Bulgarian troops refuse Iraq duty

[scoone]

Bulgarian troops refuse Iraq duty
From correspondents in Sofia
07jan04
SOME 40 Bulgarian soldiers have pulled out of a 500-man battalion for Iraq since five compatriots were killed in a suicide truck bomb attack that wrecked the Bulgarian base in the holy Shiite city of Karbala last month, Deputy Defence Minister Ilko Dimitrov said today.

A total of 42 soldiers withdrew, almost all of them during the national day of mourning on December 30, three days after the attack, but two or three have since changed their minds, said Dimitrov in an interview with the newspaper Dnevnik.

The battalion is due to leave this month to replace 480 Bulgarian troops who have served since September as part of a 9000-strong Polish-led multinational contingent supporting the US-British occupying force in Iraq.

A multiple car bomb attack killed 19 people and wounded 200 on December 27 in Karbala, 110 kilometres south of Baghdad. The dead included five Bulgarian soldiers, the first casualties suffered by Bulgaria in Iraq. Another 64 Bulgarians were wounded.

Members of the replacement battalion have demanded that a clause be written in their contracts stipulating that they can pull out of the mission at any time and return home, said a Bulgarian radio report on January 2.

The chief of staff, General Nikola Nolev told a radio interviewer that "the principal of voluntary participation in international missions is guaranteed by law" and that "no-one will exert pressure" on the soldiers.

However, he added that those who wish to pull out would have to reimburse the cost of transport and medical exams.

The general acknowledged that the Bulgarian military in Iraq lacked armour-plated transport for patrolling streets and had been forced to use unprotected vehicles.

In an interview with the newspaper Troud, retired general Radoslav Peshleyevski, a logistics expert, alleged that there had been "fundamental mistakes" in protecting the Bulgarian base and vehicles in Karbala.


http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,8340129%255E401,00.html

www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,4789_W_1076925,00.html

[usa320]

They get bombed, and instead of finding the SOB's that did it they rather run away.

Pussies. I bet they dont fare to well with their comrades.

[Rantanplan]

They get bombed, and instead of finding the SOB's that did it they rather run away.

Pussies. I bet they dont fare to well with their comrades.

http://www.xbox-connection.com/hostedimages/Stfu2.JPG

[Maverick77]

Its true


What the **** did they expect. To sell candy or some **** like that


They are cowards and a discrace to their country.

[usa320]

Its true


What the f*** did they expect. To sell candy or some **** like that


They are cowards and a discrace to their country.


Agreed. Too many examples lately of people joining hte army for ****s and giggles, then throwing a **** fit when they are told to do what they are trained too.

[Whistler]

Sound like they don't belong in the military to begin with, let alone a war zone.

If they quit that easily than the probably wouldn't have done much good in Iraq anyway. Good luck to them, I hope their return home is greeted with a nice fitting dishonorerable discharge.

[MarineSniper8541]

Pussies.

Let them run.

"That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us."

Who can name or quote that full speech? ...trivia

Translation into modern english:

"Get these pussies the hell out of here. Give them money so they can get out of here faster. I do not want to die among these cowards!"

[AFG]

i was thinking it was from William Shakespear's King Henry (something) poem but its probably not.

[army cadet_ngcsu]

they are simply cowards

[mustamato]

... or simply they believed in the official version that they were there to bring prosperity, justice and all that to the Iraqi people, and one day (with a boom) realized that they were not welcome. It´s like being a sleazy old rich man having *** with a poor girl that doesn´t want it despite that she is yelling NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Bulgarian soldiers quit then, obviously some others don´t :|


The general acknowledged that the Bulgarian military in Iraq lacked armour-plated transport for patrolling streets and had been forced to use unprotected vehicles.

In an interview with the newspaper Troud, retired general Radoslav Peshleyevski, a logistics expert, alleged that there had been "fundamental mistakes" in protecting the Bulgarian base and vehicles in Karbala.

Reason enough to protest?

[Roger Rabbit]

Henry V you mean.

WESTMORELAND. O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!
KING. What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
-

Act IV, scene iii, 35

[scoone]

Over 60 Bulgarian Soldiers Quit Iraq-Bound Unit
Wed January 14, 2004 10:05 AM ET

SOFIA, Bulgaria (*******) - A total of 62 Bulgarian soldiers have quit a peacekeeping unit due to replace troops in Iraq after a car bomb killed five of their compatriots last month, Chief of Staff Nikola Kolev said Wednesday.
The Balkan country, a staunch supporter of the U.S.-led military campaign that toppled Saddam Hussein, has sent a 480- strong light infantry battalion to serve in the Polish-led force in Iraq's holy city of Kerbala.

Bulgaria plans to rotate the peacekeepers in Kerbala with another 480 soldiers by mid-February, but dozens of the new unit have decided to abandon the mission after the Kerbala deaths.

State radio quoted Kolev as saying some of the Bulgarian contingent's duties would be taken over by coalition allies because of increased tension among soldiers after the bombing.

He did not say which duties the Bulgarians would give up.

Kolev and President Georgi Parvanov went to a military base in Kazanlak, central Bulgaria, Wednesday to kick off the rotation of Iraq-based troops. The peacekeepers are volunteers from the NATO-candidate country's professional army.

The Kerbala deaths have sparked debate in Bulgaria about security at their base in the Polish sector, with many asking why the troops had not been better protected.

Earlier this month 40 soldiers of the new Iraq-bound unit said they would quit but later their number grew to 62, despite raised payment and Sofia's attempts to boost morale.

Tuesday the government raised daily pay to troops in Kerbala to $82-$90 from $62-$75 after soldiers demanded their compensation be doubled because of higher risk.

[FallenAngel]

WTF? I was under the impression that when one is a soldier, you are told what to do, when to do it and have made known to you the exact manner in which to do it. The only time you get out with this is with a "moral objection", but I can't think of any moral objection to reporting to a post other than to save your own ass.

The whole point of being a soldier is that you give of yourself for others- whether those others are your comrades, your family back home, or the people of a newly liberated country- doesn't matter. It's a thankless job and anyone IN the military shouldn't be niave enough to think otherwise.

And as long as we're quoting (Henry V is pretty good.) here's a good one:

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
-John Stuart Mill

[Chris1]

Gents, I am in no way saying what they are doing is right but
THIS IS NOT THE ****ING MOVIES
Where no-one ever takes one step backwards and everybody goes home alright (except the bad guys)
As a soldier, yes they are supposed to follow orders and put themselves in danger
HOWEVER the people that are putting them have AN EVEN GREATER responsibility to ensure they are equipped and ready for the job
If the people sending them there do not live up to this responsibility (as it sounds like) then have the soldiers still got a responsibility to live up to theirs?
Final point, which I don't like making but feel has to be said
When some of the posters on here going "**** in pussies" (usa320 I'm looking at you) have been in the same situation, then you can criticise like that.

[mustamato]

And it is also important to not think of them as full-time soldiers as the US or british. Most of them are probably just conscripts in the reserve that has volunteered to make the life better for the ordinary soldiers + have the opportunity to earn some money. Bulgaria is in no way a rich country. They probably didn´t volunteer for the "possibility for combat and the chance of getting killed" or anything like that. They just want to help, and it´s quite hard to do that if you are dead?

[Hullebullen]

A few years ago I had the opportunity to go to Kosovo. I had applied to go to Bosnia but as it turned out there weren't any "seats" left in that battalion. Therefore I made other plans. So when they a few months later called me up and asked me if I was interrested in going to Kosovo instead I had just started university studies and moved to a new town. What can I say, the timing was bad.

My point is: I am not, and I weren't at that time neither, a soldier. I have military training, yes, but that was some time ago. I would have gone there voluntarily knowing it was hot spot. But if something like this would have happened, I too would take a long and hard thought about staying or leaving. It's not about being a p****. I respect both those who stayed and those that leaved but most I respect the fact that they came there by their own free will...

[Sorbas2000]

They get bombed, and instead of finding the SOB's that did it they rather run away.

Pussies. I bet they dont fare to well with their comrades.

Shut up! 480 bulgarian soldiers took place instead of 2500 US Marines who left Kerbala! What DO YOU expected? How many american soldiers are killing every day!!! Do you know how many american soldiers want to left Iraq because they don't want to be killed for nothing!?

Americans are pussies because they allways need air support for every little thing. Without 63t Abrams, F-15, B2 and B-52 bombers they would have no chance against other armies or against light weaponed Iraqis!!!

[Resevoir Hogs]

Hey those National Guardsmen may be whinning about being in Iraq but you don't see them packing their bags to leave. At least they are serving there.

[XASA]

Americans are pussies because they allways need air support for every little thing. Without 63t Abrams, F-15, B2 and B-52 bombers they would have no chance against other armies or against light weaponed Iraqis!!!

Nice introduction to Militaryphotos.net Sorbas. I bet you made a great impression on forum members by calling Americans "pussies" (albeit you were referring to usa320's jibe, but he's just a kid who doesn't know any better). You certainly caught my eye as being either incredibly stupid or just looking for a flame war.

Yup, we have Abrams, F-15, B2 and B-52 bombers. You forgot aircraft carriers, artillery, computers, cruise missles and smart bombs. All to defeat whomever happens to be unfortunate enough to be caught in our sights. Obviously, if it was up to you, we should not use any of these horrible weapons in a conflict but should go "mano a mano" with our opponents. Fortunately, we will never know if we would have a chance against others without these tools of war because, as you probably already know, we believe in using overwhelming force to defeat our enemies; that's been American policy for more than 100 years. Still, I'd bet on a company of American Marines or Rangers if they were pitted against a similar size enemy unit of a foe even without the "Arsenal of Democracy".

What we do know is if our enemies-- past, present and future-- had the same weapons they would not hesitate to use them against "soft" civilian targets as witnessed by 9/11.

[Sorbas2000]

@XASA

I was just answering about "Bulgarian Pussies"!

There is one fact, known by every non-american or non us-army military person: US troops are not so good without massive air support and without heavy armored units. it was in WW II against german troops, it was in korea, where the US military had enormeous problems against korean and chinese troops, it was shown in vietnam, it was shown in GW I and at least now in GW II.

BTW: Bulgarian troops haven't leave their post in Kerbala. There were only 60 soldiers, which didn't want to leave bulgaria to serve in Iraq. Because it is free to serve abroad, it was their right!

don't piss to your allies, because america hasn't to much allies these days!!!

[German_American]

wow and people call me ignorant