The real story of last night in Iraq

[ASUmusicMAN]

Snippet:

We just got back on base. For a while there, I didn?t think that would happen. We got ambushed yesterday, except it was a twenty-one hour ambush. We made CNN, except of course they got it wrong. They said that the Ukrainians have left my city. This is not true. We had to evacuate the compound. If you see first a clip of a guy in a white shirt running carrying an AK next to a railing, that's my city. That bridge behind them? The insurgents mined it.

At about four AM the other day, the Ukrainian force rode out the gate and took back the town. At nine thirty we rolled out, arrived at our usual destination, and by ten thirty, we were under fire. We were in a compound of five or six major buildings, large enough to be hotels, not quite large enough to be palaces, that had once been owned by Chemical Ali.

We started out on the roofs, looking for snipers. But RPGs and mortar fire forced us down and as we retreated, the shooters started hitting the building more often because they were walking their weapons closer. Eventually, our safe area was reduced to just one hallway in a central building.

I have never been so scared in my life. Scared doesn?t cover it: terrified doesn?t, either. I'd never known it was possible to be terrified and be totally calm. I?d look around, seeing the trails of weapons, seeing the F-16s overhead---they never dropped bombs, they just flew around------and then look down and see the chameleons running in the grass. And then you?d hear the thump of another mortar round, but you don?t really hear those---you feel them, somehow. They?re loud enough to make you flinch, and these were all close----I saw one land in front of me at about three thirty AM, no more than fifty meters away.

Rest

http://www.livejournal.com/users/ginmar/256570.html

[DudeAsInCool]

Scary. It make me angry to see young people subjected to this crap...

[Kooperman]

A curse on the people who started this fiasco without proper planning or manpower. I hope they feel the hell one day that this woman felt....perhaps they'll never take it so cavalierly again. Read my signature at the bottom and tell me the person who can joke about it has a soul.

Edited April 8, 2004 by Kooperman

[Ken]

Well, it's looking more and more like a situation with no solution.

Staying there won’t do much good. Leaving might even be worse; maybe not for U.S. (and other) interests, but for the stability of the nation itself, as the moment the forces leave, there's going to be a 17 sided civil war between a bunch of religious leaders. That's no good for the innocent, and in the long term, especially the women (as pointed out in the journal), if one (or more) of the religious leaders manages to take permanent control.

I'm all for bringing the U.N. in, and letting them have complete control of the situation.

[Wolfie]

I'm all for bringing the U.N. in, and letting them have complete control of the situation.

I agree. However I not sure if they even want to deal with mess anymore. The U.N. ppl closed shop and left town last year without even looking back when violence was sporadic at worstt. The last 24-hours has been an on-going war zone compare to all of last year.

Edited April 8, 2004 by Wolfie

[DudeAsInCool]

I'm all for bringing the U.N. in, and letting them have complete control of the situation.

...and the earlier the better...

[desdemona]

I thought the capture of sadaam hussein was supposedly the turning point? the longer this occupation goes on, the more it seems the iraqi appear to organize against the coalition. I'm guessing, but I just don't think these people want an american form of democracy based on judeo-christian beliefs, this is a failed attempt to democratize this country, it seems no matter which political party is in office we're going to be there for quite a long time. Too bad bush wasn't a better student of history, upcoming documentaries on cnn about previous failed attempts to occupy that area.

war is hell, as the young woman in the article tells us, but I can only imagine what previous generations in other wars have gone through, the only difference is........they seemed to have a front, and there was a rear to retreat to, I'm lost as to how we're fighting this war. I don't know anything about war strategies but we need to get one quick and get out of there!

[Wolfie]

I thought the capture of sadaam hussein was supposedly the turning point?

Another shortsighted assessment by the Bushies, considering half of the ppl in this uprising were technically the Anti-Saddam religious faction.

Edited April 8, 2004 by Wolfie

[Ken]

I agree. However I not sure if they even want to deal with mess anymore. The U.N. ppl closed shop and left town last year without even looking back when violence was sporadic at worstt.

They should anyway.

If the U.S. can't solve the problems, and the U.N. is unwilling/unable/unjustified/whatever, then what the hell is going to happen?

I'll tell you, 17 sided civil war, with no rules.

Hell, I wouldn't be suprised to see Iraq split into 17 countries.

[Shawn]

Or 3 at least.

[ASUmusicMAN]

This whole thing really bummed me out...but someone made a really good comment on her page it something like:

Wow..I don't really know what to say...so i'll just say two words

Thank You.

Really...no matter what war the GIs always end up getting screwed, yet they join to serve anyway...what badasses