ABC's Good Morning America

[Royal]

Did any of our American cousins see the piece with interviews of 3ID lads on tuesday? morning. Clips were shown on Channel 4 news in the UK last night.

I'm not surprised about the complaints - soldiers always drip off at the mouth - One of the best pieces of advice I got during officer training was to start worring when the lads stopped complaining - what surprises me is that SNCO's were involved and this was obviously offically sanctioned in some way.

I'll cheerfully say that I'd love to see the back of Tony Balir and Geoff (buf)hoon from the safety of my PC - I'd never say it 'on the record'. Is this a one-off slip by MediaOps or are things really that bad with 3ID?

We certainly have our own drips, but most of the valid ones are to do with overstretch generally, rather than Op Telic in particular - and I know that the UK sector is generally more benign than the US one, and we are taking less casulaties.

I don't want to get into a slanging match over the 'we've been in NI for 30 years and so do better than the yanks on PSO's' or the Sunni/Shiite debates because they're irrelevant - we aren't going to change tactics and force protection measures from here and anyway what's your problem today is ours tomorrow. Surge Ops will always be used in PSO's to reinforce/calm problem areas, so there will be significant numbers of Brit's in the US AOR at some time in the future.

[Seraphim]

The clip you speak of is on here
http://www.msnbc.com/news/870749.asp?vts=071720030940

[James]

My impression was that these soldiers would have been fine if they'd simply received accurate information. I think if they had been told in the beginning that they would be in Baghdad in April but wouldn't go home until September, there would not be so many complaints now. It seems that being told, "Next week", and then, "No, next next week," is what is getting them down.

[martinexsquaddie]

I think I'd be pissed off if the war was "offically over" and I was still getting getting shot at. With no clear Idea when I was going home.
Royal right though when the Lads stop whineing its time to worry never piss off a workforce who are armed. Or in one case in cyprus all the single soldiers of a platoon Booked tickets home. On the grounds one guy goes AWOL he gets 28 days 20 guys go Awol from the same platoon the CO is not going to be happy with the platoon leader :D. The message got sent and he stopped being such an asshole though I loved to have seen his Face when he found out his soldiers were voting with there feet :D

[Mortimer]

The US army is big enough to have six month rotations, while the generals say they can't complain the soldiers still should be given working conditions that are tolerable they are after all human.

I would be complaining to if i was ever posted somewhere for that long, especially if i thought i was going home earlier....even if they got to go home for 3 months and then shipped off again i reckon most of the comlpainers would be happy.

[Seiyuuki]

War is not over, it was just declared that "major engagements" is done.

What's the percentage of troops in Iraq right now are reservists?