Someone needs to be introduced to a cluex4
These are quotes from an opinion letter from my hometown paper in response to a letter that my mate wrote. Keep in mind he is on his second tour, has a severe spinal problem and is currently living in a tent and going out on missions. He is also a gun enthusiast and has always qualfied with high marks nearing perfect with his weapons. And unless I am mistaken, this is the first tour for the person responding to his letter and it is highly unlikely he goes outside the wire or if he does, does anything remotely close to what my mate has done. Being an NCO often gives you the priviladge of sitting on your ass being truly clueless to what is really going on outside the wire.
"First of all, if you cut the funding, the troops would not receive what is need. The funding would pay for what we here in Iraq do need, and that is more troops. "
First of all...you can't send troops that don't exist and with more and more people wising up and not joining because of this war, all the money in the world won't make them just suddenly appear. Second, no it is not more American troops that are needed, it is for Iraqis to get off their ass and start protecting their own damn country.
[Name changed to protect my mate.] "also said that only the Military Police get the M-1117 Armored Security Vehicles. I say bull. The M-1117s are everywhere one looks. I personally would not want one."
Last time I checked, the MP's were everywhere too...so duh... Of course the vehicles are going to be everywhere. However I bet his everywhere isn't quite as expansive as he would like people to believe. This guys says he wouldn't want one... of course he wouldn't. What the hell would he do with it? He's an NCO.
"Back to the weapons, if a soldier has problems with American made tools of destruction, 95 percent of the time he did not get off his [rear] to clean them and perform proper PMCS. M-16, M-4, both shoot semi auto and 3-round burst, plus have greater range. "
One of the worst insults to my mate is accusing him of either not knowing how or just not cleaning his weapon properly. I've watched him clean firearms, and he is no slacker when it comes to keeping his weapons clean. I will readily admit America does not make the best guns there are and anyone who says different is an idiot. Yes, there are some good American brands, but as far as I know, Smith&Wesson isn't being used over there. Personally I don't like guns, so I don't know that much about them. My mate however can rattle off specs for various weapons in a matter of minutes.
"I would like to see a insurgent hit 10 times and continue to breath. I call bull again. Someone needs to go back to the rifle range. No one gets up after a head shot. If a troop is not fit for duty, he does not go outside the wire. As an NCO, I would be a fool to permit such actions. Having a soldier sick or unable to perform could compromise the combat mission."
Again, my mate has always earned high marks on the range, but he is no longer a gunner and due to his back is actually not even supposed to be carrying a weapon larger than a pistol though he is being made to carry a semi auto. I would like to know who gave this guy permission to take headshots. It would be nice if things have changed, but last thing my mate told me when I asked him why they don't take headshots was because they are only supposed to aim for large areas such as the chest. Maybe the rules are different for non-MP, NCO's but I doubt it. This guy might realize that soldiers not fit for duty shouldn't be going outside the wire, but he would be one of the few. I have seen too many unfit soldiers (not just my mate) being pushed to go on mission even when it is obvious they are not fit to do so. He can say he wouldn't send them out, but I wouldn't be surprised that if it came down to it he would send an unfit soldier outside the wire.
"The Iraqi army is on our side the last time I checked. "
He needs to go check again. Some of them may be on our side, but over all, they want us to get the hell out of their country.
I do realize I could have responded to this in the newspaper, but I would not have had the room to do so and I would rather await possible replies to this letter from my mate and others who know what he is going through.
"First of all, if you cut the funding, the troops would not receive what is need. The funding would pay for what we here in Iraq do need, and that is more troops. "
First of all...you can't send troops that don't exist and with more and more people wising up and not joining because of this war, all the money in the world won't make them just suddenly appear. Second, no it is not more American troops that are needed, it is for Iraqis to get off their ass and start protecting their own damn country.
[Name changed to protect my mate.] "also said that only the Military Police get the M-1117 Armored Security Vehicles. I say bull. The M-1117s are everywhere one looks. I personally would not want one."
Last time I checked, the MP's were everywhere too...so duh... Of course the vehicles are going to be everywhere. However I bet his everywhere isn't quite as expansive as he would like people to believe. This guys says he wouldn't want one... of course he wouldn't. What the hell would he do with it? He's an NCO.
"Back to the weapons, if a soldier has problems with American made tools of destruction, 95 percent of the time he did not get off his [rear] to clean them and perform proper PMCS. M-16, M-4, both shoot semi auto and 3-round burst, plus have greater range. "
One of the worst insults to my mate is accusing him of either not knowing how or just not cleaning his weapon properly. I've watched him clean firearms, and he is no slacker when it comes to keeping his weapons clean. I will readily admit America does not make the best guns there are and anyone who says different is an idiot. Yes, there are some good American brands, but as far as I know, Smith&Wesson isn't being used over there. Personally I don't like guns, so I don't know that much about them. My mate however can rattle off specs for various weapons in a matter of minutes.
"I would like to see a insurgent hit 10 times and continue to breath. I call bull again. Someone needs to go back to the rifle range. No one gets up after a head shot. If a troop is not fit for duty, he does not go outside the wire. As an NCO, I would be a fool to permit such actions. Having a soldier sick or unable to perform could compromise the combat mission."
Again, my mate has always earned high marks on the range, but he is no longer a gunner and due to his back is actually not even supposed to be carrying a weapon larger than a pistol though he is being made to carry a semi auto. I would like to know who gave this guy permission to take headshots. It would be nice if things have changed, but last thing my mate told me when I asked him why they don't take headshots was because they are only supposed to aim for large areas such as the chest. Maybe the rules are different for non-MP, NCO's but I doubt it. This guy might realize that soldiers not fit for duty shouldn't be going outside the wire, but he would be one of the few. I have seen too many unfit soldiers (not just my mate) being pushed to go on mission even when it is obvious they are not fit to do so. He can say he wouldn't send them out, but I wouldn't be surprised that if it came down to it he would send an unfit soldier outside the wire.
"The Iraqi army is on our side the last time I checked. "
He needs to go check again. Some of them may be on our side, but over all, they want us to get the hell out of their country.
I do realize I could have responded to this in the newspaper, but I would not have had the room to do so and I would rather await possible replies to this letter from my mate and others who know what he is going through.