commenter is the LJ site owner) was this:

Yep, you're right. It looks like an ugly thing.
As I've said elsewhere, we don't shoot enough generals. Hopefully this one will be, in the metaphorical sense. And maybe more than one, if we're lucky. And not just with a forced retirement, either.

And if the military establishment doesn't go after these people with guns blazing - they will be deserving of the scorn and abuse thrown their way.

I won't defend this, if it's what it appears to be.

But one wonders what you are expecting of me? To don sackcloth and ashes? Call for the immediate withdrawal of all the soldiers? Declare that the actions of these soldiers is a stain upon the escutcheon of all other soldiers now serving and demand the disbandment of the DoD, restoration of Saddam to power, and a written apology to Bin Laden?

Sorry. I'll be happy if the courtsmartial process works, and if they are found guilty, they come here to Leavenworth and take the long tour.

There isn't a defense for what they appear to have done. I won't offer one. That's the job of their lawyers.

I also went and submitted a comment at the site, which transmigrant posted. Actually - as of last night, when last I read through it, the comments are pretty even, given the crowd probably reading it and that fact that either through transmigrant's management or just the demographic, it hadn't descended to mindless left-right trollery-countertrollery.

I was a cop once. I liked being a cop, not for the power over people, but for the power to influence things - and the occaisional adrenaline rush, too. But as a cop I saw fellow cops who were way into the power side of it. And that was especially true of the jailers. Why am I brining this up?

Surely we don't think that what went on in that prison was policy? Rhetorical question, of course some people do. And they always will. One of the things I find amazing when dealing with people like that is they seem to think it's the norm of government and the military, and that "You know what I'm talking about." I don't. I always seemed to miss those memos from the Vast Conspiracy. I'm starting to ramble here.

Here's some pictures (about the least objectionable - if you want really bad, go see transmigrants site).

What we have here, are some very, very, very dumb soldiers. And venal. And mindlessly pointlessly cruel. And unworthy of the uniform they wear, and the nation they represent. They would have fit in the security services of the regime we went there to replace. If (being legalistic here, I wouldn't want to be their lawyers with these pictures) they did what they appear to have done - they are no different in any meaningful sense from those who they replaced in that very same prison, Abu Ghraib.

The General commanding has no defense against an administrative destruction of her career. She may not be criminally liable, that's for the Art. 32 and a subsequent courtsmartial to determine - but at a minimum she should be retired at her permanent rank (probably LtCol). If they can show that she is criminally negligent or otherwise responsible, dismissal and a tour here at Leavenworth are also appropriate. And all of them, if convicted, should be subject to civil suits.

I have started to hear the moonbats bark, however. Saying this is really just the way the services, and this government, is. News dudes. If Al Gore had sent us on this operation, this would have happened. This isn't an issue of policy. This is an issue of command malfeasance, and a failure of discipline. What these soldiers appear to have done is wrong morally and legally. It's the same thing that happens in US prisons - abuse of authority under the color of law. And should be dealt with accordingly.

And if DoD can't deal with it - then I will join with people from whatever political position in heaping scorn upon the leadership. That said - you have to remember that Rumsfeld and Co. have to be careful in what they say - or they will hand a defense to these soldier's lawyers - unlawful command influence. There's a lot that will happen behind the scenes, that you will never see. But it's happening. I have one other grump with this - DoD, no matter who sits in the White House, always sits on crap like this until it comes out in the papers. And looks stupid and venal for doing so. When are the bureacrats (and senior leaders) ever going to learn that you can never keep this shit quiet and you might as well go ugly early?

What's the other story here? Those soldiers will have their day in court. And, if found guilty, will hopefully have an unhappy passel of years following. And they're always going to be facing those pictures. But while their behavior mirrors the behavior of Saddam's thugs who ran that prison - the other thing to note is that none of those soldiers has an ID card with the job title of State Rapist, and similar job descriptions. Those people are most likely going to jail. And the same Army that put their predecessors out of business put them out of business. The previous management of that prison would have given them raises.

But there's no excuse, or defense, for that behavior. But running away from Iraq isn't the answer, either. If anything, show the Iraqis what the 'rule of law' means.

As for where are the right-wing bloggers on this? Smash. Misha. Kim. Reynolds. Michele. Kevin. Balloon Juice. Brain Fertilizer. Baldilocks. Outside the Beltway. Blogospherics. Brain Shavings.

That's what I found in a quick stroll around the blogosphere. I haven't found any major names doing anything other than condemn - and Juliette's for shooting the bastards. If anything, I'm the softest of the bunch.

UPDATE: I also address this issue here and here.

Ooo. First troll. Articulate as ever. And, as always, anonymous. Thank you for sharing this useful piece of opinion.

F*CK USA army, they're allredy f*cked all over IRAQ....and they will be F*CKED all over the WORLD

One can only hope you will be among those who try to do so. Thank you for your interest in national defense.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

One of the photos had this caption,"They were forced to do oral sex on each other at gunpoint." Well, I didn't see a gun or a Soldier. We don't know if this is in fact the case. I'm not jumping all over this because frankly, I really didn't see much abuse. We don't know who the prisoners are and the details of why they're being held. If one wants to see torture, look up the drawings by CPT. Mike McGrath, USN (Ret), ex-POW. Or read one of the many books written by returned POWs from the war in SEA as well as Korea and WWII. They endured real torture. What I saw in the photos was not torture. Hell you'd get worse than that in any Federal Penitentiary here in the States!

Jennifer Martinez sends

posted by Jennifer Martinez on May 1, 2004 10:00 AM

Shoot, Jen, you must have been commenting while the pings were still going out!

Um, it doesn't matter. If all that happened is what we see in those pictures, it's enough to put these people away for a good chunk of time, and that's what should happen, if the story is as it's being reported. Guns may not be present, but any prisoner knows they are there if the jailers want them. In fact, it would be huge violation of guidelines to go into the blocks armed. But the very nature of prison is that guards have the power. And if I accept those pictures at face value - those US soldiers are unworthy of the uniform they wear. The fact that they aren't as bad as Saddam's thugs isn't relevant, or a defense. If they did it - it's unaccetable. I don't care what the Iraqis did to our prisoners - that's not the issue at hand. We are there to be the anti-Saddam, not the less-bad-than-Saddam.

posted by John of Argghhh! on May 1, 2004 10:07 AM

The Canadian military went through something like this after Somalia. Horrifying. And all the more so because this behaviour is in opposition to the values to which we aspire.

But this is what we are fighting against and this is wisdom of the President's choice of the word "evil" to describe it. This is a fight against evil. It is in our hearts as much as those of the worst people who ever walked the earth. The difference is our struggle to build a society of laws and honour and liberty and against those factions that throw candies to children after every massacre.

posted by Ghost of a flea on May 1, 2004 10:30 AM

Juliette's for shooting the bastards

With a properly conducted trial of course and only if they are guilty of a death, which is part of the accusation.

And any method of execution would be fine.

Sheesh! Every time I look at those pictures I can't believe the stupid cruelty (or cruel stupidity) of these "soldiers."

posted by Juliette on May 1, 2004 10:34 AM

I'm with ya, Juliette. The only thing that boggles me more than doing it - wtf, photographing it?

Can you spell, Clueless? I knew you could.

And of course, I knew you meant shoot them, defenestrate them, bury them in sand near an anthill and pour honey on them only after a genuinely fair trial.

No summary executions here!

But if this is what it appears to be - I want that chain of command every bit as badly as I want the perps. Those heads need to be on professional spikes as well.

posted by John of Argghhh! on May 1, 2004 10:41 AM

What's gets me is the stupidity.

There are always cruel people around. We meet them all the time.

But standing around like that for pics is stupid.

Truly this is a command malfeasance issue. No unit I ever served in had the sort of discipline problem that would lead to this behavior. I shudder to imagine what it would have been like to stand before one of my old Sergeants Major or God forbid a commanding General and answer for this behavior. The prospect is too awful to imagine.

But that was because of the leadership we had. The fact that I know what it would have been like is what keeps it from happening, because there's always a cruel bastard around that's willing to do something like this.

posted by Calliope on May 1, 2004 12:06 PM

The majorly huge, absolutely biggest difference between American soldiers committing such atrocious acts and say... Saddam's soldiers committing the same acts. When WE find out about it, WE punish the perpetrators. When Saddam or other weasles find out about it, they reward the perpetrators.

That said - if these allegations are proven true, and the pictures are proven to be real - no photoshop... then Juliette is absolutely right - execution seems reasonable to me. If they did this, then all the American military gets tarred with their excrement, even though it's not deserved. And after all the soldiers we've lost in this war...

posted by Teresa on May 1, 2004 3:02 PM

This truly is repulsive. We have always held ourselves to higher standards than thuggery. I feel sure justice will be served and will prove that we do expect more. My limited experience with military justice has shown it to be swift as opposed to our civilian system that can drag on for years. For that we are forunate.

In every cross section of life, we will find stupid immoral people such as these (running with the assumption all this is true and as you said, it all looks pretty damning right now). There are bad cops, bad priests, bad people who look after our children. And when I say bad, I mean evil to the core. Let justice be served all the way up the chain and let this be an example to any others that may contemplate either committing such atrocities, turning a deaf ear when they hear of it, or consider leading in this manner.

posted by Boudicca on May 1, 2004 8:08 PM

This is the difference between true democracies and thugacracies. Soldiers, from all armies, sometimes do bad stuff. Moral countries put their soldiers on trial for doing bad stuff and punish them if they are guilty.

Israel, for example, is prosecuting 13 members of the border police for a revenge killing in Hebron after some civilians were attacked as a prelude to an ambush on security forces. I'm sure the guy they killed deserved it, but that's not how moral armies act. BTW, even the Israeli elite units regard the Border Police as the toughest of the tough.

Though the moonbats will howl, the process going on is a testament to the strengths of democracy and civilian command of the military, not an indictment of US soldiers as war criminals.

posted by ronnie schreiber on May 2, 2004 12:16 AM

Being photographed was the epitome of stupidity, as if what they had been accused of wasn't idiotic enough. This is a disaster. I pity the JAG officer tasked with defending this.

posted by Mark Adams on May 2, 2004 9:57 PM

hey, i will say that im a lefty college student.
however, i like to think not just spout out slogans and crap. im for "peace" but im no pacifist.

i commend alot of you for taking a strong stance against whats happened recently to Iraqi prisoners, as well as, acknowledged horrible shit that has happened to US soldiers in other situations (Korea, WWI, Vietnam).

i am more of a realist and recognizing how tough reality is and complicated situations can become as being a key part of analyzing, assessing and implementing important & practicle changes.

there is a bit of human nature present in these types of horrible activities. we see a precedent in having POW horror stories from every time of conflict.

that is why i wanted to write here. i felt that i identified with ALOT of what was said, but still could feel some root of what was being talked about pushing the same ideas presented in the dialog. we all know that those pics where not the most heinous things people can do to each other, more importantly they represent a break in command/control --> troop moral & place our friends in harms way & lead them into situations of abuse on either side of "the line"

violent retribution never breaks the cycle of thinking needed to commit atrocities - there is a primative ellement to these type acts as well as the language /concepts used to describe the punishment.

lets work harder to prevent this type of shit from happening to anyone. better training & more accountability on all levels.

posted by silentdecay on May 3, 2004 1:14 AM

My knee jerk reaction is simply - WTF were they thinking? Oh Wait, they weren't. I realize that the military is made up of individuals and that not all of those individuals are equal in commonsense and morals. However - go and read http://gatorsix.blogspot.com/ and see Tim's take on this.

I can only hope that, if what we see is fact, they are put into an institution where they are subject to the very power they abused.

posted by Tammi on May 3, 2004 10:01 AM

FUCK USA army, they're allredy fucked all over IRAQ....and they will be FUCKED all over the WORLD

posted by IRAQ on May 4, 2004 12:15 PM

george bush is the man and those iraqis deserved all of the treatment they got. they should be thankful that we are even over there.

posted by john r. on May 4, 2004 12:49 PM

How cute... Americans discussing things like they know something.
Shouldn't you be worrying more wether "the bachelor" chooses the blonde hoe or the other blonde hoe instead of worrying about actual things?
Now off you go...Eat the pain away.

(Yenyen connected from Iceland - must be boring there today)

posted by yenyen on May 5, 2004 10:50 AM

Ah, a typically condescending Euro-opinion shows up, putting us all into the same lumpen proletariat, then slinking off.

I wouldn't know from the bachelor - I have yet to watch a reality tv show.

As for knowing something, I do. More so than you, I suspect, not that you're likely coming back to check. Ta-ta.

posted by John of Argghhh! on May 5, 2004 11:01 AM

Jennifer states she did not see evidence of forced rape.... I wanted to point out the picture of the woman prisoner performing fellatio on soldiers. Her eyes seem to be resigned yet defiant and she is being held while she does the act. The whole issue is repulsive but a new one... American soldiers hae acted outside the confines of the Geneva Convention in every conflict they have engaged in. What brings this to light are the photographs. Thank above someone was stupid enough to take them or all the world would have to go on is hearsay.

posted by Quinn on May 7, 2004 1:58 PM

Correction - ..."repulsive but NOT a new one..."

posted by Quinn on May 7, 2004 1:59 PM

for those who would like to brush it under the carpet that you dont see evidence of force etc. This is excactly what the soldiers were probably counting on-- "nothing will happen just a slap on the wrist and everything will be swept under the carpet!!. Would u say the same thing if it was your mother intead of the soldier!! oh but then it would be different ...
I dont think it was stupidity but arrogance that the soldiers allowed to take the photographs-- more of a sovenier!! nobody will care to punish them after the storm has blown away!

posted by John D on May 7, 2004 6:32 PM

All ot this is sick and i think the guards in that prision are all a bunch of no good mother F*cking c*ck loving sick preverted a** holes. They are all F*cked up in their damn heads and should be punnished

posted by thisis sick on May 7, 2004 10:59 PM

many of the people i work with including me think that these people were right with what they did. these people they did this too were there for a reason and that reason is they killed american and coalition soldiers as well as unarmed civilian workers. i believe in a eye for an eye and anything these soldiers did above didnt even scratch the surface. the only problem i have with this issue is they let the pictures get out and didnt keep them between themselves.

posted by john on May 12, 2004 7:28 PM

An eye for an eye?? They were supposed to be liberating Iraq from totalitarian leadership. Then they go in and do the same thing. If you want to tell people how to live, at least practice what you preach. Do you realize how pissed off these people are going to be?? Do you realize how long this is going to last?? Do you think that beating the s*** out of them is going to break them?? Those soldiers should be handed over to Iraq to decide their punishment.

On the other hand, if you gave me 5 minutes alone with Osama or one of those ****ers, I'd probably do a lot worse to them. But what America has done (yes - you are responsible for your own soldiers), is they have given these terrorists the victory they've been waiting for. Now they will have all the support they can handle. Nice one!

Before I go - I know the average american is as horrified as the rest of the world, so let's not talk to them like they're all war loving hate-mongers. I've been there, and that's just not true.

posted by anominous on May 14, 2004 3:18 PM

� Dismissed, Soldier!

by John on May 01, 2004 | Global War on Terror (GWOT)
� Extreme Psychosis links with: ~ Sunday Psychosis ~
� Mind of Mog links with: Court Marshall The Bastards
� The Cool Blue Blog links with: The fallout

April 30, 2004

Now that SOA is over...

I think we could use a moment of Zen. Gun Zen, that is. So, reflect on this.

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 30, 2004 | Machine Guns
� Practical Penumbra links with: They're not bad, they're just drawn that way
� Les Jones Blog links with: Thursday Gun Links #16

April 28, 2004

Ever wanted a Real Cluebat�?

We have another premium on offer. Ever had your hands itch for a Cluebat�?

Of course you have. Misha has one. A real one. It looks like this:

Now you can have one. A Castle Argghhh! Cluebat, direct from the Imperial Armory's woodshop and the Armorer's Carpenter! TacJammer is accepting bids as you read!

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 28, 2004

April 27, 2004

To hell with all that.

I can't honor them all individually. It doesn't mean I don't feel the same way about all my brothers and sisters in arms.

This is why I support Spirit of America.

This is why, in my time, I fought.

Fuck Indymedia. If you don't, or won't understand, I don't have the words to help you understand.

This We'll Defend.

Once again, at Castle Argghhh!, we dance. In memoriam.

Semper Fi, Private First Class Phelps.

Thanks, Walt. You too, Matty. And you too, LtCol Strobl.

Sorry to borrow your fouled anchor, Eric.

by John on Apr 27, 2004 | Observations on things Military

April 26, 2004

A reminder.

That Coast Guardsmen are warriors too. Not that I have ever forgotten it.

Sometimes the Transportation Department, which owns the Coast Guard in times of peace, does forget.

Now comes the first Coast Guard fatal casualty of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Semper Paratus, Damage Controlman Third Class Nathan B. Bruckenthal.

Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance. In Memoriam.

Update: I'm getting old and senility is setting in. The Coast Guard now belongs to the Department of Homeland Defense. I knew that, but my typing fingers didn't (the slap upside the head from the Coastie helped!)

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 26, 2004 | Global War on Terror (GWOT)

Awwww. Gotta love 'Murican soldiers. Unless yer Indymedia, of course - then Saddamite thugs are preferable..

Pfc. Hammer Finds a Home
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2004 - A tiger-striped Iraqi kitten that wiggled its way into the hearts of a U.S. Army unit has made its way to the United States, thanks to a host of volunteers and two animal welfare groups.

Pfc. Hammer, an Iraq-born cat that befriended soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, during their deployment in Iraq, arrives in San Francisco, Calif., enroute to his new home in Colorado. Courtesy photo
(Click photo for screen-resolution image); high-resolution image available.

Soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, dubbed the tiny ball of fur that wandered into their tent early last fall "Pfc. Hammer."

"He was born at the site," said Staff Sgt. Rick Bousfield. "There were two other kittens in the litter, but they ran away. He stayed and kept mice out of our living quarters and out of our dining facility."

Adopted by the troops, the young cat provided warmth and companionship in an otherwise hostile environment. When the unit was attacked by mortar fire, Hammer ran to the bunkers, where the nearest soldier scooped him inside his body armor to wait out the attack.

"He was like our stress therapist over there," Bousfield recalled. "You'd come in off raids where we'd been kicking in doors and guys would be sitting outside by themselves. He'd come over and take their minds off the war."

When Bousfield learned the unit was leaving Iraq to return to Fort Carson, Colo., he sent an e-mail asking for help to Alley Cat Allies, a national nonprofit clearinghouse for information on feral and stray cats, in Washington, D.C. The sergeant said he wanted to ensure his whole unit came home together, and that included Pfc. Hammer.

Hammer "has been quite a morale booster for us, because we consider him one of our troops," Bousfield wrote. "If there was a way that ACA could help get Hammer back to the States, it would be a wonderful boost for the men to see the cat who has won their hearts free - like the Iraqi people."

Bousfield's plea "brought the war home for us," said ACA national director Becky Robinson. "This was a soldier in Iraq writing us. How could we say no to a soldier in Iraq fighting for freedom?"

"His e-mail was so moving we felt like we couldn't say no," she said. "We had never done anything like this, but the moment we finished reading it, it was a given that we were going to figure out how to do this."

Hundreds of people sent e-mails and made donations to help get the cat to the States after ACA posted Hammer's plight on on the organization's web site, said Lynne Cummings, ACA director of gift planning.

"Alley Cat Allies doesn't usually get asked to do things in wartime," she said. "It was a really nice thing for us to be able to do to show our support to Rick and his unit. We didn't really care if we raised any money to help defray the costs."

ACA joined forces with Military Mascots, a grassroots all-volunteer effort dedicated to helping U.S. deployed service members who have befriended a canine mascot on foreign soil. Supporters' donations, combined with money from ACA's Compassion Fund, paid for Hammer's medical and travel expenses, Cummings said.

Working with a veterinary hospital in Kuwait, they arranged an international flight for Hammer. Prior to leaving the region, the cat was neutered and given a clean bill of health.

Bousfield returned from Iraq in early April. It took a week or so longer for Pfc. Hammer.

An ACA volunteer met up with Hammer when he arrived in San Francisco and accompanied the cat on a domestic flight to his new home outside of Denver. Bousfield and his daughter Tiffany, 15, along with another company member, Sgt. Robert Scott, were waiting for Hammer when he arrived at Denver International Airport.

The ACA volunteer who accompanied the cat said he started purring and kneading her arm as soon as he heard Bousfield's voice. The wartime bond formed thousands of miles away had not been forgotten.

Back at Fort Carson, Bousfield reunited Hammer with his former cohorts. "We all met at the same time to sign out on block leave so I took him in on his leash," Bousfield said. "They were happy to see him."

Hammer now lives with Bousfield's family - and five other cats. Bousfield said they all get along now that they've gotten "the pecking order straight."

"We kept him in a room by himself for a week," he said. "Little by little we let him out. He roams around all he wants to now. He runs around. He's fast. The vet says he's an Egyptian Mau."

Original article and more pics are here.

PS: PFC Hammer sez: Donate to Spirit of America!

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 26, 2004 | Global War on Terror (GWOT) | Observations on things Military
� Feste...a foolsblog links with: Afternoon Update

SGT Hook's Birthday is coming up!

And since the Hook is in the 'Stan, some blogger babes have decided to keep his morale high and have created an Internet Birthday Card for Sgt Hook.

So, go here, and send the Hook a greeting while he Flies for Freedom!

And while you're at it - go say something nice to Tammi for helping set it all up!

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 26, 2004 | Global War on Terror (GWOT)

April 25, 2004

Oh bugger, Mates! ANZAC DAY! I almost forgot!

...and since Australia and New Zealand are ahead of us as far as time is concerned... I effectively did forget.

My apologies.

Today is ANZAC Day - on 25 April, 1915, the Australia-New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) waded ashore at Gallipoli - and into the history books.

It is a Day of Remembrance for all the ANZAC fallen in all the conflicts that ANZAC soldiers have carried the flag. Usually commemorated at a Dawn Service.

At times, at the request of the local ANZAC officers and staff at the Command and General Staff College, the Imperial Arsenal at Castle Argghhh! has provided our Vickers machinegun (ex-Turkish, and by s/n a possible Gallipoli vet) and Lithgow-built Enfields are used in the proceedings. As are the two Turkish mausers in the collection that are probably Gallipoli veterans. They are fitted with two SMLE bayonets, modified by the Turks to fit the Mauser - that are guaranteed Gallipoli veterans, but that I don't have good pictures of, sorry.

Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance. In Memoriam.

There's more in the extended post.

Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... �

The experience of Gallipoli seared the Australians as greatly as the experiences in the trenches in Flanders did the Brits. And good poetry and good songs came from it.

Perhaps the most famous being Eric Bogle's "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda"

If you'l like to hear it, click here.

Now when I was a young man I carried me pack And I lived the free life of the rover. From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback, Well, I waltzed my Matilda all over. Then in 1915, my country said, "Son, It's time you stop ramblin', there's work to be done." So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun, And they marched me away to the war.

And the band played "Waltzing Matilda,"
As the ship pulled away from the quay,
And amidst all the cheers, the flag waving, and tears,
We sailed off for Gallipoli.
And how well I remember that terrible day,
How our blood stained the sand and the water;
And of how in that hell that they call Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.
Johnny Turk, he was waitin', he primed himself well;
He showered us with bullets, and he rained us with shell --
And in five minutes flat, he'd blown us all to hell,
Nearly blew us right back to Australia.
But the band played "Waltzing Matilda,"
When we stopped to bury our slain,
Well, we buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs,
Then we started all over again.
And those that were left, well, we tried to survive
In that mad world of blood, death and fire.
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive
Though around me the corpses piled higher.
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head,
And when I woke up in me hospital bed
And saw what it had done, well, I wished I was dead --
Never knew there was worse things than dying.
For I'll go no more "Waltzing Matilda,"
All around the green bush far and free --
To hump tents and pegs, a man needs both legs,
No more "Waltzing Matilda" for me.
So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed,
And they shipped us back home to Australia.
The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane,
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla.
And as our ship sailed into Circular Quay,
I looked at the place where me legs used to be,
And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me,
To grieve, to mourn and to pity.
But the band played "Waltzing Matilda,"
As they carried us down the gangway,
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared,
Then they turned all their faces away.
And so now every April, I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me.
And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march,
Reviving old dreams of past glory,
And the old men march slowly, all bones stiff and sore,
They're tired old heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask "What are they marching for?"
And I ask meself the same question.
But the band plays "Waltzing Matilda,"
And the old men still answer the call,
But as year follows year, more old men disappear
Someday, no one will march there at all.
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
And their ghosts may be heard as they march by the billabong,
Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me?

� Secure this line!

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 25, 2004 | Observations on things Military

Food for thought.

As far as I have been able to track this back, it seems genuine. Doesn't mean it won't eventually end up on Snopes with a red button - but the names and other identifying stuff I snipped all check out.

-----Original Message----- From: Someone in Iraq. Sent: Saturday, April 24, 2004 12:07 AM Subject: FW: Letter from a Marine First Lieutenant in Iraq
To All,
First, to those who have been so gracious with sending me e-mails - please forgive me for not promptly returning them. Since 9 April my life has taken a very dramatic turn based on a series of events that quite frankly will change me forever! As I'm sure many of you have heard by know the tragic events associated with the attacks on a number of contractor vehicles operating in Iraq - the company name is Kellogg, Brown & Root -or- KBR for short. {snip}, one of my major tasks is working with KBR ensuring the variety of critical service support KBR provides is delivered properly and on time IOT to the over 120,000+ Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines in theater. These guys (both civilian and military alike) were my responsibility to watch over! We lost quite a number of contractors and soldiers in the attack! We've been able to recover most of the remains ... but we still have a fair number to find. By now, you've seen the pictures of the hostages - where these thugs have made these men a "public spectacle" - it tears us up! Our days have been long since 9 April and the natives have been a bit "restless" to say the least ... Victory Camp has been a favorite target - but we've weathered the storm pretty well. No causalities, but it's only going to be a matter of time .... This is a very different enemy that what we faced just about a year ago! But all that said, I can tell you the spirit of every man and women stationed here is *high* and all believe we're doing the Lord's work by being here, doing what we're doing.
Many of you have asked how you can support the men & women over here ... well here's a way. Read the letter I've attached from a young Marine First Lieutenant with I MEF over here in Fallujah -- this young kid has hit the mark! Our enemy isn't here -- it's back home and they're living under the protection of their First Amendment Right! The Right to say anything they'd like' any time, any where ... regardless of the facts surrounding their absurd statements! If you want to know what *burns* every service man and woman - it's the crap we hear and read coming for the news media every day. Our patience wears thin! This is tough duty - the locals love us and don't want us to leave - but you don't hear about that! About 90 percent of the country lives in poverty! Middle Eastern Politics prevents us from doing our Job! But don't despair, you can help .... Read the letter and see if you agree with the Lt!
(snip}
Location: Deployed, Victory Camp, Baghdad, Iraq (ed note: the link is not from the letter, I inserted it in case you were interested in Victory Camp, Iraq)

"We will fight the enemy on our terms. May God help them when we're done with them,"
Maj. Gen. James Mattis, Commanding General, 1st Marine Division.
---------------------

The Lieutenant's letter is in the extended post.

Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows... �

Subject: Letter from a Marine First Lieutenant in Iraq
Hello Everyone, I am taking time to ask you all for your help.

First off, I'd like to say that this is not a political message. I'm not concerned about domestic politics right now. We have much bigger things to deal with, and we need your help.

It seems that despite the tremendous and heroic efforts of the men and women serving here in Iraq to bring much needed peace and stability to this region, we are losing the war of perception with the media and American people.

Our enemy has learned that the key to defeating the mighty American military is by swaying public opinion at home and abroad. We are a people that cherish the democratic system of government and therefore hold the will of the people in the highest regard. We love to criticize ourselves almost to an endless degree, because we care what others think. Our enemies see this as a weakness and are trying to exploit it.

When we ask ourselves questions like, "Why do they hate us?" or "What did we do wrong?" we are playing into our enemies' hands. Our natural tendency to question ourselves is being used against us to undermine our effort to do good in the world.

How far would we have gotten if after the surprise attacks on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor, we would have asked, "Why do the Japanese hate us so much?" or "How can we change ourselves so that they won't do that again?"

Here in Iraq the enemy is trying very hard to portray our efforts as failing and fruitless. They kill innocents and desecrate their bodies in hopes that the people back home will lose the will to fight for liberty.

They are betting on our perceived weakness as a thoughtful, considerate people. Unfortunately our media only serves to further their cause.

In an industry that feeds on ratings and bad news, a failure in Iraq would be a goldmine. When our so-called "trusted" American media takes a quote from an Iraqi doctor as the gospel truth over that of the men and women that are daily fighting to protect the right to freedom of press, you know something is wrong. That doctor claimed that out of 600 Iraqis, that were casualties of the fighting, the vast majority of them were women, children and the elderly. This is totally absurd. In the history of man, no one has spent more time and effort, often to the detriment of our own mission, to be more discriminate in our targeting of the enemy than the American military. The Marines and Soldiers serving in Iraq have gone through extensive training in order to limit the amount of innocent casualties and collateral damage.

Yet, despite all of this, our media consistently sides with those who openly lie and directly challenge the honor of our brave heroes fighting for liberty and peace.

What we have to remember is that peace is not defined as an absence of war. It is the presence of liberty, stability, and prosperity. In the face of the horrendous tyranny of the former Iraqi regime, the only way true peace was able to come to this region was through force. That is what the American Revolution was all about. Have we forgotten?

Freedom is not free and "peace" without principle is not peace. The peace that so-called "peace advocates" support can only be brought to Iraq through the military. And we are doing it, if only the world will let us!

If the American people believe we are failing, even if we are not, then we will ultimately fail. That is why I am asking for your support.

Become a voice of truth in your community. Wherever you are fight the lies of the enemy. Don't buy into the pessimism and apathy that says, "It's hopeless," "They hate us too much," "That part of the world is just too messed up," "It's our fault anyway," "We're to blame," and so forth.

Whether you're in middle school, working at a 9-5 job, retired, or a stay-at-home mom you can make a huge difference! There is nothing more powerful than the truth. So, when you watch the news and see doomsday predictions and spiteful opinions on our efforts over here, you can refute them by knowing that we are doing a tremendous amount of good. Spread the word. No one is poised to make such an amazing contribution to the everyday lives of Iraqis and the rest of the Arab world than the American Armed Forces. By making this a place where liberty can finally grow, we are making the whole world safer.
Your efforts at home are directly tied to our success. You are the soldiers at home fighting the war of perception.

So I'm asking you as a fellow fighting man: Do your duty. Stop the attempts of the enemy wherever you are. You are a mighty force for good, because truth is on your side.

Together we will win this fight and ensure a better world for the future.

God Bless and Semper Fidelis,
A Marine 1st Lt. stationed in Ramadi, Iraq

Hat tip to Walt K.

� Secure this line!

Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �

by John on Apr 25, 2004 | Observations on things Military

Wahabism Delenda Est!

If cease fires in the name of peace actually produced peace the Middle East would be the most peaceful place on earth by now.
.
Mebbe it's just Clobbering Time.
.
Just sayin'
.
"The Iraqis don't want Saddam back - they want the stability. But they want the stability without being fed into industrial chippers."
. -The Armorer, on Hugh Hewitt, 27 December 2006.

Life Member