Iraqi Troops Ready for U.S. Drawdown

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,159290,00.html

I wonder why he didn't mention that the focus for Al Quida is now shifting BACK into Afghanistan and western Pakistan, and so are the numbers of our wounded and fallen - There. It's six of this, half a dozen of the other.

quote:

Originally posted by Weatherguesser:
Iraqi Troops Ready for U.S. Drawdown

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,159290,00.html

I wonder why he didn't mention that the focus for Al Quida is now shifting BACK into Afghanistan and western Pakistan, and so are the numbers of our wounded and fallen - There. It's six of this, half a dozen of the other.

What drawdown?

They deployed a fairly large unit of the Indiana National Guard yesterday. Which unit came home?

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/category.asp?C=1506&nav=menu35_2

More political fluff. The fact still remains there is no reconciliation by the Malaki government and his Shiia cohorts...the Sunni are still on the outside looking in. It is just a matter of time and situation before they react to their exclusion in the new Iraq.

S/F Gordon

quote:

Originally posted by popsiq:

What drawdown?

They deployed a fairly large unit of the Indiana National Guard yesterday. Which unit came home?

Do you just enjoy stirring up trouble, or was this a legitmate question? I am guessing the former, but I could be wrong, so I will answer the question.

We are drawing down by gradually bringing back the brigades that comprised the surge. As other units (not deployed as part of the surge) rotate back to the states, they will still need to be replaced. The intent of the drawdown is not a complete pullout, but rather to get us back to the pre-surge numbers.

For OPSEC reasons, I will not give specific units.

SCOUTS OUT!

Plese permit a retiree to disagree with the Iraqi army is ready.
If I was a gambler I would bet that if US trooop total pullout was today, within a very short time someone would replace Hussein as the big bad dude.
I am just guessing, based on news accounts that the Iraqi army will support the Iraqi leaser who they think is the stronger.
I wonder if the statements the general made are his-or did they generate on the Potomac?

quote:

Originally posted by KWG:
Plese permit a retiree to disagree with the Iraqi army is ready.
If I was a gambler I would bet that if US trooop total pullout was today, within a very short time someone would replace Hussein as the big bad dude.
I am just guessing, based on news accounts that the Iraqi army will support the Iraqi leaser who they think is the stronger.
I wonder if the statements the general made are his-or did they generate on the Potomac?

The statements made by General Petraeus are most assuredly his own with probable input from the US Ambassador to Iraq. The General is a man of action, leading from the front and dedicated to his mission and his soldiers. I have served with this man in the past and I have ultimate confidence in his abilities. As for the comments by Weatherguesser....General Petraeus addressed the issue at hand rather well. He is not the CENTCOM Commander and would therefore have no reason to comment on what's going on in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

quote:

Originally posted by JimSorber:

quote:

Originally posted by KWG:
Plese permit a retiree to disagree with the Iraqi army is ready.
If I was a gambler I would bet that if US trooop total pullout was today, within a very short time someone would replace Hussein as the big bad dude.
I am just guessing, based on news accounts that the Iraqi army will support the Iraqi leaser who they think is the stronger.
I wonder if the statements the general made are his-or did they generate on the Potomac?

The statements made by General Petraeus are most assuredly his own with probable input from the US Ambassador to Iraq. The General is a man of action, leading from the front and dedicated to his mission and his soldiers. I have served with this man in the past and I have ultimate confidence in his abilities. As for the comments by Weatherguesser....General Petraeus addressed the issue at hand rather well. He is not the CENTCOM Commander and would therefore have no reason to comment on what's going on in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Jim...
doesn't matter how much progress is made...
there are those folks on this post that will always turn enything positive into a hoax, a conspiracy, or just fabrications by the administration...guess it makes them feel they have meaning to their lives...

BTW:...I had first hand look at that new bandage the medics use...I think it's made out of shrimp shells if I remember correctly...was first introduced as a powder but that had problems getting into the eyes of the medics with any wind...it has now being produced in the form of a pressure bandage...it seals of the wound by turning to a gel...pretty impressive...will certainly make a huge difference in the field and give the wounded a far greater chance of survival...

"The statements made by General Petraeus are most assuredly his own with probable input from the US Ambassador to Iraq. The General is a man of action, leading from the front and dedicated to his mission and his soldiers. I have served with this man in the past and I have ultimate confidence in his abilities. As for the comments by Weatherguesser....General Petraeus addressed the issue at hand rather well. He is not the CENTCOM Commander and would therefore have no reason to comment on what's going on in Afghanistan or Pakistan."



Haters come out and play! Some people have to turn a positive into a negative! Why can't some people accept that the General is doing an outstanding job (Should have been "Man of the Year") and that there is some positive things going on over there! Hopefully I will be there in a few. I leave for Sill for WTC and then to AIT at Eustis. Can't stand being an "arm chair QB". Then I can give you guys first hand accounts and not have to rely on the media and blogs for my info...

I would be willing to forecast that as U.S. troops leave the combat zone, enemy activity will continue to wain. That said, at some point there will have to be a new guy (read dictator) take Husseins place in the political arena. That is the way it works in the middle east region. We tried to get them to adopt the western style of democracy and it didn't get off the ground. You can force them to have elections but you can not force your own choice for candidates on them without them abandoning the government. Again, we screwed up in our attempt to provide a quick fix to our debacle starting in 2003. Once we leave, the real political process will start and Iraq will have a new dictator and the people will be happy.

quote:

Originally posted by uh34d:
More political fluff. The fact still remains there is no reconciliation by the Malaki government and his Shiia cohorts...the Sunni are still on the outside looking in. It is just a matter of time and situation before they react to their exclusion in the new Iraq.

S/F Gordon

I believe that the situation will continue to improve. I would like to see Maliki out as well. But, they voted him in and that is that. Both my sons who have served several tours each and are back again said that things are improving very well. I can't say too much about them other than that. But, that is good enough for me.

quote:

Originally posted by JimSorber:

quote:

Originally posted by KWG:
Plese permit a retiree to disagree with the Iraqi army is ready.
If I was a gambler I would bet that if US trooop total pullout was today, within a very short time someone would replace Hussein as the big bad dude.
I am just guessing, based on news accounts that the Iraqi army will support the Iraqi leaser who they think is the stronger.
I wonder if the statements the general made are his-or did they generate on the Potomac?

The statements made by General Petraeus are most assuredly his own with probable input from the US Ambassador to Iraq. The General is a man of action, leading from the front and dedicated to his mission and his soldiers. I have served with this man in the past and I have ultimate confidence in his abilities. As for the comments by Weatherguesser....General Petraeus addressed the issue at hand rather well. He is not the CENTCOM Commander and would therefore have no reason to comment on what's going on in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Oh my. So, you shared a room with the guy, or maybe you were his personal secretary then?
I am glad you like the man.

The fact is that I have never ONCE questioned his abilities as a General, nor do I even care who writes his speeches, him or Johnny Q. Smith.

But thanks for thinking of me.

I guess then it was "ALRIGHT" when Sadam (sp) and his Sunnis were in power and slaughter the Shites.

Now the shoe is on the other foot and guess what, the sunnis are getting a little pay back.

Now of course you are going to tell me, if a certain group slaughter your family, you wouldn't want any pay back right? Yea right.

I have said this before and still stick to it, we should have pulled back to the borders, so no one can get in the country or out.
And let them have it, get it out of their system, then go back in, make peace and rebuild the country.

But heavens, what would the liberals do if peace were acheive in such a way...??? Oh my God! Opps sorry for using that word to some liberal ears, I know I will get 50 lashes now,hahahahahahahahaha.

quote:

Originally posted by TheTinker:

quote:

Originally posted by JimSorber:

quote:

Originally posted by KWG:
Plese permit a retiree to disagree with the Iraqi army is ready.
If I was a gambler I would bet that if US trooop total pullout was today, within a very short time someone would replace Hussein as the big bad dude.
I am just guessing, based on news accounts that the Iraqi army will support the Iraqi leaser who they think is the stronger.
I wonder if the statements the general made are his-or did they generate on the Potomac?

The statements made by General Petraeus are most assuredly his own with probable input from the US Ambassador to Iraq. The General is a man of action, leading from the front and dedicated to his mission and his soldiers. I have served with this man in the past and I have ultimate confidence in his abilities. As for the comments by Weatherguesser....General Petraeus addressed the issue at hand rather well. He is not the CENTCOM Commander and would therefore have no reason to comment on what's going on in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Jim...
doesn't matter how much progress is made...
there are those folks on this post that will always turn enything positive into a hoax, a conspiracy, or just fabrications by the administration...guess it makes them feel they have meaning to their lives...

BTW:...I had first hand look at that new bandage the medics use...I think it's made out of shrimp shells if I remember correctly...was first introduced as a powder but that had problems getting into the eyes of the medics with any wind...it has now being produced in the form of a pressure bandage...it seals of the wound by turning to a gel...pretty impressive...will certainly make a huge difference in the field and give the wounded a far greater chance of survival...

Ah, Tinker....I would assume that to be the new self-clotting bandage. I hear great things about them saving many lives and they are now being used in many ER's. I wish those were available when I was in Nam!

quote:

Originally posted by dman1948:
I guess then it was "ALRIGHT" when Sadam (sp) and his Sunnis were in power and slaughter the Shites.

Now the shoe is on the other foot and guess what, the sunnis are getting a little pay back.

Now of course you are going to tell me, if a certain group slaughter your family, you wouldn't want any pay back right? Yea right.

I have said this before and still stick to it, we should have pulled back to the borders, so no one can get in the country or out.
And let them have it, get it out of their system, then go back in, make peace and rebuild the country.

But heavens, what would the liberals do if peace were acheive in such a way...??? Oh my God! Opps sorry for using that word to some liberal ears, I know I will get 50 lashes now,hahahahahahahahaha.

Not from this Liberal. I like the idea, and have also said it was a part of the BEST plan, which is to pull back, separate the place into 3 autonomous regions, and let them have at it if that's what they want. They are going to anyway... whether we stay(and become an even bigger part of the slaughter, all over again) or not.

quote:

Originally posted by JimSorber:

quote:

Originally posted by TheTinker:

quote:

Originally posted by JimSorber:

quote:

Originally posted by KWG:
Plese permit a retiree to disagree with the Iraqi army is ready.
If I was a gambler I would bet that if US trooop total pullout was today, within a very short time someone would replace Hussein as the big bad dude.
I am just guessing, based on news accounts that the Iraqi army will support the Iraqi leaser who they think is the stronger.
I wonder if the statements the general made are his-or did they generate on the Potomac?

The statements made by General Petraeus are most assuredly his own with probable input from the US Ambassador to Iraq. The General is a man of action, leading from the front and dedicated to his mission and his soldiers. I have served with this man in the past and I have ultimate confidence in his abilities. As for the comments by Weatherguesser....General Petraeus addressed the issue at hand rather well. He is not the CENTCOM Commander and would therefore have no reason to comment on what's going on in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Jim...
doesn't matter how much progress is made...
there are those folks on this post that will always turn enything positive into a hoax, a conspiracy, or just fabrications by the administration...guess it makes them feel they have meaning to their lives...

BTW:...I had first hand look at that new bandage the medics use...I think it's made out of shrimp shells if I remember correctly...was first introduced as a powder but that had problems getting into the eyes of the medics with any wind...it has now being produced in the form of a pressure bandage...it seals of the wound by turning to a gel...pretty impressive...will certainly make a huge difference in the field and give the wounded a far greater chance of survival...

Ah, Tinker....I would assume that to be the new self-clotting bandage. I hear great things about them saving many lives and they are now being used in many ER's. I wish those were available when I was in Nam!

Ya...that's the stuff Jim...it really is too bad you didn't have that stuff...the instructor that was showing us the stuff said it is working miracles in the field...saving lots of lives...just amazes me that something so seemingly simple took so many decades to develope...can't even imagine how much it would helped you folks in Nam...

quote:

Originally posted by Weatherguesser:

quote:

Originally posted by JimSorber:

quote:

Originally posted by KWG:
Plese permit a retiree to disagree with the Iraqi army is ready.
If I was a gambler I would bet that if US trooop total pullout was today, within a very short time someone would replace Hussein as the big bad dude.
I am just guessing, based on news accounts that the Iraqi army will support the Iraqi leaser who they think is the stronger.
I wonder if the statements the general made are his-or did they generate on the Potomac?

The statements made by General Petraeus are most assuredly his own with probable input from the US Ambassador to Iraq. The General is a man of action, leading from the front and dedicated to his mission and his soldiers. I have served with this man in the past and I have ultimate confidence in his abilities. As for the comments by Weatherguesser....General Petraeus addressed the issue at hand rather well. He is not the CENTCOM Commander and would therefore have no reason to comment on what's going on in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Oh my. So, you shared a room with the guy, or maybe you were his personal secretary then?
I am glad you like the man.

The fact is that I have never ONCE questioned his abilities as a General, nor do I even care who writes his speeches, him or Johnny Q. Smith.

But thanks for thinking of me.

Jeez, you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. The only comment I directed to you was that it was not General Petraeus' responsibility to comment on the resurgence of al Qaida outside of his zone of command. As for your personal attack on me, I served in the same command with Petraeus when he was the XO of the same unit I was in. I guess I wouldn't expect some crusty old swabbie to know anything about Airborne Infantry, though. Have a nice day.

I hope General Petraeus re-thinks reducing troops, unless he has a plan to protect US soldiers better than before. Without a proper plan, and less US troops means less surveillance, less security and more terrorist activity and more soldiers that will be killed and injured.

Yup, after the US leaves (if ever), you bet 80% of these chicken-**** bastards are going to either desert and go home because they won't have the US fighting their battles for them, or join a war lord army or an insurgent force. You really believe alQaeda is afraid of these guys? Think again.

"The impending drawdown of some 30,000 U.S. troops from Iraq will not disrupt the "relentless" pursuit of Al-Qaeda as Iraqis are ready to take their place, says U.S. commander General David Petraeus."


Drawdown? sounds like they are returning to pre-surge levels, I would'nt exactly call that a "drawdown". Sounds like some use car salesmam trick to me, first they raise the price by 30%, then they drop it by 10% and call that a savings or some kind of sale, you'd be surprised at how many smart people fall for that one. A drawdown would be a reduction in the amount of troops that went in from the start.

quote:

Jeez, you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. The only comment I directed to you was that it was not General Petraeus' responsibility to comment on the resurgence of al Qaida outside of his zone of command. As for your personal attack on me, I served in the same command with Petraeus when he was the XO of the same unit I was in. I guess I wouldn't expect some crusty old swabbie to know anything about Airborne Infantry, though. Have a nice day.

Yes, thanks. I will.

I served in the same Operations Department as did my Captain - Ret. Admiral J.B. Linder, who also ran for Mayor of Corpus Christi. I was one of three PO's who briefed him each morning. I still don't know the man anymore than I know you, and so I have no first-hand actual knowledge of what drives the man, than do you. However, I believe he is an honorable man. No reason not to think so. He was a good Captain.

But is it a "personal attack" on you, because I pointed out that your knowledge of Gen. Patreaus means little to the debate at hand?

OK, well then I guess you'll just have to be all angry about it.

Have a nice day.