A
Broken, De-Humanized
Military In Iraq
By Dahr Jamail
28 September 2006
t r u t h o u
t
While
the deranged chicken-hawks who "lead" the US continue their
efforts to wage another unprovoked war of aggression, this time against
Iran, what's left of their already overstretched military continues
to be bled in Iraq.
When the situation is so
critical that even the corporate media is forced to report on it, you
know it's bad. Last week on the NBC Nightly News, General Barry McCaffrey,
now retired, said of the current state of the US military, "I think,
arguably, it's the worst readiness condition the US Army has faced since
the end of Vietnam." This isn't a big surprise when we consider
the facts that many soldiers are already into their third combat tour,
frequent deployments have cut training time at home in half, and two
thirds of all Army combat units are rated not ready for combat.
The fact that 60% of National
Guard soldiers have already reached their limit for overseas combat
is most likely not going to slow down the Cheney administration's lust
for more war. Most likely, they'll just have Rummy change the Pentagon's
policy that currently limits Guard combat tours to two out of every
five years.
This change was apparently
already expected by Lieutenant General Steven Blum, of the National
Guard, who told NBC, "If you think the National Guard's busy today,
I think we're going to look back and say 'these were the good old days'
in about three years." A comment to which General McCaffrey responded:
"More is being asked of them, particularly the National Guard and
reserve components, than they signed up to do. And in the near-term,
we think it's going to unravel."
That "near-term"
seemed to be about 72 hours away from McCaffrey's comments. On Monday,
the Army announced that because it is stretched so thin by the occupation
of Iraq, it is once again extending the combat tours of thousands of
soldiers beyond their promised 12-month tours. It's the second time
since August (i.e., last month) that this has occurred. The 1st Brigade
Armored Division, which is having its tour extended, just happens to
be located in the province of Al-Anbar, which the military has long
since lost control of. Between 3,500 and 4,000 soldiers are affected
by this decision.
The move prompted defense
analyst Loren Thompson to tell reporters: "The Army is coming to
the end of its rope in Iraq. It simply does not have enough active-duty
military personnel to sustain the current level of effort."
There are currently over
142,000 US soldiers in Iraq. Just last week General John Abizaid, the
top US commander in the region, said the military is likely to maintain
and possibly even increase its force level in Iraq through next spring.
What does this look like
for US troops on the ground in Iraq? Here is an email I received just
last week from a mother whose son is serving in the US military in Ramadi:
My son cannot bear what
he is forced to do, and has probably through sheer terror, confusion,
and split-second decisions, killed innocent civilians. He is well aware
of this, and I have witnessed the consequences first hand. He probably
carries innocent blood on his hands. The killing of innocent people
is virtually unavoidable. He is in Al-Anbar region. You are the ONLY
person in the media who has responded to my emails. The other emails
I sent to news organizations questioning why so little news out of Al-Anbar
were unanswered. I believe that it is because the US has lost that region,
and is suppressing that news to the American public. My son called me
last week from Ramadi and said the war is lost - they are just going
thru the motions, again, forced to carry out orders and risk their lives
for an unobtainable and unjust goal. I continue to read your web site,
as well as others, while I pray for my son's safe homecoming in spring.
Her anguish, the description
of her son's mental state, and her son's report of the conditions in
Ramadi, tragic as they are, come as no surprise. At the time of this
writing, over 2,703 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq, and over ten
times that number wounded. This month, over 61 American soldiers have
been killed in Iraq. With an average of over 2.5 killed daily this month,
at the time of this writing it's already the third bloodiest month this
year in Iraq for occupation forces.
Another report released last
weekend from the Veterans Health Administration found that over one
third of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking medical treatment are
reporting symptoms of stress or other metal disorders. This is a tenfold
increase in the last 18 months alone. The dramatic jump in cases is
attributed to the fact that more troops are facing multiple tours in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
This is of course complicated
by the fact that veterans' groups claim that the VA is not able to meet
the growing demand for services. Already, veterans have had to deal
with long waits for doctor appointments (oftentimes over six months),
staffing shortages, and lack of equipment at medical centers run by
the VA.
The woman who sent me the
email about her son gave me permission to publish another email that
shows clearly how the over-stretch of the military in Iraq and multiple
tours are affecting her son:
I have established contact
with my son, thank God, and he writes to me daily about Iraqi atrocities,
and how he wants to wax them all. His morale is low and he has a weak
LT who is unable to keep up with the pace required. I would love to
share these emails with you, but I am afraid. I'm afraid of the implications
should this ever get out. I want to do nothing to endanger my communications
with my son. My impression through my readings and contact with soldiers
is that the Iraqis are generally good people. The American occupation
seems to be only making things that much worse for the average Iraqi.
My impression is that Iraq is a country with no hope. No matter what
is done, they will never have a stable government, no matter what form
it might take. From my son, I'm able to glean the complete CHAOS Ramadi
is in. It is hopeless. As a mother, I want him to do whatever is necessary
to come home, and will not sugar-coat my thoughts: that he should kill
everything and come home. Naturally, not someone who is obviously an
innocent civilian, but how do you tell? How do you know who is innocent
and who is a threat? Therefore, he feels that daisy-cutting the town
is the only option. Of course this will not happen, and he's blowing
smoke. However, it is an indication of how bad things are there ...
the struggle between the Marines and the insurgents is never ending.
The type of bomb now employed by the insurgents (whoever they are) is
frightening ... a metal plate on the ground: when the Marine steps on
it, it connects the circuit and that boy is blown up. My son is running
missions thru back alleys ... and is hauling a machine gun that is destroying
his back. He is a slender young man, and the gear he is carrying is
affecting his health. He can run for miles, but not with a hundred pounds
on him. Already I hear such a hardness in his emails, such low morale,
such hopelessness, and he has only just begun this deployment (hopefully
his last ... his third).
America is a great nation,
compassionate to many, and is my homeland. I am sickened at what is
happening, and what my son is being made to do as a Marine. Ultimately
we have morphed into an empire. It breaks my heart that my son may die
on foreign soil fighting a useless war that will only lead to more death
and destruction ...
The longer the occupation
of Iraq continues, more death and destruction are two things all of
us can count on. Along with a broken, bleeding military that is being
stretched even further each day, and the anxious families of those serving,
whose nerves and hearts are also being stretched further each day.
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