RE: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,158251,00.html

In his most recent op-ed, Mr. North writes that 1st Cav is leaving Iraq with no American troops
to replace them:

quote:

U.S. military forces have started phasing down from the "surge" that began last summer. The 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division whose departure from Iraq was announced in November and which is currently taking place, will not be replaced by an American unit.

As the wife of a 4th Infantry Division soldier about to deploy TO REPLACE 1st Cav, I would like to clarify that this statement is untrue.

Please read the short infantry news clip below:

4th Infantry Division soldiers head to Iraq

(November 26, 2007)—Thanksgiving was bittersweet for the families of a thousand 4th Infantry Division soldiers who have left Central Texas since Saturday as the division begins its third tour of duty in Iraq.

The largest group was deployed Monday.

More than 450 soldiers are part of that group.

About 150 other soldiers deployed earlier.

The deployment is the division’s third since the start of the war in Iraq.

After the soldiers arrive in Kuwait, they’ll undergo additional training before moving to Baghdad to replace 1st Cavalry Division troops..

* * *

I would like to note what this fails to tell the reader, which is 4th ID will be in the process of deploying from now until June, in its ENTIRETY (as a Division). Please do not be deceived by the low numbers listed above. Thousands of 4th ID soldiers will eventually replace the thousands of 1st Cav soldiers who are in the process of coming home.

Apparently Ollie doesn't read/do much other than watch Faux News and/or pretend to "report" for them.

This is the company that *fired* thier reporters who wanted to tell the truth, and then went to federal court to fight for their right to LIE to the American Public.

The New York Times (Ollies most hated publication: probably because they actually have a reputation for excellence - unlike Faux and most other Murdoch-owned "news" organizations) actually has been reporting on progress in Iraq - maybe Ollie's bossman can't be bothered to report on such things (consistent with the Faux vision of "fair and balanced").

However, one item that Ollie fails to write about is about how stunned our military was when they discovered that the Iraqi's tribes were starting to turn against AQI and the other creeps that were bent on destabilizing the country.

The fact is, the Iraqi's themselves decided that they hated AQI (etc) more than they hated us, which has worked out to our advantage. It is far too early to declare victory over anything - the Iraqi's aren't stupid, and neither are the Iranians (to the rest of the world they look far more credible now than our president - a truly galling idea). They can easily lay low until we leave, and simply resume operations when we finally do (or otherwise reduce our forces).

I hope my employer appreciates the strategic placement of the company name... thrice!

Ollie the tactician...what a maroon!

Ask Ollie how many mixed Iraqi units exist where Sunni and Shiia are fighting side by side!

Sorry Ollie but, all we have in Iraq are two armed camps just chomping at the bit to go at one another with one sitting on the sidelines waiting to see what will happen. After the new president is sworn in (and I doubt it will be a Republican) we will draw down our combat forces fairly rapidly and when those numbers are low enough so as not to be able to interfere, the Sunni and Shiia will unleash their pent up anger and frustration in an orgy for control of Iraq...and then what will we do? Do we chose a side? Do we lock ourselves down in our bases and wait for the dust to settle?

Sorry but, history is not on our side with this one (again). I've spoken with Sunni troops and police and they know there is a showdown in their future. I hope I'm wrong but I do not see how the inevitable can be avoided.

S/F Gordon
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UH34, the ICTF is a Mixed Unit, equipped as well as US SOF forces, and very effective though small,(Bn.)

heck linedoggie, you can't argue with uh34d, he's a friggin expert! why i bet he's already done 3 or 4 tours over there by now!

sandidge:

If you have read my posts and have the capacity to understand the English language please point out a specific error in my suppositions?

Gordon
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Posted Thu 20 December 2007 03:49 PM
heck linedoggie, you can't argue with uh34d, he's a friggin expert! why i bet he's already done 3 or 4 tours over there by now!

LineDoggie:

It is a minimal number, probably less than 2% depending on what and who's numbers you look at regarding total strength of Iraqi forces/police.

S/F Gordon
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Posted Wed 19 December 2007 06:40 PM
UH34, the ICTF is a Mixed Unit, equipped as well as US SOF forces, and very effective though small,(Bn.)

And you know as fact that it hasnt expanded?

Is ALL of 4th ID going to replace ALL of 1st Cav?

Is the replacement a 1:1 exchange, or are SOME 4th ID soldiers going to replace MORE 1st Cav soldiers?

If we don't know the answers, most of the comments here are made in ignorance.

Ben

quote:

However, one item that Ollie fails to write about is about how stunned our military was when they discovered that the Iraqi's tribes were starting to turn against AQI and the other creeps that were bent on destabilizing the country.

Stunned? Are you kidding? The military has been working on this for YEARS. They only ones stunned were the New York Times and anyone actually dumb enough to beleive their BS. Sure, if you bought into all their crap, the news (when they could finally bury it no longer) was shocking to hear. If you had followed what was actually happening, though, you would have seen, instead of an inexplicable reversal, the fruition of hard work.

It goes like this:

For four years, the US tries to build things up, while AQI tortures and destroys. Eventually the locals wise up and overcome centuries old cultural hangups. But the logic was overwhelming: We build, protect, help, AQI murders and destroys. After 4 years of that, which way would YOU go? Which way would ANYONE go? The only way anyone could be "stunned" by the obvious is too think that the US was actually doing the murder/destroy thing while AQI was the heroic resistance. And this was the message of the NYT and like organizations. "Faux" News, on the other hand, called it accurately. Follow their message, and the changes weren't stunning at all, they were perhaps even overdue.

Ergo: Claims of "the military was stunned" is just more BS, propaganda put out by a media trying to convince us that since THEY were too stupid to see what's coming, then no one else could have seen it either.

Look up old stories from military sources, the path of transition is crystal clear.

Ben

swami:

You are correct to a certain degree but the two pronged tactical decisions by the Sunni led to what we now see.

First, the Sunni wanted no competition from al Queda. The Iraqi Sunni cannot be led by anyone from the outside. So, start by killing al Queda insurgents. Not only that but ask for help in doing so from the US. And that is the second tactical decision by Sunni leadership.

Besides al Queda, the Sunni finally figured out and accepted the simple fact they could not defeat US troops militarily. More than 80% of the casualties in Iraq have been Sunni. They could not afford to lose more men than they could replace. A simple fact of facing US forces. So, the Sunni decide to 'make friends' with the US and its military. They offer mia culpa's for the killing and maiming of our troops and then claim it was a mistake and ask for forgiveness.

Of course, the US salivating at the opportunity to present a picture of success in Iraq with the Sunni and especially in Anbar greet the Sunni as our saviours. A new day has dawned in Iraq. Forget many if not most of these new bastions of defense for the Iraqi homeland were just a few short months ago killing and maiming our troops. Now, now they are our allies and greeted with open arms. I mean how ignorant can our leadership be?

Now we are training, arming, paying, supplying and supporting more than 70,000 of these new found freedom fighters with their flourescent vests. How convenient! We are no longer killing Sunni's. They are regrouping and rearming and all with our help. And surprise of surprises, Malaki and company have already publicly stated only a small percentage of these some odd 70,000 new warriors will be allowed into the Iraqi military proper. But the Sunni do not care as they are getting what they want. We are being used because we are so eager to call something in Iraq a success.

Here is the bottom line. We and the Sunni are working to eliminate al Queda and any other foreign insurgents within the Sunni sphere of influence. The Sunni do not want to have to worry about them down the road. At the end of that road and at some point, we will declare security within Iraq is sufficient enough to begin withdrawing our combat forces. When our troop strength is reduced to a point where we will be unable to interfere, the Sunni will make their move to regain control and power within Iraq. I'm not saying they will succeed but the conflict is coming. The Sunni will never submit to control and domination by the Shiia. The Sunni likewise. The only way the issue will be resolved is the coming conflict between the Sunni and Shiia. I'm betting on the Sunni only because they are more pragmatic than the Shiia and the Sunni are not controlled and dominated by religious qualms, edicts and the Koran. Also, the Sunni may be a minority within Iraq but with the exception of Iran and central/southern Iraq the middle-east is Sunni. I have little doubt the Iraqi Sunni will be aided by other Sunni nations in the coming conflict. The Sunni nations of the middle-east have no love for Iran and they do not want to see a powerful Iran emerge. Especially an Iran with nuclear capabilities.

I wish it were not so but history has clearly demonstrated we have merely kept the genie in the bottle with our military intervention/actions. We cannot for very much longer keep the genie confined.

S/F Gordon
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Posted Mon 31 December 2007 09:55 AM
quote:

However, one item that Ollie fails to write about is about how stunned our military was when they discovered that the Iraqi's tribes were starting to turn against AQI and the other creeps that were bent on destabilizing the country.


Stunned? Are you kidding? The military has been working on this for YEARS. They only ones stunned were the New York Times and anyone actually dumb enough to beleive their BS. Sure, if you bought into all their crap, the news (when they could finally bury it no longer) was shocking to hear. If you had followed what was actually happening, though, you would have seen, instead of an inexplicable reversal, the fruition of hard work.

It goes like this:

For four years, the US tries to build things up, while AQI tortures and destroys. Eventually the locals wise up and overcome centuries old cultural hangups. But the logic was overwhelming: We build, protect, help, AQI murders and destroys. After 4 years of that, which way would YOU go? Which way would ANYONE go? The only way anyone could be "stunned" by the obvious is too think that the US was actually doing the murder/destroy thing while AQI was the heroic resistance. And this was the message of the NYT and like organizations. "Faux" News, on the other hand, called it accurately. Follow their message, and the changes weren't stunning at all, they were perhaps even overdue.

Ergo: Claims of "the military was stunned" is just more BS, propaganda put out by a media trying to convince us that since THEY were too stupid to see what's coming, then no one else could have seen it either.

Look up old stories from military sources, the path of transition is crystal clear.

Ben

quote:

Originally posted by uh34d:
Ollie the tactician...what a maroon!

Ask Ollie how many mixed Iraqi units exist where Sunni and Shiia are fighting side by side!

Sorry Ollie but, all we have in Iraq are two armed camps just chomping at the bit to go at one another with one sitting on the sidelines waiting to see what will happen. After the new president is sworn in (and I doubt it will be a Republican) we will draw down our combat forces fairly rapidly and when those numbers are low enough so as not to be able to interfere, the Sunni and Shiia will unleash their pent up anger and frustration in an orgy for control of Iraq...and then what will we do? Do we chose a side? Do we lock ourselves down in our bases and wait for the dust to settle?

Sorry but, history is not on our side with this one (again). I've spoken with Sunni troops and police and they know there is a showdown in their future. I hope I'm wrong but I do not see how the inevitable can be avoided.

S/F Gordon
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Good point