12 Former Army Captains On The Mess In Iraq

4:19 am EST October 16th, 2007 | News | 8 Comments

From the Washington Post op-ed section. Quick, get Rush Limbaugh on about these "phony soldiers", whip up some Fox graphics for O’Reilly and Co. to "investigate" these apparent seditionists. Certainly Instapundit can link to some smear from a right wing blog about them without getting his little hands dirty?

Against this backdrop, the U.S. military has been trying in vain to hold the country together. Even with "the surge," we simply do not have enough soldiers and marines to meet the professed goals of clearing areas from insurgent control, holding them securely and building sustainable institutions. Though temporary reinforcing operations in places like Fallujah, An Najaf, Tal Afar, and now Baghdad may brief well on PowerPoint presentations, in practice they just push insurgents to another spot on the map and often strengthen the insurgents’ cause by harassing locals to a point of swayed allegiances. Millions of Iraqis correctly recognize these actions for what they are and vote with their feet — moving within Iraq or leaving the country entirely. Still, our colonels and generals keep holding on to flawed concepts.

U.S. forces, responsible for too many objectives and too much "battle space," are vulnerable targets. The sad inevitability of a protracted draw-down is further escalation of attacks — on U.S. troops, civilian leaders and advisory teams. They would also no doubt get caught in the crossfire of the imminent Iraqi civil war.

Iraqi security forces would not be able to salvage the situation. Even if all the Iraqi military and police were properly trained, equipped and truly committed, their 346,000 personnel would be too few. As it is, Iraqi soldiers quit at will. The police are effectively controlled by militias. And, again, corruption is debilitating. U.S. tax dollars enrich self-serving generals and support the very elements that will battle each other after we’re gone.

This is Operation Iraqi Freedom and the reality we experienced. This is what we tried to communicate up the chain of command. This is either what did not get passed on to our civilian leadership or what our civilian leaders chose to ignore. While our generals pursue a strategy dependent on peace breaking out, the Iraqis prepare for their war — and our servicemen and women, and their families, continue to suffer.

There is one way we might be able to succeed in Iraq. To continue an operation of this intensity and duration, we would have to abandon our volunteer military for compulsory service. Short of that, our best option is to leave Iraq immediately. A scaled withdrawal will not prevent a civil war, and it will spend more blood and treasure on a losing proposition.

Topic: Iraq

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8 Responses to “12 Former Army Captains On The Mess In Iraq”

Mike says:

October 16, 2007 at 1:10 pm

Americans have never been shy about listening to criticism from commissioned officers on the battlefield. Read your WWII history, especially criticism regarding command decisions to send insufficiently trained and under-equipped troops into Europe, and reactions to the high loss of American lives in the South Pacific. History is replete with criticism that is honest but does not attempt to slander the character of the troops or undermine the efforts of the military.

However, when a “combat veteran” who never even made it out of boot camp wants to tell imaginary stories of “atrocities” that he committed … well, that is a different story.

Fortunately most people are smart enough to tell the difference between the two.
SpiderJ says:

October 16, 2007 at 1:30 pm

Are we still talking about whats-his-name MacScottish Play, the liberal “hero” most liberals had never even heard of?

Or are you implying that all 12 of these soldiers are of the same cloth?
locus says:

October 16, 2007 at 1:36 pm

I’m not sure to what Mike is referring.

However, I did find it funny that this op-ed never made it into the dead tree version of the WaPo that landed on my front porch this morning.
Repack Rider says:

October 16, 2007 at 2:21 pm

when a “combat veteran” who never even made it out of boot camp wants to tell imaginary stories of “atrocities” that he committed

Boot camp is for Marines. The article says the captains are Army, which starts with Basic Training. Get ONE fact straight.

Which of these 12 captains are you referring to? I wasn’t aweare that you could BE a captain without completing Basic Training.

Do you have any more information on how a commissioned Army officer avoided Basic?
megamoze says:

October 16, 2007 at 3:21 pm

Americans have never been shy about listening to criticism from commissioned officers on the battlefield.

Interesting to note that you’be basically just excluded Rush Limbaugh and George Bush from the ranks of “Americans.” Bush ignores them and Limbaugh smears them. Of course, wingnuts have never been shy about telling us who qualifies as being true Americans, so this really isn’t anything new.

Fortunately most people are smart enough to tell the difference between the two.

Now you’re excluding Limbaugh, Bush, and YOURSELF from the ranks of “smart people.” Well, I for one appreciate a right-winger with some sense of perspective and reality. It was bound to happen sooner or later – or not.

Btw, here are the names and credentials of the 12 Army captains. I’m sure you and the other wingnuts are anxious to get to smearing them:

Jason Blindauer served in Babil and Baghdad in 2003 and 2005. Elizabeth Bostwick served in Salah Ad Din and An Najaf in 2004. Jeffrey Bouldin served in Al Anbar, Baghdad and Ninevah in 2006. Jason Bugajski served in Diyala in 2004. Anton Kemps served in Babil and Baghdad in 2003 and 2005. Kristy (Luken) McCormick served in Ninevah in 2003. Luis Carlos Montalván served in Anbar, Baghdad and Nineveh in 2003 and 2005. William Murphy served in Babil and Baghdad in 2003 and 2005. Josh Rizzo served in Baghdad in 2006. William “Jamie” Ruehl served in Nineveh in 2004. Gregg Tharp served in Babil and Baghdad in 2003 and 2005. Gary Williams served in Baghdad in 2003.
SpiderJ says:

October 16, 2007 at 3:51 pm

Megamoze, let’s get the predictable defense out of the way: All of these soldiers served before the Magical Miracle Surge That Made Everything Better, so they have No Idea what they are talking about.
megamoze says:

October 16, 2007 at 5:03 pm

All of these soldiers served before the Magical Miracle Surge That Made Everything Better, so they have No Idea what they are talking about.

Which is interesting when you note that at no time, according to wingnut protestations in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, were things ever NOT going awesomely. One need only take the date of any of these soldiers’ tours and compare it to the wingnut press at that time to see how the rosy wingnut scenario compares to this testimony. My guess is it will be no more or less contrasting than it is now that the “surge” is “working.” One wonders how the “surge” could make anything any better than it already was in Wingnut Fantasyland. Remember all those painted schools?!
Zython says:

October 17, 2007 at 7:42 am

Boot camp is for Marines. The article says the captains are Army, which starts with Basic Training. Get ONE fact straight.

Don’t expect him to know the basics of how the military works, he hasn’t so much as glanced at a recruiting pamphlet.