Those who led us into war under false pretenses owe soldiers an explanation
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By<SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://www.citizentimes.com/check_reporter_profile.php?email=&name=SPECIAL TO CITIZEN-TIMES" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT> SPECIAL TO CITIZEN-TIMES<NOSCRIPT>SPECIAL TO CITIZEN-TIMES</NOSCRIPT>
Nov. 30, 2004 5:42 p.m.
About a year and a half ago my National Guard unit, the 210th Military Police Company, was called up to do our part in the war against terror. During the weeks preceding our deployment I did everything I could do to prepare my soldiers for a long stay in Baghdad, training them in urban combat and hand-to-hand fighting. Unfortunately, I had to finish the Officer Basic Course in Fort Leonard Wood before I could lead them into a war zone. I left a couple days before they did. I told them to remember we were fighting to make our country safe from terrorists who were moments away from using weapons of mass destruction.
My training took four months. When I wasn't studying I was watching the news, keeping track of the war. One day, my class received a briefing; it included satellite images showing exactly where the weapons of mass destruction were located.
There was no doubt in my mind that we were fighting for the right reasons. Some of the same images were used later by Secretary of State Colin Powell during his briefing to the United Nations. And there also (appeared to be) proof that Iraqi officials were conspiring with al-Qaida.
Some things seemed a little odd though: Why did President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld keep Powell in the dark until right before the decision to invade was decided? And why in the world were we invading with so few troops? The manual for urban warfare specifically states that you should occupy a city only if you have 10 times the number of enemy troops. There were rumors that Gen. Shinseki asked Rumsfeld for more soldiers before he retired. At first the war went extremely well, so I thought maybe the manual was outdated.
When my training was finished my soldiers had already spent a month in Baghdad. My battalion commander said that catching up with them was an impossibility: I had to stay behind as rear detachment commander. All the while my soldiers were being shot at on a daily basis. The wepons of mass destruction were never found, so I figured they had been buried in the sand or transported to Syria.
The rest of my soldiers have come back now, just as the 105th Military Police was heading out. A couple of my soldiers are missing. One was killed; the other was wounded. Every one of my soldiers has changed from the war. These wounds will take years to heal, perhaps entire lifetimes. Most of my soldiers are getting out of the National Guard, and I can't blame them. On the week of their very first drill weekend since their return we learned from Rumsfeld that there really wasn't a connection between Iraq and al- Qaida at the start of the war. A day later we learned from a CIA report that there never was any weapons of mass destruction and there has not been in 14 years (and that includes the possibility of their removal to Syria). And to add insult to injury: (former Provisional Authority Director Paul) Bremer said that he thought we never had enough troops on the ground! Were the satellite images fake?
<!– MID CONTENT AD TAG – >The officers' creed states: "I will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do. So where is the investigation to find out who lied to us?
Alex Newman is a lieutenant in the North Carolina National Guard and works as a computer technician for Buncombe County Schools. He is also an assistant scoutmaster and a father. He lives in Buncombe County.
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By<SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://www.citizentimes.com/check_reporter_profile.php?email=&name=SPECIAL TO CITIZEN-TIMES" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT> SPECIAL TO CITIZEN-TIMES<NOSCRIPT>SPECIAL TO CITIZEN-TIMES</NOSCRIPT>
Nov. 30, 2004 5:42 p.m.
About a year and a half ago my National Guard unit, the 210th Military Police Company, was called up to do our part in the war against terror. During the weeks preceding our deployment I did everything I could do to prepare my soldiers for a long stay in Baghdad, training them in urban combat and hand-to-hand fighting. Unfortunately, I had to finish the Officer Basic Course in Fort Leonard Wood before I could lead them into a war zone. I left a couple days before they did. I told them to remember we were fighting to make our country safe from terrorists who were moments away from using weapons of mass destruction.
My training took four months. When I wasn't studying I was watching the news, keeping track of the war. One day, my class received a briefing; it included satellite images showing exactly where the weapons of mass destruction were located.
There was no doubt in my mind that we were fighting for the right reasons. Some of the same images were used later by Secretary of State Colin Powell during his briefing to the United Nations. And there also (appeared to be) proof that Iraqi officials were conspiring with al-Qaida.
Some things seemed a little odd though: Why did President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld keep Powell in the dark until right before the decision to invade was decided? And why in the world were we invading with so few troops? The manual for urban warfare specifically states that you should occupy a city only if you have 10 times the number of enemy troops. There were rumors that Gen. Shinseki asked Rumsfeld for more soldiers before he retired. At first the war went extremely well, so I thought maybe the manual was outdated.
When my training was finished my soldiers had already spent a month in Baghdad. My battalion commander said that catching up with them was an impossibility: I had to stay behind as rear detachment commander. All the while my soldiers were being shot at on a daily basis. The wepons of mass destruction were never found, so I figured they had been buried in the sand or transported to Syria.
The rest of my soldiers have come back now, just as the 105th Military Police was heading out. A couple of my soldiers are missing. One was killed; the other was wounded. Every one of my soldiers has changed from the war. These wounds will take years to heal, perhaps entire lifetimes. Most of my soldiers are getting out of the National Guard, and I can't blame them. On the week of their very first drill weekend since their return we learned from Rumsfeld that there really wasn't a connection between Iraq and al- Qaida at the start of the war. A day later we learned from a CIA report that there never was any weapons of mass destruction and there has not been in 14 years (and that includes the possibility of their removal to Syria). And to add insult to injury: (former Provisional Authority Director Paul) Bremer said that he thought we never had enough troops on the ground! Were the satellite images fake?
<!– MID CONTENT AD TAG – >The officers' creed states: "I will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do. So where is the investigation to find out who lied to us?
Alex Newman is a lieutenant in the North Carolina National Guard and works as a computer technician for Buncombe County Schools. He is also an assistant scoutmaster and a father. He lives in Buncombe County.
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