Milsurp After Hours

My old outfit from Viet Nam is leaving today for their third tour in Iraq. A week ago I went to GA for the Casing of the Colors Ceremony in preparation for their deployment. For their first tour, we dug up the colors that we had in RVN, and they took those with them. I met one of the troopers that I will be sponsoring while they are deployed, the CO of my old company, who is a she. They have reorganized the battalion since I was in it. My old company is no longer a line company, but is a support company which is why they can have women in it. They all sure looked young, but looking back, we were younger. I had just turned 21, and was a platoon Sgt and acting platoon leader when we ran short of Lt's. I look at the 21 year olds I know now, and wouldn't want them to be responsible for the lives of 40 others in a combat situation.

They have a tough mission. They are responsible for the security and the training of the local security forces in Baghdad. When they were there the last time, there were 55 combat platoons in the same area. They have six this time. Unless they are actively taking fire, they can not respond or detain anyone with out a warrant signed by an Iraqi judge. It is a heck of a situation to put a combat force in.

Many of us know young troops in either Iraq or Afganistan. I know two that came back from over there in the last year..one Army and one Marine. Dutch Mosin, one of our long time moderators, is over there now in Afganistan in the Dutch Army. Maybe it will end some day. But I'm not holding my breath.

Unless they are actively taking fire, they can not respond or detain anyone with out a warrant signed by an Iraqi judge. It is a heck of a situation to put a combat force in.

'Rules of Engagement' ! Still got a copy of the NI ones somewhere, pity the opposition don't use the same