posted on Oct, 24 2008 @ 09:38 AM
Yeah. My buddy has been over here longer than I have and he says the key learning material for fighting in Iraq are the writings of T. S. (It's S,
right? Not E? I can't keep them straight.) Lawrence, the so-called Lawrence of Arabia.
One lesson he repeatedly brings up is T's warning not to give Arabs things. When you dump aid and money and support and weapons and uniforms on the
Arabs, and I think you'll see this supported in most instances, they see you as weak and a cow to be milked. In my experience and the experience of
the trainers I've talked to, that's exactly how they see us. We're annoying, we're not their friends, and we're a problem to be endured in
exchange for the freebies.
We give their police new trucks-they sell them. We provide bottled water for drinking-they steal it and sell it. We give them new weapons-they
disappear. We give them fuel for their Air Force-they steal it and sell it. They start a dining facility for their troops and try to strongarm the
contractor feeding them to provide prostitutes. The only thing they really respect is force and strict authority. Freebies and flex time don't win
their respect. Oh, and don't believe the stories about how they don't get enough power here-the Brits wired them for power down south and they
tored down the lines and sold them, too.
I talked to a friend of mine who lived with and trained the Iraqi Army. He said they were only willing to listen and train when they knew there were
new weapons, equipment, and tools in the deal. When they were being trained for the sake of training-they ignored him and refused to listen. Look
online for the video of US Army trainers leading them in PT. You'll laugh your butt off.
The Iraqi Air Force, a group I deal with on an almost daily basis, have become a major force for corruption. They're trained and shepherded by the
US Air Force, but those jokers have become enablers for a bunch of crooked thieves. One Iraqi I talked to told me the new Iraqi Air Force are worse
than the old one. He said they're more corrupt, more coercive, and more dishonest.
I kind of figure the powers that be in the military are more interested in creating the illusion the Iraqi military is ready on paper than they are in
actually teaching discipline and motivation. Standards don't matter as much as appearances do. This means even when they're caught in serious
criminal activities-they get an easy ride. It's pretty scary how much free reign they have. They're carrying weapons on the base I'm on and that
frightens a lot of us.
This whole conflict is a big joke to me at this point. I wish the American people could see how thoroughly this whole effort is a waste of their
money and their time and their lives. I think a lot of people would be pissed if they saw how this conflict is waged over here. The news and the
movies don't really convey it, although Iraq For Sale is a good primer.
Enjoy-Polarbear