From The Times October 8, 2009
by Martin Fletcher
at Forward Operating Base in Wardak province
American soldiers serving in Afghanistan are depressed and deeply disillusioned, according to the chaplains of two US battalions that have spent nine months on the front line in the war against the Taleban.
Many feel that they are risking their lives — and that colleagues have died — for a futile mission and an Afghan population that does nothing to help them, the chaplains told The Times in their makeshift chapel on this fortress-like base in a dusty, brown valley southwest of Kabul.
“The many soldiers who come to see us have a sense of futility and anger about being here. They are really in a state of depression and despair and just want to get back to their families,” said Captain Jeff Masengale, of the 10th Mountain Division’s 2-87 Infantry Battalion.
“They feel they are risking their lives for progress that’s hard to discern,” said Captain Sam Rico, of the Division’s 4-25 Field Artillery Battalion. “They are tired, strained, confused and just want to get through.” The chaplains said that they were speaking out because the men could not.
The base is not, it has to be said, obviously downcast, and many troops do not share the chaplains’ assessment. The soldiers are, by nature and training, upbeat, driven by a strong sense of duty, and they do their jobs as best they can. Re-enlistment rates are surprisingly good for the 2-87, though poor for the 4-25. Several men approached by The Times, however, readily admitted that their morale had slumped.
“We’re lost — that’s how I feel. I’m not exactly sure why we’re here,” said Specialist Raquime Mercer, 20, whose closest friend was shot dead by a renegade Afghan policeman last Friday. “I need a clear-cut purpose if I’m going to get hurt out here or if I’m going to die.”
Sergeant Christopher Hughes, 37, from Detroit, has lost six colleagues and survived two roadside bombs. Asked if the mission was worthwhile, he replied: “If I knew exactly what the mission was, probably so, but I don’t.”
The only soldiers who thought it was going well “work in an office, not on the ground”. In his opinion “the whole country is going to s***”.
The battalion’s 1,500 soldiers are nine months in to a year-long deployment that has proved extraordinarily tough. Their goal was to secure the mountainous Wardak province and then to win the people’s allegiance through development and good governance. They have, instead, found themselves locked in an increasingly vicious battle with the Taleban.
They have been targeted by at least 300 roadside bombs, about 180 of which have exploded. Nineteen men have been killed in action, with another committing suicide. About a hundred have been flown home with amputations, severe burns and other injuries likely to cause permanent disability, and many of those have not been replaced. More than two dozen mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs) have been knocked out of action.
Living conditions are good — abundant food, air-conditioned tents, hot water, free internet — but most of the men are on their second, third or fourth tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, with barely a year between each. Staff Sergeant Erika Cheney, Airborne’s mental health specialist, expressed concern about their mental state — especially those in scattered outposts — and believes that many have mild post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “They’re tired, frustrated, scared. A lot of them are afraid to go out but will still go,” she said.
Lieutenant Peter Hjelmstad, 2-87’s Medical Platoon Leader, said sleeplessness and anger attacks were common.
A dozen men have been confined to desk jobs because they can no longer handle missions outside the base. One long-serving officer who has lost three friends this tour said he sometimes returned to his room at night and cried, or played war games on his laptop. “It’s a release. It’s a method of coping.” He has nightmares and sleeps little, and it does not help that the base is frequently shaken by outgoing artillery fire. He was briefly overcome as he recalled how, when a lorry backfired during his most recent home leave, he grabbed his young son and dived between two parked cars.
The chaplains said soldiers were seeking their help in unprecedented numbers. “Everyone you meet is just down, and you meet them everywhere — in the weight room, dining facility, getting mail,” said Captain Rico. Even “hard men” were coming to their tent chapel and breaking down.
The men are frustrated by the lack of obvious purpose or progress. “The soldiers’ biggest question is: what can we do to make this war stop. Catch one person? Assault one objective? Soldiers want definite answers, other than to stop the Taleban, because that almost seems impossible. It’s hard to catch someone you can’t see,” said Specialist Mercer.
“It’s a very frustrating mission,” said Lieutenant Hjelmstad. “The average soldier sees a friend blown up and his instinct is to retaliate or believe it’s for something [worthwhile], but it’s not like other wars where your buddy died but they took the hill. There’s no tangible reward for the sacrifice. It’s hard to say Wardak is better than when we got here.”
Captain Masengale, a soldier for 12 years before he became a chaplain, said: “We want to believe in a cause but we don’t know what that cause is.”
The soldiers are angry that colleagues are losing their lives while trying to help a population that will not help them. “You give them all the humanitarian assistance that they want and they’re still going to lie to you. They’ll tell you there’s no Taleban anywhere in the area and as soon as you roll away, ten feet from their house, you get shot at again,” said Specialist Eric Petty, from Georgia.
Captain Rico told of the disgust of a medic who was asked to treat an insurgent shortly after pulling a colleague’s charred corpse from a bombed vehicle.
The soldiers complain that rules of engagement designed to minimise civilian casualties mean that they fight with one arm tied behind their backs. “They’re a joke,” said one. “You get shot at but can do nothing about it. You have to see the person with the weapon. It’s not enough to know which house the shooting’s coming from.”
The soldiers joke that their Isaf arm badges stand not for International Security Assistance Force but “I Suck At Fighting” or “I Support Afghan Farmers”.
To compound matters, soldiers are mainly being killed not in combat but on routine journeys, by roadside bombs planted by an invisible enemy. “That’s very demoralising,” said Captain Masengale.
The constant deployments are, meanwhile, playing havoc with the soldiers’ private lives. “They’re killing families,” he said. “Divorces are skyrocketing. PTSD is off the scale. There have been hundreds of injuries that send soldiers home and affect families for the rest of their lives.”
The chaplains said that many soldiers had lost their desire to help Afghanistan. “All they want to do is make it home alive and go back to their wives and children and visit the families who have lost husbands and fathers over here. It comes down to just surviving,” said Captain Masengale.
“If we make it back with ten toes and ten fingers the mission is successful,” Sergeant Hughes said.
“You carry on for the guys to your left or right,” added Specialist Mercer.
The chaplains have themselves struggled to cope with so much distress. “We have to encourage them, strengthen them and send them out again. No one comes in and says, ‘I’ve had a great day on a mission’. It’s all pain,” said Captain Masengale. “The only way we’ve been able to make it is having each other.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Kimo Gallahue, 2-87’s commanding officer, denied that his men were demoralised, and insisted they had achieved a great deal over the past nine months. A triathlete and former rugby player, he admitted pushing his men hard, but argued that taking the fight to the enemy was the best form of defence.
He said the security situation had worsened because the insurgents had chosen to fight in Wardak province, not abandon it. He said, however, that the situation would have been catastrophic without his men. They had managed to keep open the key Kabul-to-Kandahar highway which dissects Wardak, and prevent the province becoming a launch pad for attacks on the capital, which is barely 20 miles from its border. Above all, Colonel Gallahue argued that counter-insurgency — winning the allegiance of the indigenous population through security, development and good governance — was a long and laborious process that could not be completed in a year. “These 12 months have been, for me, laying the groundwork for future success,” he said.
At morning service on Sunday, the two chaplains sought to boost the spirits of their flock with uplifting hymns, accompanied by video footage of beautiful lakes, oceans and rivers.
Captain Rico offered a particularly apposite reading from Corinthians: “We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
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Friday, October 09, 2009
o'waffle - American troops in Afghanistan losing heart, say army chaplains
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Now the U.S. Owes $175+ Trillion Dollars! (25Sep17) Up daily since o'tax'n spend was elected!
"The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money."
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3 years ago: The Debt ~ $125T+! Then Obama: Up $22T+ in only 3 years! $22T to $26T+ by 2015! Since November 2011 to January 2013 he has added $2 Trillion to the deficit! States' Unfunded: $3.2T+! (Dec10) From Jan'09 the deficit: $10.2T→$14.6T up $4.3T/42%! -- Federal unfunded liabilities total $84 trillion .. equal to 5.7 percent of the present value of all future GDP, which translates into about 31 percent of the long run federal revenue estimate,” the report states. “Thus federal revenues would have to rise immediately and permanently to 24.1 percent of GDP to cover the fiscal imbalance.” (source: http://dailycaller.com/2012/07/16/report-federal-unfunded-liabilities-total-84-trillion/)
Many Americans actually pay $1 out of ever $2 earned to some form of tax while ~50% of people pay no taxes! Do you pay your bills? The Fed takes $3 in and spends $5. Debt per citizen: $51,985 - Debt per taxpayer: $142,513! (13Dec12)
A trillion seconds pass in 31,688 years. At $1/sec it would take 41,194 years just to pay off o'tax'n spend's new Feb12-Feb13 added debt - 538,696 years to pay only the national debt or 4,404,632 years to settle the debt+unfunded liabilities!
"Over the last four years our national debt has risen nearly $6 trillion, and just last week the debt topped an astounding $16 trillion. To put that in perspective, $16 trillion is enough money to fund the US military, along with the military of every NATO country combined… for the next sixteen years! Government spending is projected to hit $3.8 trillion this year alone. Even after every tax dollar paid by Americans has been counted, the government will still overspend by another $1.13 trillion. Every single second of the day our government spends over $12,000. So in the time it takes you to read this article, roughly five minutes, our government has spent $3.6 million. It take four seconds for the government to spend what the average American earns in an entire year." (source: by Tim Phillips 17Sep12 at TownHall.com)
-- Alexis de Tocqueville [Alexis Charles Henri Maurice Clerel, le Comte de Tocqueville] (1805-1859) French historian
The U.S. Deficit in 2007 was $9,007,653,372,262.48
The federal government has accumulated more new debt -- $3.22 trillion ($3,220,103,625,307.29) — during the tenure of the 111th Congress than it did during the first 100 Congresses combined, according to official debt figures published by the U.S. Treasury."
-- By Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com
(Read The Full Story)3 years ago: The Debt ~ $125T+! Then Obama: Up $22T+ in only 3 years! $22T to $26T+ by 2015! Since November 2011 to January 2013 he has added $2 Trillion to the deficit! States' Unfunded: $3.2T+! (Dec10) From Jan'09 the deficit: $10.2T→$14.6T up $4.3T/42%! -- Federal unfunded liabilities total $84 trillion .. equal to 5.7 percent of the present value of all future GDP, which translates into about 31 percent of the long run federal revenue estimate,” the report states. “Thus federal revenues would have to rise immediately and permanently to 24.1 percent of GDP to cover the fiscal imbalance.” (source: http://dailycaller.com/2012/07/16/report-federal-unfunded-liabilities-total-84-trillion/)
Federal obligations exceed world GDP! | Is the US Gov't Bankrupt? | Unfunded a myth? |
---|---|---|
Deficit: $ national debt | Totals Source: http://www.usdebtclock.org | Unfunded Liabilities: $ 107,599,889,000,000 (25Sep17) |
Also, see the blog videos below at http://harrolds.blogspot.com/2009/09/national-debt-how-come-how-much-who-do.html
What were you doing in the last hour while the U.S. Gov't spent $188 Million Dollars of our money! (Every Hour, Every Day!) (Apr11) In 8 years, President Bush added $5 trillion to the national debt; President Obama, according to a revised Dec11 GAO report, added $4T+ to the U.S. deficit in 2011 alone! The GAO estimates the deficit, including o'scamcare & mandates, may grow from $15T+ to over $26T+! UPDATE: A little-noticed event occurred at approximately midnight on Monday, October 31, 2011. The National Debt exceeded the GDP! Imagine what these numbers are going to be now that Obama is reelected! (src)
What were you doing in the last hour while the U.S. Gov't spent $188 Million Dollars of our money! (Every Hour, Every Day!) (Apr11) In 8 years, President Bush added $5 trillion to the national debt; President Obama, according to a revised Dec11 GAO report, added $4T+ to the U.S. deficit in 2011 alone! The GAO estimates the deficit, including o'scamcare & mandates, may grow from $15T+ to over $26T+! UPDATE: A little-noticed event occurred at approximately midnight on Monday, October 31, 2011. The National Debt exceeded the GDP! Imagine what these numbers are going to be now that Obama is reelected! (src)
"Over the last four years our national debt has risen nearly $6 trillion, and just last week the debt topped an astounding $16 trillion. To put that in perspective, $16 trillion is enough money to fund the US military, along with the military of every NATO country combined… for the next sixteen years! Government spending is projected to hit $3.8 trillion this year alone. Even after every tax dollar paid by Americans has been counted, the government will still overspend by another $1.13 trillion. Every single second of the day our government spends over $12,000. So in the time it takes you to read this article, roughly five minutes, our government has spent $3.6 million. It take four seconds for the government to spend what the average American earns in an entire year." (source: by Tim Phillips 17Sep12 at TownHall.com)
"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence … From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to insure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable . . . the very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that is good." -- George Washington |
"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." (Ecclesiastes 10:2)
Bishop Sheen Audio Library |
"For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise." [2 Cor 11:19]
Psalm 109:8 "[W]e ought to deprecate the hazard attending ardent and susceptible minds, from being too strongly, and too early prepossessed in favor of other political systems, before they are capable of appreciating their own." -- George Washington, letter to the Commissioners of the District of Columbia, 1795 Fulton Sheen's "Talk to American Soldiers - The Centurions of Rome 'West Point' (alt src) | Bishop Sheen Radio |
President Obama Job disapproval/approval (daily, interactive)
+ Pre-6Nov12 Polls |
Who Won Who Lost (punctuation optional) |
It has been suggested that o'who?, the clown, and 'those who surround him' are not the bumbling fools they appear to be. Nor are they one of the 'Three Stooges' but rather are shrewd implementation/drivers and fellow-travelers of policies designed to disarm the citizenry & collapse the American economy. Why? o'nocchio's grandiose scheme to "fundamentally transform America" is more than simple campaign rhetoric as can be seen by his use of "enabling acts" to circumvent the Constitution of the United States. As Ollie used to say, "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into." |
News Briefs: 2nd Amendment, Values, Life, & Muslim Terrorism
Krusty The Clown Speaks
AmmoLand.com Shooting Sports News » Gun Rights News
AmmoLand.com Shooting Sports News » Ammunition News
AmmoLand.com Shooting Sports News » Firearm News
It's a race against time.
"You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the great struggle for independence." -- Charles Austin Beard (1874-1948)
2nd, Founding, Traditional American Values, & ProLife Quotes: http://harrold.org/quotes/quotesalone.html |
2nd Amendment, American Values, Founding Fathers' & Life Quotes
Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers
"If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary." -- James Madison, The Federalist No. 51, Independent Journal, Wednesday, February 6, 1788
Anti-Federalists and Federalists Papers
Anti-Federalists and Federalists Papers
The Federalist Papers
Maintained by "Silent Calvin" |
The Anti-Federalists' Papers
Maintained by Jon Roland of the Constitution Society at: http://www.constitution.org/afp/afp.htm
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When Men Were
written by Robert Burns
Robert Burns
b.1759-d.1796 (published 8May1794, The Morning Chronicle, London) "Supposedly addressed by Edward the Bruce to his soldiers before the battle. Listen to its lyrics in Scots/English being read by Doug Robertson (photo), Music by Steve McDonald from "Bannockburn (Stone of Destiny)" [3m55s]
Values: "Scots Wha Hae" 1] poem lyrics..text of "Bruce before Bannockburn" also known as "Scots wha hae", written by Robert Burns
Robert Burns b.1759-d.1796, 8May1794, The Morning Chronicle) 1] "Supposed to be addressed by Bruce to his soldiers before the Battle of Bannockburn against Edward II."
Listen to the poem "Scots Wha Hae" read by Doug Robertson [3m55s], Music by Steve McDonald from 'Bannockburn' [Stone of Destiny]" (.mp3, 3.7MB)
alternate ScotWha2.ram (rm, 3m55s) re [ Robert Bruce's March to Bannockburn, Robert I, the Bruce (1274-1329) also know as Robert the Bruce, "The Hammer of the Scots" ] plus "Scots, wha hae Wi' Wallace Bled," (midi, Scottish Songs) & .midi sequenced with lyrics [src] ***
and Scots Wha Hae (bagpipes) by the 48th Highlanders of Canada (7MB, .mp3, 3m14s)
and Scots Wha Hae, bagpipes solo (1.3MB, .mp3, 1m22s)
and Scots Wha Hae (2.7MB, .mp3, 3m4s; 'The Corries' ["Battle songs of Scotland", sung by Ronnie Browne solo] & Scots Wha Hae with pipes (4.3MB, .mp3, 4m29s)
Material published on Harrold's blog is collected from email forwards, public articles, and my opines or those submitted by users. I try to avoid copyrighted material. If anything on this site has been copyrighted by you, please contact me so it can be removed or give you credit. -- Robert Harrold cite info: http://harrold.org/rfhextra/cite.html
"As a nation we have been asleep for years. Lulled by affluence and self-indulgent apathy, our collective awareness has grown dim. This has created an opening for our enemies, one that may ultimately prove fatal. This is the truth and what we do, or don't do, will determine the consequences, for better or worse. It is time to decide." -- truthandcons.blogspot.com
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About Me
- Robert Harrold
- El Centro, California, United States
- mailto: Robert Harrold
formerly dba
AERC, El Centro, CA, US 92243
Judica me, Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non sancta, ab homine iniquo et doloso erue me.
Do me justice, O God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy; rescue me from the deceitful and unjust man.
- Psalm 43 KJV, 42 Douay Rheims (http://barnhardt.biz)
There are certain universal truths. There is right and wrong. Life is, choice Isn't. The 2nd Amendment is for you and me, not the government.
"We failed to react appropriately to them and, instead, displayed weakness. And, the weak are always beaten." ~~ Vladimir Putin
"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." - George Orwell on a BBC broadcast, April 4, 1942
"An armed society is a polite society." -- Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988) American writer
Before you sign anything, ask an Indian first.
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