Iraq Commanders Say No To Breaks In Combat
WASHINGTON — U.S. commanders in Iraq are rejecting a recommendation by Army mental health experts that troops receive a one-month break for every three months in a combat zone, despite unprecedented levels of continuous fighting and worsening risks of mental health problems.
Instead, commanders are trying to give troops two to three days inside heavily fortified bases after about eight days in the field, said Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson, chief aide to the ground forces commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno.
“We would never get the job done of securing [of Baghdad] if we went out for three months and came back” for one, Anderson said.
U.S. forces in Iraq spend more time in continuous combat without a break than those who fought in Vietnam and World War II, according to Army psychologists who studied troops in Iraq.
Well they sure as hell aren’t getting the job done now by abusing the troops. Are these generals and the president trying to completely break our troops?
Army Col. Carl Castro, a research psychologist who co-wrote the mental health study, said combat “is extremely, extremely stressful, and we don’t want people to lose sight of that.” That stress is aggravated, he says, by multiple tours of duty and deployments that have been extended from 12 months to 15.
Castro and Maj. Dennis McGurk, who co-authored the study, recommend U.S. troops by company or battalion be pulled back into fortified areas to rest for one month after every three months of combat, a recovery period similar to that used in World War II.
I’m sure Castro and McGurk will be asked to retire soon. Remember when you question Bush you are unemployed. But remember Bush supports the troops. Yeah right.
High-level combat is defined as spending at least 56 hours a week outside base camps on patrols or missions, a routine pattern for combat soldiers in Iraq. Psychologists defined the “front line” in Iraq as any time a soldier or Marine is outside a fortified installation.
“At no time in our military history have soldiers or Marines been required to serve on the front line in any war for a period of six-seven months, let alone a year, without a significant break in order to recover from the physical, psychological and emotional demands,” Castro wrote in the study.
Army Spc. Jeremy Osborn, 27, who finished 14 months in Iraq in February, said more breaks would relieve stress. “The body and mind need to take a break from always being on guard,” he said. “Never knowing when we were going to get attacked again was quite stressful.
What would Bush know about battle fatigue. He is a spoiled frat boy who thinks he is dictator of America and the soldiers who protect us. Personally I think abuse of our soldiers is a war crime.
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June 20th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
mullah cimoc say blog man him not so stupid like most ameriki.
maybe him following mullah cimoc advise and reading him three volume treatise on guerilla warfare from famous mao tse tung guerilla fighter chinese man.
please remember genral schwartzkopf, him saying if go to baghdad in 1991 this like dinosaur get stuck in giant tar pit. this general not so stupid. because right now him ameriki stuck in giant tar pit.
if reading mao tse tung ameriki learning at least this:
when faced with superior military force, the guerilla must disperse. the guerilla fighter must strike only when he can strike and retreat with no risk.
right now him guerilla fighter in iraq him disperse swimming into ocean and then coming back like the barracuda later.
only true: usa now slave of masters in tel aviv, controllng all aspect of ameriki life even public school curriculum.
usa the invading, the torturing and the kill all because neocon spy in white house and pentagon. him the iraeli agent. for the good study and example…
google: indyk +”israeli spy”
June 20th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Mullah:
Thank you for your insight. Yes the U.S. has become a slave to the wishes of Israel and big corporations.
I had to read this a few times to understand your comment. Please feel free to visit and comment anytime.
June 20th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
This evening’s posts had me wondering what phase the moon is - feels like I’m back working with head cases when the moon is full. Go have a look - I’m still shaking my head.
It sure feels like something is about to break loose - but I’ve thought that since February.
Seems like Mullah Cimoc feels you aren’t up to performance specs for sticking your head in the sand yet.( Bloggers - I love ‘em )
June 20th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Opit:
Glad to see you. No my head is not in the sand or up my a** like most in Washington and the Pentagon.
Thanks for the vote of confidence.