http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041208/D86RG6580.html
Troops Put Tough Questions to Rumsfeld
Dec 8, 8:35 AM (ET)
By ROBERT BURNS
(AP) U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld speaks to U.S. military
Special Operations personnel at...
CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait (AP) - After delivering a pep talk designed to
energize troops preparing to head for Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald H.
Rumsfeld got a little "talking to" himself from disgruntled soldiers.
In his prepared remarks, Rumsfeld urged the troops - mostly National Guard
and Reserve soldiers - to discount critics of the war in Iraq and to help
"win the test of wills" with the insurgents.
Some of soldiers, however, had criticisms of their own - not of the war
itself but of how it is being fought.
Army Spc. Thomas Wilson, for example, of the 278th Regimental Combat Team
that is comprised mainly of citizen soldiers of the Tennessee Army National
Guard, asked Rumsfeld in a question-and-answer session why vehicle armor is
still in short supply, nearly three years after the war in Iraq.
(AP) Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, center, walks with Chief of Staff
of Kuwait Armed Forces...
"Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap
metal and compromised ballistic glass to uparmor our vehicles?" Wilson
asked. A big cheer arose from the approximately 2,300 soldiers in the
cavernous hangar who assembled to see and hear the secretary of defense.
Rumsfeld hesitated and asked Wilson to repeat his question.
"We do not have proper armored vehicles to carry with us north," Wilson said
after asking again.
Rumsfeld replied that, "You go to war with the Army you have," not the one
you might want, and that any rate the Army was pushing manufacturers of
vehicle armor to produce it as fast as humanly possible.
And, the defense chief added, armor is not always a savior in the kind of
combat U.S. troops face in Iraq, where the insurgents' weapon of choice is
the roadside bomb, or improvised explosive device that has killed and maimed
hundreds, if not thousands, of American troops since the summer of 2003.
(AP) Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, right, is greeted by Chief of
Staff of Kuwait Armed Forces...
"You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and it can (still) be
blown up," Rumsfeld said.
Asked later about Wilson's complaint, the deputy commanding general of U.S.
forces in Kuwait, Maj. Gen. Gary Speer, said in an interview that as far as
he knows, every vehicle that is deploying to Iraq from Camp Buehring in
Kuwait has at least "Level 3" armor. That means it at least has locally
fabricated armor for its side panels, but not necessarily bulletproof
windows or protection against explosions that penetrate the floorboard.
Speer said he was not aware that soldiers were searching landfills for scrap
metal and used bulletproof glass.
During the question-and-answer session, another soldier complained that
active-duty Army units sometimes get priority over the National Guard and
Reserve units for the best equipment in Iraq.
"There's no way I can prove it, but I am told the Army is breaking its neck
to see that there is not" discrimination against the National Guard and
Reserve in terms of providing equipment, Rumsfeld said.
Yet another soldier asked, without putting it to Rumsfeld as a direct
criticism, how much longer the Army will continue using its "stop loss"
power to prevent soldiers from leaving the service who are otherwise
eligible to retire or quit.
Rumsfeld said that this condition was simply a fact of life for soldiers at
time of war.
"It's basically a sound principle, it's nothing new, it's been well
understood" by soldiers, he said. "My guess is it will continue to be used
as little as possible, but that it will continue to be used."
In his opening remarks, Rumsfeld stressed that soldiers who are heading to
Iraq should not believe those who say the insurgents cannot be defeated or
who otherwise doubt the will of the military to win.
"They say we can't prevail. I see that violence and say we must win,"
Rumsfeld said.
Ask your ISP to add the following newsgroups:
alt.war.world-war-one
alt.war.world-war-two
alt.war.world-war-three
alt.war.napoleonic
alt.war.war-of-1812
alt.war.terrorism
alt.war.biological
alt.war.chemical
alt.war.misc
{EDIT CONTENT} I hate Rumsfeld! its he who is reponsible for this mayhem!
He was the idiot who sent in only 140,000 when what we really needed were 500,000!
I'd like to put his sorry {EDIT CONTENT} in one of those Humvees and then test that "improvised" explosive device on his {EDIT CONTENT}
He is an outrage and a {EDIT CONTENT} disgusting incompetant shame to our military!
Last edited by Confed999; 09 Dec 04, at 02:42.
More like he put 140,000 troops in the wrong country instead of nuking Mecca.
Originally Posted by Praxus
Yeah no kidding!
Instead Bush and them Neocons give {EDIT CONTENT}
I say we put {EDIT CONTENT} Rumsfeld and his hoodlums into a Humvee and park it in downtown Baghdad! Lets see how feels when his own {EDIT CONTENT} ain't behind the right type of armor!
Last edited by Confed999; 09 Dec 04, at 02:40.
Lull, how many times do you have to be warned to tone down the swearing and vulgarity?Yeah no kidding!
Instead Bush and them Neocons give blow jobs to those god-damn oily Sheikhs!
I say we put this baastard Rumsfeld and his hoodlums into a Humvee and park it in downtown Baghdad! Lets see how feels when his own ass ain't behind the right type of armor!
war2004: Stop double posting threads.
lulldapull: I'm getting sick of editing your posts.
No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry
Perhaps, sending private messages rather than trying to embarrass and harass people in public would be a more professional approach.
With respect
Ask your ISP to add the following newsgroups:
alt.war.world-war-one
alt.war.world-war-two
alt.war.world-war-three
alt.war.napoleonic
alt.war.war-of-1812
alt.war.terrorism
alt.war.biological
alt.war.chemical
alt.war.misc
You were embarrassed and/or harassed by being told not to post the same threads more than once? Relax, you'll have more fun.
No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry
Did y'all catch the latest on this? Seems the 'tough questions' from 'the troops' was a set-up.
I'll try to find a reference to the story, but apparently a reporter used a soldier as a mouthpiece to get his questions asked, as Rummy wasn't taking reporters' questions.
Low. Dishonorable.
"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it, and if one finds the prospect of a long war intolerable, it is natural to disbelieve in the possibility of victory."
- George Orwell
Oh, I am quite relaxed. However, your professionalism leaves something to be desired.
I am assuming your real life job has very little responsibility.
Cordially
Ask your ISP to add the following newsgroups:
alt.war.world-war-one
alt.war.world-war-two
alt.war.world-war-three
alt.war.napoleonic
alt.war.war-of-1812
alt.war.terrorism
alt.war.biological
alt.war.chemical
alt.war.misc
Read the rules
No trolling is allowed here.
No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry
I think Drudge is reporting it...
No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry
Drudge is indeed carrying this:
RUMSFELD SET UP; REPORTER PLANTED QUESTIONS WITH SOLIDER
Thu Dec 09 2004 11:49:38 ET
Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts is embedded with the 278th Regimental Combat Team, now in Kuwait preparing to enter Iraq, and is filing articles for his newspaper. Pitts claims in a purported email that he coached soldiers to ask Defense Secretary Rumsfeld questions!
When reached Thursday morning, various Chattanooga Times Free Press staffers offered 'no comment' on the development.
From: EDWARD LEE PITTS, MILITARY AFFAIRS
Sent: Wednesday, December 8, 2004 4:44 PM
To: Staffers
Subject: RE: Way to go
I just had one of my best days as a journalist today. As luck would have it, our journey North was delayed just long enough see I could attend a visit today here by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. I was told yesterday that only soldiers could ask questions so I brought two of them along with me as my escorts. Before hand we worked on questions to ask Rumsfeld about the appalling lack of armor their vehicles going into combat have. While waiting for the VIP, I went and found the Sgt. in charge of the microphone for the question and answer session and made sure he knew to get my guys out of the crowd.
So during the Q&A session, one of my guys was the second person called on. When he asked Rumsfeld why after two years here soldiers are still having to dig through trash bins to find rusted scrap metal and cracked ballistic windows for their Humvees, the place erupted in cheers so loud that Rumsfeld had to ask the guy to repeat his question. Then Rumsfeld answered something about it being "not a lack of desire or money but a logistics/physics problem." He said he recently saw about 8 of the special up-armored Humvees guarding Washington, DC, and he promised that they would no longer be used for that and that he would send them over here. Then he asked a three star general standing behind him, the commander of all ground forces here, to also answer the question. The general said it was a problem he is working on.
The great part was that after the event was over the throng of national media following Rumsfeld- The New York Times, AP, all the major networks -- swarmed to the two soldiers I brought from the unit I am embedded with. Out of the 1,000 or so troops at the event there were only a handful of guys from my unit b/c the rest were too busy prepping for our trip north. The national media asked if they were the guys with the armor problem and then stuck cameras in their faces. The NY Times reporter asked me to email him the stories I had already done on it, but I said he could search for them himself on the Internet and he better not steal any of my lines. I have been trying to get this story out for weeks- as soon as I foud out I would be on an unarmored truck- and my paper published two stories on it. But it felt good to hand it off to the national press. I believe lives are at stake with so many soldiers going across the border riding with scrap metal as protection. It may be to late for the unit I am with, but hopefully not for those who come after.
The press officer in charge of my regiment, the 278th, came up to me afterwords and asked if my story would be positive. I replied that I would write the truth. Then I pointed at the horde of national media pointing cameras and mics at the 278th guys and said he had bigger problems on his hands than the Chattanooga Times Free Press. This is what this job is all about - people need to know. The solider who asked the question said he felt good b/c he took his complaints to the top. When he got back to his unit most of the guys patted him on the back but a few of the officers were upset b/c they thought it would make them look bad. From what I understand this is all over the news back home.
Thanks,
Lee
EDWARD LEE PITTS FILED STORY ABOUT THE TROOPS BEFORE THE POW-WOW WITH RUMSFELD
Developing...
"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it, and if one finds the prospect of a long war intolerable, it is natural to disbelieve in the possibility of victory."
- George Orwell
This idiot thinks he's a hero for splashing a vulnerability of friendly troops all over the place. He's happy about what he's done. He thinks the unit's officers are upset because "they thought it would make them look bad".
Those officers will be in those Humvees, too, but this reporter thinks they care more about image than their soldiers or their own lives. Maybe - just MAYBE - they didn't want Bad Guys to know about a whole convoy of soft vehicles headed into Apache Country.
This guy has a typical press take on what the military is all about. His contempt for professional military people, especially high brass is obvious and odious. And he thinks the 'people need to know' every last detail he can give 'em, no matter what that may do to the guys on the pointy end.
If he'd been in the press briefing before OVERLORD, you can bet the people would've known about that, as well. Oh, and Hitler and Rommel and von Rundstedt and every last private on the Atlantic Wall would've known, too.
Why didn't this clown go ahead and give the routes and skeds for the road march from Kuwait while he was at it?
Last thing: note what caused him to get all motivated to tell this story. When he found out HE HIMSELF would be travelling in an unarmored Humvee, well, the story just had to get out. And although it took weeks - and therefore wouldn't be of any use to save his own precious hide - he'd make the military pay, and all the way to the top.
What a smug, self-satisfied, self-important peckerwood. I'll bet he's about as welcome to 'his' unit as a pebble in their boot.
Last edited by Bluesman; 10 Dec 04, at 09:56.
"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it, and if one finds the prospect of a long war intolerable, it is natural to disbelieve in the possibility of victory."
- George Orwell
Your obviously new to these boards and to the general rules in a forum.
Moderators are the boss, we as posters are expected to listen. When we repeatedly step out of line the moderators are bound to take their tone to a harsher level.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
Share this thread with friends: