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General calls use of 152nd 'inexcusable' (Maintenance Co. for security)

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Barrett808 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 01:12 PM
Original message
General calls use of 152nd 'inexcusable' (Maintenance Co. for security)
General calls use of 152nd 'inexcusable'
By DAVID HENCH, Portland Press Herald Writer

Maj. Gen. John "Bill" Libby, freshly returned from visiting his Maine Army National Guard troops in Iraq, called it "inexcusable" that the 152nd Maintenance Company is being used primarily as a security force.

"Three years in . . . it's inexcusable to have brought a maintenance company over there to do anything but maintenance," Libby said. "It's particularly galling to me when I strip myself of full-time mechanics and they get there and they're in a tower."

Libby, speaking with reporters Thursday, said switching assignments on the unit hurts his ability to recruit and retain soldiers for the Guard.

"They were frustrated by not being able to be mechanics . . . and I'll have a tough time convincing them to re-enlist," he said. That creates problems in an area that is already a challenge for the National Guard and regular army.

(more)

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/051104general.shtml
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Bob3 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 01:15 PM
Response to Original message
1. like my dad once said
there's the right way, there's the wrong way and there's the Army way.

Guards needed unit coming into country. Hey presto they are now guards.

Amazing.
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Miss Chybil Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 09:49 PM
Response to Reply #1
18. Anyone in the Army is a Soldier first.
I'm sure the general is upset about the war as a whole and the fact his mechanics are soldiering just adds to the frustration. I'm sure he knows, though, even cooks are trained to fight. In a war, just, or unjust, soldiers do what needs doing. Period.
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slor Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 01:15 PM
Response to Original message
2. No worse than...
an idiot being used as a president.
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havocmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 01:20 PM
Response to Original message
3. Is the unit's causality rate high? Would be a worry
since they are not a security unit. Using people in jobs they are not trained to do seems to be status quo for the junta, but the COs must be livid when it happens in an illegal invasion.
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Davis_X_Machina Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 01:24 PM
Response to Original message
4. Maine's Battalion 1-152nd Field Artillery...
...spent an earlier deployment in Iraq as MP's, though it is normally a 155mm towed artillery unit.
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underpants Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 01:28 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. "Gunner's Palace" is about a Field Artillery unit
You realize that there isn't much of anyone left behind maintenance units to do guard type stuff. I mean that if they are using wrenches for primarily guard duty that means everyone else is all used up doing everything else....and the DynaCorp and Halliburton people arent' contracted to be soldiers.
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mahatmakanejeeves Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 02:46 PM
Response to Reply #6
8. da link, boss; da link
Gunner Palace

Terrific DVD. Barracks language, to no surprise.
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underpants Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 03:22 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. I saw it/taped it from The Military Channel
Lots of stuff was fuzzed out (tshirts and such) and they couldn't made the disclaimer any more evident at the beginning.

Opinions expressed in this movie do not reflect those of this network.

It was on at 2:30 AM.
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mahatmakanejeeves Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 09:13 PM
Response to Reply #10
15. Every second word has something to do with fornication,
and the rest are persons, places, or things. Pretty much what you'd expect.
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Rose Siding Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 01:25 PM
Response to Original message
5. Whoa! Good for him
Sounds like his criticsm is well-founded
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LynnTheDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 02:42 PM
Response to Original message
7. War of choice aggression...
THAT is inexcusable.
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One_Life_To_Give Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 02:49 PM
Response to Original message
9. The New Army, 100% in Combat
Unlike previous wars where only 10% of our troops were in combat. The goals of the new Army is to outsource all the support jobs, so they can get every soldier into the front lines.

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sendero Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 03:26 PM
Response to Reply #9
11. And the outsourced...
... get paid BIG BUCKS, and the soldiers get paid SQUAT.
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underpants Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 03:53 PM
Response to Reply #9
12. Everyone's secondary MOS is 11B
Edited on Fri Nov-04-05 03:54 PM by underpants
The few run ins I had with support types the guys always said that, it seemed to make them feel tougher. I used to tell them that I was the dumbass at least you HAVE women around you in your unit the Cav is a helmet fest.

NPR had a report on the outsourcing a few years ago and aside from Dynacorp charging for "E6 experience" on a guy who just got out of "This is a helicopter" school they pointed out that the caravan in "Black Hawk Down" was made up of mechanics and cooks.....not any more it wouldn't be.
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Prisoner_Number_Six Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 03:56 PM
Response to Original message
13. One word.
DRAFT.

They can't hold out much longer.
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lovelaureng Donating Member (434 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 06:31 PM
Response to Original message
14. Sounds like another
normal day in the US Army. They will use and abuse soldiers as they see fit. Yes, your secondary is 11 Bravo(Bang, Bang), regardless of what your primary MOS is.
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malletgirl02 Donating Member (938 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 09:40 PM
Response to Original message
16. not unusual
My dad is a signal corps officer, and now he is the battalion commander of a unit who trains Iraqi police officers.
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Sgent Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Nov-04-05 09:47 PM
Response to Original message
17. Not to mention
you have active duty spec op units (Marine Expeditionary Units, Rangers, etc) doing VIP gaurd duty as well -- something they are not particularly well trained for (although admittedly better trained than a Mech unit).

As Gen. Schwartscoff said long ago, the purpose of the military is to kill people and break things. Current assignment from Chimp-in-chief does nothing in that assignment.
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