US advisers in Iraq; dodging the war is getting harder
The Washington Post reports that some US advisers are experiencing the war in Iraq against ISIS in the Anbar Province a little more often than they’d like.
The militants, positioned at a nearby town, have repeatedly hit the base with artillery or rocket fire in recent weeks. Since the middle of December, the U.S.-led military coalition has launched 13 airstrikes around the facility.
U.S. troops have suffered no casualties as a result of the attacks. But the violence has underlined the risks to American personnel as they fan out across Iraq as part of President Obama’s expanding mission against the Islamic State, even as he has pledged U.S. operations will not “involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil.”
The war always seems to find US troops in spite of the administrations’ claims that they won’t be involved in combat. I remember US Navy Commander Albert A. Schaufelberger, a SEAL who was advising Salvadoran troops in that country in 1983 as the deputy chief of US forces, during a different presidential administration. The media made it well-known that American troops there wouldn’t have long arms and wouldn’t be involved in combat.
According to Donald Hamilton, public affairs officer of the United States Embassy, Commander Schaufelberger was shot at about 6:30 P.M. when he went to the university to pick up a friend. According to the embassy official, a car pulled up alongside him and fired four shots.
Mr. Hamilton said details of the incident were very preliminary. In addition to his duties as deputy chief of the military group, Commander Schaufelberger was the head of the group’s naval section and chief of security.
In the real world, where there are truly boots on the ground, war always seems to find US troops.
Category: Terror War
*John Wayne voice*
That’s injun country over there
From “Blackhawk Down,”
Coffee bitch: “Why aren’t you shooting?”
SAW gunner: “Because we’re not being shot at yet!”
Coffee bitch: “How can you tell?”
SAW gunner: “A hiss means it’s close. A snap means–”
[SNAP]
SAW gunner: “Okay, NOW they’re shooting at us!”
Art imitating life?
(sigh). . . . when will these politicians (of BOTH sides), ever learn?
To paraquote, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
What history are these jackasses-in-charge NOT learning? Our early involvement in VietNam, starting with Pres Eisenhower in 1959, and then escalating through the Kennedy years. It started, as usual, with our military acting as “advisers only”.
There are too many still out there who were veterans of that war for me to continue preaching to the choir.
Left off Pres Truman.
The only history politicians care about is the history of what they need to do to get elected/re-elected.
This is a cyclical issue with the military being built up for war, then reduced to stupid levels, then used as advisers, peacekeepers, humanitarians, etc. Then, when the next real war happens, we have to scramble to build a military that can win more than just the first battles of the war.
If this is not supposed to be a combat operation, then what is it? A sasquatch hunt?
The disconnect from reality is no longer surprising. The denial is what hurts the most.
I’m just waiting for those pictures of people desperately lined up for a helo ride off the roof of a nearby hotel.
I remember Commander Schaufelberger. What the story didn’t tell you was the friend he was picking up at the university was his girlfriend and he picked her up every day at the same time. Also his vehicle had a bolt on armor kit, and his AC wasn’t working so hee took out the drivers side armor protection to open the window.
I remember that outside the outer perimeter the Chief of Police used to live there. One night we were held up at the corner to head back in. Diagonally across the street from his house was an IED.
I know a lot of Troops that did worked their asses of in Hit and Falluja. Shame.
We also did a shit ton of work on the Syrian border. Looks like all for nothing.
I wonder if the Mayor of Hit has returned. After we dumped truck loads of cash on him. He took a vaction and never reutrned.
We are Americans. Even in the US we have a target on our chest.
In countries in the Middle East especially, we have a target that comes with a reward/bounty. Not that we don’t in many other countries.
Or, maybe its just the sneakers they walk around in, since they don’t have boots. They can’t be heard and keep scaring people because they are so sneaker sneaky?
May as well make it a trifecta.
This is my surprised face. No, really.
😉