ed316
04-18-2006, 03:31 PM
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
No politics in combat
felt something of a fool asking the Marines with whom we had just spend 45 minutes darting around the war-torn streets of Ramadi what they thought about the calls for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign.
Most looked at me blankly, sweat still pouring down their boyish faces, unaware of the politics behind the battle they fight everyday.
In this part of Iraq, where ankle-deep stagnant water and sewage fills the streets and nearly every building bears witness to the ongoing fight, all their time is focused on the mission, and just getting themselves and their fellow Marines home alive.
This fact of their existence in Iraq was emphasized less than two hours later, when the local governor's compound came under a complex attack, a regular occurrence in this part of the city. Mortars, RPGs, car bombs, bullets flying -- this is reality for these boys.
There were hectic efforts to figure out where the incoming fire was impacting and if there were any casualties. Marines were running up to the roof to re-supply those manning weapons, firing rockets, tank rounds, and finally, celebrating when the fight was over and there were no casualties.
As they had said to me earlier -- there is no politics on the ground here, just combat.
Posted By Arwa Damon, CNN Correspondent: 10:31 AM
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/
No politics in combat
felt something of a fool asking the Marines with whom we had just spend 45 minutes darting around the war-torn streets of Ramadi what they thought about the calls for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign.
Most looked at me blankly, sweat still pouring down their boyish faces, unaware of the politics behind the battle they fight everyday.
In this part of Iraq, where ankle-deep stagnant water and sewage fills the streets and nearly every building bears witness to the ongoing fight, all their time is focused on the mission, and just getting themselves and their fellow Marines home alive.
This fact of their existence in Iraq was emphasized less than two hours later, when the local governor's compound came under a complex attack, a regular occurrence in this part of the city. Mortars, RPGs, car bombs, bullets flying -- this is reality for these boys.
There were hectic efforts to figure out where the incoming fire was impacting and if there were any casualties. Marines were running up to the roof to re-supply those manning weapons, firing rockets, tank rounds, and finally, celebrating when the fight was over and there were no casualties.
As they had said to me earlier -- there is no politics on the ground here, just combat.
Posted By Arwa Damon, CNN Correspondent: 10:31 AM
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/